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Military Force Deployment

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The successful deployment of a military force involves the movement of troops and materiel in response to a regional threat and the ability to sustain this force until the military objective is achieved. RAND has extensive experience evaluating and providing supportable recommendations to military decisionmakers to ensure rapid and sustainable deployments to counter regional threats.

Report
Iraqi Army Will to Fight
In summer 2014, the Iraqi Army imploded, breaking and scattering in the face of attacks from Islamic State fighters. How can U.S. advisors help strengthen Iraqi Army will to fight and overall combat effectiveness?
Jan 11, 2022
Report
What Would a Strategy of Restraint Mean for U.S. Security Policy?
If the United States adopted a grand strategy of restraint in the Asia-Pacific, how would its posture in the region change and how would it determine when to use force? What warfighting scenarios involving the defense of Japan could guide defense planning?
Mar 31, 2022

Explore Military Force Deployment

Commentary
Poland and Ukraine: Defending Europe's Future
In the Cold War, West Germany, with robust NATO support, stood guard at the center of the Iron Curtain. Looking ahead, Poland and Ukraine along with NATO will defend Europe's center at the front line. Insights from the West German experience might help them.
Sep 25, 2023
Report
Impact of Individual Augmentation Policy on Navy Reserve Force Readiness
The authors examine the evolution of individual augmentation—from a stopgap to standard practice—and the effects on the Navy Reserve in terms of readiness and deployment times, specifically relating to anti-terror operations and the 2019 pandemic.
Sep 7, 2023
Report
Deterring Russia and Iran
How can the United States effectively and efficiently deter Russia and Iran without crowding out investments in other military missions, including competition with China in the Indo-Pacific?
Aug 17, 2023
Report
Will to Fight of Russia's Private Military Actors
In Ukraine, Syria, and other parts of the world, private military contractors are operating on behalf of, yet are ostensibly separate from, the Russian state. How can the United States and its allies counter these adversary-employed private military actors?
Jul 31, 2023
Commentary
Why the United States Still Needs Ground Forces in Europe
The bulked-up U.S. presence in Europe will remain necessary for at least three to five years, for at least three reasons: to preserve Ukraine's sovereignty, to sustain U.S. commitments to NATO, and to encourage the development of partner nation capabilities that will eventually enable greater burden-sharing among allies.
Jul 24, 2023
Report
Assessment of Deployment- and Mobilization-to-Dwell Policies for Active and Reserve Component Forces: An Examination of Current Policy Using Select U.S. Joint Force Elements
The authors examine Department of Defense (DoD) policy that governs how much time service members must spend at home relative to time spent deployed or mobilized. They suggest policy changes to inform and optimize DoD's force utilization decisions.
Jul 20, 2023
Commentary
Where Will All the Wagner Group Mercenaries Go Now That Russia Has Exiled Their Leader?
Russian oligarch turned warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin is in exile in Belarus, but what will become of the tens of thousands of fighters who signed up to risk their lives for a paycheck or a ticket out of jail? It seems likely they will continue fighting, mostly because they have few better options.
Jul 3, 2023
Commentary
The Wagner Group Will Live to Fight Another Day
Yevgeny Prigozhin led Wagner Group fighters in what appeared to be a direct challenge to the Russian military establishment. But it's unlikely that the Kremlin will dissolve Wagner's paramilitary enterprise. It is too significant to Russia's greater geostrategic aims and economic strength.
Jun 28, 2023
Commentary
Ukraine Is a Breeding Ground for Russian PMCs
Moscow's desire for additional fighters in Ukraine has created a breeding ground for Russian private military company (PMC) development. This explosion of what are essentially private armies is not only shaping the battlefield in Ukraine; it could have devastating impacts long after this conflict ends.
Jun 14, 2023
Report
Lead Forward: Mobility Air Force Command Nodes for Complex Operations
Motivated by the future threat to air force command and control networks and forces, the authors identify the demands of future conflicts and consider alternative options for the design of wing-level command and control elements.
May 15, 2023
Report
Alternative Futures Following a Great Power War: Volume 1, Scenarios, Findings, and Recommendations
RAND researchers generated four plausible near-term great power war scenarios and assessed how they could shape the postwar strategic environment.
May 9, 2023
Report
Alternative Futures Following a Great Power War: Volume 2, Supporting Material on Historical Great Power Wars
To inform a project on the aftermath of great power wars, the author examined ten conflicts since 1853. This volume presents brief historical summaries and assesses past forecasts of the duration, intensity, stakes, and consequences of each war.
May 9, 2023
Research Brief
The Aftermath of a Great Power War
A review of historical great power wars shows that prewar predictions about who would fight, how long the war would last, and how the world would look afterward were often wrong. It's important to understand what the outcomes of different conflicts could look like and how to better prepare for them.
May 9, 2023
Commentary
Consequences of the War in Ukraine: Escalation
If Russian forces remain unable to defeat Ukraine, and Putin remains unwilling to back down, what escalation options does Russia have left?
Feb 27, 2023
Commentary
Why Vladimir Putin Is Likely to Be Disappointed
None of the Kremlin's recent gambits—annexation, mobilization, or personnel shuffles—can overcome the larger problems facing Russia's military. And in the months ahead, its difficulties will only worsen.
Oct 18, 2022
Blog
RAND Experts React to Putin's Latest Threatening Rhetoric
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to double down on his country's war effort during a major speech, calling up hundreds of thousands of new troops, threatening Ukraine and the West, vowing to use “all the means at our disposal,” and pointing out that he is not bluffing. Here's what RAND experts had to say.
Sep 21, 2022
Report
Physical Fitness Standards to Support Readiness and Deployability: An Examination of Department of the Air Force Policies and Culture
Through analyses involving the Air Force's Tier 1 fitness assessment (FA), the authors examine whether FA components meet their intended purpose to minimize health risks and maximize readiness of airmen.
May 2, 2022
Commentary
The Will to Fight, Lessons from Ukraine
In Ukraine, ferocious defense has stalled the invaders. Even if Kyiv falls, continued resistance seems likely. Ukraine has reminded the world that national unity in the face of existential threats, self-reliance strengthened by collective defense, and courage coupled with compassion can help underdog populations resist the mightiest military forces.
Mar 29, 2022
Commentary
The Will to Fight in the Age of Social Media
Social media messaging has played a decisive role in strengthening Ukraine's will to fight—arguably the single most important factor in war—against Russia.
Mar 22, 2022

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RAND Topic:
Military Force Deployment

Topic Synonyms:
Deployment Process

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Eric Peltz

Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations

Eric Peltz is senior vice president of Finance and Operations at the RAND Corporation. He oversees RAND International, Corporate Planning, and enterprise functions to include External Affairs, Finance, Human Resources, Information Services, and Workplace Services, which encompasses Facilities,…
Paul W. Mayberry

Senior Policy Researcher

Paul Mayberry is a senior policy researcher based in Washington, DC. His research interests are in the areas of readiness assessment, force structure and its deployment, national military strategy, total force manpower, and military training and education. Before RAND, Mayberry was a Vice…

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