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National Security and Terrorism

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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
Great-Power Competition Outside the Indo-Pacific and Europe
The United States, China, and Russia are competing for influence in secondary theaters like Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Where and why could competition turn into conflict, and what form might that conflict take?
Apr 25, 2023
Report
Demographic Diversity of the DoD STEM Workforce
Within the Department of Defense's STEM workforce, which demographic groups are subject to the greatest compensation disparity when compared with white men? What measures can the Pentagon take to address these discrepancies?
Apr 27, 2023

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Report
Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Considerations into the 2021 Department of the Air Force Developmental Education Selection Boards: Analysis of Outcomes
Although demographic data have been masked for most Air Force boards adjudicating career development and promotions, the 2021 Central Professional Military Education Program Boards provided an opportunity to test the effects of unmasking the data.
Dec 20, 2022
Report
New Directions for Projecting Land Power in the Indo-Pacific: Contexts, Constraints, and Concepts
This report seeks to address how the U.S. Army can most effectively project and employ land power in the Indo-Pacific, during competition and conflict, with a focus on scenarios involving China.
Dec 20, 2022
Commentary
The Precarious Transition of Unvaccinated Service Members
U.S. service members separated from the military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine were largely separated with a general discharge under honorable conditions. While they may be eligible for health care and disability compensation from the VA, they are not eligible for G.I. Bill benefits. How have they fared as they entered civilian society unvaccinated and with limited benefits?
Dec 19, 2022
Commentary
The Trouble with Russian Blacklisting
Analysis, informed by interactions with Russians, offers Western leaders a window into Russia. Blacklists hinder this process. With the stakes so high, much depends on experts' success in getting their analysis right.
Dec 15, 2022
Commentary
Ten Things That Inspired Me in 2022
It would be impossible to capture all the important work that RAND does in a year. But RAND president and CEO Jason Matheny has compiled ten times he was inspired by RAND's efforts to bring insight to some of the biggest policy stories of 2022.
Dec 15, 2022
Report
Critical Material Supply Chains Should Be More Resilient
The COVID-19 pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine highlight the vulnerabilities of supply chains that are dependent on foreign inputs. How can the U.S. Department of Defense increase the resilience of its supply chains for materials essential to national security?
Dec 15, 2022
Report
Ensuring Mission Assurance While Conducting Rapid Space Acquisition
As the U.S. Space Force pursues rapid acquisition of warfighting capabilities, a key question is whether the streamlining techniques being used to get new space systems to operators quickly create mission assurance vulnerabilities.
Dec 15, 2022
Report
Improving U.S. Air Force Training Investments: Putting Proficiency First
The U.S. Air Force needs to make near-term investments in its operational training infrastructure to ready airmen for high-end conflict. This Perspective explores which investments are most appropriate and which should receive priority.
Dec 15, 2022
Report
Naar een evidence-based aanpak van radicalisering en extremisme: Een eerste evaluatie van de gemeentelijke Versterkingsgelden 2020-2021: [Towards an evidence-based approach to tackling radicalisation and extremism: A first evaluation of municipal Reinforcement Funds 2020-2021]
Evaluation of funding (Versterkingsgelden) by the Netherlands government intensifying local preventive measures in combating radicalisation, (violent) extremism and terrorism allocated to municipalities where these issues are most prevalent.
Dec 15, 2022
Commentary
Mastering Irregular Warfare
The U.S. military has failed to master irregular warfare above the tactical level. This is not a new problem, and it is one that has been recognized by leaders at the most senior echelons of government. There are several steps that the DoD and U.S. Congress might consider to develop the mastery of irregular warfare that the United States needs.
Dec 14, 2022
Blog
Can the War in Ukraine Help the United States Address Security Concerns in the Indo-Pacific?
Even as the Russian military continues to struggle in Ukraine, Air Force leaders and top national security experts at the 2022 West Coast Aerospace Forum warned not to expect similar outcomes in a potential conflict with China. The 7th annual event focused on applying lessons learned from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
Dec 14, 2022
Commentary
Japan's Upcoming Defense Efforts
The Japanese government looks set to release three important documents shortly: a new National Security Strategy and two defense documents that lay out spending priorities over the next ten years and five years. In preparation for the release of these documents, here are six areas that could be candidates not only to receive a greater prioritization of resources, but also greater scrutiny.
Dec 13, 2022
Tool
Mapping Chinese and Russian Military and Security Exports to Africa
Military weapons exports and private military and security contractors are important tools for projecting a country's influence around the world. How have China and Russia employed these tools across Africa in recent years?
Dec 13, 2022
Report
Improving Precommissioning Assignments and Readiness on the U.S. Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter
Researchers identified approaches the U.S. Coast Guard could take to improve crew satisfaction with precommissioning assignments on offshore patrol cutters and overall fleet readiness, then evaluated the options using five criteria.
Dec 13, 2022
Commentary
Nonlethal Weapons Can Play a Growing Role in U.S. Defense
Overcoming the web of factors inhibiting the use of nonlethal weapons will take sustained effort over time. But it can have a powerful impact on America's ability to achieve U.S. national security goals while avoiding unnecessary conflict.
Dec 12, 2022
Commentary
North Korea's Version of 'Take Your Daughter to Work Day'
With the spotlight having long been fixed on the nuclear issue, the public debut of Kim Jong-un's “most beloved” child seems as though it could be an impeccably timed distraction to keep the international community from focusing on seeking an enduring solution to Pyongyang's rapidly advancing weapons systems.
Dec 12, 2022
Report
Evaluation of Flexible Spending Accounts for Active-Duty Service Members
This report presents an analysis of the implications of flexible spending accounts for active-duty service members and their families that would allow pre-tax payment of dependent care expenses, insurance premiums, and out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Dec 12, 2022
Report
Authorities and Permissions to Conduct Army Special Operations Activities Abroad
This report outlines the basic types of authorities that govern the use of Army Special Operations Forces overseas in environments below the threshold of armed conflict.
Dec 12, 2022
Report
Operational Feasibility of Adversarial Attacks Against Artificial Intelligence
Some fear that the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) artificial intelligence systems are in peril from adversarial attacks. But many attacks appear operationally infeasible, so they pose less risk to DoD applications than the literature implies.
Dec 12, 2022
Commentary
India Upholds the Rules-Based Liberal International Order—But in Its Own Way
Contrary to continued U.S. questions about the degree of New Delhi's commitment to the liberal international order, India has shown that it is committed in its own, sometimes limited way. Of course, securing Indian national interests will always be paramount. U.S. policymakers might recognize that any additional pressure is likely to be counterproductive.
Dec 9, 2022

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National Security and Terrorism

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Padmaja Vedula

Senior Information Scientist

Padmaja Vedula is a senior information scientist at the RAND Corporation, specializing in systems architecture, cybersecurity, cyber policy and deterrence, emerging technologies, and digital transformation. She has a multidisciplinary background and her other areas of interest include technology…
James R. Broyles

Senior Operations Researcher

James R. Broyles, Ph.D., is an operations researcher at the RAND Corporation with interests in military logistics, military personnel, personnel capacity planning, healthcare delivery, stochastic processes, computer simulation, and applied statistics. Broyles leads research on improving repair…

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