2012-05-25T23:08:35Z Copyright (c) 2012, The RAND Corporation RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/topics/national-security.html http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120054.html Jun 1, 2012 Jun 1, 2012

This article enumerates challenges facing efforts to inform, influence, and persuade in pursuit of national policy objectives first for the U.S. government in general, and then specific to the Department of Defense.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1159.html May 24, 2012 May 24, 2012

RAND research conducted in the late 1990s documented differences in rates of promotion and retention among male, female, white, and minority officers in the U.S. military. This volume updates the earlier RAND study, using data from January 1988 through September 2010. It also examines the career progression of women serving in military occupations that are partially closed to them.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR993.html May 24, 2012 May 24, 2012

Examines contracting alternatives for the full deployment phase of the U.S. Navy's Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) system, which is intended to give the Navy a common set of key command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence networks across the fleet. Recommends a multiple-contract model that assigns the technical, production, and installation functions to the organizations that can provide the best value.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1147.html May 24, 2012 May 24, 2012

Nearly all Air Force electronics are tested and repaired using automatic test systems, most of which were designed and built for specific aging weapon systems and are beset by increasing hardware and software obsolescence. The Air Force is planning to modernize these capabilities by rehosting the testing on modern, common families of test equipment. This report focuses on the economic aspect of the rehosting decision.

http://www.rand.org/commentary/2012/05/23/NJ.html May 23, 2012 May 23, 2012

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.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/DB608.html May 23, 2012 May 23, 2012

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.

http://www.rand.org/commentary/2012/05/22/FP.html May 22, 2012 May 22, 2012

Khamenei faces a critical choice in the months ahead: make a compromise to lessen tensions with the United States and the international community, or maintain a status quo that may set in motion the demise of his regime, writes Alireza Nader.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1175.html May 21, 2012 May 21, 2012

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 mandated a review of gender-based assignment restrictions. To support this effort, RAND researchers analyzed service data to describe and quantify the military occupations that are closed to women, as well as occupations that are open with some positions that are closed.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/testimonies/CT376.html May 16, 2012 May 16, 2012

Veterans choose for-profit colleges because their tuition rates are set to match allowable GI Bill benefits; they have adult-oriented, career-focused programs with flexible schedules; they accept military transcripts; courses are available when needed; and students can attend the same institution in multiple states if they relocate.

http://www.rand.org/commentary/2012/05/17/IHT.html May 16, 2012 May 16, 2012

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.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/corporate_pubs/CP22-2012-04.html May 11, 2012 May 11, 2012

Stories discuss Iran's nuclear threat, social security for Mexico's aging population, programs to help veterans and their families, the costs of crime and the value of police officers, psychological operations in Afghanistan, the U.S. health insurance mandate, legal representation in murder cases, marijuana legalization, U.S. competitiveness in educational achievement, and Louisiana's plan for a sustainable coast.

http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/2012/spring/veterans.html May 11, 2012 May 11, 2012

Ten RAND authors highlight seven ways in which the United States can help to ensure that veterans and their families receive health care, employment and education opportunities, and other benefits.

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http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/2012/spring/tweets.html May 11, 2012 May 11, 2012

Twitter and other social media reportedly played a big role in the protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election. Analysis of word usage in millions of tweets about the election and its aftermath reveals that spikes in the use of swear words could forecast the outbreak of large-scale protests.

http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/2012/spring/iran.html May 11, 2012 May 11, 2012

This <em>RAND Review</em> cover story recommends alternatives to military action that are more likely to dissuade Iran from producing, testing, and deploying nuclear weapons, while also promoting a more democratic and responsible Iranian regime.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1204.html May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012

The U.S. Army's two ammunition ports &mdash; Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO) and Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) &mdash; 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.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1187.html May 8, 2012 May 8, 2012

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.

http://www.rand.org/multimedia/video/2012/05/07/information-sharing-cyber-security.html May 7, 2012 May 7, 2012

In this May 2012 Congressional Briefing, Neil Robinson presented evidence from empirical studies conducted in Europe regarding cyber-security and information exchange, specifically between organizations such as information sharing and analysis centers, computer emergency response teams, and cyber-crime police.

http://www.rand.org/commentary/2012/05/03/FP.html May 3, 2012 May 3, 2012

To prepare for the interventions to come in the next decade, the United States must adapt the lessons from its experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan and use them to generate a new, more realistic, and feasible doctrine, write Radha Iyengar and Douglas A. Ollivant.

http://www.rand.org/news/press/2012/05/03.html May 3, 2012 May 3, 2012

The U.S. Department of Defense will receive more detailed, transparent and credible assessments of its counterinsurgency campaigns by replacing its top-down approach with a bottom-up method driven by contextual, narrative reporting provided by commanders on the ground.