CRE Publications Archive

Latest Publications

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  Superspreaders of Malign and Subversive Information on COVID-19: Russian and Chinese Efforts Targeting the United States 2021

  Miriam Matthews, Katya Migacheva, Ryan Andrew Brown

  Both Russia and China appear to have employed information manipulation during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to serve their respective global agendas. This report, part of the Truth Decay initiative, is one in a series systematically describing the types of COVID-19-related malign and subversive information efforts with which Russia- and China-associated outlets appear to have targeted U.S. audiences in the first half of 2020.

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  A History of the Third Offset, 2014–2018 2021

  Gian Gentile, Michael Shurkin, Alexandra T. Evans, Michelle Grisé, Mark Hvizda, Rebecca Jensen

  The authors document the history of the Third Offset, a U.S. strategy that focused on the potential of technology to offset Chinese and Russian military advances and that shaped the 2018 National Defense Strategy. The authors describe efforts to effect change within the U.S. Department of Defense and interview key defense leaders who did so, providing an example of how to bring about organizational change in large military institutions.

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  Countering Foreign Interference in U.S. Elections 2021

  Marek N. Posard, Hilary Reininger, Todd C. Helmus

  This report, the fourth in a series on election threats, describes research from focus groups and individual interviews on responses to memes sourced in Russia that were designed to breed dissension and to a public service announcement warning about such online manipulation. It then outlines a strategy to counter such interference that involves coordinating with social media companies and releasing simple PSAs for use during election cycles.

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  Tweeting Out Surveys to Pro-Ukraine Influencers: Exploring the Potential for Enlisting Support in the Information Fight Against Russia 2021

  Todd C. Helmus, Krystyna Marcinek, Julia Nething, Danielle Schlang, Ryan Andrew Brown

  RAND researchers used Twitter advertisements to solicit survey participation from the most-influential members of the pro-Ukraine activist community, influential members of the pro-Russia community, and a general population of Russian-language Twitter users from Ukraine. The goal was to draw on key influencers in the pro-Ukraine activist community to help counter Russian propaganda in the region.

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  Reimagining U.S. Strategy in the Middle East: Sustainable Partnerships, Strategic Investments (Executive Summary) 2021

  Dalia Dassa Kaye, Linda Robinson, Jeffrey Martini, Nathan Vest, Ashley L. Rhoades

  In this summary, researchers assess the advantages and trade-offs of a reimagined Middle East strategy where strategic goals link to a broader understanding of stability that prioritizes reduced conflict, better governance, and greater development. They analyze long-standing U.S. interests and relationships with partners and develop an alternative framework in which the challenge of Iran is one among several factors that should be considered.

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  Reimagining U.S. Strategy in the Middle East: Sustainable Partnerships, Strategic Investments 2021

  Dalia Dassa Kaye, Linda Robinson, Jeffrey Martini, Nathan Vest, Ashley L. Rhoades

  Researchers assess the advantages and trade-offs of a reimagined Middle East strategy where strategic goals link to a broader understanding of stability that prioritizes reduced conflict, better governance, and greater growth and development. They analyze long-standing U.S. interests and relationships with central partners and develop an alternative framework in which the Iranian challenge is one among several factors that should be considered.

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  Implementing Restraint: Changes in U.S. Regional Security Policies to Operationalize a Realist Grand Strategy of Restraint 2021

  Miranda Priebe, Bryan Rooney, Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, Jeffrey Martini, Stephanie Pezard

  Some U.S. policymakers are interested in a new approach to the U.S. role in the world: a realist grand strategy of restraint, under which the United States would cooperate more with other powers, reduce its forward military presence, and end some security commitments. The authors explain how U.S. policies toward key regions would change under such a strategy, identify unanswered questions, and offer next steps for developing policy implications.

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  Cyber Threats to NATO from a Multi-Domain Perspective 2021

  James Black, Alice Lynch

  This paper situates cyber threats in the wider context of evolving multi-domain operations (MDO) theory and practice.

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  Russia's Cyber Limitations in Personnel Recruitment and Innovation, Their Potential Impact on Future Operations and How NATO and Its Members Can Respond 2020

  Joe Cheravitch, Bilyana Lilly

  This chapter addresses questions arising from the gap that separates Russian cyber personnel and capabilities from its ambitions and what effect this disparity has on future state-backed cyber campaigns.

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  How could technological developments influence the future of cybercrime? 2020

  Jacopo Bellasio, Erik Silfversten, Eireann Leverett, Anna Knack, Fiona Quimbre, Emma Louise Blondes, Marina Favaro, Giacomo Persi Paoli

  How could technological developments influence the future of cybercrime? RAND Europe investigated this policy question and identified possible approaches to prevent future technologies from being exploited for criminal purposes.