Military Force Planning

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Ensuring that a modern military has the appropriate personnel and capabilities is the key goal of military force planning. RAND research on such topics as military wages, support for military families, troop diversity, and reenlistment rates ensures that U.S. and allied militaries are well aware of issues related to career field management and personnel retention and recruitment.

  • Marines with Marine Corps Recruiting Command march in the cake for the 246th Marine Corps birthday at the Clubs of Quantico, Virginia, November 4, 2021, photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez/U.S. Marine Corps

    Report

    How the Pandemic Affected Military Recruitment and Retention

    Jan 18, 2022

    Military recruiting and retention activities are typically conducted in person, but with COVID-19–related stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements, the armed services had to quickly adapt their policies and procedures or risk missing their end strength objectives.

  • Lt. Col. Scott Morley, commander of the Phoenix Recruiting Battalion, administers the oath of enlistment to 40 future soldiers, August 26, 2018, at Chase Field, photo by Mike Scheck/U.S. Army

    Essay

    Army Enlistment Waivers in the Age of Legal Marijuana

    Oct 27, 2021

    Army recruits with a history of marijuana use can ask for a waiver like those who have diabetes or insomnia. They are just as likely as others to complete their first term and make sergeant, and are less likely to leave the Army for health or performance reasons.

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    Report

    A Methodology for Determining Air Force Education Requirements Board (AFERB) Advanced Academic Degree (AAD) Requirements

    Failing to predict the number of Air Force billet vacancies that will require an advanced academic degree can be difficult, and can lead to shortfalls or an oversupplies of officers with specific degrees and academic specialties.

    Jan 3, 2014

  • Marines in Cherry Point Corporals Leadership Course

    Report

    Understanding the Cost and Quality of Military-Related Education Benefit Programs

    Issues such as rising tuition costs, an increasing numbers of for-profit institutions that target veterans, and a potentially confusing array of benefit options could mitigate the impact of financial aid benefits designed to help veterans attend college.

    Dec 24, 2013

  • A soldier watches the sun rise after spending the night on a night observation post

    Commentary

    Afghanistan After the Drawdown

    It is relatively easy to criticize what's going wrong in Afghanistan. It is much harder to propose a realistic way forward. Seth Jones and Keith Crane in a new report, “Afghanistan After the Drawdown,” suggest a calibrated political and military approach that protects U.S. interests at a realistic level of manpower and investment.

    Dec 6, 2013

  • Aviation Survival Technician (AST) Jumps From a U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter

    Report

    Managing Diverse Work Groups in the U.S. Coast Guard

    Coast Guard leaders will benefit from specific training and guidance to bring out the best on a daily basis from work groups consisting of men and women of different ethnic, racial, and functional backgrounds.

    Nov 27, 2013

  • Afghan President Hamid Karzai attends the last day of the Loya Jirga, in Kabul November 24, 2013

    Commentary

    Just Ignore Karzai and Press On

    As important as a bilateral security agreement is to formalize America's long-term presence in Afghanistan. The current draft doesn't spell out the details of a U.S. military presence after 2014, including the size, composition, and strategy of U.S. forces. Those details are what matter most.

    Nov 26, 2013

  • A Special Forces Master Mountaineering Course

    Commentary

    Five Profound Choices Special Ops Face Next Year

    If 2013 was the year of decisions, 2014 will be the year special operations forces implement their roadmap for the future. But where exactly does that road lead? The trajectory will be determined by several budgetary and policy choices that the U.S. military, policymakers and Congress will make in 2014.

    Nov 1, 2013

  • counterinsurgency mission in Afghanistan

    Commentary

    Paths to Victory in the Australian Defence and Security Context

    The historical importance of commitment and motivation and the need to overmatch insurgents suggest that Australia should weigh any commitment of support against existing conditions, those that can be changed and those that can't, writes Christopher Paul.

    Oct 2, 2013

  • An Indonesian army ambulance, repainted with U.N. peacekeeping colors, is loaded aboard S.S. Wilson.

    Research Brief

    Enhancing Civilian Agency Participation in Stability Operations

    U.S. plans for stability operations emphasize a "whole of government" approach in which civilian and military agency efforts reflect a common U.S. strategy, but such an approach has been difficult to implement in practice. How can the Army assist in making key civilian agencies more capable partners in the planning and execution of stability, security, transition, and reconstruction (SSTR) operations?

