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Warfare and Military Operations

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RAND researchers examine military and national security issues across a broad spectrum—from political dissent and military training to tactical operations and reconstruction efforts—and take a long-term, global perspective. Terrorism, types of warfare, and international intervention are among the many topics RAND explores.

Commentary
Obstacles to Lasting Peace Between Ukraine and Russia
The current situation in Ukraine suggests that neither side will be able to achieve a decisive military victory that settles the disputes that led to the war. Ukraine and Russia theoretically could reach an agreement to stop the fighting, but the politics between the two sides and centuries of confrontational history do not suggest a lasting peace.
Jul 7, 2022
Essay
Civilian Casualties: Lessons from the Battle for Raqqa
The United States' emphasis on minimizing civilian harm in Raqqa, Syria, was quite clear and strong up and down the chain of command. But the way in which the U.S. military waged war in Raqqa too often undercut that commitment. The Pentagon asked RAND to find out what happened.
Jul 1, 2022

Explore Warfare and Military Operations

Blog
Putin's Latest Threats, U.S. Policy in the Middle East, Disaster Recovery: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on Russia's troop mobilization and the ongoing war in Ukraine, U.S. policy in the Middle East, building a more diverse teacher workforce, and more.
Sep 23, 2022
Commentary
Elon Musk May Have a Point About Bots on Twitter
Twitter has a deep bench of engineers working for the company. They have access to trillions of data points on their over 300 million monthly active users. Why has a company this size struggled to clean up its platform?
Sep 23, 2022
Commentary
Regime Change in Russia?
A careful strategy of strength and prudence has helped the West maintain security and manage relations with Moscow. The West may continue this course while upping the ante to help Ukraine defeat and expel Russian forces. In so doing, the West may also be advancing prospects for longer-term peace that might come only through liberalization in Russia.
Sep 21, 2022
Blog
RAND Experts React to Putin's Latest Threatening Rhetoric
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to double down on his country's war effort during a major speech, calling up hundreds of thousands of new troops, threatening Ukraine and the West, vowing to use “all the means at our disposal,” and pointing out that he is not bluffing. Here's what RAND experts had to say.
Sep 21, 2022
Commentary
Ukraine's 1777 Moment
The Battle of Saratoga turned the tides of the Revolutionary War, ultimately leading to American independence. Nearly 250 years later, the Battle of Kharkiv may be a similar turning point in Ukraine's fight against Russia.
Sep 19, 2022
Commentary
The Rise of the Rest: How Russia Views the Future World Order
What Russia seeks is new political leadership across the Western world that does not support a status quo that can isolate Russia from the capital and technology it needs to generate security and prosperity over the long term.
Sep 19, 2022
Commentary
Should Greenland and Denmark Become Part of NORAD?
As tensions with Russia rise to levels not seen since the Cold War, NORAD may need to detect and counter increasing numbers of aerial intrusions. One way to strengthen NORAD's capabilities: Invite Greenland and Denmark to join the command.
Sep 16, 2022
Announcement
Fake RAND Report on 'Weakening Germany'
A supposedly leaked RAND report about a bizarre U.S. conspiracy to “weaken Germany” is fake. Genuine RAND research, analysis, and commentary on the war in Ukraine may be found at rand.org.
Sep 14, 2022
Commentary
Sanctioning Business Leaders in Russia
Western sanctions are ensnaring more Russian business leaders, some of whom say they are unjustly targeted. Can those in the private sector reduce their risks of being designated? Perhaps, if they make difficult choices.
Sep 12, 2022
Commentary
Debunking Russian Lies About Biolabs at Upcoming U.N. Meetings
Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, its diplomatic missions began circulating some particularly fantastical lies. It's tempting to write off such claims as cartoonish propaganda. But Russia is making similarly outrageous claims to the United Nations and other international forums. Such maneuvers could dangerously undermine international arms control agreements.
Sep 12, 2022
Blog
Veterans Health Care, Media Literacy, Sleep Retreats: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the challenges of VA community care, the importance of improving middle schoolers' media literacy skills, tips to improve sleep, and more.
Sep 9, 2022
Journal Article
Information Warfare: Methods to Counter Disinformation
We consider the nature of disinformation and its use in the hybrid warfare domain, before examining the problem through frames of planning approach, truth theory, systems thinking, and military strategy.
Sep 8, 2022
Report
Joint Requirements Framework for Collaboration at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
To help the U.S. Department of Homeland Security plan and assess joint activities, researchers created a framework with a decision aid, a taxonomy, a tool for selecting program types, and recommendations for structuring joint programs for success.
Sep 6, 2022
Blog
Back to School, Vaccinating Kids, Space Security: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the well-being of America's educators, the effort to vaccinate kids and teens, security in outer space, and more.
Sep 2, 2022
Commercial Book
Practical Geolocation for Electronic Warfare Using MATLAB
This text explores the practical realities that arise from the employment of geolocation for electronic warfare in real-world systems.
Sep 2, 2022
Report
Economic Benefits of U.S. Alliances and Military Engagement
Decisions about alliances and forward military presence should be based on a range of factors beyond potential economic benefits. But there is evidence that military engagement has historically helped the U.S. economy by promoting international commerce.
Sep 1, 2022
Commentary
Will Robotized Fire Power Replace Manned Air Power?
Russia's war in Ukraine entered the summer of 2022 with no clear military victor in sight. Although it is important to exercise caution in drawing any major conclusions, some powerful signs about the future of warfare can be derived from this conflict.
Aug 31, 2022
Report
The Risks of North Korean Weapons of Mass Destruction
In addition to its nuclear weapons, North Korea has amassed chemical, biological, and electromagnetic pulse weapons. It has also created an active cyber hacker force. What can the United States and South Korea do to deter and, if necessary, counter these threats?
Aug 29, 2022
Commentary
The Indo-Pacific Mostly Backs 'One China,' but Taiwan Gets Some Love, Too
Almost the entire Indo-Pacific region backs China over Taiwan. But U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's August trip to Taiwan made it clear that key U.S. allies strongly support Taiwan's cause, particularly in the face of a potential war over the island. This suggests that Beijing's assertive behavior is steadily alienating nations that otherwise may have minded their own business.
Aug 22, 2022
Commentary
Facebook Misinformation Is Bad Enough. The Metaverse Will Be Worse
Virtual reality environments such as the metaverse will enable psychological and emotional manipulation of users at a level unimaginable in today's media. We must not wait until these technologies are fully realized to consider appropriate guardrails for them. We can reap the benefits of the metaverse while minimizing its potential for great harm.
Aug 22, 2022

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RAND Topic:
Warfare and Military Operations

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Jason H. Campbell

Policy Researcher

Jason H. Campbell is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, where he focuses on issues of international security, counterinsurgency, intelligence, and measuring progress in post-conflict reconstruction. From June 2016 through September 2018, he served as country director for Afghanistan in…
Stephanie Pezard

Senior Political Scientist and Associate Research Department Director for Defense and Political Sciences (DPS)

Stephanie Pezard is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on Arctic security; strategic competition; European security and transatlantic relations; measures short of war; security cooperation and security force assistance; deterrence and use of force; and…

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