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.

  • Two tanks in magenta facing opposite directions with a soldier standing on top, on a neon green background, photo illustration by Alyson Youngblood/RAND Corporation

    Commentary

    One Year After Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Experts React

    We asked nearly 30 RAND experts to highlight takeaways from the first year of Russia's all-out war—and share what they're watching as the conflict in Ukraine grinds on. Here's what they said.

    Feb 20, 2023

  • U.S. soldiers kneel on the ground in an open, snowy landscape keeping watch. A couple armored vehicles are in the background.

    Research Brief

    Prospects for U.S.-China and U.S.-Russia Security Cooperation

    In a world now dominated by U.S. strategic competition with Russia and China, the obstacles to cooperation—particularly the absence of trust—are growing. Cooperation will be rare and narrowly focused, often limited to making strategic competition "safer."

    Feb 20, 2023

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Explore National Security and Terrorism

  • Smoke rises after shelling near Kyiv, Ukraine, March 24, 2022, photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters

    Commentary

    Russia Destroyed Grozny and Aleppo—Is Kyiv Next?

    Russia used a brutal approach in Grozny and Aleppo, and may use a similar approach against Ukraine's cities. But it could be less effective or riskier in Ukraine. Ukraine's determination to resist is strong, and the West is supplying an impressive array of advanced weaponry and intelligence support.

    Mar 28, 2022

  • Report

    Report

    Impacts of Marine Corps Body Composition and Military Appearance Program (BCMAP) Standards on Individual Outcomes and Talent Management

    Researchers examine how the U.S. Marine Corps' Body Composition and Military Appearance Program and its associated policies drive individual behavior -- namely those related to disordered eating -- of marines and specifically of women and people of color.

    Mar 28, 2022

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Insights on Russia's War in Ukraine, Global Citizenship, Vaccination Equity: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on Russia's war on Ukraine, medication treatment for patients with opioid use disorder, promoting global citizenship in America, and more.

    Mar 25, 2022

  • Marine Corps recruits conduct warm-up stretches to prepare for a fitness test at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, July 11, 2019, photo by Gunnery Sgt. Tyler Hlavac/U.S. Marine Corps

    Commentary

    Inequitable Marine Corps Body Composition Policies and Their Effect on Health

    The Marine Corps Body Composition and Military Appearance Program is potentially harming Marines. The Marine Corps should consider pausing the policy while it further examines its effects on individual health and considers developing a new health-focused policy that includes requirements designed to reflect the diversity of the force.

    Mar 25, 2022

  • Radio dial showing shortwave, medium wave, and FM frequencies, photo by Photonavor/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Why the BBC World Service's New Ukrainian Shortwave Service Matters

    Despite its age, shortwave remains an enduring tool in the global fight against disinformation. It can travel vast distances, cannot be hacked, and is notoriously difficult to jam. Perhaps it's time for the United States to consider whether it should follow the BBC's lead in restarting shortwave services to Ukraine and southeastern Russia.

    Mar 25, 2022

  • Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force amphibious rapid deployment unit conducts a drill on Tanegashima Island, November 25, 2021, photo by Kyodo via Reuters Connect

    Commentary

    Japan's Wake Up Call

    Russia's invasion of Ukraine has drawn concern and comparison to what China may have in mind for Taiwan. Given China's history of provocations, it could behoove Japanese leaders to devote renewed attention to how they would deal with a Taiwan crisis, especially as it could include an attack on Japan.

    Mar 24, 2022

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Remote Sensing for Natural Disaster Recovery: Lessons Learned from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico

    We present how remote sensing data was incorporated into the assessment and planning process, focusing on the applications for Puerto Rico's natural resources in the months following the hurricanes.

    Mar 23, 2022

  • Spc. Kiana Malbas, an automated logistical specialist, performs a two-mile run during a diagnostic Army Combat Fitness Test in Los Angeles, California, July 17, 2021, photo by SFC Christopher Oposnow/U.S. Army

    Report

    Evidence to Support New Army Combat Fitness Test Is Incomplete

    The U.S. Army has a new fitness test for the first time in 40 years. A review finds that more evidence is needed to prove that all six test events adequately predict performance on combat tasks and that combat standards are a necessary metric for all Army jobs. Women, National Guard troops, and others are passing the test at lower rates.

    Mar 23, 2022

  • News Release

    News Release

    More Evidence Needed to Support Performance Goals of Current Army Combat Fitness Test; Women, Other Groups Pass the ...

    As the U.S. Army rolls out its Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), more evidence is needed to prove that all six test events adequately predict performance on combat tasks or reduce injury risks and that combat task performance is a necessary metric for all Army jobs.

