Bradley Martin

Bradley Martin
Director, RAND National Security Supply Chain Institute; Senior Policy Researcher
Washington Office

Education

Ph.D. in political science, University of Michigan; B.A. in political science, University of New Mexico

Overview

Bradley Martin is the director of the RAND National Security Supply Chain Institute, and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Martin retired from the Navy as a surface warfare Captain after 30 years service, including four command tours.

In addition to his operational tours, he served on the staff of U.S. Forces Japan, the OPNAV staff as an operations analyst, and most recently as the Navy coordinator for participation in Joint Staff and OSD requirements and resources forums. His subspecialties included operations research, operational logistics, and strategic planning. Prior to joining the Navy, he achieved a doctorate in political science from the University of Michigan, while working as a research assistant for the Correlates of War Project.

Commentary

  • Supply Chain Management

    The Problem of Surge Capacity

    The vulnerability of supply chains to routine disruptions has been widely discussed and documented, but meeting such challenges can be even more difficult during unexpected surges in demand caused by wars, public health crises, or other emergencies. The creation of option contracts that would kick in during surges is one promising solution.

    Jul 10, 2023

    The RAND Blog

  • Military Logistics

    So Many Questions, So Little Time for Pacific Logistics

    The United States has been struggling to “pivot to the Pacific” for over a decade, and one of the major missing pieces is logistics. It is critical that the logistics underpinning a credible military deterrent be figured out now.

    Jun 23, 2023

    Breaking Defense

  • Critical Infrastructure Protection

    Ohio's Train Derailment—Not Spy Balloons—Is the Real National Security Threat

    The slow degradation of infrastructure and disaster response is less a spectacle than an overflying balloon, but the train derailment and chemical spill in Ohio highlights just how bizarre such a focus on perceived external national security threats has become. The far greater threat may be from within.

    Feb 20, 2023

    Los Angeles Times

  • Logistics Management

    Will Logistics Be Russia's Undoing in Ukraine?

    Russia's experience in Ukraine one year in is an example of what happens when a nation tries to fight a war without fully considering the logistics and sustainment that go alongside such a fight. The consequences for failing to fully consider these concepts drove Russia into a prolonged conflict for which it was already ill-prepared a year ago, with increasingly dire consequences for its future.

    Feb 10, 2023

    The Hill

  • Military Ships and Naval Vessels

    How Big of a Fleet? A Look at the U.S. Navy's Size and Readiness Needs

    Congress is trying to nudge the Navy to expand the size of the fleet. But without comparable levels of funding for personnel, maintenance, technology upgrades, logistics and other support functions, a larger fleet could come at the cost of readiness.

    Jan 11, 2023

    Defense News

  • Military Logistics

    The Problem of Intra-Theater Lift: Moving Things Around in the Pacific Area of Responsibility

    The U.S. joint force's ability to move materiel and people across oceans and continents is unique among militaries. But there are challenges all along the supply chain, addressed by different agencies and military commands in a complicated set of processes, and a collective reluctance to assume responsibility for the mission.

    Sep 6, 2022

    The RAND Blog

  • Trade Barriers

    Unblocking the Black Sea for Ukrainian Grain

    As Russia has been blockading ports around Odesa, Ukrainian grain exports in May were more than 60 percent lower than a year ago. Global hunger has hit a new high while 22 million tons of grain in Ukraine could rot if not exported soon.

    Jun 15, 2022

    The Hill

  • Supply Chain Management

    Supply Chain Disruptions: The Risks and Consequences

    With interdependence comes risk, and in the case of supply chains, these risks often are not fully appreciated. A systematic effort, cutting across agencies and public and private sectors, could be one way to ensure that vulnerabilities are understood and mitigated.

    Nov 15, 2021

    The RAND Blog

  • Supply Chain Management

    Military and Defense-Related Supply Chains

    After the Cold War, U.S. logistics planners moved away from a focus on effectiveness to a focus on efficiency in the sense that little is left idle for significant periods and that commodities are delivered at minimum cost. The ability of the system to support the joint force in the event of major conflict is at best untested and could be problematic.

    Jun 22, 2021

    The RAND Blog

  • Supply Chain Management

    Supply Chains and National Security—the Lessons of the COVID-19 Pandemic

    The many pandemic-related shortages that occurred in the United States and elsewhere provide a clear warning. Serious supply-chain vulnerabilities exist. We need to learn much more about this potential threat to national security.

    May 11, 2021

    The RAND Blog

  • Supply Chain Management

    Supply Chains and National Security

    Lessons from the pandemic will be sorted through for years. But one thing seems very clear: The United States is not ready in a policy or infrastructure or even physical-capacity sense to respond to major shocks to its supply chains.

    Apr 12, 2021

    The RAND Blog

  • Russia

    Russia Is Eyeing the Mediterranean. The U.S. and NATO Must Be Prepared

    Russia is seeking more access and freedom of movement in the Mediterranean region, and is bolstering its military footprint to achieve this objective. The United States and NATO could respond by developing a more robust southern strategy, with a reinforced air and naval presence, respectively.

    Jun 30, 2020

    Newsweek

  • Russia

    No Russian Let-Up on Ukraine

    Moscow's seizure of Crimea and war in eastern Ukraine have led the West to sanction Russians and expand aid to Ukraine, and NATO to shift land and air forces eastward. Expanded Russian coercion may draw more NATO naval power closer to Russia’s shores and lead to tougher sanctions.

    Dec 7, 2018

    Fox News Channel

Publications