    Sep 18, 2013

  • Airmen from the 748th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron offload one of the two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters from a C-17 Globemaster III at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom, Sept. 19, 2013

    Report

    A Cost Analysis of the U.S. Air Force Overseas Posture

    While it does cost more to maintain force structures and installations overseas rather than in the United States, the total cost of doing so for the Air Force's current overseas posture is small relative to the Air Force's overall budget.

    Sep 16, 2013

  • News Release

    News Release

    New Modeling Tool Will Help Military Improve Retention and Manage Its Compensation System

    A new modeling tool will allow the U.S. military to understand the workforce effects of permanent compensation and other workforce policies during a transition period, as well the effects of temporary policies such as pay freezes and furloughs.

    Aug 26, 2013

  • man approaching a maze

    Report

    New Modeling Tool Will Help Military Improve Retention and Manage Its Compensation System

    A new modeling tool will allow the U.S. military to understand the workforce effects of permanent compensation and other workforce policies during a transition period, as well the effects of temporary policies such as pay freezes and furloughs.

    Aug 26, 2013

  • The last C-130E Hercules at Hurlburt Field, Fla., prepares for its final take off March 4, 2013, prior to retirement

    Solution

    Replacing the C-130E

    The C-130 fleet performs critical air mobility functions for the nation, but part of that fleet is at risk from age-related factors. Which alternative aircraft would provide the required performance at lowest cost?

    Aug 20, 2013

  • Paratroopers exit a C-130 aircraft at Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, as part of an airborne training exercise

    Solution

    Measuring Troop Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan

    How "big" were the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? To prepare for future conflicts, the U.S. Army needed to know exactly how far it extended itself in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

    Jul 10, 2013

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Do U.S. Military Interventions Occur in Clusters?

    This research challenges the assumption that the timing of deployments and their distribution over time are serially independent, arguing that military interventions occur in temporal clusters driven by the number of interventions in the recent past.

    Jun 25, 2013

  • a female engagement team (FET) commanding officer, crawls through a doorway during a patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan

    Blog

    Pentagon Announces Plans to Integrate Women in Combat

    Senior Pentagon officials announced today that by 2016, women will be allowed to join front-line combat roles, including infantry, armor, and special operations. RAND has conducted research on the evolving roles of women in the military and has several experts available to discuss the DoD's policies.

    Jun 18, 2013

  • An Army family poses for a photograph

    Report

    Strategically Aligned Family Research: Supporting Soldier and Family Quality of Life Research for Policy Decisionmaking

    The U.S. Army wants to develop a research agenda that defines the Quality of Life (QOL) needs of soldiers and families, helps gauge the success of programs, improves coordination of research efforts, and determines how best to allocate resources. Analysis suggests that both domain-specific research and a broader, more holistic understanding of QOL — to put domain-specific research in context — are critical.

    May 31, 2013

  • army medic treats a soldier wounded by shrapnel

    Report

    Improving the Deployment of Army Health Care Professionals

    The Army Medical Department uses the Professional Filler System (PROFIS) to manage the deployment of health care professionals and their assignment to military treatment facilities when not deployed. A new report describes the functionality of PROFIS in the current operating environment of ongoing deployments, and assesses potential modifications and improvements to the system.

    May 29, 2013

  • Report

    Report

    Are U.S. Military Interventions Contagious over Time? Intervention Timing and Its Implications for Force Planning

    This report challenges the assumption that the timing of deployments and their distribution over time are serially independent, arguing that military interventions occur in temporal clusters driven by the number of interventions in the recent past.

    May 17, 2013

  • Periodical

    2012 RAND Arroyo Center Annual Report

    This annual report describes Arroyo's research activities in 2012, with profiles of its five programs providing a close look at the year's research agenda. RAND Arroyo Center is the Army's federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses. Its mission is to help Army leaders make decisions that are informed by independent, objective, high-quality analysis.

    May 17, 2013

  • Bastille Day

    Report

    Setting Priorities in the Age of Austerity: British, French, and German Experiences

    Examines the British, French, and German armies' approaches to accommodating significant budget cuts while attempting to sustain their commitment to full spectrum operations.

    May 6, 2013

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