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Ph.D. Student, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND
Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND; Ph.D. Student, Pardee RAND Graduate School
commentary
Uncrewed, combat-capable vehicles are transforming warfare in the air and on the ocean surface. They could do the same for underwater combat in the near future.
May 21, 2024
The continued success of Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel (USV) attacks on Russian naval facilities and warships has kept USVs in the defense analytical spotlight and naval analysts around the world, particularly those in China, are taking note.
Apr 4, 2024
q&a
The United States and its allies have a window of opportunity to bolster their security and prepare for the global challenges to come. But it's closing fast as China and other adversaries build up their own militaries. Business as usual is no longer sufficient.
Mar 13, 2024
The Middle Corridor's journey toward becoming a viable alternative to existing trade routes will be met with tough challenges. But with renewed international investment and cooperation, it could emerge as a cornerstone of 21st-century trade connectivity.
Mar 12, 2024
Robotaxis are a complex tangle of technology and services with multiple stakeholders, so regulation is messy. There is, however, a process that has been designed to deal with such messy situations. It's called decisionmaking under deep uncertainty.
Feb 5, 2024
The democratization of drone technology means that adversaries are now able to conduct attacks with near impunity. The Houthis' recent drone attacks in the Red Sea show that America's current approach to countering them is not working. A holistic, offensive strategy is needed.
Jan 17, 2024
The emergence of uncrewed technologies can enable the Navy to achieve greater capacity and operate in harm's way by avoiding over-concentration of combat power in too few assets.
Nov 30, 2023
In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games for the third time. A critical factor for successfully hosting will be for planners to ask hard questions early, so the community can collaborate with the organizing committee, informing its response to critical themes such as homes, health, transport, jobs, society, and culture.
Oct 16, 2023
How can the United States best monitor its millions of square miles of domestic airspace for unidentified anomalous phenomena—what were once called UFOs—or anything else? Public reporting could help officials identify potential threats—but it'd help if the sightings being reported were actually unknown aerial phenomena and not U.S. military aircraft.
Jul 25, 2023
The United States has been struggling to “pivot to the Pacific” for over a decade, and one of the major missing pieces is logistics. It is critical that the logistics underpinning a credible military deterrent be figured out now.
Jun 23, 2023
In the face of aggressive maneuvers by Chinese vessels, the U.S. Navy can brandish ramming unmanned surface vessels as a capability to inhibit threats while limiting the risk of escalation. These relatively simple, inexpensive vehicles could be used alongside a variety of nonlethal weapons to manage confrontations, giving commanders more options.
Jun 22, 2023
Since 2004, federal law has barred most participant safety regulations and leaves nearly all issues of safety up to the discretion of the company providing the service. It's time to allow the moratorium on regulation to expire and allow the development of safety standards, led by the FAA.
May 16, 2023
Deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is arguably the most important defense problem of the next few decades. Artificial reefs could help to deter China simply by waiting to impale any potential invasion force.
May 10, 2023
The rise of unmanned systems creates a challenging landscape for the U.S. Coast Guard as it endeavors to conduct its diverse missions in the future. To address emerging technologies and prepare for forthcoming threats, the service recently released a strategic plan.
May 3, 2023
The initial slate of electric vehicles qualifying for a new federal tax credit was announced in April. Key to eligibility is the source of critical minerals used in their batteries. While the list of acceptable nations of origin is still being worked out, there's an important practical question the IRS should ask: Do carmakers really know where their critical minerals come from?
Apr 28, 2023
Securing access to supply, increasing global and domestic capacity, and diversifying supply chains for critical minerals should be at the top of the agenda for both nations and private industry. Failure could jeopardize climate mitigation strategies and U.S. military readiness.
Apr 18, 2023
