Skip to page content

Military Logistics

Featured

Logistics—the transfer of personnel and materiel from one location to another, as well as the maintenance of that materiel—is essential for a military to be able to support an ongoing deployment or respond effectively to emergent threats. RAND has long provided guidance and effective solutions to military supply and logistics decisionmakers, resulting in significant savings, improved readiness and combat support, and unit flexibility.

Report

Technology Innovation and the Future of Air Force Intelligence Analysis: Findings and Recommendations

Jan 27, 2021

Getting the right intelligence to the right people at the right time is increasingly difficult as the amount of data grows and timelines shrink. How can tools and technologies help the Air Force Distributed Common Ground System evolve to meet the challenges of synthesizing data effectively and efficiently?
Report

Analysis of Global Management of Air Force War Reserve Materiel to Support Operations in Contested and Degraded Environments

Jan 14, 2021

The Air Force's current system of war reserve materiel management is positioned more for efficiency than effectiveness. What do case studies reveal about the trade-offs and best practices for a centralized versus decentralized management approach?

Explore Military Logistics

Report

Preparing for the Future of Combat Casualty Care: Opportunities to Refine the Military Health System's Alignment with the National Defense Strategy

The Military Health System needs an agile, resilient, and global network of treatment and storage facilities and transportation assets, as well as knowledge of gaps and risks that could hinder effective medical support for future combat operations.

Jul 26, 2021
Research Brief

The Future of Combat Casualty Care: Is the Military Health System Ready?

The Military Health System will need to implement a portfolio of mitigation strategies to ensure an agile, resilient, and global network of capabilities and a robust industrial supply base to effectively treat combat casualties in future conflicts.

Jul 26, 2021
Commentary

Military and Defense-Related Supply Chains

After the Cold War, U.S. logistics planners moved away from a focus on effectiveness to a focus on efficiency in the sense that little is left idle for significant periods and that commodities are delivered at minimum cost. The ability of the system to support the joint force in the event of major conflict is at best untested and could be problematic.

Jun 22, 2021
Report

Crisis Response in a Changing Climate: Implications of Climate Change for UK Defence Logistics in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) Operations

This study identifies the implications of climate change for defence logistics in crisis response operations. It identifies challenges to, and policy options for better delivery of, crisis response.

May 4, 2021
Report

Independent Evaluation of the Transportation Working Capital Fund: Assessment and Recommendations to Improve Effectiveness and Efficiency

The authors assess the financial viability and current structure of the Transportation Working Capital Fund, which funds U.S. Transportation Command operations, and recommend ways to restructure the fund to improve its effectiveness and efficiency.

Mar 25, 2021
Report

Increasing Aircrew Flight Equipment Personnel Proficiency: Insights from Members of the Career Field

The Air Force Aircrew Flight Equipment (AFE) specialty plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of airmen. The authors investigate causes for the decline in AFE proficiency and develop courses of action to mitigate the issue.

Mar 17, 2021
Report

Command and Control of U.S. Air Force Combat Support in a High-End Fight

This report describes new concepts for U.S. Air Force combat support command and control while under persistent multi-domain attack during a high-end fight, specifically to support maneuver and functioning in a communications degraded environment.

Mar 16, 2021
Report

Equipping the 21st Century Marine Corps: Alternative Equipping Strategies for Task-Organized Units

Provisional unit equipping differs from the traditional way the Marine Corps equips forces, which places a burden on the logistics enterprise. The totality of the problem demands a multipronged approach as the best course of action.

Feb 18, 2021
Report

Technology Innovation and the Future of Air Force Intelligence Analysis: Technical Analysis

What are the near-term fixes to existing intelligence challenges? And where could artificial intelligence and machine learning be integrated in the future? An in-depth analysis explores technologies that could help the Air Force Distributed Common Ground System become more effective, efficient, and agile.

Jan 27, 2021
Report

Developing Operationally Relevant Metrics for Measuring and Tracking Readiness in the U.S. Air Force

The authors developed a new approach to leverage and aggregate authoritative data sources that feed the current readiness reporting system to better measure the ability of Air Combat Command forces to meet scenario demands.

Dec 21, 2020
Report

Trends in U.S. Air Force Aircraft Mishap Rates (1950–2018)

The authors describe trends in U.S. Air Force aircraft mishap rates and assess the impact of such factors as aircraft age on those rates over time.

Nov 30, 2020
Report

The Line Between Disorder and Order: Reflections on RAND's Role in the Evolution of Air Force Logistics Thought and Practice

This report documents the history of the interactions between RAND Corporation logistics researchers and Air Force leaders over more than 40 years to inform decisions involving logistics planning, programming, and budgeting.

Oct 28, 2020
Report

Evaluating Alternative Maintenance Manpower Force Structure Concepts for the F-35A

The authors of this report evaluate the costs and benefits of maintenance manpower force structures in the U.S. Air Force that merge maintenance career fields in different ways, including alternatives that are being explored by the Air Force today.

Sep 3, 2020
Commentary

Japan and Dynamic Force Employment

In April, the United States ended a program that maintained a rotational bomber force to the U.S. territory of Guam. While the removal of a permanent bomber presence in the region has caused some in Japan to worry, U.S. commitment to Japan's defense shows no sign of changing nor does America's deterrent capability.

Jun 23, 2020
Report

A Changing Climate: Exploring the Implications of Climate Change for UK Defence and Security

This study explores the effects of climate change on UK defence and security and proposes a conceptual framework to support the UK Ministry of Defence in assessing and adapting climate change-related risks.

Jun 16, 2020
Report

Russia's Limit of Advance: Analysis of Russian Ground Force Deployment Capabilities and Limitations

Analysis of Russian military capabilities reveals stark limitations in Russia's ability to safely and effectively deploy and sustain ground forces around the world.

May 27, 2020
Report

Russia's Limit of Advance: Scenarios

Russia's ability to deploy military forces around the world is significantly depleted from the Soviet era. This report describes the strengths and weaknesses of Russia's ground force deployment capacity.

May 27, 2020
Report

Building Agile Combat Support Competencies to Enable Evolving Adaptive Basing Concepts

RAND researchers review the motivations for adaptive basing, describe a footprint model used for estimating its implications for Agile Combat Support (ACS), and discuss recommendations for the ACS community and the U.S. Air Force at large.

Apr 16, 2020

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next

RAND Topic:
Military Logistics

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Emma Westerman

Director, Acquisition and Development Program, Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC)

Emma Westerman is director of the Acquisition and Development Program (ADP) for the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC). She is a mathematician who specializes in requirements, acquisition, logistics, technology, sustainment, cybersecurity, and lifecycle risk management.
Robert S. Tripp

Senior Management Scientist

Robert S. Tripp is a senior management scientist at the RAND Corporation. He has more than 35 years of experience in the areas of military logistics systems design, development, management, and evaluation. At RAND, Tripp has led Army and Air Force research projects that have evaluated the…

Explore Our People »