REPORT
RAND Project AIR FORCE identified key conditions to aid the success of business transformation enabled by enterprise resource planning systems, challenges the Air Force must address to achieve them, and options for overcoming these challenges.
REPORT
As traditional transportation revenue sources primarily based on gas tax continue to dwindle or stay even at best, the notion of transitioning to a vehicle-miles-traveled fee or mileage-based user fee has come under substantial consideration. Some design strategies can reduce system costs and increase public acceptance of mileage-based fees.
COMMENTARY
The U.S. should make two key reforms. First, the over-designation of material as classified makes it is harder to protect the few real secrets; this must be change. Second, the FISA court must become a gatekeeper for NSA access to communications data.
COMMENTARY
Predictive policing is not an end-all solution, but rather a tool that must be used in concert with other policing resources as part of a broader anti-crime effort. Used properly, predictive policing can predict the risk of future events, but not the events themselves.
REPORT
In response to a government directive to increase diversity across all federal agencies, the Department of Defense held a diversity summit for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Coordinating efforts across the organization can help the department reach its STEM-diversity workforce goals.
COMMENTARY
Reports earlier this year that the U.S. Department of Defense leased a Chinese satellite to support military operations in Africa sparked concern that the arrangement could compromise control over U.S. military communications, or, worse, allow Chinese intelligence gatherers access to privileged military data.
REPORT
A ground-breaking new report on the use of the Internet in 15 cases of terrorism and extremism provides primary data on how the Internet is used by individuals in the process of their radicalization. The study yields recommendations for framing policy responses to the use of the Internet in radicalization.
REPORT
Assesses in what ways and to what degree unmanned surface vehicles are suitable for supporting U.S. Navy missions and functions.
REPORT
This report illustrates the potential strategic advantages for the United States of a land-based anti-ship missile capability that could be deployed to the Western Pacific in the event of a conflict with China.
REPORT
The U.S. Air Force is facing a number of challenges as a result of the current defense budget downturn. RAND examined the challenge of modernizing the Air Force's aircraft fleet while trying to sustain the industrial base with limited funding.
COMMENTARY
The chief political drawback is that target countries' populations view drone attacks as violations of their sovereignty every bit as much as manned raids. The chief military drawback: A drone attack destroys the critical intelligence that is needed to ensure that the tactical strike can be converted to strategic advantage.
REPORT
Explores other options for dealing with excess Air Force fleet capacity and their relative cost effectiveness.
REPORT
Explores the changes water market participants may experience should there be a move to formalize water markets and establish tradable water rights.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Brief summary of findings and recommendations for the European Commission, from a study of Europe's policy options for a dynamic and trustworthy development of the Internet of Things.
PAST EVENT
People are wondering how much America is, or should be, sacrificing privacy and civil liberties for the sake of homeland security. A RAND Policy Forum on October 24, 2013 will discuss where to draw the proper lines between privacy, security, and liberty.
CONTENT
At this October 2013 event, Henry Willis, director of the RAND Homeland Security and Defense Center, moderated a panel discussion on U.S. efforts to strike a balance among privacy, security, and liberty.
COMMENTARY
Special operations to capture terrorists are more dangerous than drone strikes, and nimble terrorist adversaries will develop countermeasures to make them even more difficult. But they are politically more acceptable and offer opportunities for intelligence and the visible delivery of justice.
BLOG
Applications are being accepted now through March 21 for the 21st annual RAND Summer Institute (RSI), a pair of conferences on aging that will be held next July 7–10 at the RAND Corporation headquarters in Santa Monica.
COMMENTARY
Drones are just one of three principal U.S. counterterrorism tools. Special Operations forces are now relying on a more balanced mix of tactics: Launching raids and developing partner forces offer more versatility than drone strikes and will probably become the wave of the future as America's big wars wind down.
COMMENTARY
Could armed autonomous robots embark on a campaign of indiscriminate killing? John Matsumura says there is a convincing base of evidence that robots are more likely to prevent slaughter than engage in it.