Developing Resource-Informed Strategic Assessments and Recommendations

Paul K. Davis, Stuart Johnson, Duncan Long, David C. Gompert

ResearchPublished Sep 4, 2008

A debate will likely occur in 2009 about U.S. global national-security strategy. The authors describe and illustrate a methodology to help frame and evaluate resource-informed strategies. The core is an integrated portfolio-analysis approach that compares options by their anticipated effectiveness, risks, and resource implications — all three of which are multifaceted. The approach deals explicitly with both uncertainty and differences of strategic perspective. Three illustrative grand strategies are compared, which deal in different ways with the problems of our time — including terrorism and more classic long-term strategic considerations such as general deterrence and competition.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 2008
  • Pages: 202
  • Document Number: MG-703-JS

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Davis, Paul K., Stuart Johnson, Duncan Long, and David C. Gompert, Developing Resource-Informed Strategic Assessments and Recommendations. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2008. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG703.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

The research described in this report was sponsored by the Joint Staff. The research was conducted in the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Department of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.

This publication is part of the RAND monograph series. RAND monographs were products of RAND from 2003 to 2011 that presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs were subjected to rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.