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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.

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Dissertation

Dissertation

People First: Improving Equitability of Air Force Recruiting Operations

Explores concerns at the Air Force Recruiting Service regarding an imbalance in workloads among their enlisted accessions recruiters, which could negatively influence both recruiter morale and aggregate production of high-quality recruits.

Dec 24, 2019
Report

Report

Air Force Capability Development Planning: Analytical Methods to Support Investment Decisions

RAND Project AIR FORCE examines analytical methods for Air Force capability development planning under conditions of deep uncertainty.

Dec 11, 2019
Report

Report

Improving 21st Century Skills in the U.S. Air Force

For a 21st century workforce, you need 21st century skills. The authors of this Perspective offer recommendations to the U.S. Air Force to use lessons learned in different sectors to develop a strategy for airmen to learn and use 21st century skills.

Dec 2, 2019
Report

Understanding Russia's Intervention in Syria

Russia's military intervention in the Syrian civil war began in 2015. This decision was the result of an extraordinary set of political and military circumstances. What might cause Moscow to take similar actions in other conflicts beyond its immediate neighborhood?

Oct 31, 2019
Report

Managing Nuclear Modernization Challenges for the U.S. Air Force: A Mission-Centric Approach

This report identifies and describes means to allay significant challenges to the fielding of new Air Force nuclear weapon systems, with a focus on the integrated planning and preparation for mission success across programs.

Oct 29, 2019
Report

Report

Evaluating Future Trends in Support of the Air Force Strategic Environment Assessment: Discussion and Results from a Structured Workshop

This report presents plausible futures based on nine trends in the categories of Geopolitical, Military & Warfare, and Human & Workforce to assist Air Force strategic planning in developing the Air Force Strategic Environment Assessment.

Oct 21, 2019
Report

Improving Army Installation Facility and Land Use Deals and Partnerships

This report assesses Army installation real estate and facility sharing deals and partnership approaches, such as large-scale leasing, and provides recommendations to improve installation use of these approaches to increase benefits and save costs.

Sep 16, 2019
Report

The tanKer Aerial Refueling Model for Analysis (KARMA)

This report describes the algorithms used in the tanKer Air Refueling Model for Analysis (KARMA) and explains how to use the model. KARMA simulates the extent to which a tanker force can aerially refuel combat aircraft in a denied environment.

Sep 4, 2019
Report

Report

Projecting Air Force Rated Officer Inventory Across the Total Force: Total Force Blue Line Model for Rated Officer Management

Managing the flow of Air Force rated officers has become more challenging. In this report, the authors document their efforts to develop a long-term career field planning model for all rated officers across the Total Force.

Sep 4, 2019
Report

Report

Air Force Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Programs and Services: Contribution to Airman and Family Resilience and Readiness

Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) programs are key to resilient and ready Airmen and families. The authors developed a resilience and readiness model and compared it with target outcomes of MWR services. Next steps are also provided.

Jul 31, 2019
Report

Report

Attracting, Recruiting, and Retaining Successful Cyberspace Operations Officers: Cyber Workforce Interview Findings

Recruiting and retaining military cyberspace officers is critical to national security. Through interviews, the authors examine potential drivers of retention and recruiting among cyberspace operations officers, making recommendations for the future.

Jul 26, 2019
Report

Report

Distributed Operations in a Contested Environment: Implications for USAF Force Presentation

This report's authors identify capabilities the Air Force needs to carry out distributed operations in a contested environment. They then assess whether the current force presentation model can provide such capabilities.

Jul 17, 2019
Report

Report

Independent Review and Assessment of the Air Force Ready Aircrew Program: A Description of the Model Used for Sensitivity Analysis

This report outlines a computational model to measure whether flying units can feasibly meet U.S. Air Force continuation training requirements, presents the model's specifications, and describes how it was used to assess the Ready Aircrew Program.

Jul 15, 2019
Report

Report

An Initial Look at the U.S. Air Force Aviation Professional Pay Proposal

The U.S. Air Force has proposed Aviation Professional Pay as a replacement for Aviation Bonus and Aviator Incentive Pay. This Perspective offers analysts' assessment of the proposed plan and an alternative's effects on force size and cost.

Jun 3, 2019
Report

Valuing Air Force Electric Power Resilience: A Framework for Mission-Level Investment Prioritization

This report addresses the U.S. Air Force's need for a systematic way to value the risk to missions associated with electric power--related disruptions and accordingly set priorities among investments in power resilience.

Jun 3, 2019
Blog

Cryptocurrency, Russian Social Media, Congestion Pricing: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on cryptocurrencies, Russian social media influence, congestion pricing, and more.

Mar 29, 2019
Report

Report

A Survey System to Assess Abuse and Misconduct Toward Air Force Students in Occupational Specialty Training

This report provides recommendations for how the Air Force's survey system for monitoring abuse and misconduct in Basic Military Training can best be adapted for use in technical training and flying training environments.

Mar 5, 2019
Report

Culture and Competition Among the U.S. Military Services

The personalities of U.S. military services are alive and well. Their unique cultures impact how they compete for resources, authorities, access, and influence. And their competition on the bureaucratic battlefield changes as the environment changes. How might the services react to a sudden change in resource levels or region of focus?

Feb 25, 2019
News Release

Harold Brown, Former U.S. Defense Secretary and Secretary of the Air Force, Dies at 91

Harold Brown, a nuclear physicist and weapons designer who helped shape America's Cold War-era national security policy during a career that included terms as secretary of defense and secretary of the Air Force, died January 4, 2018.

Jan 5, 2019

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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

Eric Hastings

Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Eric Hastings is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He is also a U.S. Air Force officer. Prior to joining Pardee RAND, he was an assistant professor in the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, where…
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…

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