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Military Acquisition and Procurement

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Maintaining a military that is prepared to face uncertain future security challenges often requires the acquisition and procurement of new and technologically advanced equipment, which is a major expense for any nation. For decades, RAND has researched and evaluated military acquisition and procurement activities, providing essential recommendations to allow military decisionmakers to manage costs and streamline the acquisition process more effectively.

Report

Robust Decision Making Could Help Defense Resource Planning

Feb 1, 2016

Defense planning needs a new approach to identify strategies that perform well over a wide range of threat and funding futures. RDM is designed to inform decisions under conditions of deep uncertainty and complexity, and as shown in an application to the munitions mix challenge, could prove quite useful.
Commentary

Acquisition in Transition

Feb 21, 2017

The DoD acquisition system is complex and ever-changing. It requires a trained and active workforce that has the support of Congress. Allowing some of the reforms to take place in a measured fashion would be a wise choice for the new administration and Congress.

Explore Military Acquisition and Procurement

Commentary

Privatizing the Military Unlikely to Be a Viable Solution in Afghanistan

Operational contractors are now an entrenched part of the Department of Defense’s total force and are here to stay. But replacing U.S. military personnel with contractors is not likely to be a militarily effective solution for the Afghanistan problem.

Aug 14, 2017
Report

Report

Enhancing Management of the Joint Future Vertical Lift Initiative

It is possible to achieve some degree of commonality without joint program management and identifies lessons from historical experience and how they apply to the joint Future Vertical Lift initiative.

Aug 14, 2017
Commentary

Is It a Good Idea to Privatize the War in Afghanistan?

The CEO of the Blackwater Corporation has suggested that the U.S. should privatize the war in Afghanistan, and the administration is reportedly giving it some thought. It is important not to dismiss this plan categorically, but to consider it on the merits. Doing so highlights the risks of such a plan.

Aug 4, 2017
Report

Report

Quantifying Cost and Schedule Uncertainty for Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs)

To help the Air Force better anticipate cost and schedule challenges and manage programs, this study developed a methodology to evaluate the likelihood of cost growth and schedule slip for major defense acquisition projects (MDAPs).

Jul 17, 2017
Report

Report

Program Characteristics That Contribute to Cost Growth: A Comparison of Air Force Major Defense Acquisition Programs

This report evaluates four recent Air Force Major Defense Acquisition Programs with low cost growth and compares and contrasts their key characteristics to the six programs evaluated with extreme cost growth from a companion RAND Corporation report.

Jun 30, 2017
Report

Report

Improving the Air Force Small-Business Performance Expectations Methodology

This study is an assessment of the Air Force Small-Business Performance Expectations Methodology, with recommendations for improvement.

Jun 2, 2017
Report

Report

A Review of Alternative Methods to Inventory Contracted Services in the Department of Defense

Concerned about U.S. Department of Defense contracts for private-sector services, Congress mandated development of an inventory of contract activities. RAND conducted a review of the system, stakeholder needs, and alternative data sources.

Apr 27, 2017
Report

Report

Issues with Access to Acquisition Data and Information in the Department of Defense: Doing Data Right in Weapon System Acquisition

This report examines Department of Defense acquisition data and the information systems where it resides and offers insights into improving the management, availability, and usefulness of this information.

Mar 27, 2017
Project

Response Strategies to the Cost Escalation of Defence Equipment

The challenge of affordability is shaping the defence acquisition environment in most Western countries. Researchers identified several strategies that are transferrable from one country to another and from civil sectors to defence.

Mar 8, 2017
Report

Report

Needs, Effectiveness, and Gap Assessment for Key A-10C Missions: An Overview of Findings

This report analyzes several missions assigned to the A-10C aircraft and the needs this mission set could generate over the next five years. It also assesses existing and planned forces' effectiveness and capability gaps in performing those missions.

Mar 2, 2017
Report

Defining an Approach for Future Close Air Support Capability

This report helps to define an approach to ensure that the Army has a viable close air support capability in light of the possible retirement of the A-10.

Jan 30, 2017
Commentary

Hey Washington Experts — Don't Roll Your Eyes Over Trump, Roll Up Your Sleeves

Policy experts do not want to be irrelevant or ignored. The Trump administration does not want to fail, and needs to generate winning policies. By working together, the administration and the policy community could help one another, and, more importantly, the nation.

Jan 12, 2017
Commentary

Uncertainty Ahead: Defense Technology and Acquisition Trends in 2017

The change in administration, coupled with the new management structure being imposed by Congress on the Department of Defense's acquisition enterprise is creating a shifting and unpredictable landscape for 2017.

Jan 3, 2017
Brochure

Saving the Government Money: Examples from RAND's FFRDCs

RAND's federally funded research and development centers apply research capital they have developed over the years to help decisionmakers solve problems and often save money as well. This publication lists and briefly summarizes some RAND projects undertaken over the past several years that have helped save the government money or that have identified ways to do so.

Dec 20, 2016
Report

Report

Issues with Access to Acquisition Data and Information in the Department of Defense: A Closer Look at the Origins and Implementation of Controlled Unclassified Information Labels and Security Policy

The authors evaluated current Controlled Unclassified Information labeling procedures, practices, and security policies for U.S. Department of Defense acquisition data and recommend improvements.

Dec 19, 2016
Project

Reforming NATO's Cyber Acquisition Process

NATO's cyber acquisition process must be adaptive, capable of attracting new entrants and incorporating new technologies. This project aims to define the challenges NATO faces in adjusting its cyber capability development and acquisition processes and make recommendations on how to address them.

Oct 26, 2016
Report

Report

Towards a Universal Arms Trade Treaty: Understanding barriers and challenges in South-East Asia

This report aims to support universalisation of the Arms Trade Treaty by identifying barriers and obstacles to its ratification and by generating a set of proposals to overcome these barriers at the national, regional or international level.

Oct 26, 2016
Report

Report

Air Force Management of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund: Opportunities for Improvement

Using insights from interviews, legislation, and policy, this report develops a decision framework that will help the U.S. Air Force's Director of Acquisition Career Management improve management of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund.

Aug 23, 2016
Tool

Tool

Navy Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution: A Reference Guide for Senior Leaders, Managers, and Action Officers

This tool documents key but enduring aspects of how the Navy implements the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution process so that action officers and Navy leaders can successfully navigate and effectively contribute to the process.

Aug 22, 2016

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RAND Topic:
Military Acquisition and Procurement

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Jim Powers

Senior Engineer and the Associate Director of RAND Project AIR FORCE's Resource Management Program

James Powers is a Senior Engineer and the Associate Director of RAND Project AIR FORCE's Resource Management Program. Since joining RAND in 2011, Powers has led or co-led projects on achieving cybersecurity in Air Force acquisition, avionics modernization, and advanced manufacturing technology…
Isaac R. Porche

Director, Acquisition and Development Program, Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center

Isaac Porche is a senior engineer at the RAND Corporation and program director for the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center. His areas of expertise include acquisition, homeland security, cybersecurity network and communication technology, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance…

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