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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.

Report

European Contributions to NATO's Future Combat Airpower

Oct 22, 2020

European air forces currently have limited capabilities for defending allies in high-intensity conflict. However, Europe's airpower is trending in the right direction, especially with the introduction of fifth-generation aircraft.
Research Brief

What Will the Future of Warfare Look Like?

May 11, 2020

Poor predictions about wars stem from failing to think holistically about the factors that drive changes in the global environment and their implications for warfare. Geopolitical, economic, military, space, nuclear, cyber, and other trends will shape the contours of conflict through 2030.

Explore Warfare and Military Operations

Commentary

The Definition of Mobilisation

In Australia, the prevailing view of mobilisation is that it is an activity associated with going to war. But it should also include preparing for, and where possible, preventing a range of potential hazards, as well as supporting subsequent recovery efforts.

Oct 21, 2021
Commentary

Reducing the Role of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Could Make North Korea Happy

The threats emanating from North Korea pose a useful case study for the potential implications of reducing the role of U.S. nuclear weapons. Additional U.S. nuclear deterrence declaratory strategy, backed up by appropriate nuclear weapon capabilities and planning, may be needed.

Oct 20, 2021
Commentary

The U.S. Doesn't Need More Nuclear Weapons to Counter China's New Missile Silos

There's little reason for the United States to worry much about whatever the Chinese military is building in hundreds of new missile silos in China. America and its allies have ways to counter any threats these silo fields pose.

Oct 18, 2021
Brochure

Select RAND Research on Counterinsurgency, Stability Operations, Support to Foreign Internal Defense, Nation-Building, and Special Operations: 1962-2019

This volume is an important resource for those interested in gaining an informed understanding of a persistent, though usually low-level, military threat to U.S. security.

Oct 7, 2021
Brochure

Select RAND Research on China: 1999-2019

This volume is an important resource for anyone who is interested in gaining an informed understanding of China, a major strategic competitor of the United States in the economic, technological, diplomatic, and security realms.

Oct 7, 2021
Brochure

Select RAND Research on Security Cooperation: 2006-2019

This volume is a resource for those interested in gaining an informed understanding of security cooperation, a term that refers to the variety of activities that the United States undertakes to strengthen its military partners and partnerships.

Oct 7, 2021
Brochure

Select RAND Research on the Information Environment: 2014-2020

This volume is an important resource for anyone who is interested in gaining an informed understanding of operations in the information environment.

Oct 7, 2021
Commentary

Countering Domestic Terrorism May Require Rethinking U.S. Intelligence Strategy

The United States is deeply divided, its political system polarized. Getting counterterrorism wrong could make the situation worse. The challenge is to isolate and contain violent extremists without turning them into political martyrs or half the country into enemies of the state.

Oct 5, 2021
Commentary

The Big Unanswered Question of the Afghanistan War

The United States' war in Afghanistan may be over, but the debate over the legacy of America's longest war has just begun. The U.S. defeat raises many questions. For the future of American defense strategy, one big question perhaps stands out above all: Does the United States still have the grit necessary to fight and win long wars?

Oct 4, 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
Tool

Handbook for Tactical Operations in the Information Environment

With its quick-reference format and series of illustrative vignettes, this handbook facilitates problem-solving and highlights how early-career officers in tactical units can contribute to operations in the information environment.

Oct 4, 2021
Blog

Panel Discusses Biden Strategy of Diplomacy as Tool of First Resort in the Middle East

A distinguished panel of Middle East and national security experts expressed concerns about potential side effects of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan on U.S. Middle East policy and encouraged the Biden administration to proactively engage allies in the future.

Oct 1, 2021
Report

Building the Best Offensive and Defensive Cyber Workforce: Volume I, Improving U.S. Air Force Training and Development

RAND researchers held discussions with enlisted and civilian cyberwarfare personnel to gather insights into how the U.S. Air Force could revamp cyber training, recruiting, and retention. This volume of the report summarizes training-related findings.

Sep 29, 2021
Report

Building the Best Offensive and Defensive Cyber Workforce: Volume II, Attracting and Retaining Enlisted and Civilian Personnel

To better understand the drivers of attraction to and retention in U.S. Air Force cyber jobs, RAND researchers held focus group discussions with enlisted and civilian cyberwarfare personnel. This report summarizes discussion participants' insights.

Sep 29, 2021
Report

What Drives U.S. Adversaries to Use Military Forces Abroad?

Where, how, and how often have China, Russia, and Iran intervened militarily since 1946? A review of their behavior and that of other U.S. adversaries identifies why they initiated military interventions and why they might do so in the future.

Sep 27, 2021
Report

Russia's Military Interventions: Patterns, Drivers, and Signposts

Despite Russia's relatively small global economic footprint, it has engaged in more interventions than any other U.S. competitor since 1991. In this report, the authors assess when, where, and why Russia conducts military interventions.

Sep 27, 2021
Report

China's Military Interventions: Patterns, Drivers, and Signposts

China has undertaken two broad types of military interventions in its post-1949 history. The authors assess which one of two patterns is likely to predominate in China's future and on what factors the answer to this question is likely to depend.

Sep 27, 2021
Report

Iran's Military Interventions: Patterns, Drivers, and Signposts

In this report, the authors assess when, where, why, and how Iran conducts military interventions and identify key signposts of Iranian military interventions that can be used as early warning indicators for U.S. military planners.

Sep 27, 2021
Report

Enhancing US-Finnish and regional defence cooperation: An exploratory analysis

This study examines Finland's defence posture and the transatlantic dimensions of Finnish security policy in the context of a potential crisis in the Nordic-Baltic region.

Sep 24, 2021
Report

An Analysis of Alternative Approaches to Measuring Multinational Interoperability: Early Development of the Army Interoperability Measurement System (AIMS)

Researchers conducted an analysis of alternatives of interoperability measurement systems to support the U.S. Army in achieving interoperability with partners. Researchers identified a new approach, the Army Interoperability Measurement System.

Sep 22, 2021

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Warfare and Military Operations

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