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Civilian Military Workforce

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Civilian personnel frequently support military troops in their national security missions and participate in stabilization and reconstruction efforts around the world. RAND research has provided policymakers with assessments and recommendations on how to utilize the civilian workforce effectively in areas of planning, development, performance, talent management, accountability, and personnel benefits.

Essay

Civilians Returning from War Zones Need More Support

May 18, 2020

Deployed civilians often work alongside the military in combat zones or other high-stress, high-risk areas. But when they return, their experience is much different. They come home to support that is often incomplete and insufficient, and sometimes entirely nonexistent.
Report

Maintaining a Demographically Diverse Air Force Civilian Workforce

Sep 3, 2020

The Air Force experiences challenges in maintaining a demographically diverse civilian workforce. How can changes to policies and practices help it grow and retain civilian talent from across all demographics?

Explore Civilian Military Workforce

Commentary

China's Security Contractors Have Avoided the Fate of Russia's Military Contractors, So Far

China's approach to private security contractors is much more limited in scope and effects than Russia's use of private military contractors. But indicators suggest that Chinese planners see benefits in expanding and maturing China's use of private contractors, which creates the potential for dangerous results for China and the rest of the world.

Mar 11, 2022
Report

Improving U.S. Air Force Training and Development in the Cyber Field

The U.S. Air Force has been looking for ways to revamp the training of its offensive and defensive cyberwarfare workforce to develop the best fighting force possible. Is the training and development process that exists now working well for the cyber workforce? Is there a need for improvement?

Sep 29, 2021
Report

Attracting and Retaining Enlisted and Civilian Personnel to Build the Best Cyber Workforce

In addition to revamping the training of its offensive and defensive cyber operators, the U.S. Air Force has also sought to better understand some of the drivers of attraction to and retention in the cyber field. What could the Air Force do to attract and retain the best personnel?

Sep 29, 2021
Report

Employee Conversions to the Cyber Excepted Service: Assessing Factors and Characteristics Related to Personnel Conversion Decisions

In this report, researchers analyze the characteristics of both employees that choose to convert and employees that choose not to convert to the Cyber Excepted Service.

Aug 2, 2021
Report

Championing the Agile Air Force Officer Career

Some human resource management practices might hinder the military services' abilities to effectively manage their human capital. What is the potential utility of some new flexibilities for improving the management of Air Force human capital?

Jul 30, 2021
Report

DoD Cyber Excepted Service Labor Market Analysis and Options for Use of Compensation Flexibilities

In this report, the authors examine labor demand and supply for seven U.S. Department of Defense cyber work roles to help determine whether pay adjustments are necessary to support the recruitment and retention of critical personnel.

Jul 19, 2021
Report

Talent Management for U.S. Department of Defense Knowledge Workers: What Does RAND Corporation Research Tell Us?

A synthesis of results from RAND Corporation research on the U.S. Department of Defense's talent management of knowledge workers features areas for improvement and ways for the department to proactively approach talent management.

Apr 26, 2021
Report

Streamlining Cost Estimation for Large Department of Defense Organizations

Researchers created a prototype tool using data from the Full Cost of Manpower model to help manpower decisionmakers produce consistent and repeatable cost estimations to understand the budget implications of alternative total force mixes.

Mar 31, 2021
Report

The Army's Local Economic Effects: Appendix B, Volume 1: Alabama Through Minnesota; 2nd Edition

This appendix to the second edition of The Army's Local Economic Effects describes overall economic effects by state, details by fiscal year from 2014 to 2017, and a parsing of data by congressional district for Alabama through Minnesota.

Mar 8, 2021
Report

The Army's Local Economic Effects: Appendix B, Volume 2: Mississippi Through Wyoming; 2nd Edition

This appendix to the second edition of The Army's Local Economic Effects describes overall economic effects by state, details by fiscal year from 2014 to 2017, and a parsing of data by congressional district for Mississippi through Wyoming.

Mar 8, 2021
Report

The Army's Local Economic Effects: 2nd Edition

This report updates a previous report with findings on the economic activity supported by national-level Army spending in each of the 435 congressional districts for fiscal years 2014 through 2017.

Mar 8, 2021
Report

Department of the Air Force Civilian Compensation and Benefits: How Five Mission Critical and Hard-to-Fill Occupations Compare to the Private Sector and Key Federal Agencies

The authors examine U.S. Air Force civilian compensation for hard-to-fill and mission critical occupations, comparing it with other federal agencies and the private sector and providing recommendations for recruiting and retaining civilian talent.

Feb 10, 2021
Report

The Composition and Employment of Software Personnel in the U.S. Department of Defense: An Initial Analysis

The authors identify and characterize a subset of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) software workforce, the types of software developed within DoD, and the variety of methods DoD programs use when employing that workforce to develop software.

Dec 24, 2020
Report

Monetary and Nonmonetary Compensation for High-Value U.S. Department of Defense Civilian Skill Sets

Motivated by concern that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will struggle to recruit and retain civilian talent for the U.S. Space Force, the authors compared DoD and private-sector monetary and nonmonetary compensation for high-value skill sets.

Nov 16, 2020
Report

Air Force Manpower Determinants: Options for More-Responsive Processes

The authors examine the process the Air Force uses to determine manpower requirements, compare it with processes used in other services and organizations, and evaluate options for increasing the efficiency of the Air Force process.

Jun 25, 2020
Periodical

RAND Review: May-June 2020

Feature stories explore how military and local governments can work together to prepare their communities for climate change, and the unmet needs of civilians who return from war zones and other hot spots throughout the world.

May 22, 2020
Report

Software Acquisition Workforce Initiative for the Department of Defense

The U.S. Department of Defense seeks to advance the ability of its software acquisition workforce to rapidly and reliably deliver complex software-dependent capabilities. What competencies are needed for an effective software acquisition workforce?

Mar 31, 2020
Report

Optimizing the Contributions of Air Force Civilian STEM Workforce

RAND researchers reviewed existing academic and professional literature to gain insights into how organizations such as the Air Force should manage, support, and organize their civilian STEM workforce to best leverage talent and maximize performance.

Mar 23, 2020

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RAND Topic:
Civilian Military Workforce

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