The U.S. military is the largest in the world, and ensuring that its more than one million service members build knowledge, skills, and proficiency in an ever-changing military-technology environment is a considerable challenge. RAND helps to inform and improve training tools, force planning, and educational opportunities for military personnel, including the post-9/11 GI Bill for veterans.
REPORT
An assessment of The Army Distributed Learning Program (TADLP) found that it has had a relatively narrow focus and has provided, at best, a modest benefit to unit readiness. Major changes are needed to meet increasing DL requirements within the Army. Several near-term initiatives are proposed for the Army's interactive multimedia instruction program to improve both the quality of the product and the efficiency and responsiveness of the…
COMMENTARY
Though for-profit institutions had been criticized in the Senate report as offering credits that were hard to transfer elsewhere, it was the colleges' willingness to accept military transcripts that appealed to veterans who wanted to complete their degrees as fast as possible, writes Jennifer Steele.
REPORT
The Air Force has a continuing interest in reducing high attrition and training-block failure (washback) rates, as both increase training and recruiting costs. This report describes research into these issues for nine career fields.
PERIODICAL
There are three key ingredients for peace in Afghanistan. Afghan leaders must negotiate a peace. Afghan neighbors must respect the peace. And Afghan soldiers and police must keep the peace.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Identifies and describes the knowledge, skills, and abilities that enable Army officers to succeed in joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational contexts.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Explores leaders' and soldiers' usage of and satisfaction with products and services offered by the Stryker Brigade Combat Team Warfighters' Forum.
REPORT
The relationships among stakeholders involved in manpower, personnel, and training processes for managing the U.S. Navy information systems technician rating are discussed. The authors examine the effects of these different stakeholders on efficiency and effectiveness measures for the information technician community in general and the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services program specifically.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Develops and tests an approach to program-level assessment of interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) courses that identifies strengths and deficiencies in technical, production quality, and pedagogical aspects of IMI courseware.
RESEARCH BRIEF
To assist the Army's move of its Human Resources Command from the Washington, D.C. area to Fort Knox, Kentucky, RAND Arroyo Center produced personnel competency models and a framework for training to support the future delivery of personnel services.
REPORT
Do leaders and soldiers use the Stryker Brigade Combat Team Warfighters' Forum (SWfF)? Does it meet their needs with its products and services, which include a tactical training tool and a handbook derived from combat returnees' experiences? This study asks how SWfF products are associated with knowledge acquisition and tactical proficiency, and it explores ways in which SWfF, and similar forums, could better support tactical units in the…
REPORT
Many programs are available to encourage and support psychological resilience among service members and families but little is known about their effectiveness. A focused literature review identifies evidence-informed factors for promoting psychological resilience and a basis for evaluating military resilience programs.
REPORT
Examines how the United States Air Force can sustain sufficient nuclear skills and experience within the Air Force Nuclear Enterprise.
REPORT
This report describes a process for achieving and maintaining the balance between requirements for rated personnel and inventory. The process includes (1) recategorizing positions; (2) streamlining conversion of recategorized positions; (3) planning for effects of major actions on rated requirements; (4) redesigning positions to concentrate tasks requiring rated expertise in fewer rated positions; (5) making aircrew management more…
REPORT
Distributed learning (DL) is a key element of the Army's training strategy, and the Army plans to expand the use of DL and change how it is developed and delivered. Several studies were undertaken to develop and test new tools and metrics to assess training and to document the impact of Army DL courses at the program level. The project also assessed the abilities of Army information systems to support efficient data collection for DL…
REPORT
Examines educational approaches that would customize U.S. Air Force training to the individual, with the intent of minimizing time in training, focusing on the trainee's needs, and getting the trainee productive sooner, all leading to reduced costs. Recommends that the Air Force conduct some experiments with Air Force vocational training before implementation across Air Force training is considered.
REPORT
Examines "reachback" -- the use of contracting capability outside of the theater of operations to accomplish contracting tasks for customers in-theater -- as a potential means for reducing the deployment burden on military contracting personnel. The authors find that reachback might improve performance in some areas and has the potential to reduce deployments, but other issues also need to be addressed to reduce stress on the contracting…
REPORT
Based on interviews and focus groups, this monograph identifies and describes the knowledge, skills, and abilities that enable Army officers to succeed in joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational contexts. Researchers identified the kinds of assignments that develop the needed capabilities and used inventory modeling to assess the Army's ability to develop and maintain a cadre of properly qualified officers.
REPORT
To close existing training gaps for fifth-generation fighters, fully documented training requirements for realistic training scenarios are needed. In addition, resolution of technological uncertainties related to live, virtual, and constructive training capabilities could greatly improve training for fifth-generation fighters.
REPORT
The Post-9/11 GI Bill increased the higher education benefits available to eligible individuals, but its implementation presented challenges to both student veterans and campus administrators.
NEWS RELEASE
Data on the experiences of student veterans and campus administrators during the first year of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
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