2015

Sleep
commentary
Sleepless in the City
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Jul 17, 2015
The Huffington Post
An alarming number of American city dwellers face sleepless nights, followed inevitably by days of productivity-sapping fatigue and, ultimately, the possibility of more serious health consequences. There are some things they can do to better their chances of falling and staying asleep.
Read More »
Military Acquisition and Procurement
commentary
Lessons from a Long History of Acquisition Reform
Laura H. Baldwin @LauraHBaldwin, Cynthia R. Cook @CynthiaRCook
Jul 17, 2015
The Hill
Congress and the DoD have a long history of efforts to improve the way weapon systems are acquired. Now, significant changes to DoD acquisition policies and processes are again being proposed in the House and Senate in an attempt to get needed military capabilities to soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines faster and cheaper.
Read More »
Arms Proliferation and Control
commentary
We Face a New, Dangerous Age of Nuclear Weapons Rivalry
Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr
Jul 16, 2015
Newsweek
Escalating competition among major powers is amplifying the role of nuclear weapons in defense policies, including more easily used — and thus especially dangerous — tactical nuclear forces. Before it becomes too late, the U.S. should design and lead a new campaign to control nuclear risk.
Read More »
Iran
commentary
Iran Deal Not a Panacea, but a Pragmatic Necessity
Alireza Nader
Jul 15, 2015
USA Today
The nuclear agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 prevents Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability in the near future while giving some space for Iranian proponents of change.
Read More »
End of Life Care
commentary
Let People Make Their Own End-of-Life Decisions
Sangeeta C. Ahluwalia @AhluwaliaPhD, Neil S. Wenger, Karl Lorenz
Jul 15, 2015
Newsweek
Major advances in health technology have helped people to live longer, but not necessarily better, lives. Medicare recently announced plans to reimburse providers for time spent counseling patients and their caregivers about the kind of care patients would want to receive near the end of their lives.
Read More »
Terrorism Financing
commentary
How Global Terror Network Will Get a Boost from Iran Nuclear Deal
Colin P. Clarke
Jul 15, 2015
FOX News Channel
Iranian sponsorship of terrorist organizations cannot be divorced from the negotiations because the sanctions that will be lifted provide new sources of funding to reinforce the Iran threat network. A global strategy to address the Iran threat network is essential to stability in the region.
Read More »
Military Personnel
commentary
A 'Measured Approach' to Managing Military Officers
Peter Schirmer, Dwight Phillips
Jul 15, 2015
Breaking Defense
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's “Force of the Future” initiative may mean far-reaching changes in how military personnel are recruited, evaluated, assigned, promoted, retained, separated, and compensated. What is needed is a map that shows potential paths to reach the objectives.
Read More »
Military Force Planning
commentary
Training Foreign Military Forces: Quality vs Quantity
S. Rebecca Zimmerman
Jul 15, 2015
War on the Rocks
The American model for large-scale development of partner nation armies is failing. The massive push for numbers and the attendant dilution of training is at odds with building a cohesive army with the will to stand and fight, predicated upon an unproven assumption that a “large footprint” is itself a decisive strategy.
Read More »
Iran
q&a
The Iran Nuclear Deal: RAND Experts Answer Questions About the Days Ahead
Jul 14, 2015
Diplomats have reached a nuclear agreement with Iran. Now, the United States faces important policy decisions that will help shape the days ahead and the relationship that emerges between Iran and the other parties involved.
Read More »
Nutrition Policy
commentary
After Trans Fats, Target America's Overeating
Deborah A. Cohen
Jul 10, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
In June, the FDA gave manufacturers three years to remove artificial trans fat from the food supply. This is an important step, but solving the problem of diet-related chronic diseases is much more complex than banning a single additive.
Read More »
Aerospace
commentary
RAND Conference Examines Chinese Aerospace Training and Leadership
Lyle J. Morris @LyleJMorris
Jul 10, 2015
The RAND Blog
To help foster a better understanding of the aerospace component of China's military modernization efforts, participants from the U.S. Air Force, the DoD, and the public policy research and academic communities gathered for the inaugural China Aerospace Studies Institute conference.
Read More »
Counterterrorism
commentary
An Authorization for the Fight Against the Islamic State
Christopher S. Chivvis, Andrew Liepman
Jul 9, 2015
The Hill
The U.S. military is conducting some 2,000 airstrikes a month against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria but progress is slow and the terrorist group has expanded far beyond those two countries. Congress needs now more than ever to take up the issue of authorizing the use of military force.
Read More »
Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Ebola and Syria's Chemical Weapons Show U.S. Can Leave Nothing to Chance
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Jul 9, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
There are key takeaways from the Ebola outbreak, Syria's chemical weapons, and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The U.S. and its international partners should view these events as learning opportunities that could help improve preparedness and response capabilities before the next crisis strikes.
Read More »
Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy
commentary
What's Next for REF?
Catriona Manville
Jul 8, 2015
Open Forum Events
In 2014, the research of 154 UK universities was evaluated, accounting for the efforts of 52,061 academic staff members. For the first time, the impact that the research had on wider society was part of the assessment. As we approach the next assessment period, there is opportunity for discussion to tweak and refine future measures of impact.
Read More »
Transportation Funding
commentary
How to Improve Oregon's Mileage-Fee Experiment
Liisa Ecola, Laura Patton
Jul 7, 2015
The Oregonian
Oregon is rolling out the nation's first large-scale pilot to examine switching to a mileage fee instead of the gas tax. The trial is a welcome next step toward understanding how mileage fees can be deployed.
Read More »