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Report

Setting the Level and Annual Adjustment of Military Pay

Dec 17, 2020

Every four years, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) commissions a review of the military compensation system. How has military pay compared with civilian pay since the 1990s?
Tool

Hedgemony: A Game of Strategic Choices

Sep 22, 2020

In this tabletop military strategy game, players represent the United States, its allies, and its key competitors. They must use “hedging” strategies and decide how to best manage their resources and forces.

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Report

Is the Defense Acquisition System Postured to Solve National Defense Strategy Operational Problems?

The authors propose assessing the defense acquisition system's ability to overcome the operational problems outlined in the 2018 National Defense Strategy, discuss why the approach is valuable, and suggest next steps.

Sep 20, 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 combatting extremism could get some support from existing programs that promote diversity and inclusion and prevent violence.

Sep 16, 2021
Report

Acquiring a Mosaic Force: Issues, Options, and Trade-Offs

Mosaic Warfare envisions more fractionated, heterogeneous forces, dynamically composed on tactical timelines. In this report, the authors present insights from a policy game to assess alternative governance models for acquiring a Mosaic force.

Aug 9, 2021
Commentary

Help, Not Just Hunt, Violent Extremists in the Military

The Pentagon is working to rid itself of violent extremist members. In addition to strengthening the chain of command to detect and remove extremist members from its ranks, the military could also empower military family members to intervene.

Aug 5, 2021
Report

Supporting Joint Warfighter Readiness: Opportunities and Incentives for Interservice and Intraservice Coordination with Training-Simulator Acquisition and Use

As conflicts increasingly involve joint operations, joint simulation-based training becomes more important. The authors examine gaps between joint training needs and current and future resources to improve coordination within and among the services.

Aug 4, 2021
Report

Natural Language Processing: Security- and Defense-Related Lessons Learned

This reference document presents a collection of lessons learned by practitioners from RAND Corporation defense and security projects that employed natural language processing tools and methods.

Jul 28, 2021
Blog

The Fight Against COVID, Sexual Violence in the Military, Disinformation on Social Media: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the ongoing fight against COVID-19, countering sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military, disinformation on social media, and more.

Jul 23, 2021
Commentary

Arming the Department of Defense's Environmental Liabilities Program

A new U.S. emphasis on sustainable environmental conditions is emerging just as budget pressures are increasing. The DoD could use this as an opportunity to develop a systematic approach to addressing its environmental liabilities.

Jun 23, 2021
Commentary

Military Must Better Understand Sexual Assaults to Combat Them

Sexual minorities in the U.S. military represent about 12 percent of the active-duty population. But they account for an estimated 43 percent of those who are sexually assaulted. This raises critical questions for the Pentagon as it tries to reduce the 20,000 sexual assaults in the ranks each year.

Jun 22, 2021
Commentary

Military and Defense-Related Supply Chains

After the Cold War, U.S. logistics planners moved away from a focus on effectiveness to a focus on efficiency in the sense that little is left idle for significant periods and that commodities are delivered at minimum cost. The ability of the system to support the joint force in the event of major conflict is at best untested and could be problematic.

Jun 22, 2021
Commentary

Defeat Is Possible

If the United States is to have a reasonable hope of winning a war, it needs to think about what it would be like to lose. An essential first step could be to start taking the prospect of protracted near-peer conflict seriously.

Jun 17, 2021
Commentary

It's Time to Drop 'Competition' in the National Defense Strategy

What should the U.S. Defense Department do during peacetime if the United States is not competing with China and Russia? Simply put, it should prepare to win the next war, while defeating any military aggression below the threshold of conflict.

May 18, 2021
Report

Healthy Relationship Approaches to Sexual Assault Prevention: Programs and Strategies for Use Within the U.S. Military

This guide provides prevention teams and leaders with an overview of a healthy relationship approach to sexual assault prevention, why it could be an effective tool, and strategies for implementing a program as part of their prevention portfolio.

May 13, 2021
Research Brief

Post 9/11 Trends in Medical Separation and Separation for Service Members with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury

Trends in military medical discharges and disability ratings can help the U.S. Department of Defense set goals for diagnosing, treating, and evaluating service members with posttraumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury.

May 10, 2021
Report

Evolution of Department of Defense Disability Evaluation and Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury: Overview of Policy Changes, 2001–2018

The authors review major policy changes to the military's disability evaluation system between 2001 and 2018 with a particular focus on changes to policies related to posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

May 10, 2021
Report

Trends in Department of Defense Disability Evaluation System Ratings and Awards for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, 2002–2017

The authors conduct an empirical analysis of trends in diagnosis, treatment, and disability evaluation for posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury among military service members between 2002 and 2017.

May 10, 2021
Report

The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP): Policy Alignment Between the Department of Defense and the Services

Each military service branch runs its own Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). The authors compare service branch EFMP policy with the overarching Department of Defense (DoD) policy, pointing to areas where each policy may be edited for more consistency.

May 3, 2021
Report

Talent Management for U.S. Department of Defense Knowledge Workers: What Does RAND Corporation Research Tell Us?

A synthesis of results from RAND Corporation research on the U.S. Department of Defense's talent management of knowledge workers features areas for improvement and ways for the department to proactively approach talent management.

Apr 26, 2021
Commentary

How the Military Might Expand Its Cyber Skills

The U.S. military will need to improve its software fluency if it wants to be dominant on the battlefields of the future. Ensuring that future leaders in the military develop cyber skills and the ability to interface with technical experts may be increasingly important.

Apr 22, 2021
Multimedia

The Need for Space Norms

RAND senior political scientist Stephen Flanagan discusses the increasing level of space activity and the need for space norms to provide guidance for how nations should conduct space operations.

Apr 20, 2021

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RAND Topic:
United States Department of Defense

Topic Synonyms:
Department of Defense

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Joel B. Predd

Director, Acquisition and Technology Policy Center

Joel B. Predd is a senior engineer at the RAND Corporation and director of the NSRD Acquisition and Technology Policy Center (ATP). As ATP Director, Predd oversees RAND's portfolio of force development, technology and acquisition research for Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint…
Emma Westerman

Director, Acquisition and Development Program, Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC)

Emma Westerman is director of the Acquisition and Development Program (ADP) for the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC). She is a mathematician who specializes in requirements, acquisition, logistics, technology, sustainment, cybersecurity, and lifecycle risk management.

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