Dara Massicot

@MassDara on Twitter

Senior Policy Researcher

Washington Office

Education

M.A. in national security and strategic studies, U.S. Naval War College ; B.A. in Russian language and literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; B.A. in peace, war, and defense, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

One Page Bio

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Dara Massicot is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Before joining RAND, she served as a senior analyst for Russian military capabilities at the Department of Defense.

Her work at RAND focuses on defense and security issues in Russia nd Eurasia. She specializes in Russian military strategy, combat operations, and escalation dynamics. Her long-term interests include force posture, force planning, and grand strategy. She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Security Studies Program.

Massicot received her M.A. in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College's College of Naval Command and Staff in Newport, Rhode Island.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

The Russian Way of Warfare
A New Approach to Conventional Arms Control in Europe: Addressing the Security Challenges of the 21st Century
The Future of the Russian Military: Russia's Ground Combat Capabilities and Implications for U.S.-Russia Competition
Russia's Limit of Advance: Analysis of Russian Ground Force Deployment Capabilities and Limitations
Russian Grand Strategy: Rhetoric and Reality

Selected Publications

Edward Geist and Dara Massicot , "Understanding Putin's Nuclear 'Superweapons' ," SAIS Review of International Affairs

Dara Massicot, "Anticipating a New Russian Military Doctrine in 2020: What it Might Contain and Why it Matters," War on the Rocks, 2019

Dara Massicot, "Can a Pragmatic Relationship With the Taliban Help Russia Counter Terrorism?" The National Interest , 2021

Languages

Russian

Commentary

Summit a Chance to Clarify U.S.-Russia Relations: RAND Call With Experts
RAND experts discuss possible topics of conversation and potential takeaways from the upcoming summit between the United States and Russia. The summit will be a chance to rebuild and review the countries' fraught relationship.
Jun 10, 2021
Anticipating a New Russian Military Doctrine in 2020: What It Might Contain and Why It Matters
The United States and its allies should anticipate the possibility of an updated Russian military doctrine as early as 2020. Evaluating this document closely is important for understanding Russian threat perceptions and the leadership's methods to address those threats.
Sep 9, 2019 War on the Rocks

Publications

Report
Analysis of Russian Irregular Threats
The authors of this report describe strategic global trends related to Russian global influence and behavior and provide an overview and assessment of hostile activities that Russia has undertaken in the face of these trends.
Nov 8, 2021
Journal Article
Can a Pragmatic Relationship With the Taliban Help Russia Counter Terrorism?
Neither the United States nor Russia wants to see Afghanistan become a haven for international terrorist groups. For now, Russia is taking a pragmatic approach to the Taliban in that it has a relationship with the group that the United States does not.
Sep 8, 2021
Report
Russian Grand Strategy: Rhetoric and Reality
What is Russia's declared grand strategy? How do its actions and resource decisions match its declarations? The authors of this report offer answers to these questions and suggest implications for U.S. policymakers.
Aug 16, 2021
Report
Russia, NATO, and Black Sea Security
Russia has long used political, military, economic, informational, and clandestine tools against countries in the Black Sea region. In this report, the authors present elements of a Western strategy to counter Russian malign influence and aggression.
Oct 5, 2020
Report
Russia's Limit of Advance: Analysis of Russian Ground Force Deployment Capabilities and Limitations
Analysis of Russian military capabilities reveals stark limitations in Russia's ability to safely and effectively deploy and sustain ground forces around the world.
May 27, 2020
Report
Russia's Limit of Advance: Scenarios
Russia's ability to deploy military forces around the world is significantly depleted from the Soviet era. This report describes the strengths and weaknesses of Russia's ground force deployment capacity.
May 27, 2020
Research Brief
Meeting Europe's 21st Century Security Challenges: Reimagining Conventional Arms Control
The authors of this report outline new conventional arms control measures to lower the risk of conflict in Europe and replace existing, outdated measures.
Apr 29, 2020
Report
A New Approach to Conventional Arms Control in Europe: Addressing the Security Challenges of the 21st Century
Through a combination of interviews, workshops, and structured analysis on the causes of potential conflict, the authors of this report outline new conventional arms control measures to lower the risk of conflict in Europe.
Apr 27, 2020
Report
The Future of the Russian Military: Russia's Ground Combat Capabilities and Implications for U.S.-Russia Competition
Researchers analyze societal, political, economic, and demographic factors that undergird Russian military power. They also make projections about how Russian ground combat capabilities will evolve in the future and how the U.S. Army can respond.
Jun 18, 2019
Research Brief
What Will Russian Military Capabilities Look Like in the Future?
RAND researchers analyzed the development of Russia's military capabilities over the next 20 years -- with a focus on ground combat -- and the implications of that development for U.S.-Russian competition and for the U.S. Army.
Jun 18, 2019
Report
The Russian Way of Warfare: A Primer
This perspective provides a primer on how Russia's military might fight in the event of a major conflict against a peer or near-peer adversary.
Dec 7, 2017
Report
Strengthening Strategic Stability with Russia
This report analyzes trends in strategic stability between Russia and the United States, examines Russian views on the subject, and assesses current prospects for stemming the erosion of strategic stability.
Jul 7, 2017

Multimedia

36:59
RAND Experts Discuss the Biden-Putin Summit
Jun 10, 2021
55:20
The Future of U.S.-Russia Relations
Oct 9, 2018