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RAND conducts a broad array of national security research for the U.S. Department of Defense and allied ministries of defense. Our federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) explore threat assessment, military acquisition, technology, recruitment and personnel management, counterinsurgency, intelligence, and readiness. RAND is a world leader in terrorism research. Studies address such topics as terrorism financing and strategies to undermine violent extremism.

Report
Arctic Capabilities of the U.S. Armed Forces
The United States has considerable interests in the Arctic and is one of just eight countries with territory in the region. How do U.S. armed forces' capabilities differ from those of other countries operating there, including Russia, China, and allies?
Nov 1, 2023
Commentary
The Israel-Hamas War Has Upended the Terrorist Threat Matrix
Today's terrorist threat matrix seems more like an abstract expressionist painting. To those accustomed to traditional landscapes, it is difficult to discern what it depicts. The fighting in Gaza may well provoke terrorist repercussions beyond the region, the magnitude and shape of which will depend on the course of the conflict.
Nov 22, 2023

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Report
The Dynamic Retention Model: Theory, Estimates, Innovations, and Extensions
This report summarizes decades of RAND Corporation research on the dynamic retention model, a model particularly suited to assess major structural changes in compensation systems, such as that of the U.S. military and civil service institutions.
Dec 6, 2023
Report
Replicating Threats in Operational Test and Training Infrastructure: The Investment Required to Keep Pace with Adversary Threat Generation
The authors of this report estimate the rate at which China and Russia field new threats and examine the costs and benefits of keeping Air Force operational training infrastructure at pace with new adversary capabilities.
Dec 6, 2023
Report
"If Everyone Is Responsible, Then No One Is": Proceedings from a Roundtable on Factors That Affect Veterans' Transitions from Military to Civilian Life
The RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute hosted a roundtable discussion on the transition to becoming a veteran and its implications for life trajectories, spanning one year prior to one year after leaving military service.
Dec 6, 2023
Commentary
The Nuclear Shadows of the Ukraine War as Seen Through a Chinese Lens
China-U.S. relations are once again on an upward trajectory after the meeting between presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit. But the good news should not obscure lingering bilateral tensions with respect to nuclear weapons.
Dec 6, 2023
Commercial Book
Deterrence Under Uncertainty: Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Warfare
Using insights from computer science, Deterrence Under Uncertainty: Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Warfare evaluates how AI could make nuclear war winnable, and whether that possibility is likely.
Dec 5, 2023
Report
Disrupting the Chinese Military in Competition and Low-Intensity Conflict
There are certain tasks required for China's military to execute key competition and low-intensity conflict missions. Those tasks have potential vulnerabilities that the United States could leverage to disrupt China's strategic goals and constrain its ability to harm U.S. interests.
Dec 5, 2023
Report
Strategic Disruption by Special Operations Forces: A Concept for Proactive Campaigning Short of Traditional War
RAND researchers develop a new concept for strategic disruption by special operations forces, exploring how disruptive campaigns can frustrate an adversary’s preferred strategy and enable friendly gains across multiple instruments of national power.
Dec 5, 2023
Report
China's Global Energy Interconnection Initiative
China aims to build a worldwide power grid that addresses the growing demand for electricity while supporting the transition to net zero. Could the potential global security implications of a super grid governed by China outweigh its benefits?
Dec 5, 2023
Commentary
North Korea's Satellite Launch: Part of a Bigger Problem for Kim Jong-un?
On November 21, North Korea made its third attempt of 2023 to launch a reconnaissance satellite despite this launch violating multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and despite the urging of many other countries. It may well have been a desperate move by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un.
Dec 4, 2023
Commentary
Can NATO Supercharge Military Greening?
NATO has taken significant steps to reduce environmental impacts of military activities and has set voluntary emissions reduction targets for its member states. By leveraging its existing standardization processes to encompass a wider range of equipment, supplies, and practices, NATO can solidify its role as the preeminent military leader on climate.
Dec 1, 2023
Research Brief
Striving for Diversity: Observations on Racial and Ethnic Talent in the Regular Army's Senior Officer Corps
The U.S. Army aims to recruit and retain a force that reflects the diversity of the population. While racial and ethnic minority officers are more likely to choose to remain in the Army than White counterparts, their promotion rates are lower.
Nov 30, 2023
Report
Retention of Racial-Ethnic Minorities in the Regular Army
To help the Army accomplish its diversity goals, RAND Arroyo Center examined retention of racial-ethnic minorities in the Regular Army's enlisted and officer ranks and how racial-ethnic composition changes as soldiers progress in their careers.
Nov 30, 2023
Report
Assessing Shifts in U.S. Department of Homeland Security Targeted Violence Prevention Efforts Through Early 2022
This report characterizes changes made in U.S. Department of Homeland Security efforts to prevent targeted violence, including the extent of change and how those changes responded to concerns about efforts to counter violent extremism.
Nov 30, 2023
Multimedia
Preventing Domestic Violent Extremism: Insights from RAND Research
RAND researchers Pauline Moore, Todd Helmus, and Alexandra Evans discuss the complex challenges of countering domestic violent extremism in the United States. Their research offers insights into trends, key actors in the extremist community, and factors that lead to joining or leaving extremist groups.
Nov 30, 2023
Commentary
Book Review: 'Forgotten Warriors: The Long History of Women in Combat' by Sarah Percy
In her book Forgotten Warriors: The Long History of Women in Combat, Sarah Percy offers an expansive and insightful exploration of both the historical record as well as how—and why—it may have been erased.
Nov 30, 2023
Commentary
Creating the Uncrewed-Centric Navy of the Mid–21st Century
The emergence of uncrewed technologies in all domains can enable the Navy to achieve greater capacity and operate in harm's way by avoiding over-concentration of combat power in too few assets. There is a need for relentlessly committed leadership that aims for an uncrewed-centric navy by mid-century, while integrating new and legacy assets to manage the long, gradual transition.
Nov 30, 2023
Report
Defense Planning Implications of Climate Change for U.S. Central Command
This report examines how U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) planners could use operations, activities, and investments in the coming decades to address security threats related to stressors from climate change in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
Nov 29, 2023
Research Brief
What Climate-Related Conflict Could Mean for U.S. Central Command
Climate change will hit the Middle East and Central Asia especially hard, with effects on both personal well-being and regional stability. It will likely create increased demand for stabilization operations, non-combatant evacuation operations, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Nov 29, 2023
Report
Conflict Projections in U.S. Central Command: Incorporating Climate Change
This report presents an analysis of the impact of climate change on the frequency of conflict in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
Nov 29, 2023
Report
Pathways from Climate Change to Conflict in U.S. Central Command
This report presents an analysis of the pathways from climate change to conflict and how that relationship is unfolding in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
Nov 29, 2023

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RAND Topic:
National Security and Terrorism

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Amanda Kerrigan

Policy Researcher

Amanda Kerrigan is a policy researcher at the RAND corporation. She was previously a research scientist in the China and Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Division at CNA. Her research at CNA focused on the development of the artificial intelligence sector in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and…
Sandra Kay Evans

Behavioral/Social Scientist

Sandra Evans is a social scientist at the RAND Corporation and co-director of the RAND Center for Applied Network Analysis. At RAND she conducts organizational research in a range of settings including health care and military. Her research interests include organizational change, talent…

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