Military Facilities

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Adequate military facilities are critical for the support, redeployment, and operation of military forces. RAND research has examined the structure and needs of such facilities for U.S. and allied military forces, provided recommendations concerning base realignment, and investigated ways to maximize the capabilities and utilization of existing resources and to anticipate future facility-related requirements.

  • MNF-S forces defend Panama Canal during PANAMAX exercise, photo by TSgt Heather Redman/DVIDS

    Report

    Valuing Air Force Electric Power Resilience

    Jun 3, 2019

    How well do current Air Force processes evaluate power resilience investments? A proposed framework identifies cost- and performance-related information in a clear manner that facilitates decisionmaking.

  • Old Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) Fort Sam Houston, photo by Beth E. Lachman

    Report

    Improving Army Installation Facility and Land Use Deals and Partnerships

    Sep 16, 2019

    Army installation facility and land use deals and partnerships can provide substantial benefits such as include saving costs and improving installation operations. What are the most promising approaches and practices that can be used to develop and implement these deals and partnerships?

Explore Military Facilities

  • Hawaiian Electric contractors deliver six 159-ton generators to the 50-megawatt power plant being constructed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, July 20, 2017, photo courtesy of Hawaiian Electric Company via U.S. Defense Department

    Commentary

    The Pentagon Could Help Improve Resilience of the U.S. Electric Grid

    The resilience and robustness of the U.S. electric grid needs to be improved, especially given the likely increased occurrence and magnitude of natural disasters due to climate change. This is where government entities that operate large facilities in the United States, such as the Department of Defense, can potentially play a role.

    Mar 25, 2021

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: March-April 2021

    The cover story highlights research on improving the police response to homelessness; a second feature focuses on the millions of caregivers who provide support services to chronically ill loved ones but are not integrated into health care teams.

    Mar 11, 2021

  • Report

    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

    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

    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

  • Two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors fly over Joint Base Langley-Eustis’ Felker Army Airfield at Fort Eustis, Virginia, June 12, 2018. Felker Army Airfield represents the success of consolidating Army and Air Force operations through a joint base as the airfield continues to support aerial missions while being operated by the Air Force’s 1st Operations Support Squadron, photo by Tech. Sgt. Natasha Stannard/U.S. Air Force

    Report

    Winning the Battle of the Airfields: Seventy Years of RAND Analysis on Air Base Defense and Attack

    This report provides an overview of RAND's work on air base defense and attack from 1951 through 2020, describes RAND's contributions, and identifies enduring insights for improving the resiliency of U.S. air bases in the face of modern threats.

    Feb 24, 2021

  • An F-16 Fighting Falcon an F-35A Lightning II from Eielson Air Force Base and an F-35A from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, fly over the installation in Alaska, May 15, 2020. With the arrival of the F-35As, the 354th Fighter Wing is now home to fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft, photo by Tech. Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla/U.S. Air Force

    Report

    Fighter Basing Options to Improve Access to Advanced Training Ranges

    The authors explore U.S. Air Force squadron restationing and range upgrade options that can maximize access to advanced live training ranges while evaluating cost and risk measures associated with these options.

    Feb 5, 2021

  • Elements of 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, convoy to the Hohenfels Training Area for Combined Resolve XIII in Germany, January 18, 2020, photo by Sgt. Megan Zander/U.S. Army National Guard

    Commentary

    Why Overseas Military Bases Continue to Make Sense for the United States

    Voices on the left and right have proposed downsizing America's overseas military footprint. While the merits of basing in a particular location should be open to debate, the underlying twin logics of deterrence and reassurance behind permanently stationing American forces overseas remain operationally, economically, and strategically as sound as ever.

    Jan 14, 2021

  • Tool

    Tool

    A Modeling Framework for Optimizing U.S. Air Force Fighter Pilot Access to Advanced Training Ranges

    This tool presents the technical details of an optimization model for the U.S. Air Force to analyze the potential effectiveness of different combinations of range upgrades and squadron restationing to improve access to advanced ranges.

