Military affairs comprise a range of topics from military personnel and veterans to equipment and facilities—as well as the methods, doctrines, organizational concepts, and technologies that support the military's strategic or tactical goals. RAND provides objective policy recommendations in all of these areas and more.
Report
U.S. Army Special Operations Command asked RAND Arroyo Center to assess its Tactical Human Optimization, Rapid Rehabilitation and Reconditioning (THOR3) program and identify opportunities for improvement in a range of priority areas.
Report
In an international crisis, the United States must balance its threats with restraint while limiting its vulnerability. A RAND study sought to identify which long-range strike assets offer capabilities most conducive to stabilizing such crises.
Blog
Senior Pentagon officials announced today that by 2016, women will be allowed to join front-line combat roles, including infantry, armor, and special operations. RAND has conducted research on the evolving roles of women in the military and has several experts available to discuss the DoD's policies.
Report
The U.S. armed forces must be prepared to confront a wide range of anti-access and area denial challenges in future operations. This report makes the case for and proposes a joint response to the most serious of these threats posed by adversaries.
Commentary
The US, working closely with its allies, should approach each potential conflict with North Korea in its own context, sculpting policy that draws on experience as well as observations made through research, writes Lowell Schwartz.
Blog
The Iranian regime seeks to produce a 2013 election that at least appears to be popular and legitimate; but more importantly, Khamenei desires a president who will act as his prime minister, rather than as an independent power.
Report
Reviews the scientific literature relating to observable behavioral indicators that might, along with other information, help detect potential violent attacks, such as those by suicide terrorists or the laying of improvised explosive devices.
Commentary
“Intervention” is not a useful organizing concept for a foreign policy. Foreign policy must encompass a vast range of ideas and issues — from great-power rivalry to international trade, transnational terrorism, environmental treaties, and more — that are not related in any way to intervention.
Report
This report explains degrees and causes of personnel turbulence among Army Reserve Component unit leaders, the effects it can have on training and preparation for future missions, and policy and practice options to mitigate those effects.
Report
Assesses how future trends external to Army installations may affect the Army's ability to provide quality installation services and infrastructure.
Report
Iran's June 14, 2013, election occurs in the shadow of the 2009 election, after which Iran witnessed the largest protests since the 1979 revolution. RAND examines the implications for the United States, especially concerning Iran's nuclear program.
Commentary
Fortunately, the rules by which Afghans (and particularly Pashtuns) forge durable pacts may be difficult to master, but they are quite comprehensible, writes Jonah Blank.
Report
Assesses the effects of vehicle age, operational tempo (OPTEMPO), deployment location, and reset on the mission-critical failures and maintenance costs of selected Army vehicle fleets.
Report
The objective of this study was to establish a high level understanding of cyber defence capabilities across EDA's participating Member States (pMS) to support progress toward a more consistent level of cyber defence capability across the EU.
Commentary
While unending war is clearly bad for a republic and dangerous to U.S. security, the trickier task is defining the conditions that, when met, tell us that the war against al Qaeda is over, writes Paul Miller.
Report
The Army wants to develop a research agenda that defines the quality-of-life needs of soldiers and families, helps gauge the success of programs, improves coordination of research efforts, and determines how best to allocate resources.
Commentary
France and Britain say they are not planning any arms shipments at this time. The decision thus seems unlikely to have a significant impact on the ground in the near term, writes Christopher Chivvis.
Report
Describes the functionality of the Army Medical Department's Professional Filler System (PROFIS) in the current operating environment of ongoing deployments and assesses potential modifications and improvements to the system.
Commentary
America's imminent withdrawal from Afghanistan raises the possibility of renewed tension between Pakistan and India. With this month's election of Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan's next prime minister, Islamabad and New Delhi have a fleeting window of opportunity to improve relations.
Commentary
When contemplating the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran, we should all be grateful that notions of martyrdom and apocalyptic beliefs don't have a significant pull on Iranian decision-making, writes Alireza Nader.
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