Ships

  • At sea aboard USS Seawolf, personnel man the underway main control watch

    Report

    Lessons from the Submarine Programs of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia

    An examination of five submarine programs in the three countries—the UK's Astute program; the U.S. Navy's Ohio, Seawolf, and Virginia programs; and Australia's Collins program—identifies lessons that could help inform future program managers.

    Nov 16, 2011

  • Report

    Report

    Learning from Experience: Volume IV: Lessons from Australia's Collins Submarine Program

    This volume presents a set of lessons learned from Australia's Collins submarine program that could help inform future program managers.

    Nov 16, 2011

  • Report

    Report

    Root Cause Analyses of Nunn-McCurdy Breaches, Volume 1: Zumwalt-Class Destroyer, Joint Strike Fighter, Longbow Apache, and Wideband Global Satellite

    Congressional concern with cost overruns in some major defense acquisition programs led to an investigation of root causes by examining program reviews, analyzing data, participating in contractor briefings, and holding meetings with stakeholders.

    Nov 7, 2011

  • Report

    Report

    Are Ships Different? Policies and Procedures for the Acquisition of Ship Programs

    The policies and procedures established by the Department of Defense for program management and oversight can be tailored to meet the unique needs of ship acquisition programs without compromising oversight.

    Nov 3, 2011

  • Report

    Report

    Shared Modular Build of Warships: How a Shared Build Can Support Future Shipbuilding

    Some recent shipbuilding programs have had multiple shipyards construct major modules of each ship. Opting for a shared-build strategy makes it necessary to monitor and manage the program to ensure that it delivers all the required outcomes.

    Mar 25, 2011

  • Report

    Report

    The Effects of Changing Aircraft Carrier Procurement Schedules

    The Secretary of Defense's plans to shift Navy aircraft carrier acquisition to every five years should have little impact on force structure and the industrial base in the next decade—but after that, the force structure shrinks, as does the chance of meeting goals for the number of deployed aircraft carriers.

    Mar 21, 2011

  • Brochure

    Brochure

    Industry and Infrastructure for Future Submarines: An International Perspective

    Presented at the Submarine Institute of Australia's 2010 Conference in Perth, Australia, this paper draws on RAND's international submarine experience to highlight policies that Australia may wish to consider in planning for its new submarine.

    Jan 28, 2011

  • Commentary

    Commentary

    Budget Cuts Are Cracking the West's Defenses

    Washington would be wise to work closely with Britain and France to ensure that their budget cuts do not threaten how the allies will, together, address common threats and security challenges, write F. Stephen Larrabee and Peter A. Wilson.

    Aug 17, 2010

  • Report

    Report

    Navy Network Dependability: Models, Metrics, and Tools

    Develops a framework for measuring the dependability of naval networks and describes a software tool for modeling the impact that individual network components have on overall mission operational availability.

    Aug 6, 2010

  • Report

    Report

    Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future) Capability Assessment: Planned and Alternative Structures

    An assessment of the proposed MPF(F) Sea Basing squadron found alternative configurations with fewer ships and different air components that could still meet mission support counterinsurgency, special operations, and major combat operations.

    May 11, 2010

  • Report

    Report

    Controlling the Cost of C4I Upgrades on Naval Ships

    Looking across a set of completed C4I upgrades to U.S. Navy ships, the authors uncovered mixed evidence of cost improvement, a high level of variability in costs, and a trend toward overestimating the installation-labor costs of certain upgrades.

    Sep 14, 2009

  • Testimony

    Testimony

    The Chinese Navy's

    In testimony presented before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Cortez A. Cooper ties China's re-emergence as a naval power to its expanding economic and security interests.

    Jun 8, 2009

  • Report

    Report

    A Survey of Missions for Unmanned Undersea Vehicles

    RAND identifies seven military missions for unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) that appear most promising to pursue in terms of military need, operational and technical risks, non-UUV alternatives, and cost.

    Jun 1, 2009

  • Report

    Report

    DDG-51 Engineering Training: How Simulators Can Help

    Increased use of training simulators could improve engineering watchstanders' proficiency before Navy destroyers go to sea, saving money and reserving time at sea for refined training.

    May 13, 2009

  • Commentary

    Commentary

    Opposing View: Keep Arms Off Ships

    Does the provision of private security contractors provide a viable solution to the growing problem of piracy off the Horn of Africa? Quite apart from the high cost — a robust security operation can run as much as $21,000 a day — employing security contractors poses problems on several fronts, writes Peter Chalk.

    May 4, 2009

  • Commentary

    Commentary

    Who Has the Will to Fight Piracy?

    The recent French and American rescues of hostages held by pirates off the coast of Somalia were necessary and proper. No one believes these actions will end piracy. But unless we impose risks on the pirates—which means taking some risks ourselves—piracy will certainly flourish, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.

    Apr 21, 2009

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Sustaining Key Skills in the UK Naval Industry

    To preserve its ability to design, build, and support complex warships and submarines, the UK's Ministry of Defence will need to preserve and sustain several key technical skills in the maritime domain.

    Jul 15, 2008

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Piracy and Terrorism at Sea: A Rising Challenge for U.S. Security

    This research brief summarizes RAND's analysis of recent trends in piracy and maritime terrorism, which pose a significant threat. The United States has taken only limited steps to enhance maritime security; broader measures are required.

    Apr 30, 2008

  • Report

    Report

    Sustaining Key Skills in the UK Naval Industry

    Building on prior RAND research, this monograph explores the need for and retention of technical skills in the UK's naval industrial base, particularly among designers and engineers involved with surface ship and submarine acquisition and support.

    Apr 12, 2008

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Aircraft Carrier Maintenance Cycles and Their Effects

    This research brief summarizes RAND's analysis of the feasibility of different cycle lengths and their effect on the operational availability of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. The authors also examine cycle length impact on shipyard workloads.

    Apr 8, 2008

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