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Military Career Field Management

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Effective military leaders help nations meet their strategic goals, and the retention of these leaders is essential to preserving morale and unit readiness. RAND has conducted extensive research on training and career development programs that are designed to attract and retain personnel with the most promising mix of knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience.

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
Research Brief
Behavioral Health Technicians: Extending the Reach of Military Behavioral Health Care
Behavioral health technicians are enlisted service members who work alongside licensed mental health providers. They serve as care extenders, helping the Military Health System improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its behavioral health care.
Mar 22, 2022

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Report
Imagining the Future of Professional Military Education in the United States: Results from a Virtual Workshop
Professional military education (PME) institutions prepare leaders for complex future conflicts. RAND researchers led a workshop to discuss PME program evolution. Participants generally agreed on goals but not on the means for attaining them.
Apr 18, 2023
Report
Emerging Options for Field-Grade Officer Promotions in the U.S. Air Force
The Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act established an alternative framework for promotion policies for military officers. The authors examine whether shifting to this framework would be beneficial and how it would be implemented.
Mar 29, 2023
Report
Organizing and Training Airfield Operations Capabilities for Emerging Expeditionary Operations: Potential Courses of Action
The authors identify ways to enable the airfield operations (AO) career fields to respond to the needs created by the Dynamic Force Employment concept and the USAF implementation of Agile Combat Employment.
Mar 16, 2023
Report
Assessing the Implications of Policy Options for the Military Personnel Budget: An Analytic Framework for Evaluating Costs and Trade-Offs
A new tool simulates how various Department of the Air Force personnel policy changes could affect military spending. The tool lets users view cost variances and trade-offs when adjusting such factors as personnel count, rank, and experience levels.
Jan 17, 2023
Report
Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Analyses: Update Through Fiscal Year 2021
RAND researchers present a descriptive overview of the state of the defense acquisition workforce (AW), describe changes to the AW over time, and identify opportunities for the collection of new data that could support decisionmaking.
Nov 28, 2022
Essay
How Veterans Fare in the Civilian Labor Market
Around 200,000 service members transition to the civilian labor market every year. They often find it's like falling into another dimension, one where employers don't even speak the same language. More than a decade of RAND research has sought to ease that transition.
Nov 4, 2022
Report
Assessment and Selection for U.S. Air Force Special Warfare: Vol. 1, Defining Attributes and Designing Rater Training
Air Force Special Warfare warrants specialized assessment and selection of future operators. The authors examine the nontechnical attributes needed to conduct challenging missions and the process for selecting candidates who can succeed.
Sep 27, 2022
Tool
Addressing Disparities in the U.S. Military
Racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in military career success and representation are a long-standing problem. To help inform efforts to address this, researchers created the Military Demographic Equity Machine tool.
Sep 6, 2022
Q&A
The Mutual Rewards of Hiring a Veteran: Q&A with Kyleanne Hunter and Kayla Williams
July 25 is National Hire a Veteran Day, and its purpose is to encourage employers to look to this diverse pool of workers to fill positions. Employers stand to benefit from the experience and skills that veterans acquire during military service. For veterans, a fulfilling career can ease the transition to civilian life.
Jul 25, 2022
Report
Managing Adverse and Reportable Information Regarding U.S. Military Officers: 2019 Update
The authors analyze the policies and processes for reporting unfavorable information about U.S. military officers being considered for appointments, promotions, or retirements and make recommendations for improvement.
Jul 1, 2022
Report
Optimizing the Role of Military Behavioral Health Technicians: A Survey of Behavioral Health Technicians and Mental Health Providers
RAND researchers surveyed military behavioral health technicians (BHTs) and licensed mental health providers about BHTs' contributions, training and supervision, and job satisfaction, as well as barriers to integrating them into clinical practice.
Mar 22, 2022
Report
U.S. Air Force Enlisted Classification and Reclassification: Potential Improvements Using Machine Learning and Optimization Models
The authors review options for improving processes for classifying and reclassifying enlisted active-duty, non–prior service airmen for initial skills training in the United States Air Force.
Mar 14, 2022
Report
Retention of Enlisted Maintenance, Logistics, and Munitions Personnel: Analysis and Results
In this report, the authors explore whether individual characteristics, economic and geographic factors, and the new Blended Retirement System can provide new insights into what predicts retention of maintenance, logistics, and munitions personnel.
Jan 5, 2022
Report
A Big Transition: Military Service Members' Earnings and Employment After Active Duty
After leaving the service, many veterans earn less money than they did while in active duty. This emphasizes the importance of helping service members build marketable skills and supporting their transitions into the civilian workforce.
Nov 10, 2021
Report
Developing an Air Force Retention Early Warning System
Which features and indicators inform retention outcomes within the U.S. Air Force? A forecasting model for retention can alert decisionmakers to emerging problems and allow for time to consider adjustments.
Oct 14, 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
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
Department of the Air Force Officer Talent Management Reforms
The Department of the Air Force is revamping the way it manages officer development and promotion. As part of this overhaul, the Line of the Air Force is being split into six separate developmental categories. How will interdependent policy changes affect outcomes of the personnel system?
Jul 27, 2021

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Maria C. Lytell

Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist

Maria Lytell is a senior behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation. Her work focuses on military personnel topics with recent examples including diversity, equity, and inclusion in the military, digital talent needs for the Department of Air Force, and staffing requirements for…
M. Wade Markel

Director, Forces and Logistics Program, RAND Arroyo Center

M. Wade Markel is the director of the Forces and Logistics program in RAND Arroyo Center, and a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. His research focuses on aligning human, materiel and fiscal resources with alternative institutional strategies. Specific topics of recent interest…

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