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.
COMMENTARY
Technological development challenges suggest that it is highly unlikely that advanced approaches for producing hydrotreated renewable oils suitable for military applications will constitute an important fraction of the commercial fuel market until well beyond the next decade, writes Keith Crane.
REPORT
This document examines current supplier relationship management (SRM) practices in the Army, identifies SRM best practices the Army may wish to consider, and focuses on how the Army can gain better performance and reduce total costs by improving its management of and partnering with large defense suppliers.
COMMENTARY
At a time when the European Union faces mounting economic and political challenges, maintaining a strong, vibrant Atlantic alliance is more important than ever, write F. Stephen Larrabee and Peter A. Wilson.
REPORT
The U.S. Army's two ammunition ports — Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO) and Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) — have different funding approaches; a central question in this research is what the most appropriate financial structure should be. To help answer this question, the authors develop two variations of an ammunition port funding policy, both featuring customers paying marginal costs for port services.
REPORT
Together this and two companion monographs demonstrate a method, model, and simulation that the U.S. Army can use to analyze and manage portfolios at any stage of the research and development process. This monograph expands and applies RAND's portfolio analysis and management (PortMan) method to address the problem of selecting Army engineering and manufacturing development projects in order to develop affordable systems.
REPORT
This report describes the result of an expert panel assembled to consider how the Army can get the best long-term value from its investments in basic research. The panel examined trends in basic research and R&D and profiled several top-quality research laboratories, to gain insight into how the Army might better structure and fund its own labs. The report offers a number of recommendations for improving the Army research effort.
COMMENTARY
The cost of providing ready aircrews, maintainers, and aircraft is one measure. But the cost of generating flying hours and satisfying ongoing operational demands must also be considered, writes Albert A. Robbert.
MULTIMEDIA
On March 29, Congressman Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, discussed the federal budget deficit and its likely impact on national security programs.
REPORT
In 2002, the Air Force initiated a program called Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), which seeks to manage relationships with suppliers to reduce the total cost of logistics operations and improve their performance. This report reviews the literature on best practices in SRM, assesses how the Air Force has implemented SRM, and recommends actions, based on lessons from the private sector, that the Air Force could take to improve its…
REPORT
When a weapon system ceases production, the tooling not needed for sustainment that cannot be repurposed must either be disposed of or stored. Storage is not free, but system-specific tooling might become necessary for a restart, and starting from scratch can be expensive, although some tools cost more to store than they are worth. The authors examine these tooling retention issues for the C-17 cargo aircraft.
REPORT
RAND's three federally funded research and development centers apply research capital they have developed over the years to help decisionmakers solve problems and often save money as well. This publication lists and briefly summarizes some RAND projects undertaken over the past ten years that have helped save the government money or that have identified ways to do so. Amounts saved are estimated.
REPORT
To analyze policy options that would improve utilization of reserve forces, the authors assess how Army active and reserve forces are used. Converting billets from low-use to high-use career fields within a component could partially, but not completely, rebalance the reserve components. Converting billets from a low-use career field in one component to a high-use career field in another is unlikely in the near term, but an option in the…
RESEARCH BRIEF
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.
COMMENTARY
As America embarks on a tough strategic journey in the aftermath of Iraq, and contends with an ailing economy, it is wise to be mindful of the difference between hope and fact, writes Paula G. Thornhill.
RESEARCH BRIEF
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.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Describes a new equipping strategy for the Army's Combat Support Hospitals.
REPORT
Since 1950, the U.S. Army's budget has waxed and waned on a roughly 20-year cycle. As the Army's role in Iraq and Afghanistan diminishes over the next decade, it will enter the waning phase of this budget cycle. The authors examine historic trends in the Army's largest budget accounts to provide a context for decisions of future spending. They also explore recent public discourse on cuts in military spending and discuss potential…
REPORT
Congressional concern with cost overruns, or breaches, in several major defense acquisition programs led the authors, in a partnership with the Performance Assessments and Root Cause Analysis Office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, to investigate root causes by examining program reviews, analyzing data, participating in contractor briefings, and holding meetings with diverse stakeholders.
REPORT
Moore et al. provide a first-order analysis of Marine Corps (USMC) DD350 purchases and Defense Logistics Agency purchases on behalf of the USMC, revealing many indicators of opportunities and challenges for purchasing and supply management initiatives. Data on purchases indicate corporate contracts grouping several individual sole-source contracts may allow the USMC to leverage its purchasing power for more favorable terms and conditions.
REPORT
Analyzes the outcomes from using separate budgets for military operations.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2012 RAND Corporation.