The RAND Blog

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How to Put RAND Findings on Veteran Support for Extremism in Context

A RAND survey found that U.S. veterans appeared to support extremist groups at a rate lower than the general population. In contrast, a new University of Maryland study found that veteran status was the most prominent characteristic among extremists involved in terrorism attacks with four or more victims.

Todd C. Helmus @Helmus, Ryan Andrew Brown, et al.

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A Case for Greater U.S. Engagement in Central Asia

Central Asia's souring relations with Russia and growing skepticism of Chinese influence have created a rare and valuable window of opportunity for the United States to bolster its image through greater long-term investment in the region.

Hunter Stoll

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Airmen Out-Paced

As it stands now, airmen are being asked to pick up the pieces when communications networks and chains of command break. Mission command could be the means to succeed in the future, but only after the USAF does the hard work now to make organizational changes and define a viable construct to guide their efforts.

Michael J. Lostumbo

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Insomnia: The Multibillion-Dollar Problem Sapping World Productivity

From the doctor's office to the office at work, good sleep is often overlooked as a key part of well-being. We pay for that. Chronic insomnia is associated with an average loss in workplace productivity of 45–54 days, resulting in estimated annual losses in GDP of more than $200 billion.

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The Four-Day School Week, AI and Social Media Manipulation, School Safety: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the costs and benefits of a four-day school week, how artificial intelligence is bringing a new era of social media manipulation, the effects of placing police officers in schools, and more.

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Speaking in One Voice to Advance Space Acquisition

Space acquisition is hard, and many challenges remain today for development of true unity of effort. But a new “clean sheet” is not the answer. Such an approach simply cannot take the place of doing the hard work required to realize enduring change.

Stephanie Young, William Shelton, et al.

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U.S. and Israel on Parallel Paths

From the political roles of religious fundamentalism, to the inability of either side to find compromise with the other, to leaders facing legal struggles, the United States and Israel have a lot in common.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

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Trauma Takes a Toll in the U.S. Intelligence Community

For people in the intelligence community, the risk of experiencing a variety of traumas is very real. Agencies should look more closely at their workforces to better understand the traumas their analysts face and what they can do to help.

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After Maui Fires, Food Security Is a Major Concern and Opportunity

The full impact of the deadly Maui fires on food resilience strategies remains to be seen. But the disaster highlights an urgent need for a systems-based approach to address both food security and wildfire prevention.

Lena Easton-Calabria

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The Solution to Telemedicine Prescribing of Buprenorphine Seems Clear to Everyone but DEA

For more than a decade, Congress, clinicians, and policymakers have been requesting implementation of a special registration pathway that would allow registered clinicians to prescribe buprenorphine without an in-person visit requirement. It's clear to us that the time to implement the pathway is now.

Lori Uscher-Pines, Haiden A. Huskamp, et al.

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The State of Public Education, the Opioid Crisis, Defending Taiwan: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the state of public education in America right now, a missing piece of the strategy for addressing the opioid crisis, emerging technology that could help defend Taiwan, and more.

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Money, Markets, and Machine Learning: Unpacking the Risks of Adversarial AI

The consequences of ignoring the problem of adversarial attacks in algorithmic trading are potentially catastrophic. In a world increasingly reliant on machine learning models, the financial sector needs to shift from being reactive to proactive to ensure the security and integrity of our financial system.

Joshua Steier, Sai Prathyush Katragadda

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A Four-Day School Week? Here Are the Costs and Benefits

Hundreds of small school districts across America have cut one day a week from their calendars. A shorter school week helps them compete for teachers and reduce costs. Teachers and parents love it. But is it really in the best interests of students?

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A Potential Alternative for Regulating Internet-Based Platform Services

The use of internet-based platform services like Amazon, DoorDash, and Uber Eats is increasing and can be helpful. But the companies that offer these services may be engaging in predatory practices that can harm users and local businesses. Some form of centralized policy action may help; local governments could play a more active role.

Swaptik Chowdhury, Timothy Marler

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A Trilateral Summit to Deal with Trilateral Threats

The leaders of Japan, South Korea, and the United States held a trilateral summit in August, focused on countering military threats in East Asia. Not surprisingly, China and North Korea were upset by the summit, designed as it was to respond to their military build-ups.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett