Hill staffers can make the most of the Congressional recess with this list of must-read research and commentary on the policy issues they will be addressing this fall.
As ground combat jobs transition to include women, efforts to improve the recruitment process are expanding. Having more female recruiters could help, as could creating outreach materials that counter stereotypes and highlight the roles of women in the military.
This issue highlights transgender personnel in the U.S. military; promising evidence on personalized learning in U.S. classrooms; a Q&A on gaming and public policy; excerpts from John Lewis' Pardee RAND commencement address, and more.
The U.S. Department of Defense has been reviewing its policy that bans transgender personnel from serving openly. If transgender people were allowed to serve openly, the number would likely be a small fraction of the total force and have minimal impact on readiness and health care costs.
As the U.S. Department of Defense reviews potential changes to its policy on transgender service members, it will need to consider this population's unique health care needs, the potential costs associated with extending coverage for these needs, and the readiness implications of allowing transgender service members to serve openly.
The Department of Defense recently announced that it will allow transgender personnel to serve openly. The number of transgender members will likely be a small fraction of the total force and have minimal impact on readiness and health care costs.
This issue highlights integrative medicine and the future of health care; the RAND American Life Panel; a commentary on how to expedite the process of resolving open cases at Guantánamo Bay; women soldiers on the special ops battlefield; and more.
Technical Analyst
Education M.A. in security studies, Georgetown University; M.S. in oceanography, University of California San Diego; B.S. in physics, University of Maryland Baltimore County; B.A. in history, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Associate Policy Researcher, RAND; Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Education Ph.D. in policy analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School; M.A in international affairs/business, New York University; B.Sc. in biology, Tel Aviv University
