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United States Air Force

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RAND has performed analyses for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) since it became an independent nonprofit organization in 1948. Today, RAND Project AIR FORCE conducts research on such topics as ways USAF can attract future leaders, how it can best acquire new equipment, and how it can best organize its active and reserve units.

Report

Is It More Cost-Effective to Retain Pilots or Train New Ones?

Mar 27, 2019

Instead of relying on retaining its current pilots, the U.S. Air Force could hypothetically find and train new ones. But expanding the pilot training pipeline is costly. What is the best way for the Air Force to allocate its resources and sustain its number of pilots?
Report

How the U.S. Air Force Shapes China's Military Aerospace Goals

Nov 21, 2018

Aerospace power has been a core feature of the People's Liberation Army's rapid modernization. The main driver for its development is the PLA's view that it needs to be prepared to deter and, if necessary, defeat the United States in a high-end clash.

Explore United States Air Force

Report

Report

Joint All-Domain Command and Control for Modern Warfare: An Analytic Framework for Identifying and Developing Artificial Intelligence Applications

The authors examine and recommend opportunities for applying artificial intelligence and, more broadly, automation to deliberate planning for joint all-domain command and control for the U.S. Air Force.

Jul 1, 2020
Report

Report

Air Force Nonrated Technical Training: Selected Topics to Improve Efficiency

The authors identify insights relevant to Air Force technical training from how colleges and universities size their instructor corps, best practices associated with supply chain management, and approaches for developing a flexible instructor pool.

Jun 29, 2020
Report

Report

Air Force Manpower Determinants: Options for More-Responsive Processes

The authors examine the process the Air Force uses to determine manpower requirements, compare it with processes used in other services and organizations, and evaluate options for increasing the efficiency of the Air Force process.

Jun 25, 2020
Dissertation

Dissertation

Improving the Air Force Medical Service's Expeditionary Medical Support System: A Simulation Approach: Analysis of Mass-Casualty Combat and Disaster Relief Scenarios

Uses a simulation tool to analyze the Air Force's Expeditionary Medical Support System to see how it performs, what changes can be made, and the specific impacts on overall patient outcomes for different patient streams.

Jun 3, 2020
Report

Report

Air Base Defense: Rethinking Army and Air Force Roles and Functions

The gap between the growing cruise and ballistic missile threat to U.S. Air Force bases in Europe and the U.S. capacity and capability to counter the threat is worrisome. This report assesses alternative Air Force courses of action.

May 29, 2020
Report

Approaches for Strengthening Total Force Culture and Facilitating Cross-Component Integration in the U.S. Military

This research identifies practices that contribute to improved integration and a stronger total force culture, focusing on approaches that could impart cross-component knowledge and provide rewards for service members to work across components.

May 28, 2020
Report

Geopolitical Trends and the Future of Warfare: The Changing Global Environment and Its Implications for the U.S. Air Force

This volume of the Future of Warfare series explains six trends—U.S. polarization, China's rise, Asia's realignment, a revanchist Russia, upheaval in Europe, and turmoil in the Islamic world—that will drive conflict between now and 2030.

May 11, 2020
Report

Military Trends and the Future of Warfare: The Changing Global Environment and Its Implications for the U.S. Air Force

This volume of the Future of Warfare series examines significant factors shaping military trends over the next 10–15 years: changes in the size, quality, and character of military forces available to the United States and its potential adversaries.

May 11, 2020
Report

Global Economic Trends and the Future of Warfare: The Changing Global Environment and Its Implications for the U.S. Air Force

This volume of the Future of Warfare series examines economic trends that could affect U.S. national security, including pressure on the global trading system, the rise of China, searches for new resources, and the decreasing power of U.S. sanctions.

May 11, 2020
Report

Environment, Geography, and the Future of Warfare

Some of the most significant environmental and geographic trends that could affect U.S. national security and the future of warfare are rising global temperatures, the opening of the Arctic, sea level rise, extreme weather events, water scarcity, and increasing urbanization.

May 11, 2020
Report

Restraint and the Future of Warfare: The Changing Global Environment and Its Implications for the U.S. Air Force

This volume of the Future of Warfare series examines trends in factors affecting the use of restraint in warfare that could affect U.S. national security, notably effectiveness of false accusations and public concern for civilian casualties.

May 11, 2020
Report

Report

Operating Low-Cost, Reusable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Contested Environments: Preliminary Evaluation of Operational Concepts

The authors of this report summarize early thinking and analysis about how the U.S. Air Force might employ a force of "attritable"—low-cost and reusable—unmanned aerial vehicles in a demanding conventional warfighting scenario.

May 11, 2020
Commentary

Protecting the U.S. Supply on Heavy Lift Launch Vehicles

Our recent RAND report on the global heavy lift launch market highlights the potential for a near term shortage of launch vehicles needed to lift U.S. defense and intelligence satellites to orbit. These satellites are the eyes, ears, networks and timekeepers of U.S. armed services, and an inability to launch them in times of need could compromise national security.

May 6, 2020
Multimedia

Using Getting To Outcomes® to Build Strong Community Action Plans and Enhance U.S. Air Force Resilience and Violence Prevention Efforts

These Getting To Outcomes® videos help with the planning, implementation, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, and sustainability of U.S. Air Force Community Action Plans.

Apr 30, 2020
Tool

Getting To Outcomes® Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams: Content Area Module for Workplace Stress Prevention and Reduction in the Air Force

This content area module for workplace stress prevention and reduction is a companion volume to the Getting To Outcomes Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams. It includes guidance, resources, and examples of completed tools.

Apr 30, 2020
Tool

Getting to Outcomes® Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams

This Getting To Outcomes guide will help with the planning, implementation, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, and sustainability of U.S. Air Force Community Action Plans.

Apr 30, 2020
Report

The Impact of the Air Force's Space Launch Acquisition Decisions

How could potential U.S. Air Force decisions in the near term affect domestic launch providers and the market in general? New launch market forecasts and vignettes illuminate potential strategies for U.S. firms.

Apr 28, 2020
Tool

Tool

Space Launch Market for Heavy Lift Vehicles: Charts and Data Set of Addressable Launches 2007–2018

This chart describes addressable launches of heavy lift vehicles from 2007-2018. The portion of the space launch market over which commercial firms compete is known as the addressable share.

Apr 28, 2020
Report

Report

Building Agile Combat Support Competencies to Enable Evolving Adaptive Basing Concepts

RAND researchers review the motivations for adaptive basing, describe a footprint model used for estimating its implications for Agile Combat Support (ACS), and discuss recommendations for the ACS community and the U.S. Air Force at large.

Apr 16, 2020
Report

Report

Optimizing the Contributions of Air Force Civilian STEM Workforce

RAND researchers reviewed existing academic and professional literature to gain insights into how organizations such as the Air Force should manage, support, and organize their civilian STEM workforce to best leverage talent and maximize performance.

Mar 23, 2020

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RAND Topic:
United States Air Force

Topic Synonyms:
U.S. Air Force;
U.S.A.F.

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Abbie Tingstad

Associate Research Department Director, Engineering and Applied Sciences Department, Senior Physical Scientist

Abbie Tingstad is a senior physical scientist and associate director of the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on issues related to strategy and planning in defense and homeland security, and for the environment. Much of her work explores…
Diana Myers

Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Diana Myers is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research interests include international relations and strategic defense policy, primarily focusing on North Korea. Prior to RAND, she worked as an assistant policy researcher for…

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