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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

Leveraging Complexity in Great-Power Competition and Warfare: Volume I

Aug 26, 2021

The United States should aim to minimize the element of complexity for itself while maximizing it for its adversary in great-power competition and warfare. But what does complexity mean in an Air Force context? And how can it be used as a method of attack?
Report

Aligning Roles and Missions for Future Multidomain Warfare

Aug 19, 2021

The formal decisions, documents, and events that established the roles, missions, and functions (RMF) of the U.S. Department of Defense and the military services in the early postwar years are over 70 years old. Is the existing RMF framework fundamentally sound, requiring only modest adjustments?

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Report

Developing an Air Force Retention Early Warning System: Concept and Initial Prototype

The authors examine the development of an early warning system that alerts decisionmakers when a subgroup of U.S. Air Force military members is at risk for future shortages, thereby enabling policy adjustments before shortages occur.

Oct 14, 2021
Report

Building the Best Offensive and Defensive Cyber Workforce: Volume I, Improving U.S. Air Force Training and Development

RAND researchers held discussions with enlisted and civilian cyberwarfare personnel to gather insights into how the U.S. Air Force could revamp cyber training, recruiting, and retention. This volume of the report summarizes training-related findings.

Sep 29, 2021
Report

Building the Best Offensive and Defensive Cyber Workforce: Volume II, Attracting and Retaining Enlisted and Civilian Personnel

To better understand the drivers of attraction to and retention in U.S. Air Force cyber jobs, RAND researchers held focus group discussions with enlisted and civilian cyberwarfare personnel. This report summarizes discussion participants' insights.

Sep 29, 2021
Announcement

RAND Appoints James S. Chow Vice President and Director of RAND Project AIR FORCE

Longtime defense analyst and aerospace engineer James S. “Jim” Chow has been appointed vice president and director of RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a federally funded research and development center run by the RAND Corporation.

Sep 27, 2021
Research Brief

The Growing Exposure of Air Force Installations to Natural Disasters

Some Department of the Air Force installations face high levels of exposure to flooding, wildfires, or high winds. Twenty installations have areas with high or very high wildfire potential.

Sep 16, 2021
Report

Reducing the Risk of Extremist Activity in the U.S. Military

The majority of military personnel are not extremists. But to address their potential exposure to and involvement in extremist activities, commanders who are tasked with combating extremism could receive some support from existing programs that promote diversity and inclusion and prevent violence.

Sep 16, 2021
Report

Managing Intellectual Property Relevant to Operating and Sustaining Major U.S. Air Force Weapon Systems

The authors identify opportunities to improve policy on technical data, data rights, and intellectual property associated with operating and sustaining Air Force major weapon systems.

Sep 14, 2021
Report

Data Rights Relevant to Weapon Systems in Air Force Special Operations Command

The Air Force needs better access to contractors' technical data to sustain core military aircraft assets and subsystems. For this to happen, the U.S. government needs the appropriate license rights and actual possession of the data.

Sep 2, 2021
Report

Leveraging Complexity in Great-Power Competition and Warfare: Volume II

The Air Force should apply a complexity lens through which to review ongoing and future efforts to best leverage complexity to U.S. decision advantage. The technical companion to an initial exploration includes a literature review and a user manual.

Aug 26, 2021
Report

A Clean Sheet Approach to Space Acquisition in Light of the New Space Force

The authors describe an unconstrained "clean sheet" approach to space acquisition for the U.S. Space Force designed around the unique mission and calling of the new service.

Aug 25, 2021
Dissertation

Increasing Fighter Pilot Retention with Improved Basing Decisions

Leverages a value-added model to identify changes to Air Force basing policy that could improve fighter pilot retention outcomes.

Aug 12, 2021
Report

How Can the Department of the Air Force Prepare for Natural Hazards?

Some Air Force facilities are exposed to flooding, high winds, wildfires, or even multiple hazards. Future costs of damages are uncertain, and climate change could affect the frequency and scale of these hazards. The process for making investment decisions regarding resilience should be flexible.

Aug 9, 2021
Report

Documenting Intelligence Mission-Data Production Requirements: How the U.S. Department of Defense Can Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness by Streamlining the Production Requirement Process

The authors examine issues relating to the identification of requirements for Intelligence Mission Data and intelligence production for the Acquisition Intelligence Requirements Task Force.

Aug 3, 2021
Report

Championing the Agile Air Force Officer Career: Examining the Potential Use of New Career Management Flexibilities

The 2019 National Defense Authorization Act introduced new options for officer career management for the military services. Researchers examine the potential utility of five of the new flexibilities for improving the management of Air Force officers.

Jul 30, 2021
Report

Department of the Air Force Officer Talent Management Reforms: Implications for Career Field Health and Demographic Diversity

The Department of the Air Force is revamping the way it manages officer development and promotion. The Air Force Personnel Policy Simulation Tool models the effects of personnel policy changes to identify potentially adverse consequences.

Jul 27, 2021
Report

Chinese Disinformation Efforts on Social Media

The authors identify key Chinese practices and the supporting infrastructure and conditions that successful social media disinformation campaigns require, concluding that China is using Taiwan as a test bed for developing attack vectors.

Jul 19, 2021
Report

Exploring the Feasibility and Utility of Machine Learning-Assisted Command and Control

Is there potential for artificial intelligence (AI) systems to assist in Air Force command and control (C2) from a technical perspective? An analytical framework assesses the suitability of a given AI system for a given C2 problem.

Jul 15, 2021
Report

Exploring the Feasibility and Utility of Machine Learning-Assisted Command and Control: Volume 2, Supporting Technical Analysis

This volume serves as the technical analysis to a report concerning the potential for artificial intelligence systems to assist in Air Force command and control (C2).

Jul 15, 2021

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RAND Topic:
United States Air Force

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

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