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United States Department of Defense

Research Brief

Research Brief

Assessing the Use of Data Analytics in Department of Defense Acquisition

This research brief addresses congressional concerns about the use of data analysis, measurement, and other evaluation-related methods in U.S. Department of Defense acquisition programs and decisionmaking.

Aug 13, 2019
Report

Report

Assessing Department of Defense Use of Data Analytics and Enabling Data Management to Improve Acquisition Outcomes

Congress asked about acquisition data analytics in the Department of Defense. This report identifies and measures capabilities and recent progress. Barriers to improvement include a culture against data sharing due to security and burden concerns.

Aug 13, 2019
Report

Continuous Evaluation Could Improve U.S. Government Security

Trusted insiders have caused extreme harm to the United States. Thorough vetting of government personnel is essential, as is a process that can continuously evaluate those who could do the country harm. Continuous Evaluation approaches could be more effective and less costly than the current security clearance system.

Aug 5, 2019
Report

Report

Producing Joint Qualified Officers: FY 2008 to FY 2017 Trends

RAND assesses production of joint qualified officers by examining trends in achieving educational requirements and accomplishing joint assignments. The information presented serves as a baseline to assess policy change, impact, and future direction.

Jul 30, 2019
Commentary

Here's What an AI Code of Conduct for the Pentagon Might Look Like

Advocates want a code of conduct for how artificial intelligence will be used and oversight to ensure it is being followed. DoD could identify areas where it might use AI in the foreseeable future and set rules and guidelines for business uses, non-lethal military uses, and lethal uses.

Jun 24, 2019
Report

Report

An Assessment of Gaps in Business Acumen and Knowledge of Industry Within the Defense Acquisition Workforce: A Report Prepared for the U.S. Department of Defense in Compliance with Section 843(c) of the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act

RAND researchers assessed gaps in business acumen and knowledge of industry present within the defense acquisition workforce. They identified apparent knowledge gaps, possible reasons for their existence, and potential approaches to closing them.

May 28, 2019
Report

Service Member Separation: Updating the DD Form 214

This report offers suggestions for updating DD Form 214, which is used to characterize separating servicemembers' service, military history, and the reasons for separation, for electronic delivery.

May 14, 2019
Commentary

Getting to Know the Competition

Americans are facing a new reality in global great power relations that will define the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy for the foreseeable future. Understanding China's threat perceptions, while remaining clear-eyed regarding differences in objectives, is essential to developing strategies to deter conflict.

May 13, 2019
Report

Meeting the Language and Culture Training Needs of U.S. Department of Defense Personnel: An Evaluation of the Language Training Center Program

RAND researchers evaluated the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) Language Training Center Program, which partners with institutions of higher education to train DoD personnel in language, culture, and regional area studies.

May 13, 2019
Report

Report

Aligning Incentives in the Transportation Working Capital Fund: Cost Recovery While Retaining Readiness in Military Transportation

Many of U.S. Transportation Command's peacetime movements are crucial preparation for wartime. But some customers think that costs are too high. This report analyzes cost recovery to better align customer peacetime decisions with the wartime mission.

May 2, 2019
Commentary

Overdue Overhaul: Security Clearance Reform in a Decade of Leakers, Spies, and Insider Threats

With the legislative and executive branches seemingly on the same page regarding the need for changes to the security clearance and vetting system, long overdue reform appears to be within reach.

Apr 15, 2019
Announcement

Andrew Marshall, RAND Researcher Who Founded Department of Defense's 'Internal Think-Tank,' Dies at 97

The RAND Corporation notes with profound regret the passing of Andrew W. Marshall, 97, a RAND researcher who went on to serve for more than four decades as director of the Department of Defense's Office of Net Assessment, which contemplates military strategy decades into the future.

Mar 26, 2019
Commentary

Is It Time to Abandon the Term Information Operations?

Operations in the information environment will be a critical part of future joint force operations and should be baked in to those operations as a fully valued tool in commanders' combined arms toolboxes. Reaching that goal will require greater acceptance and understanding of information across the joint force, new structures for information forces, and the evolution of how operations in the information environment are handled within the staff.

Mar 13, 2019
Content

Molly and Mike Landi: Leaving a Legacy

Molly and Mike Landi's history with RAND dates back more than 40 years. They met when she was a librarian in the Washington office, and he was an up-and-coming researcher and new program director. Their $1 million bequest to RAND will endow a special fund for national security research.

Mar 8, 2019
Multimedia

Strategic Rethink: America's Security Deficit

The global security landscape is shifting dramatically. How can the United States protect itself in today's tumultuous world? This video provides an overview of findings from the second volume in RAND's Strategic Rethink series, which recommends a suite of options that could help policymakers ensure that resources remain aligned with strategic demands.

Mar 7, 2019
Report

Report

Estimating Potential Savings in Department of Defense Activities

There is a push to make the U.S. government run like the private sector. Alternatives to this approach that attempt to account for the complexity and uniqueness of the U.S. Department of Defense are presented in this report.

Feb 11, 2019
Report

The U.S. Department of Defense's Planning Process: Components and Challenges

This report explores the current defense planning process used by the U.S. Department of Defense, with a focus on how scenarios are developed and employed to support defense planning.

Feb 4, 2019
Report

Report

Operating Under a Continuing Resolution: A Limited Assessment of Effects on Defense Procurement Contract Awards

As described in this report, the authors developed an empirical basis for exploring policy issues pertaining to Department of Defense operations under a continuing resolution at the start of a fiscal year, which has become the norm in recent years.

Jan 21, 2019
Commentary

Explaining the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) Critical Role in National Security

Despite its varied roles and responsibilities, the DIA can be boiled down to just two core missions: intelligence analysis and intelligence collection. Having a better understanding of these core missions could help to properly frame the agency’s value to the intelligence, military, and policymaking communities.

Jan 11, 2019
Commentary

Book Review: The Heart of War—Misadventures in the Pentagon

Both Washington insiders and the general public may be inspired by Kathleen McCinnis's The Heart of War. The novel prompts readers to think more realistically about the Pentagon and its role in policymaking.

Jan 8, 2019

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RAND Topic:
United States Department of Defense

Topic Synonyms:
Department of Defense

Researcher Spotlight

Emma Westerman

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

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

Senior Political Scientist

Brodi Kotila is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. She supports the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense on a wide range of matters including strategic planning and implementation, legal, regulatory, and policy analysis, risk mitigation, disaster response and emergency…

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