Functioning as both warships and airbases, aircraft carriers are essential components of a nation’s military presence and power, but they are also expensive to acquire, deploy, and modernize. To inform decision making about carrier use — in combat as well as noncombat situations — RAND studies carrier availability, maintenance cycles, crew training, and other key factors.
Report
The Secretary of Defense's plans to shift Navy aircraft carrier acquisition to every five years should have little impact on force structure and the industrial base in the next decade—but after that, the force structure shrinks, as does the chance of meeting goals for the number of deployed aircraft carriers.
Research Brief
This research brief summarizes RAND's analysis of the feasibility of different cycle lengths and their effect on the operational availability of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. The authors also examine cycle length impact on shipyard workloads.
Report
Evaluating multiple one- and two-deployment scenarios, RAND examines the feasibility of different cycle lengths, their effect on Nimitz-class aircraft carrier forward presence, and their impact on shipyard workloads.
Report
Describes modeling the extension of time between depot maintenance, varying the size of work packages, and using continuous-maintenance on the maintenance industrial base, and the effect of cycle length on operational availability.
Research Brief
This research brief describes the range of new capabilities that U.S. aircraft carriers will require for combat and noncombat operations in the next 20 to 30 years.
Report
Using two Concept Options Groups, explores possible nontraditional combat and noncombat roles for aircraft carriers.
Report
Recent campaigns have demonstrated that American carrier air power can conduct coordinated deep-strike missions beyond coastal reaches, providing around-the-clock target coverage, accurate target attack, and multiple successful target attacks.
Report
Advises how the United Kingdom should best use modern outsourcing and outfitting practices for shipbuilding in the years to come.
Report
Examines ways in which the UK Ministry of Defence can reduce the whole-life costs and manpower requirements of the Royal Navy's two Future Aircraft Carriers (CVFs).
Report
What are the pros and cons of speeding up production of the Navy's newest carrier?
Commentary
The Atlantic Monthly Magazine features a compilation of ten short essays written by experts at RAND, collectively titled Headlines Over the Horizon. The RAND authors examined developments in international and military affairs drawing little attention today that are expected to be major issues in the next three to five years.
Report
Examines alternatives to full-funding strategy (appropriation of enough money for an entire construction project in the initial year of construction) for funding aircraft carriers.
Report
Improving the planning and execution of the refueling and complex overhaul of the Navy's nuclear aircraft carriers
Report
The U.S. Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base: Force Structure, Cost, Schedule, and Technology Issues for CVN77
Report
The purpose of this hearing was to receive testimony on the Department of the Navy's shipbuilding development and procurement programs as reflected in the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 1998 and the Future Years Defense Program.
Report
Proposed automation of the DE-1052 class destroyer escort is analyzed as an investment problem.
People
Project Associate, III
BS in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, Purdue University
People
Senior Operations Research Analyst
M.S. in operations research, University of Pennsylvania
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