The portion of the national budget that is allocated to defense covers salaries, training, and health care; maintains and purchases arms, equipment, and facilities; funds military operations; and funds the development of new technologies. RAND analyzes defense expenditures and advises military and civilian decisionmakers on options to maximize the effectiveness, continuity, and innovation of the nation's military force.
Report
Describes the continued development and demonstration of a method and model to incorporate lifecycle cost into the portfolio analysis and management process for U.S. Army Science and Technology programs so that adjustments can ensure affordability.
Report
Analyzes how the Army might use a rotational strategy to reduce equipment in early phases of the Army Force Generation cycle, how changes might be applied to units and equipment, and how changes might affect near- and far-term budgets.
Report
The Air Force is considering upgrades to the KC-10 in several areas. An assessment of options to upgrade the KC-10 weighed the costs and potential benefits of the upgrades against demands in different types of operations and KC-10 roles.
Report
For a modest, one-time additional cost of $17 million and a very small additional annual recurring cost, the Air Force can retain all F-22A unique government tools rather than only those required for sustainment.
Report
The U.S. Air Force asked RAND Project AIR FORCE to perform a congressionally required assessment of contractor versus organic management of F-22 sustainment to determine the most cost-effective approach, the methodology for which is described here.
Report
Develops a framework for assessing classification decisions and uses it to conclude that classifying the Global Force Management Data Initiative provides little value (but still advises monitoring file contents).
Research Brief
This research brief describes a method for determining whether information should be classified and applies the method to the Global Force Management Data Initiative.
News Release
If the U.S. military increases its use of alternative fuels, there will be no direct benefit to the nation's armed forces.
Report
If the U.S. military increases its use of alternative fuels, there will be no direct benefit to the nation's armed forces. It makes more sense for the military to direct its efforts toward using energy more efficiently.
Report
To transition rapidly to wartime service, Air Force Medical Service critical-care providers need suitable peacetime training opportunities, and this work must be properly attributed to AFMS so that it receives proper credit in budget distributions.
Report
The cost, timeliness, and innovativeness of defense acquisition could be improved with initiatives focused on competition, novel systems, risk management, organizational factors, prototyping, and the acquisition workforce.
Report
There may be potential to reduce defense spending if intelligence, law enforcement, and aid organizations can assume more of the counterterrorism mission or if the ability of partner nations to ensure their own security can be increased.
Report
Identifies and examines sources of potential conflicts among acquisition executives and chief information officers that may arise from differences in the large and complex body of Defense Department policy that implements U.S. law.
Report
Describes a new equipping strategy for the Army's Combat Support Hospitals.
Journal Article
In this article the authors test for structural breaks in U.S. defense industry and spending data over the last five decades.
Report
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.
Report
Develops an approach for rebalancing aircraft maintenance capabilities between mission generation units and a network of centralized repair facilities, illustrated by an application to the F-16 and KC-135 weapon systems.
Report
Without modernization, the U.S. Air Force's KC-10 air refueling fleet will not be in compliance with upcoming worldwide air traffic mandates. An analysis of the cost-effectiveness of the required KC-10 upgrades revealed a net cost avoidance.
Report
Developed and demonstrated a method and model to incorporate lifecycle cost into the portfolio analysis and management process for U.S. Army Science and Technology programs so that adjustments can be made early enough to ensure affordability.
Report
Looking across a set of completed C4I upgrades to U.S. Navy ships, the authors uncovered mixed evidence of cost improvement, a high level of variability in costs, and a trend toward overestimating the installation-labor costs of certain upgrades.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2013 RAND Corporation.