    Mar 23, 2022

  • A woman from Ukraine listens to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's speech on a phone, at a refugee shelter after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Beregsurany, Hungary, February 28, 2022, photo by Bernadett Szabo/Reuters

    Commentary

    The Will to Fight in the Age of Social Media

    Social media messaging has played a decisive role in strengthening Ukraine's will to fight—arguably the single most important factor in war—against Russia.

    Mar 22, 2022

  • An artist rendering of the future Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, illustration by U.S. Navy

    Commentary

    Making AUKUS Work

    In September 2021, President Biden announced the creation of AUKUS, a trilateral, experimental arrangement among the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom focused on defense technology. The barriers to success are numerous but the partnership could offer significant opportunities.

    Mar 22, 2022

  • Rescuers work next to a building damaged by Russian air strikes in central Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 14, 2022, photo by Vitalii Hnidyi/Reuters

    Commentary

    Duty Bound to Disaster: Beware the Imperative in Foreign Policymaking

    Appeals for bolder action in Ukraine will understandably only grow more intense as the appalling humanitarian toll mounts. But imperative-driven action almost always leads countries astray—and in the days and weeks ahead, it will be critical for the United States to stay alert for its symptoms.

    Mar 22, 2022

  • Sgt. Dasuni Nelson, a behavioral health technician assigned to 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade behavioral health team, assists Spc. Autumn Corban, a combat medic with 239th Military Police Company, Division Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade, as she writes down reasons of gratitude for another U.S. Army Soldier.

    Research Brief

    Behavioral Health Technicians: Extending the Reach of Military Behavioral Health Care

    Behavioral health technicians are enlisted service members who work alongside licensed mental health providers. They serve as care extenders, helping the Military Health System improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its behavioral health care.

    Mar 22, 2022

  • Report

    Report

    Optimizing the Role of Military Behavioral Health Technicians: A Survey of Behavioral Health Technicians and Mental Health Providers

    RAND researchers surveyed military behavioral health technicians (BHTs) and licensed mental health providers about BHTs' contributions, training and supervision, and job satisfaction, as well as barriers to integrating them into clinical practice.

    Mar 22, 2022

  • Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army Navy patrol at Woody Island, in the Paracel Archipelago, January 29, 2016, photo by China Stringer Network/Reuters

    Commentary

    Taiwan Isn't the Ukraine of the Indo-Pacific. Try Vietnam Instead

    Russia's war in Eastern Europe has prompted Indo-Pacific security watchers to draw comparisons between Ukraine's plight and that of Taiwan with regard to China. But the more-applicable analogy is a different Indo-Pacific country: Vietnam.

    Mar 21, 2022

  • mage grab from handout footage released by the Russia Ministry of Defense allegedly shows Russian soldiers holding weapons allegedly taken from the Ukrainian army weapon depot in the Kherson region, Ukraine, March 16, 2022, photo by EyePress News via Reuters

    Commentary

    Russia's Problems with Military Professionalization

    Even if Russia manages to take control of the territory of Ukraine, the Russian military's underlying problems with professionalization may handicap these occupiers in their efforts to maintain control over that country for the long-term.

    Mar 21, 2022

  • Soldiers from the Rapid Response Forces Division during the NATO exercise GREEN GRIFFIN 21 in Lehnin, Germany, October 4, 2021, U.S. Army photo by Michele Wiencek

    Commentary

    Europe After the Ukraine War

    Russia's invasion of Ukraine has generated a massive backlash that is likely to endure even if the guns fall silent. What are the longer-term implications for Europe, and how will it affect European energy policy, military preparedness, and overall unity?

    Mar 21, 2022

  • A biohazard warning symbol and social media icons over a city, images by petrovv and soulcld/Getty Images; design by Rick Penn-Kraus/RAND Corporation

    Report

    Social Media Can Provide Insights About Chemical Weapons Incidents

    Social media can be collected instantly, can tap into a massive pool of observers, and is remotely accessible. Researchers developed a new approach for analyzing social media data to derive insights about chemical incidents. They used chemical weapons employment in Syria as a test case.

    Mar 21, 2022

  • U.S. Marine Corps High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems with 3d Battalion, 12th Marines, 3d Marine Division simulate live-fire missions during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia, July 15, 2021. TS21 supports the U.S. National Defense Strategy by enhancing our ability to protect the homeland and provide combat-credible forces to address the full range of potential security concerns in the Indo-Pacific, photo by Lance Cpl. Ujian Gosun/U.S. Marine Corps

    Report

    Establishing a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise for Australia

    Australia's 2020 Defence Strategic Update calls for increased weapon inventories across the Australian Defence Force. How can Australia's creation of a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise be informed by comparable international case studies?

    Mar 21, 2022

  • Military Opener 2

    Multimedia

    Conflict Escalation: How It Works

    RAND senior political scientist Samuel Charap describes two types of conflict escalation and methods for mitigating the broadening of the scope of a conflict.

    Mar 21, 2022

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