A European Cybercrime Centre (ECC) hosted by Europol would bring together input from several different entities and drive a common approach to tackling cybercrime. To gather background evidence for this initiative, RAND Europe researchers visited a number of EU Member States' high tech crime units to better understand their capabilities, conducted interviews with EU-level stakeholders, and held a scenario-based workshop where organisations could discuss the work and impact of an ECC.
In 2010, RAND Europe provided a preliminary overview of the challenges posed by radicalised prisoners, and to explore the potential for radicalisation of young European Muslims in the prison environment. The research, which remains relevant today, draws on the body of existing prison theory literature, historical case examples and contemporary sources. It focuses on the potential in prison for extremist activity, including radicalisation, and highlights a number of areas where further research and action may be desirable.
To determine whether it may be possible to identify and disrupt individuals and groups engaged in planning a terrorist attack, RAND Europe researchers analysed the pre-attack behaviours of the most significant Jihadist terrorist groups in the UK. The research demonstrates that there are certain distinctive behavioural characteristics displayed as a result of planning, preparing, and implementing an act of terrorism, but more research will be needed to identify "signal indicators."
Unstable and violent political environments often give rise to a range of complex problems for peaceful development. An examination of best practices in the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of stabilisation efforts points to the importance of an integrated approach that allows monitors to retain flexibility and adapt indicators when necessary. It also highlights the role that theories of change and contribution stories can play in helping M&E interventions be more effective.
The European Commission's Digital Agenda highlights a need to develop a pan-European 'cloud strategy', but several challenges threaten to undermine the EC's policy objectives. RAND Europe explored the security, privacy and trust challenges that cloud computing poses; conducted case studies and a workshop to review the real-world applicability of these issues; and formulated recommendations around the principles of accountability, transparency, governance and implementation.
The UK Ministry of Defence's Fixed Wing Sector Strategy Board commissioned RAND Europe to assist in the development of a strategy and sustainment plan for the military fixed wing sector. RAND focused on the health and sustainment of key skills in the sector's industrial base. This monograph describes the qualitative and quantitative methodologies that the RAND team followed and summarises its findings and recommendations.
NATO developed a policy on Strategic Communications in 2009, in part because of its difficulty in gaining the support of the Afghan population. The policy seeks to coordinate all information and communication capabilities in order to enhance the coherence of NATO's words and deeds. At the request of the Concepts, Doctrine and Experimentation Centre of the French Ministry of Defence, RAND Europe reviewed the policy and its relevance for France.
To aid the Netherlands Ministry of Defence in developing a set of strategic options for their its forces, RAND Europe analysed the forces' current strengths and weaknesses by comparing recent operational deployments to
those of other countries' forces. The Dutch MOD used this analysis to provide greater insight into how to exploit and enhance the potential contribution of the Netherlands armed forces in the future.
To understand the privacy, liberty, and security trade-offs individuals are willing to make, and so policy makers can be better informed about citizens' true preferences in this domain, RAND Europe undertook an innovative stated-preference discrete-choice modelling study. The research included three real-life case studies where these factors come into play: applying for a passport, traveling on the national rail network, and attending a major public event such as the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
In March 2009, the RAND Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition hosted a workshop giving analysts, planners, decisionmakers and interested lay observers from many countries a collaborative opportunity to explore new methods and tools that can help improve long-term decisionmaking. They considered when it is important to make long-term (as opposed to short-term) decisions, how to make better long-term decisions, and how best to support policymakers in thinking long term, using as case studies the areas of education, international policy, and climate change.
RAND Europe alongside time-lex and GNKS-Consult recently completed a review of the European Data protection Directive 95/46/EC for the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The Directive is the main regulatory means to provide for the protection of the personal data of European citizens. Whilst the Review found that some current problems Directive may be addressed by better and more practicable implementation, future arrangements will need to be more focused on outcomes and tougher enforcement with appropriate regulation of those using personal data.
