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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.

  • U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Willow drifts by an iceberg, August 23, 2011, photo by PO3 Luke Clayton/U.S. Coast Guard

    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

  • Abstract painting with two faces, photo by Sasha devet/Adobe Stock

    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

Topics in Focus:

Explore National Security and Terrorism

  • NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participates in the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 1, 2023, photo courtesy of NATO

    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

  • Multimedia

    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

  • U.S. Army paratroopers sit in a C-130J Super Hercules during an all-women jump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 7, 2023, photo by Senior Airman Patrick Sullivan/U.S. Air Force

    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

  • The large unmanned surface vessel Nomad transits the Pacific Ocean to participate in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022, June 22, 2022, photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler R. FraserU.S. Navy

    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

  • Students enrolled in the Captains Career Course (CCC)

    Research Brief

    Striving for Diversity: Observations on Racial and Ethnic Talent in the Regular Army's Senior Officer Corps

    This brief discusses research on the progression of racial and ethnic minority officers through the ranks and ways to improve promotion rates to increase diversity in senior Army leadership.

    Nov 30, 2023

  • Report

    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

    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

  • U.S. military personnel assigned to United States Central Command deliver supplies in support of a USAID-led humanitarian mission at Pakistan Air Base Nur Khan, Pakistan.

    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

  • The coast of Alexandria, Egypt, photo by Natalia Pavlova/Adobe Stock

    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

  • Protesters close Al-Khulani Square, declaring civil disobedience in the October Revolution

    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

  • Sunrise over Earth, image by shulz/Getty Images

    Commentary

    A Framework for Building a Civil Reserve Space Program

    If the United States were to create a civil reserve space program, what factors should the Department of Defense consider to balance potential benefits, risks, and costs?

    Nov 29, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    U.S.-Japan Alliance Conference: The U.S.-Japan Alliance in an Era of Strategic Competition

    These proceedings present insights that experts of Europe, Japan, Taiwan, and U.S. security policies presented at RAND Corporation–hosted virtual conferences that explored relevant issues on the U.S.-Japan alliance regarding strategic competition.

    Nov 29, 2023

  • Dove painted on concrete, photo by Msznz/Getty Images

    Commentary

    From the Ashes of Hamas-Israel War, Can Economics Drive Peace?

    The economic costs of the violence in Gaza threaten Israel's economic future. For the Palestinians, the costs may be so large that they undermine the possibility of an independent Palestinian state. But the magnitude of these economic losses may, paradoxically, forge a new pathway toward peace once the fighting stops.

    Nov 28, 2023

  • Fawzeya Shaheen listens to the news on a radio in her home in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 14, 2023, photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

    Commentary

    BBC's Gaza Service Demonstrates Power of Radio During Conflict

    Radio has long been used during conflicts to relay news and information when all other means of communication are knocked out of service. The U.S. Agency for Global Media could follow the lead of the BBC World Service and establish a pop-up station to provide safety and supply updates, emergency medical information, and news to the people in Gaza.

    Nov 28, 2023

  • A pilot walks toward a lineup of F-16 Fighting Falcons before a flight at Clark Air Base, Philippines. Photo by Airman 1st Class Sebastian Romawac/Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs

    Research Brief

    How Could the United States Gain Greater Access to Asia During a Conflict?

    Ensuring access to the territories of Indo-Pacific allies and partners in the event of a future conflict with China is a critical concern. How are Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and India likely to make access decisions? And can the United States influence their decisions?

    Nov 28, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Improving Conflict-Phase Access: Identifying U.S. Policy Levers

    This report explores how U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific are likely to respond to military access requests in the event of a conflict with China and what policy levers the United States might use in peacetime to affect those responses.

    Nov 28, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Designing A Strange Game: A Nuclear Wargame for the 21st Century

    This report details the theoretical motivation and design of a wargame meant to address the lack of serious games that consider nuclear weapon employment and tools available to teach stakeholders about the challenges of nuclear weapon employment.

    Nov 28, 2023

  • A simulated tactical nuclear attack drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea. Photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and obtained by Reuters on September 3, 2023, photo by KCNA/Reuters

    Commentary

    Deterrence of North Korean Limited Nuclear Attacks

    No single action is likely to deter North Korean nuclear weapon use. But a combination of efforts may convince Kim Jong-un that any use of nuclear weapons for coercion would be very dangerous to his future, and could be a powerful approach to deterring North Korea.

    Nov 27, 2023

  • South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol (center) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as U.S. President Joe Biden looks on during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, California, November 16, 2023, photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

    Commentary

    South Korea's Surprisingly Successful China Policy

    When South Korea's president, Yoon Suk-yeol, entered office last year, the odds rose that a frostier bilateral relationship with China might take hold. But for now, at least, Yoon and his government have successfully managed China, and perhaps offered a road map for how others can too.

    Nov 27, 2023

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