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Military Force Planning

Military Doctrine
commentary
Anticipating a New Russian Military Doctrine in 2020: What It Might Contain and Why It Matters
Dara Massicot @MassDara
Sep 9, 2019
War on the Rocks
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.
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United States Coast Guard
commentary
Why Women Belong in Coast Guard Crews
Robert C. Parker
Apr 18, 2019
Boston Herald
The Coast Guard benefits from the heightened respect that colleagues show each other in mixed-gender units, allowing personnel to focus and excel at their tasks at hand. When the Coast Guard zeroes in on evidence-based and appropriate accommodations for women and their physical capacities, as well as with parenting and family life, it will benefit everyone in uniform.
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Forecasting Methodology
commentary
How Horizon Scanning Can Give the Military a Technological Edge
Sarah Grand-Clement
Feb 8, 2019
UK MOD Guide to Defence and Security
Horizon scanning could promote innovative practices and innovation uptake, through the adoption of new ideas, equipment, and methods, with benefits that could positively affect the UK economy as a whole. But a wider mechanism for processing and assessing the selected developments would be needed.
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Military Strategy
commentary
An Army Caught in the Middle Between Luddites, Luminaries, and the Occasional Looney
David E. Johnson @DaveJohnsonDC
Dec 20, 2018
War on the Rocks
The creation of the Army Futures Command is an important and necessary move for the U.S. Army. For the first time since the 1970s, the Army has a major command focused on preparing it for future war with a peer competitor.
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Globalization
blog
Most Popular RAND Blog Commentary of 2018
Dec 20, 2018
RAND experts publish hundreds of pieces of RAND Blog commentary every year, weighing in on pressing policy questions, breaking down current events, and untangling complex trends. To look back on some of the policy stories that defined the year, we've rounded up the RAND Blog pieces that resonated most with rand.org visitors.
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Japan
commentary
Is Japan's New Defense Plan Ambitious Enough?
Michael J Green, Jeffrey W. Hornung
Dec 6, 2018
War on the Rocks
Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan has significantly increased capabilities to meet increasing regional security challenges. But Tokyo may need to do more to manage the complex security environment surrounding Japan.
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Border and Port Security
commentary
The U.S. Military's Border Enforcement Role
Christine Wormuth
Nov 19, 2018
The Cipher Brief
The Trump administration announced a deployment of at least 5,200 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. Is a military response of this size needed to address the situation on the southern border?
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Wargaming
commentary
Building a Pipeline of Wargaming Talent: A Two-Track Solution
Elizabeth M. Bartels
Nov 15, 2018
War on the Rocks
How does the Department of Defense imagine the future of war and make long-term investments to confront the challenges ahead? On issues ranging from potential conflicts with Russia to the future of transportation and logistics, senior leaders have increasingly turned to wargames to imagine potential futures.
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Enlisted Personnel
essay
An Inside Look at Life in the Army's Junior Ranks
Oct 31, 2018
History records the names of generals, not of the privates filling out supply forms, cleaning out trucks, or huffing through another training exercise. But those privates keep the U.S. Army running. RAND research provides their unfiltered take on life in the ranks.
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Wargaming
commentary
Just Let Them Compete: Raising the Next Generation of Wargamers
Sebastian Joon Bae
Oct 9, 2018
War on the Rocks
Wargames are games that simulate aspects of warfare at varying levels, aimed at analyzing human decisionmaking. To develop the next generation of avid wargamers, the first step is both radical and simple: Let them compete.
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Operational Readiness
commentary
Are We Truly Prepared for a War with Russia or China?
Michael Spirtas
Oct 9, 2018
The Hill
The U.S. Department of Defense will likely need a strategy to overcome a war with either Russia or China. As threats from these two countries grow, what can the United States do now to prepare for major conflict?
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Gender Integration in the Military
commentary
The U.S. Air Force Is Working Harder to Retain Female Officers, and Here's How
Miriam Matthews
Aug 6, 2018
Dallas Morning News
Women are underrepresented among the U.S. Air Force's senior leadership. This could be robbing the service of the potential to improve innovation, agility, and performance. The Air Force is working to address diversity in the service, and it continues to work to improve representation of women within its ranks.
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Military Force Planning
commentary
Reshaping U.S. Military Forces: Getting the Process Right
David Ochmanek
Jul 20, 2018
Defense News
War gaming and analysis show that American forces face serious operational challenges. What steps could be taken to ensure the United States can defeat aggression by its greatest adversaries?
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Military Education and Training
commentary
To Produce Strategists, Focus on Staffing Senior Leaders
Paula G. Thornhill
Jul 20, 2018
War on the Rocks
To reinvigorate graduate-level professional military education, the military could carve out a unique educational niche by focusing on intense, quality staff officer education that is more relevant to understanding the demands placed on top defense leaders.
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United States
blog
Trump's First State of the Union: Insights from RAND
Jan 31, 2018
RAND research, analysis, and expertise provide context for the issues discussed in the president's first State of the Union address, including infrastructure, North Korea, and opioids.
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Military Force Planning
commentary
The Chairman the Pentagon Needs
Paula G. Thornhill, Mara E. Karlin
Jan 5, 2018
War on the Rocks
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford says that to fight and win 21st century wars, the department should find a way to globally integrate below the secretary of defense. To do so, the chairman's role would have to expand to allow him to advise the secretary on the allocation and transfer of forces for transregional, multi-functional, and multi-domain operations.
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