    Sep 24, 2020

  • Report

    Report

    Alternatives for Reducing Army Installation Utility Bills While Enhancing Installation Readiness

    Researchers identified options for reducing installation utility costs in three areas: reducing commodity payments; finding alternative funding sources for energy and water system investments; and leveraging nontraditional partnerships.

    Jun 18, 2020

  • Report

    Report

    Air Base Defense: Rethinking Army and Air Force Roles and Functions

    The gap between the growing cruise and ballistic missile threat to U.S. Air Force bases in Europe and the U.S. capacity and capability to counter the threat is worrisome. This report assesses alternative Air Force courses of action.

    May 29, 2020

  • Capt. Tara Brouse, critical care nurse, intensive care unit, Madigan Army Medical Center, assists with treating a mock patient at the Internal Care Ward of the 131st Field Hospital, 528th Hospital Center, photo by U.S. Army

    Report

    Options for Maintaining Clinical Proficiency During Peacetime

    The U.S. Army Medical Department has a dual mission: to care for the war wounded during times of conflict and to operate medical treatment facilities that provide care to service members, their beneficiaries, and military retirees. What options exist for improving the readiness of Army medical personnel?

    May 19, 2020

  • Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (L) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meet in Beijing, China, August 30, 2019, photo by How Hwee Young/Pool/Reuters

    Commentary

    There's Still Life in the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he would terminate the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). Washington and Manila have until August 9 to save it or negotiate a new VFA to avert any further alliance crisis.

    May 4, 2020

  • SOUTHCOM, headquarters, Southern Command, Miami

    Report

    Improving the Allocation and Execution of Army Facility Sustainment Funding

    To identify strategies and make recommendations on improving the allocation and execution of Army installation facility sustainment funding, the authors compare Army practices with those in the other Services and in the public and private sectors.

    Apr 23, 2020

  • Engineer Anu Narayanan at the RAND office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 21, 2020, photo by Jim Mendenhall/Pro Photography Network

    Q&A

    Thinking Outside the Grid: Q&A with Anu Narayanan

    Anu Narayanan, an engineer at RAND, is a specialist in what-ifs. Her research focuses on critical infrastructure and national security. In this interview, she discusses her latest work that explores what would happen if a cyberattacker tried to take down the power grid.

    Mar 5, 2020

  • U.S. Army M1 Abrams tanks perform a strategic convoy maneuver at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, May 2, 2018, photo by Spc. Andrew McNeil/U.S. Army

    Report

    Understanding the Deterrent Impact of U.S. Overseas Forces

    After Russian aggression in Ukraine, and with rising U.S.-China tensions, the question of whether U.S. overseas military presence can enhance deterrence remains central. What does the evidence suggest?

    Feb 4, 2020

  • U.S. Army soldiers man a defensive position at Forward Operating Base Union III in Baghdad, Iraq, December 31, 2019, photo by Maj. Charlie Dietz/Task Force-Iraq Public Affairs Handout via Reuters

    Commentary

    Can Iraq Evict U.S. Forces?

    The Iraqi parliament voted to expel U.S. troops from Iraq. This vote was nonbinding, and the Iraqi caretaker government cannot pass laws, but it does indicate that a majority in parliament wants U.S. forces to leave.

    Jan 6, 2020

  • Report

    Report

    Optimizing Army Medical Materiel Strategy

    This report describes how the U.S. Army can optimize its medical materiel strategies for efficient medical equipping readiness.

    Oct 30, 2019

  • Sailors stand guard near petrol boats at the Cambodian Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, July 26, 2019, photo by Pring Samrang/Reuters

    Commentary

    The Ramifications of China's Reported Naval Base in Cambodia

    China and Cambodia have reportedly signed a secret agreement allowing the Chinese navy to use a military facility near Ream, along Cambodia's southern coast, though both countries deny the reports. The installation of a Chinese military facility in Cambodia, if realized, would further complicate an already sensitive and tense situation in the region.

    Aug 7, 2019

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