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Military Doctrine
commentary
What a 1963 Novel Tells Us About the French Army, Mission Command, and the Romance of the Indochina War
Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin
Sep 20, 2017
War on the Rocks
The novel La 317e Section (The 317th Platoon) informs and reflects an operating style rooted in the French Army's collective memory of the colonial wars. Colonial operations tended to be low-budget, small-footprint missions that placed junior officers in positions of considerable authority and responsibility. Service promised quick glory but was also more dangerous.
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Military Health and Health Care
commentary
The Lack of Clarity Over Medical Support for Light Footprint Operations and How It Could Be Solved
Susanne Sondergaard, Marta Kepe @martakepe
Sep 19, 2017
Pan European Networks
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.
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Information Operations
commentary
How Hezbollah Came to Dominate Information Warfare
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Sep 19, 2017
The Jerusalem Post
Hezbollah's information warfare portfolio includes newspapers, social media outlets, television programming, and a major internet presence. Its websites reflect the group's diverse agenda and aim to be multi-generational in their approach, offering information about social services as well as a video game to engage youth.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Europe's Hour Is Here
Denis Corboy, William Courtney @courtneywmh, Kenneth Yalowitz
Sep 16, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Since World War II, the United States and the United Kingdom have played disproportionate roles, enhancing European security. Now continental Europe will have to assume more of the burden in advancing Western values and interests with an unpredictable and at times unruly Russia.
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Employment and Unemployment
blog
Exploring the Challenges Facing American Workers
Sep 15, 2017
A panel of experts at RAND discussed changes in the U.S. economy and findings from a survey which asked more than 3,000 Americans about issues they face in the workplace. Frequent hostility, rising inequality, slow wage growth, and changes in the demand for certain skills are some of the issues affecting workers.
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Information Security
commentary
Helping Small Businesses Deal with Cyber Threats
Quentin Hodgson
Sep 15, 2017
Inside Sources
Small businesses are especially vulnerable to cyber threats. What can be done to allow small businesses the security to continue to prosper, while enhancing America's cybersecurity workforce and making the economy more secure?
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Bibliometrics
commentary
Funders Using Bibliometrics Should Keep It Simple
Salil Gunashekar, Susan Guthrie
Sep 15, 2017
Research Fortnight
Avoiding information overload is crucial for research grant decisions. The right guidance and training to panel members can help them make the most of bibliometrics as an evaluation tool to assist their decisions on research funding.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Sahel Governments Need More Security Assistance
Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin
Sep 14, 2017
The Cipher Brief
Developments in the Sahel are cause for alarm. Despite the presence of an active French counterterrorism force and a UN peacekeeping mission, al Qaeda groups are thriving. The region would benefit from approaches that combine police and military operations with economic development and improved governance.
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Military Aircraft
commentary
Chinese Bomber Flights Around Taiwan: For What Purpose?
Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman, Logan Ma
Sep 13, 2017
War on the Rocks
Recent bomber flights near Taiwan represent the most concerted training regimen yet aimed at improving Chinese airpower. China seeks to enhance the PLA Air Force's capabilities and signal Beijing's will to defend its territorial claims against the U.S. and its regional allies and partners, especially Taiwan and Japan.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Joint Military Exercises Distract from Complex Russia-Belarus Relationship
Bruce H. McClintock @BHMcClintock, Bilyana Lilly
Sep 13, 2017
The National Interest
Analysts and military leaders have concerns that Russia will use the Zapad 2017 exercise in Belarus as a smokescreen to put personnel and equipment in place, and keep it there. But the deep ties and history of cooperation between the two states make the chances of that happening unlikely.
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Sleep
commentary
The Early Bird Catches the Worm? Probably Not, Says Science on School Start Times
Marco Hafner @econ_hafner, Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Sep 12, 2017
Thrive Global
School start times are becoming a hotly debated topic across the United States. Starting middle and high school at 8.30 a.m. would help the health of teenagers and the benefits would likely outweigh the economic cost after a reasonable time.
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Insurance
commentary
Why Houstonians Didn't Buy Flood Insurance
Lloyd Dixon, Noreen Clancy
Sep 12, 2017
The RAND Blog
Thousands of Houston-area homeowners will face massive, uninsured losses due to flood damage. Few homeowners buy flood insurance unless they are required to, and it's only mandatory for homes with mortgages located in FEMA-defined high-risk flood zones. People tend to ignore low-probability risks.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Rethinking Disaster Evacuation
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein, Andrew Lauland
Sep 11, 2017
Domestic Preparedness Journal
Before a storm hits, officials must decide whether to evacuate the public or advise them to shelter in place. Other, more targeted choices — such as sheltering in safer locations within a city — could be available if an analytic basis for making such judgments were fully developed.
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Nuclear Weapons and Warfare
commentary
Beyond Strategic Patience with North Korea: What Comes Next?
Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett
Sep 8, 2017
The Ripon Forum
North Korea says that nuclear weapons are essential to regime survival. The United States should figure out how to persuade the North Korean regime that it is less likely to survive by posing a nuclear threat than by cooperating with the international community.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
What Were China's Objectives in the Doklam Dispute?
Jonah Blank
Sep 8, 2017
Foreign Affairs
The biggest Chinese concern in the Himalayas might be with the future of the 82-year-old Dalai Lama. China intends to select his successor. A high-profile scare on the Doklam Plateau may have been intended to send India an implicit message not to repeat its decision to shelter the Dalai Lama in 1959.
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
Artificial Intelligence and the Military
Robert W. Button
Sep 7, 2017
RealClearDefense
AI has many possible applications for the military, such as providing unpredictable and adaptive adversaries for training fighter pilots. Computer vision, the ability of software to understand photos and videos, could process data from surveillance systems. But what are the implications of AI adoption?
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The RAND Blog

What a 1963 Novel Tells Us About the French Army, Mission Command, and the Romance of the Indochina War

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

How Hezbollah Came to Dominate Information Warfare

Europe's Hour Is Here

Exploring the Challenges Facing American Workers

Helping Small Businesses Deal with Cyber Threats

Funders Using Bibliometrics Should Keep It Simple

Sahel Governments Need More Security Assistance

Chinese Bomber Flights Around Taiwan: For What Purpose?

Joint Military Exercises Distract from Complex Russia-Belarus Relationship

The Early Bird Catches the Worm? Probably Not, Says Science on School Start Times

Why Houstonians Didn't Buy Flood Insurance

Rethinking Disaster Evacuation

Beyond Strategic Patience with North Korea: What Comes Next?

What Were China's Objectives in the Doklam Dispute?

Artificial Intelligence and the Military

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