Marta Kepe

Enhance U.S. Rare Earth Security Through International Cooperation

Most rare earth elements and materials are sourced from overseas but China dominates extraction and processing. With closer multinational cooperation, the United States and its allies and partners could reduce vulnerabilities due to the dependency on China.

What Is Continuity of Government, and Why Does It Matter for Ukraine's National Resistance?

As Ukraine continues to resist Russian occupation, future-focused planning could help it win a longer-term struggle to protect its legitimate government and deny Russia the political consolidation it seeks. Ensuring the continuity of Ukraine's democratically elected government could be a means of preserving national sovereignty moving forward.

What Kind of Resistance Can Ukraine Mount?

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered general mobilization, and Ukrainians are already engaging in irregular warfare and preparing for a prolonged resistance. What might a comprehensive Ukrainian resistance entail? What is the potential effectiveness, and what are the risks? What support could the international community provide?

Considering Military Culture and Values When Adopting AI

As the U.S. military contemplates increasing the number and diversity of AI and other autonomous systems, it should consider timely means of mitigating any potential negative side effects.

Lives on the Line: The A2AD Challenge to Combat Casualty Care

Countries such as Russia and China continue to develop and expand the ability to integrate long-range strike, anti-ship, anti-air, space and cyber abilities. Provision of medical support could be a worthy priority for NATO planners when considering deterrence of and defense against near-peer or peer adversaries.

Exploring the Allied Decisions on Military Mobility in Europe

Debates about defense expenditure and concerns over the unity of NATO overshadowed decisions on defense and deterrence in Europe made during the recent NATO summit and European Council meetings. Both high-level events brought significant and tangible conclusions with potential impacts on defense, deterrence, and readiness in Europe.

Military Mobility Returns to the Forefront in Europe

The importance of military mobility has returned only recently to the international high-level agenda, specifically NATO and the European Union. The EU is expected to tackle the issue of military mobility during a European Council meeting in late June, and NATO will convene a summit in July.

Preparing for the NATO Summit: Why Military Mobility Should Be on Top of the Agenda

Improving military mobility in Europe has recently gathered momentum. But due to the complexity of the issue, it remains to be seen what specific progress will be made by the NATO summit in July. The same goes for how new EU initiatives will complement NATO requirements.

The Lack of Clarity Over Medical Support for Light Footprint Operations and How It Could Be Solved

Early identification and planning for medical support for EU-led military operations are vital to saving lives, treating injuries and keeping personnel healthy. Common standards would ensure high-quality and consistent medical support regardless of which country is providing it.

NATO: Prepared for Countering Disinformation Operations in the Baltic States?

NATO alliance countries deploying to the Baltics should prepare to deal with increasing levels of disinformation. An open and robust communication strategy could be crucial in tackling a sophisticated Russian disinformation campaign aimed at disrupting support for these deployments.

'If You Want Peace, Prepare for Resistance'

Lithuania's government issued a guide on how its citizens can resist a potential Russian invasion and occupation. Resistance is a key element of the “Total Defense” strategy all three Baltic states have been pursuing, spurred on by Russian aggression.

NATO Decides to 'Troop the Colours' As Symbol of Deterrence in the Baltics

At its Warsaw summit in July, NATO agreed to establish a permanent rotating presence of its troops in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The decision may be interpreted as NATO's commitment to take its Baltic members' concerns seriously.

Report

Logistics and Sustainment in the Russian Armed Forces

In this report, the author presents a brief overview of Russia’s material logistics and sustainment system and its problems prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and presents insights from the first three months of war.

Report

Resisting Russia: Insights into Ukraine's Civilian-Based Actions During the First Four Months of the War in 2022

The authors examine civilian contributions to Ukraine's aims to regain territorial integrity and maintain political sovereignty. Ukrainian civilian resistance also offers insight into future trends in conventional wars for territorial integrity.

Report

Great-Power Competition and Conflict in Africa

This report explores the potential for competition and conflict among the United States, China, and Russia in Africa; where and why competition might turn into conflict; what form that conflict might take; and the implications for the United States.

Report

Great-Power Competition and Conflict in the 21st Century Outside the Indo-Pacific and Europe

This report explores where the United States, China, and Russia may be competing for influence in secondary theaters; where and why competition might turn to conflict; what form that conflict might take; and implications for the United States.

Report

The Russian General Staff: Understanding the Military's Decisionmaking Role in a "Besieged Fortress"

In this report, the authors develop a foundational text for policymakers and warfighters to improve collective understanding of the Russian General Staff, including its capacity to condition Russia's national security decisionmaking process.

Research Brief

Little in Common: Prospects for U.S.-China and U.S.-Russia Security Cooperation

This brief presents the overarching findings of a study that explored the extent to which the United States might still be able to cooperate with China and Russia, even in this era of strategic competition.

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Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in the Global Commons

This report, part of a four-part series, describes the potential for U.S. cooperation with China or Russia on global commons issues, including freedom of access to space, countering violent extremist organizations, and promoting global stability.

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Vanishing Trade Space: Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in an Era of Competition — A Project Overview

To what extent can the United States still cooperate with China and Russia even in this era of strategic competition? This report, the first of a four-part series, presents the overarching findings of a study that explored this question.

Report

Rivalry in the Information Sphere: Russian Conceptions of Information Confrontation

Information confrontation, with historical roots in Russian (and Soviet) military thinking, is an important element of Russian military strategy. The Ukrainian experience offers insights into Russia's present-day and future use of information confrontation and hybrid warfare.

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Countering Russia: The Role of Special Operations Forces in Strategic Competition

This report establishes a strategic framework for U.S. Army special operations forces support to countering Russian activities in the competition space.

Report

Civilian-Based Resistance in the Baltic States: Historical Precedents and Current Capabilities

If Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania were occupied, civilians could play a powerful role in their defense by imposing costs on the occupier, denying consolidation, reducing capacity for repression, securing allied support, and expanding popular support.

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A Compendium of Recommendations for Countering Russian and Other State-Sponsored Propaganda

To help audiences make sense of the large array of counterdisinformation recommendations, the authors of this report coded recommendations in 64 other policy reports and assessed which recommendations benefit from researcher consensus.

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Defence Mobilisation Planning Comparative Study: An Examination of Overseas Planning

Against the 2020 Defence Strategic Update, the authors use evidence from several countries to highlight the merits of a 'total defence' approach to mobilisation planning for Australia with the goal of meeting contemporary threats.

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From Consensus to Conflict: Understanding Foreign Measures Targeting U.S. Elections

Russia might try to manipulate and divide U.S. voters via social media during the U.S. political campaign season of 2020. This first report in a series of four reviews research on foreign actors targeting local, state, and national elections.

Research Brief

Understanding skills gaps in the European defence sector

This study developed an overview of the existing and future defence-skills landscape in the EU, identifying and analysing the skills gaps and assessing the causes of these gaps.

Journal Article

Annex K: United Kingdom: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex J: Sweden: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex H: Poland: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex I: Spain: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex F: Italy: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex G: Netherlands: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex E: Germany: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex D: France: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex C: Finland: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex B: Denmark: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Annex A: Overview of Literature on Defence-Related Skills: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Technical Annex: Identified Relevant Defence-Related Skills Programmes and Initiatives: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Technical Annex: Taxonomy: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Technical Annex: Methodologies: Annex to Report: Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Annex to study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Journal Article

Vision on Defence-Related Skills for Europe Today and Tomorrow

A study examining the skills requirements of the European defence sector, defence-related skills gaps and shortages, the challenges with different sets of skills, and the general features of the European defence industrial skills supply.

Report

Future collaboration opportunities for light and medium multirole helicopters in Europe

RAND Europe examined the scope for collaboration between European states in light and medium multirole helicopters throughout their life-cycle (incl. maintenance, procurement, upgrade and R&D), in support of the European Defence Agency (EDA).

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Gaining Competitive Advantage in the Gray Zone: Response Options for Coercive Aggression Below the Threshold of Major War

In this report, the authors examine how the United States might respond to Russian and Chinese efforts to seek strategic advantage through coercive actions in the gray zone.

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Deterring Russian Aggression in the Baltic States Through Resilience and Resistance

The authors of this report examine how the unconventional defense strategies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania can deter and counteract Russian hybrid and military attacks, and assesses the roles of enabling technologies and international support.

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Opportunities for European collaboration in armoured vehicles

RAND Europe examined the scope for collaboration between European states in armoured vehicles (tracked, wheeled and protected transport vehicles) throughout their life-cycle, in support of the European Defence Agency (EDA).

Journal Article

Key Skills and Competences for Defence: Governmental Domain

This study, commissioned by the European Defence Agency, identifies key defence skills within the governmental domain and proposes recommendations for their sustainment.

Journal Article

Exploring Europe's Capability Requirements for 2035 and Beyond: Insights from the 2018 Update of the Long-Term Strand of the Capability Development Plan

In this report, RAND Europe describes and analyses the background and importance of the ongoing long-term revision of the Capability Development Plan - a strategic picture of European military capabilities regularly updated by the EDA.

Journal Article

A Constant Eye on the Future: Identifying Europe's Capability Requirements for 2035

Alex Hall, James Black and Marta Kepe of RAND Europe and Frank Bekkers of the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) describe and analyse the background and importance of the ongoing long-term revision of the Capability Development Plan (CDP).

Journal Article

Total Defense: How the Baltic States Are Integrating Citizenry Into Their National Security Strategies

The Baltic states' thinking about national defense increasingly encompasses civil society, starting from the leveraging of civilian infrastructure to the participation of civilians in national defense..

Report

Medical Support to Light Footprint Operations: Why smaller operations require a different approach to medical support

Traditional military medical support is designed for larger formations and draws on a heavier supporting infrastructure. Recent EU operations have a smaller number of personnel, shorter duration and seek to have a lighter infrastructure footprint.

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Defence and security after Brexit: Understanding the possible implications of the UK's decision to leave the EU — Compendium report

This RAND study examines the potential defence and security implications of the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union ('Brexit'), whether for the UK, Europe or globally.

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Defence and security after Brexit: Understanding the possible implications of the UK's decision to leave the EU — Overview report

This RAND study examines the potential defence and security implications of the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union ('Brexit'), whether for the UK, Europe or globally.