Supply Chain Management

commentary

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.

Bradley Martin, Christopher G. Pernin

commentary

Military Yet to Fully Leverage Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing may very well become a critical component of the Defense Department supply chain, but challenges ranging from decentralized approaches among the various services, a lack of standards, limited awareness and know-how among military workforce and leadership, and intellectual property issues could prevent the Pentagon from realizing its potential.

Samantha McBirney, Phillip Burton

commentary

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.

Bradley Martin

blog

China and Russia, Wages and Insurance, Refugees and Technology : RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on China-Russia ties, considerations when raising the minimum wage, how refugees use digital devices, and more.

commentary

Stress Tests: The Right Tool for Strengthening Supply Chains

Isolated interruptions to individual supply chains feel like a thing of the past. Today, the risks are more likely to cut across supply chains and leave companies vulnerable to shared or cascading threats. If we want to make supply chains more resilient, it's time to apply some stress tests.

Jonathan W. Welburn @jwwelburn

blog

RAND Art + Data, 'Gray Market Care,' Supply Chains and Cyberattacks: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on RAND's new artist residency program, Art + Data; the prevalence of "gray market care" in the United States; supply chains' cyber problem; and more.

commentary

Supply Chains Have a Cyber Problem

We are entering a world in which cyber disruptions easily become supply chain disruptions, and where supply chains for hardware and software create new cyber risks. Managing these will demand digital-era solutions, including updating tools, regulations, and reporting requirements.

Jonathan W. Welburn @jwwelburn

commentary

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.

Bradley Martin

commentary

Thinking Through Rapid and Scalable Rollout of Healthcare Innovations for Public Health Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that rapid innovation in the face of public health emergencies is possible. In only 15 months, 15 vaccines have been approved or authorized for use in various parts of the world. What thinking is required to support uniform rapid rollout for future public health emergencies?

Robert J. Romanelli, Michael Whitmore, et al.

commentary

The Pivotal Role of Remote Working in the Journey to Jab the Nation

Pulling the UK COVID-19 vaccination program together was an immense logistical and technical effort. Had it not been for the working practices mandated by the lockdown, it would have been even more difficult. What changed over the pandemic to allow this to happen?

Michael Whitmore

commentary

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.

Bradley Martin

commentary

Unconventional Supply Network Operations: A New Frontier in Global Competition

The technological advances of recent decades that have made supply networks drastically more efficient, valuable, and essential to every element of our daily lives have also created a highly interdependent, largely unsecured portfolio of potential attack surfaces.

Daniel Egel, Jan K. Gleiman

blog

COVID-19 Demographic Trends, Vaccinating 'High-Contact' People, the Iran Threat Network: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how the pandemic is shaping demographic trends, targeting vaccines to "high-contact" people, the Iran Threat Network, and more.

commentary

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.

Bradley Martin

commentary

Target Vaccine to 'High-Contact' People

Actively seeking out people with lots of contacts for vaccination could bring the epidemic under control much more quickly than vaccinating people at random. Vaccinating just 15% of the population would be enough to crush the epidemic—so long as it was the right 15%.

Timothy R. Gulden