Military Acquisition and Procurement

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Maintaining a military that is prepared to face uncertain future security challenges often requires the acquisition and procurement of new and technologically advanced equipment, which is a major expense for any nation. For decades, RAND has researched and evaluated military acquisition and procurement activities, providing essential recommendations to allow military decisionmakers to manage costs and streamline the acquisition process more effectively.

Research conducted by: RAND National Security Research Division; RAND Project AIR FORCE; RAND Arroyo Center; RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment; RAND Europe

Research Briefs (26)

Choosing Defense Project Portfolios: A New Tool for Making Optimal Choices in a World of Constraint and Uncertainty — Oct 11, 2012

PortMan, RAND's new portfolio analysis and management methodology, provides a means for decisionmakers to find the optimal portfolio of projects, maximizing the probability of filling a desired set of requirements while restraining costs.

Australia's Domestic Submarine Design Capabilities: Options for the Future Submarine — Dec 22, 2011

To design a new naval submarine domestically, Australia's industry and Government will need about 1,000 skilled draftsmen and engineers. Cultivating this workforce could take 15-20 years; partnering with foreign designers could expedite the process.

What Should Be Stocked in War Reserve? A New Method for Allocating Resources — Dec 15, 2011

Describes the methodology used to develop resource allocation and forward positioning recommendations for the sustainment stock portion of Army pre-positioned stocks, given a specific scenario and budget.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Seeking Commonality in Military Equipment — Dec 2, 2011

Examines the desirable and undesirable trade-offs that U.S. Army decisionmakers must make regarding commonality in military equipment.

Is There a Cheaper and Faster Way to Distribute Medical Supplies? — Nov 29, 2011

Examines whether there is a less costly medical distribution structure for U.S. Central Command that would maintain or improve performance.

Results from the Congressionally Mandated Study of U.S. Combat and Tactical Wheeled Vehicle — Feb 11, 2011

Congress requested a study to assess the challenges in fielding U.S. ground combat and tactical wheeled vehicle fleets, including discussion of requirements; capability gaps; technology, operational, and business risks; and recommended actions.

Sustaining Key Skills in the United Kingdom's Military Aircraft Industry — Jan 31, 2011

The UK currently has the industrial skills needed to develop, produce and maintain its military aircraft, but predicted future demand for design engineering activity is insufficient to sustain a number of key skills beyond the 2010-2019 decade.

Sustaining Key Skills in the UK Naval Industry — Jul 15, 2008

To preserve its ability to design, build, and support complex warships and submarines, the UK's Ministry of Defence will need to preserve and sustain several key technical skills in the maritime domain.

Does Buying the F-22A Under A Multiyear Contract Save Money? — Jun 27, 2007

This research brief examines the savings to be gained from a multiyear procurement of three lots of F-22A fighters.

Market Research Can Help the Air Force Maintain a High-Quality Supply Base — Dec 6, 2006

This research brief summarizes a "how-to" guide for U.S. Air Force commodity teams tasked with conducting market research in order to improve Air Force procurement by emulating commercial best practices.

"Evolutionary Acquisition" Is a Promising Strategy, But Has Been Difficult to Implement — Aug 1, 2006

This research brief summarizes lessons learned from the implementation of evolutionary acquisition strategies on U.S. Department of Defense space programs.

Commercial Purchasing and Supply Management Practices Can Help the Air Force Reduce Costs — Jul 13, 2006

This research brief draws lessons from commercial practices that may be applicable to Air Force purchasing and supply management with an emphasis on a shift from tactical to strategic thinking and ensuring successful, permanent change.

New Techniques Help to Estimate Systems Engineering and Program Management Costs for Military Aircraft and Guided Weapons — May 30, 2006

This research brief summarizes trends in the cost of systems engineering and program management for military aircraft and guided weapon systems and factors driving those costs.

Better Methods of Analyzing Cost Uncertainty Can Improve Acquisition Decisionmaking — Apr 26, 2006

This research brief looks at the Air Force's cost estimation process for weapon systems and reviews ways of implementing cost uncertainty analysis to better understand the costs of future weapon systems.

Analysis of Alternatives for Recapitalizing the Air Force’s KC-135 Aerial Refueling Tanker — Mar 9, 2006

This research brief describes an analysis that assessed alternatives for recapitalization of the ageing KC-135 air tanker fleet.

Balancing Rapid Acquisition of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Support Considerations — Dec 19, 2005

This research brief describes work documented in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle End-to-End Support Considerations (MG-350-AF).

How to Improve the Army's Management of Reparable Spare Parts — Nov 25, 2005

How Well is the Air Force Improving Services Acquisition? New Metrics Can Help — Nov 25, 2005

Repairing or Replacing Aging Aircraft: How Do Modifications and Depot Capacity Affect the Decision? — Nov 25, 2005

This research brief describes work documented in Aging Aircraft Repair-Replacement Decisions with Depot-Level Capacity as a Policy Choice Variable (MG-241-AF).

Can the United Kingdom Rebuild Its Naval Fleet? Challenges and Opportunities for the UK Shipbuilding Industrial Base, 2005-2020 — Nov 25, 2005

The United Kingdom faces numerous challenges in producing warships from now through 2020, including developing a sufficiently sized and skilled workforce, updating facilities, and maintaining viable producers. To address these challenges, the UK Mini...

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Guy Weichenberg

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Guy Weichenberg is an Information Scientist at the RAND Corporation. He brings engineering expertise and perspective to a variety of national security policy issues. His recent studies have ranged from a congressionally mandated study on shutdown/restart options for the F-22 (the most advanced…

Irv Blickstein

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Irv Blickstein

Irv Blickstein is a senior engineer at the RAND Corporation. In 1984, Blickstein was appointed associate director of the Programming Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The division was responsible for the formulation and promulgation of policy, guidance, and procedures for…

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