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Naval Warfare

Report

NATO's Amphibious Forces: Command and Control of a Multibrigade Alliance Task Force

RAND researchers facilitated three wargaming events to explore command and control of NATO's amphibious forces in major combat operations. The authors note results and implications for future force development.

Jun 27, 2019
Report

Advancing Autonomous Systems: An Analysis of Current and Future Technology for Unmanned Maritime Vehicles

In this report, RAND researchers explore current and potential military applications of autonomous systems, focusing especially on unmanned undersea vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles.

Jan 4, 2019
Commentary

Small States Can Use Naval Mines and Unmanned Vehicles to Deter Maritime Aggression

Small coastal nations face potential threats from larger, more powerful adversaries. Their coastlines represent vulnerabilities that a foe may seek to exploit. But these nations can hinder and deter potential aggressors by using less expensive systems, such as naval mines and unmanned vehicles.

Jul 16, 2018
Journal Article

Can Vietnam's Military Stand Up to China in the South China Sea?

This article examines Vietnam's warfighting capabilities for defending its disputed claims with China in the South China Sea.

Feb 22, 2018
Blog

Amphibious Plans and Posture in Support of NATO Event Held at RAND

A RAND workshop focused on the importance of amphibious and maritime forces working together within NATO. This provided a venue for dialogue and idea exchange about maritime and amphibious challenges and opportunities in Europe.

Jan 19, 2018
Report

How Russia's Military Has Evolved

The Russian armed forces are not like the Soviet Army in size, depth, or global ideological aspirations. But Russia has demonstrated its military competence and operational flexibility in Crimea, eastern Ukraine, and Syria.

Dec 7, 2017
Testimony

Amphibious Operations in Contested Environments

Amphibious forces can be useful in a variety of settings. But the reach and lethality of today's weapons make parts of amphibious operations especially challenging.

May 18, 2017
Commentary

Transforming 'Distributed Lethality' Strategy into Action

Distributed lethality offers a more offensive approach to using naval surface forces as potential adversaries acquire naval capabilities designed to control the sea. Translating the concept into action has implications for Navy operations, logistics, finances, and overall strategy.

Feb 8, 2016
Multimedia

United States and China: Trends in Military Competition

In this October 2015 congressional briefing, Eric Heginbotham discusses relative U.S. and Chinese military capabilities, including the evolution of Chinese military capabilities, steps the United States can take to limit the impact of a growing Chinese military on deterrence, and other U.S. strategic interests.

Oct 5, 2015
News Release

News Release

China's Military Modernization Increasingly Challenges U.S. Defense Capabilities in Asia

Although China continues to lag behind the United States in terms of aggregate military hardware and operational skills, it has improved its capabilities relative to those of the U.S. in many critical areas. Moreover, China does not need to catch up fully in order to challenge U.S. ability to conduct effective military operations near the Chinese mainland.

Sep 14, 2015
Research Brief

Chinese Threats to U.S. Surface Ships

China has rapidly improved its ability to reliably locate and attack U.S. carrier-strike groups at distances of up to 2,000 kilometers from its coast in a possible military conflict.

Sep 14, 2015
Report

China's Military Modernization Increasingly Challenges U.S. Defense Capabilities in Asia

Although China continues to lag behind the United States in terms of aggregate military hardware and operational skills, it has improved its capabilities relative to those of the U.S. in many critical areas. Moreover, China does not need to catch up fully in order to challenge U.S. ability to conduct effective military operations near the Chinese mainland.

Sep 14, 2015
Research Brief

Tallying the U.S.-China Military Scorecard

A set of “scorecards” assesses the relative capabilities of U.S. and Chinese military forces in diverse types of conflict, at varying distances from the Chinese mainland, and at different points in time.

Sep 14, 2015
Report

Weighing Options for Australia's Naval Shipbuilding

Australia is examining an enterprise-level naval shipbuilding plan. All three options—sustaining a domestic naval shipbuilding industry, buying ships from foreign shipbuilders, or building ships partially in-country and partially overseas—have complex consequences and trade-offs.

Apr 15, 2015
Commentary

Somali Piracy All About Economics

The average Somali lives on less than $2 a day. Even fishermen, who are comparatively well off by national standards, face difficulties making a living due to the chronic depletion of sea stocks from years of poaching and illegal dumping of toxic waste. Under such circumstances, the allure of piracy is clear.

Oct 11, 2013
Commentary

U.S., China and an Unthinkable War

Although the China-U.S. agenda is jammed with pressing issues, time must be found to improve procedures and channels to defuse crises and avert military miscalculation. Political leaders should not wait for a crisis before scrutinizing war-fighting plans and insisting on ones that strengthen, not weaken, stability.

Aug 26, 2013
Commentary

How to Avert a Sea Catastrophe with China

The United States should propose and pursue an East Asian maritime partnership, inviting to join all states that share its interest in assured access and passage, writes David Gompert.

May 9, 2013
Report

Report

Assessing Aegis Program Transition to an Open-Architecture Model

To reduce costs and take advantage of commercial technology, the U.S. Navy is pursuing open-architecture software and other improvements to its Aegis combat system. This report examines the potential benefits and challenges of this new approach.

May 3, 2013
Research Brief

Research Brief

The Future of Sea Power in the Western Pacific

Explores the future relationship between U.S. and Chinese sea power in the context of historical sea-power rivalries and recent technological developments, and discusses the potential of pursuing maritime security cooperation in the Western Pacific.

Apr 26, 2013
Report

China's Growing Sea Power Can Be Countered by Technology, Maritime Cooperation

The United States should respond to China's increasing sea power in the Western Pacific region by exploiting technology to make its naval forces less vulnerable, while also pursuing regional maritime security cooperation that includes China.

Apr 26, 2013

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RAND Topic:
Naval Warfare