Anyone interested in joining the military must undergo a medical exam. If the standard in place at the time of that exam is tightened or loosened under Department of Defense or service policy, does a service member's chance of being medically discharged change? If so, how does the probability of medical discharge alter postservice costs to the department? This report answers those questions.
The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act required a federally funded research and development center to evaluate the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety, which administers the Civilian Marksmanship Program, in order to assess potential future transfers of excess firearms to the Corporation. This report summarizes the RAND Arroyo Center evaluation, with analyses of the discrete tasks in the legislative language.
The authors explain the conceptual underpinnings and basic rules for a RAND-designed security force assistance strategy game. The game is a tool to explore the potential benefits and risks of different security force assistance strategies. The game engine draws on empirical evidence and best practices and, thus, can be applied in many contexts.
The new era of intensifying global competition is characterized by rivalry in the political, economic, and military spheres. This report summarizes findings of a study about the character of the emerging era of international competition. It is the first of three reports that examines the nature of that competition; evaluates its military, economic, geopolitical, and informational components; and assesses the perspectives of the major powers.
The number of programs dedicated to countering violent extremism (CVE) has grown in recent years, but a lack of understanding persists regarding the effectiveness of such programs — particularly those conducted online. This report reviews prior assessments of online CVE campaigns; offers recommendations for future assessments; and provides a case study of one particular CVE campaign, the Redirect Method.
This report evaluates the capabilities of current and programmed U.S. forces to meet the demands of conflicts that could arise involving any of five potential adversaries. The report finds that U.S. forces today are larger than needed to fight a single war, are failing to keep pace with the forces of great power adversaries, are poorly postured to meet key challenges in Europe and East Asia, and are insufficiently trained and ready.
This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the effects of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) on functional outcomes, including cognitive (e.g., memory), physical (e.g., fatigue), occupational (e.g., employment status), social/ behavioral (e.g., criminal activity), and neurological (e.g., balance) function. Literature reviewers screened 6,292 citations and presented results in comprehensive evidence tables.
The authors developed and employed a methodology to review general and flag officer (G/FO) requirements in the U.S. military. The methodology examines G/FO positions within and across organizations, reviews positions against criteria, evaluates how positions affect development of G/FOs within functional areas, and explores implications of reductions. Results were used to identify opportunities to eliminate or downgrade positions.
In 2017, the Office of Management and Budget called for federal agencies to develop actionable plans to maximize employee performance, including rewards for high performers and penalties for poor performers. In this report, authors identify ways to address poor Department of Defense employee performance by developing, supporting, and professionalizing supervisors in conjunction with assessing and reporting key performance-related outcomes.
The U.S. military has mostly operated at a high operational tempo since the end of the Cold War, and there appears to be no significant reduction in demand on the horizon. This report draws on historical data to quantify gaps in the U.S. Air Force's capacity to meet potential future demands.
This evidence map provides a broad overview of the existing research evaluating technology in depression care. Computer applications are most common. Almost all applications yield symptom improvement. Further research on these applications is needed.
The U.S. Army conducts security cooperation activities with partner nations to achieve several objectives; however, evaluating the effectiveness of these activities has been difficult. To help the Army prioritize and increase the effectiveness of its activities, this report addresses two questions: when can Army security cooperation have the greatest impact, and how should the Army assess, monitor, and evaluate security cooperation?
This report looks at demographic differences in U.S. Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training completion. It presents potential challenges that women and racial and ethnic minorities might face in entering and completing the training, as well as demographic differences in attrition rates, reasons for attrition, and an analysis of whether certain individual characteristics account for differential rates of attrition.
Harnessing the potential of old and new technology, state and nonstate actors alike dedicate significant effort to developing and employing information power. This examination of the evolution of allied and adversary activities in and through the information environment and comparative analysis of capability areas in which these others excel can guide future U.S. Army force planning.
Harnessing the power of old and new technology, state and nonstate actors alike dedicate significant effort to developing and employing information power. Twelve detailed case studies examine the information-related activities and strategic goals of a range of allies, adversaries, and potential adversaries, highlighting insights for U.S. Army planning.
The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) provides income security for the survivors of U.S. service members who perform in an authorized-duty status and die in the line of duty, as well as for the survivors of retired members enrolled in SBP. This report assesses SBP in terms of participation and benefits, compares it with similar plans in public and private organizations, and considers the feasibility of having SBP provided by commercial sources.
There is an ongoing debate about whether U.S. military presence brings stability or an increased likelihood of conflict to a region. The authors of this report analyze historical data to assess how U.S. military presence — in particular, U.S. troop presence and military assistance — is associated with the interstate and intrastate conflict behavior of states and nonstate actors.
The geography of the Pacific can present challenges for command and control (C2) of air operations, especially in the face of attempts to disrupt C2. This report recommends methods for comparing and contrasting alternative organizational concepts for C2 of joint air operations in the Pacific and applies them to a selection of concepts for two different scenarios, humanitarian and disaster relief and a major war with a near-peer competitor.
This report uses a review of organizational culture literature to help address the U.S. Army's organizational challenges, such as behavioral health treatment stigma, negative workplace behaviors, and participation of women in combat. Researchers identified key drivers of cultural change, and a group of subject matter experts analyzed the results of the literature review by identifying the most important drivers of cultural change for the Army.
The U.S. Air Force has embarked on a new round of strategic planning under the auspices of its 2015 Strategic Master Plan (SMP). This report represents a general survey of the state of the art in strategy and planning. We found that basic concept and approach of the SMP has promise, but its emphasis on pre-set planning could obstruct, rather than facilitate, its objectives.
Hispanics are less represented in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) civilian workforce than in the federal civilian workforce and the civilian labor force. This report assesses what factors might account for Hispanic underrepresentation in DoD. It includes assessments of trends in Hispanic employment and analyses of job applicant data. It also presents findings from interviews with representatives of DoD and of Hispanic-serving institutions.
This report describes how the Israel Defense Force evolved to meet an adaptive and determined hybrid adversary during its wars in Gaza. It then draws a series of lessons from the Israeli experience for the U.S. Army and the joint force: from the importance of armored vehicles and active protection systems to the limitations of airpower in urban terrain and of conventional militaries to deter nonstate actors.
This report helps inform strategies to recruit women through the results of focus groups with recent recruits and recruiters. We recommend that resources be set aside to specifically target outreach to women, that the services increase the proportion of recruiters who are women and increase their visibility at recruiting events, and that the services work to reduce administrative burdens on recruiters and recruits.
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) accounts for two-thirds of Regular Army officer production. As student populations shift and resources tighten, both the productivity and location of ROTC units must be monitored to ensure that the Army attracts and commissions highly-qualified officers. Two new strategic planning tools can help the Army evaluate current ROTC hosts and affiliates and choose new ones.
The Leahy laws prohibit U.S. assistance to foreign security forces that have perpetuated gross violations of human rights. This report analyzes the vetting process that helps the Department of Defense — in close collaboration with the Department of State — to implement these laws and recommends improvements. The report should help strengthen DoD's ability to implement the laws effectively.
