Featured
Ensuring that a modern military has the appropriate personnel and capabilities is the key goal of military force planning. RAND research on such topics as military wages, support for military families, troop diversity, and reenlistment rates ensures that U.S. and allied militaries are well aware of issues related to career field management and personnel retention and recruitment.
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Report
Diversity Can Enhance Military Effectiveness
Embracing diversity in the military could bring significant operational and strategic advantages. For example, diversity is important in developing effective, ethical, and trustworthy AI systems. How can the UK and U.S. armed forces remove barriers to inclusion and attract more diverse workforces?
Aug 23, 2022
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Tool
Forecasting the Demand for U.S. Ground Forces
This interactive tool uses a dynamic forecasting model to project future demand for U.S. ground forces. The resulting forecasts can help inform U.S. military decisions regarding future force planning, posture, and investments.
Jul 6, 2022
Explore Military Force Planning
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Research Brief
Striving for Diversity: Observations on Racial and Ethnic Talent in the Regular Army's Senior Officer Corps
This brief discusses research on the progression of racial and ethnic minority officers through the ranks and ways to improve promotion rates to increase diversity in senior Army leadership.
Nov 30, 2023
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Report
Retention of Racial-Ethnic Minorities in the Regular Army
To help the Army accomplish its diversity goals, RAND Arroyo Center examined retention of racial-ethnic minorities in the Regular Army's enlisted and officer ranks and how racial-ethnic composition changes as soldiers progress in their careers.
Nov 30, 2023
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Commentary
A Framework for Building a Civil Reserve Space Program
If the United States were to create a civil reserve space program, what factors should the Department of Defense consider to balance potential benefits, risks, and costs?
Nov 29, 2023
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Brochure
RAND Research on Military Recruiting
The Department of the Air Force seeks more diversity and technical knowledge in its recruits and the pool of eligible candidates who have a desire to serve is shrinking. This document provides an overview of work that RAND has conducted in this area.
Nov 13, 2023
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Report
A Revised Recruiting Resource Model for Achieving the Army Personnel Strategy: Accounting for Digital Advertising
Using an updated version of RAND’s Recruiting Resource Model, the authors analyze how observed and alternative mixes of advertising, recruiters, and bonuses affect the Army’s ability to achieve recruiting goals and the cost of doing so.
Nov 6, 2023
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Multimedia
Keeping Up with the Joneses: How Can DoD Address Its Technical Talent Shortage?
The U.S. Department of Defense recognizes that it is struggling to recruit and retain the technical talent it needs. An October 2023 panel discussion examined the factors behind the department’s current shortage of technical talent.
Oct 30, 2023
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Commentary
Accelerating the Transition to a New U.S. Defense Strategy
U.S. leaders have recognized the challenges with the default post–Cold War defense strategy and have set a course for a more feasible and sustainable approach. But reforms continue to be obstructed by problems of bureaucracy, programmatic limitations, regulations, and institutional culture.
Sep 28, 2023
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Report
Army Enlistment Options Optimizer: Research Approach, Findings, and Implications
The authors developed a wide set of Army enlistment options that bundle bonus and less-costly non-bonus incentives. Survey respondents choose the option they most value. This can increase satisfaction and potential enlistments and decrease costs.
Sep 27, 2023
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Report
Impact of Individual Augmentation Policy on Navy Reserve Force Readiness
The authors examine the evolution of individual augmentation—from a stopgap to standard practice—and the effects on the Navy Reserve in terms of readiness and deployment times, specifically relating to anti-terror operations and the 2019 pandemic.
Sep 7, 2023
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Report
Creating Selective Overmatch: An Approach to Developing Cyberspace Options to Sustain U.S. Primacy Against Revisionist Powers
The authors apply the concept of selective overmatch to reevaluate current U.S. cyber operations in light of competition and possible conflict with China and show how this framework can provide a roadmap for U.S. Cyber Command’s future operations.
Sep 7, 2023
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Report
Deterring Russia and Iran
How can the United States effectively and efficiently deter Russia and Iran without crowding out investments in other military missions, including competition with China in the Indo-Pacific?
Aug 17, 2023
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Report
Russian Military Personnel Policies and Reforms 1991–2021
In the initial post-Soviet years, the personnel system of the Russian Armed Forces experienced pervasive challenges because of budget limitations and collapse of prestige. Reforms in recruitment, retention, and proficiency made some progress but multiple problems remain.
Aug 15, 2023
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Report
The Training Needs of the Aircrew Flight Equipment Career Field: Insights from a Survey of Airmen
The work of aircrew flight equipment (AFE) personnel is vital to the safety of the aircrews in the U.S. Air Force. The authors surveyed AFE personnel to help the career field justify specific changes to training and personnel management policies.
Aug 10, 2023
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Report
Army Aviation Special and Incentive Pay Policies to Promote Performance, Manage Talent, and Sustain Retention
This report presents results of an effort to determine how the U.S. Army This report presents results of an effort to determine how the U.S. Army might modernize special and incentive pays to better reward Army aviators' career advancement while cost-effectively achieving retention objectives. modernize special and incentive pays to better reward Army aviators’ career advancement while cost-effectively achieving retention objectives.
Aug 7, 2023
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Commentary
Making Every Defense Dollar Count in Taiwan
The surging security relationship between the United States and Taiwan is exposing some long-simmering differences, with questions about Taiwan's defense investments atop Washington's list of concerns.
Jul 24, 2023
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Report
Assessment of Deployment- and Mobilization-to-Dwell Policies for Active and Reserve Component Forces: An Examination of Current Policy Using Select U.S. Joint Force Elements
The authors examine Department of Defense (DoD) policy that governs how much time service members must spend at home relative to time spent deployed or mobilized. They suggest policy changes to inform and optimize DoD's force utilization decisions.
Jul 20, 2023
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Report
Analysis of the Post-Service Earnings, Wealth, and Well-Being of Military Retirees
The authors assessed the extent to which the earnings and wealth of service members who served full careers in the military and retired differed from the earnings and wealth of those who did not serve full careers and those who did not serve at all.
Jul 10, 2023
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Report
Attracting and Employing Top-Tier Civilian Technical Talent in the Department of the Air Force: A Comparison of Six Occupations with Other Federal Agencies and the Private Sector
This report identifies barriers related to the Department of the Air Force's (DAF's) ability to attract and employ top civilian talent in six occupational series and explores strategies the DAF may be able to use to better compete for that talent.
Jun 27, 2023
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Report
Managing Military Personnel Costs: Operation Retrenchment Specter, A Workforce Futures Game
To ensure a ready workforce without undercutting modernization and sustainment efforts, the U.S. Air Force must explore options to limit military personnel costs while considering the nonmonetary trade-offs and risks that these options entail.
Jun 13, 2023
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Blog
Extremist Beliefs Among Veterans, Space Traffic, Teacher Well-Being: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on whether extremist beliefs are more prevalent among veterans, why it's time to manage traffic in outer space, crises facing the Russian military, and more.
Jun 9, 2023