National Security
RAND conducts a broad array of national security research for the U.S. Department of Defense. RAND also carries out an extensive research program in homeland security, homeland defense, and terrorism-related research for the U.S. Government, as well as selected research for key allied governments and ministries of defense. Through its long-term investment in federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), the U.S. government has built a network of institutions with unique analytical and technical capabilities.
National security research is conducted by the following RAND FFRDCs: RAND Project AIR FORCE, sponsored by the U.S. Air Force; RAND Arroyo Center, sponsored by the U.S. Army; RAND National Defense Research Institute, sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
More »Featured Research
More »Featured Project
View All »Related News & Commentary
November 25, 2008: Piracy Needs Regional Answer, By Peter Chalk (United Press International)
November 17, 2008: While China's Regional Influence Grows, U.S. Remains Key Security and Economic Partner in East Asia
November 16, 2008: Obama's First International Crisis, By Brian Michael Jenkins (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
November 12, 2008: U.S. Department of Defense Faces Obstacles in Meeting Small-Business Contract Goals
November 11, 2008: Talk to the Taliban? Not Now, By Cheryl Benard (United Press International)
View All »Featured Reports
How Terrorist Groups End - Lessons for Countering al Qa'ida
All terrorist groups eventually end. But how do they end? The evidence since 1968 indicates that most groups have ended because they joined the political process (43 percent) or local police and intelligence agencies arrested or killed key members (40 percent). Military force has rarely been the primary reason for the end of terrorist groups, and few groups within this time frame have achieved victory. |
War by Other Means: RAND Counterinsurgency Study -- Final Report
The difficulties encountered by the United States in securing Iraq and Afghanistan despite years of effort and staggering costs raises the central question of the RAND Counterinsurgency Study: How should the United States improve its capabilities to counter insurgencies, particularly those that are heavily influenced by transnational terrorist movements and thus linked into a global jihadist network? |
National Security Research Categories
RAND maintains specific research categories related to the following areas of U.S. National Security:

Top