The National Audit Office (NAO) Defence Value for Money (VFM) team has written over 35 reports in the last five years relating to the Ministry of Defence (the Department). These reports seek to provide implementable advice and to promulgate good practice. The purpose of the RAND Europe study was to identify which of these reports are likely to have led to financial savings within the Department and, where practicable, to quantify and validate those savings that have been realised by the Department as a result of NAO recommendations. As a result of our study, substantial savings have been identified as those achieved by the Department and related to NAO Defence VFM team efforts.
A study conducted by RAND Europe, RAND's Drug Policy Research Centre, and the Trimbos Institute assesses how the global market for illicit drugs has developed from 1998 to 2007, as well as the impact of worldwide policy measures - both at the national and sub-national levels - on the illicit drugs problem. The study finds that while the situation may have improved slightly in some of the world's richer countries, it has substantially worsened in others, which include a few large developing or transitional countries.
To preserve its ability to design, build and support complex warships and submarines, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) asked RAND Europe for help with identifying labour implications for its shipbuilding programme. Research indicates that MOD will need to preserve and sustain several key technical skills, especially detailed designers and professional engineers for various stages of surface ship and submarine acquisition and support.
In 2008, the Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) conducted a comparative analysis of three potential candidates to replace its F-16 combat aircraft. RAND Europe was commissioned to provide an independent, overall assessment of the comparative analysis process, with a particular focus on objectivity and the transparency. Our overall evaluation was that both design and execution of the comparative analysis was satisfactory. We also concluded that the comparative analysis was sufficiently transparent and objective. This report presents the findings from our research, which were presented to the Netherlands Parliament in December 2008.
This study sought to provide a preliminary overview of the challenges posed by radicalized prisoners, and to explore the potential for radicalization of young European Muslims in the prison environment. It draws on the body of existing prison theory literature, historical case examples and contemporary sources. The report focuses on the potential in prison for extremist activity, including radicalization, and highlights a number of areas where further research and action may be desirable.
Hosting the 2012 Olympic Games will place London and the UK at the centre of the world's attention - something that carries with it a wide range of potential security risks. RAND Europe offers policy makers a methodology that will help foster evidence-based decisions as they approach security planning for the Games.
UK military personnel are being deployed on operations more frequently than any time in recent history. With recruitment and retention key policy issues for the Ministry of Defence, RAND Europe has studied the motivational impact of the current remuneration packages for serving personnel and new recruits.
RAND Europe recently completed a study, commissioned by DG Information Society & Media of the European Commission, assessing the security challenges involved in the use and deployment of so-called 'disruptive technologies.' These technologies were: Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Trusted Computing, Wireless Microwave Access (WiMAX), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). Methods used in the study included expert review, case study examination and evaluation at an expert workshop. Findings showed that some challenges were common to all technologies, most notably those surrounding the business case for their implementation, while others were technology-specific. The study was the latest in a series conducted for the European Commission in the area of Network and Information Security.
RAND Europe has developed an easy-to-use online tool that facilitates exchange of information among organisations in European Union (EU) member states, when they need to access national legislation on cyber-crime. The database contains information relating to cyber-crime law in each country and a list of relevant laws and provisions related to a common classification system of incidents. The project, sponsored by the European Commission's Directorate General (DG) Information Society and Media, allows computer security incident response teams and information security experts to search and view relevant information in cases where security has been breached.
The complexity and uniqueness of a nuclear submarine require special skills, facilities, and oversight not supported by other shipbuilding programmes. To ensure the vitality of its small fleet, the UK should make annual investments in core resources, retain a design core of designers, engineers, and draughtsmen during periods of reduced demand; and take steps towards collaboration with other countries.
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) is preparing for the construction of the Royal Navy's two new Future Aircraft Carriers, slated to enter service in 2012 and 2015, respectively. MOD shipbuilders should expand their current outsourcing practices by hiring subcontractors to build modular portions of the ships and employing commercial outfitting practices to install a variety of new equipment.
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