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Report

How Could the U.S. Military Counter Extremism in Its Ranks?

Oct 25, 2021

The U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021 drew attention to the involvement of current and former service members in extremist groups. There are some terrorism prevention programs in the civilian sector that might help the Department of Defense address the issue.
Commentary

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

May 18, 2021

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.

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News Release

Pentagon Processes on Civilian Casualties Inconsistent, in Need of Reform

Lessons from U.S. military strikes that caused civilian casualties are not shared across the Department of Defense (DoD) in a way that meaningfully reduces future civilian casualties.

Jan 27, 2022
Commentary

The Future and Past of War and Disease

The U.S. government is actively reviewing its efforts to counter biological attacks and the Department of Defense is taking steps that could allow it to perform day-to-day operations during a pandemic, but it might not be preparing adequately for a future large-scale operation during a more-transmissible and lethal pandemic.

Jan 27, 2022
Report

Pentagon Processes on Civilian Casualties Inconsistent, in Need of Reform

The Department of Defense has committed to civilian-harm policies and processes but inconsistencies remain. It is not adequately organized or resourced to sufficiently assess, reduce, and respond to civilian-harm incidents. Reform will require institutional, not just operational, changes.

Jan 27, 2022
Report

Developing Strategic Plans for Defense Human Resource Management: Case Study of Planning in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness

The authors identified a set of principles to aid leaders of public sector organizations, particularly those charged with the management of defense human resources, in developing and implementing sound strategic plans to focus and guide activities.

Jan 18, 2022
Report

Keeping the Defense Industrial Base Afloat During COVID-19: A Review of Department of Defense and Federal Government Policies and Investments in the Defense Industrial Base

Concerns about the financial solvency of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) during the pandemic prompted the U.S. government to make policy changes to support the DIB. The authors summarize investments in the DIB made during the pandemic.

Dec 21, 2021
Report

Implementing Variable Cost Pricing in the Transportation Working Capital Fund

In this companion report, researchers identify next steps toward implementing variable cost pricing for selected business lines funded by the Transportation Working Capital Fund.

Dec 16, 2021
Multimedia

Combating Extremism in the U.S. Military

RAND military sociologist Marek N. Posard describes the threat of extremism in the U.S. military, the ways in which extremism develops, and strategies the military could use to combat extremism.

Dec 9, 2021
Blog

North Korea, Sexual Violence in the U.S. Military, America's Labor Shortage: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on dealing with a nuclear North Korea, preventing sexual violence in the military, supporting immigrant children in U.S. schools, and more.

Nov 5, 2021
Report

Assessing the Potential for Racial Bias in the Security Clearance Process

In this exploratory report, the authors consider the security clearance process through the lens of racial justice. They identify areas where bias might be contributing to the underrepresentation of Black Americans in the national security workforce.

Nov 4, 2021
Essay

Preventing Sexual Violence in the Military

The military has worked hard in recent years to raise awareness about the problem of sexual violence. But it needs to take a big step forward to make investments and change the culture in ways that will deter sexual assault and sexual harassment by holding perpetrators and leaders accountable.

Nov 2, 2021
Commentary

Institutions May Be Key to Countering Extremism in the Military

Extremism is a symptom of broader social and political headwinds within civilian society. By using existing support programs, military leaders may be able to effectively confront these headwinds early and channel them in productive ways that ultimately preserve the effectiveness and readiness of the U.S. military.

Oct 4, 2021
Commentary

Supporting the Mental Health Needs of National Guard and Reserve Members

Over one million U.S. military service members are members of the National Guard or reserves. These troops are being tested like never before, but they do not receive the same physical and mental health care coverage provided to their active-duty counterparts. It may be time to explore policy solutions to ensure that these service members have access to high-quality mental health care.

Sep 22, 2021
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 combating extremism could receive 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

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RAND Topic:
United States Department of Defense

Topic Synonyms:
Department of Defense

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