Feb 10, 2026

Manpower Analysis to Improve the Functional Alignment and Organizational Structure of Space Training and Readiness Command Headquarters

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Training and Readiness Command does not have the manpower to meet its requirements. To address this, RAND researchers determined its manpower needs, created a model for staffing decisions, and assessed its structure.

Dec 15, 2025

2025 RAND Wrap-Up: Research That Defined Our Year

RAND's mission is clear: We tackle hard problems and tough questions, helping policymakers make informed, robust decisions amid risk and uncertainty. Here are some ways RAND supported decisionmakers in 2025.

Dec 8, 2025

China's National Security: The People's Liberation Army's Shrinking Role in Protecting the Nation's Core Interests

The PLA is unlikely to prioritize war preparations over those aiding national security because doing so would render the military largely irrelevant to the dangers that the party regards as the most threatening.

Oct 22, 2025

Collaborating Toward a Shipbuilding Renaissance

America's shipbuilding strength has waned even as China surges ahead. To restore its maritime power, the United States should join with South Korea and Japan in a cooperative shipbuilding renaissance grounded in shared innovation and alliance.

Oct 17, 2025

The Nuclear Option: Thinking Laterally to Sustain the Royal Navy's Nuclear Submarine Capability

With the Royal Navy's nuclear submarine fleet under pressure and availability falling, Britain may need to supplement its nuclear submarines with diesel‑electric submarines to sustain capability, build personnel experience, and keep more boats at sea.

Oct 14, 2025

Incorporating Readiness Considerations into Mishap Classification and Analysis

In this report, the authors present a framework that describes how mishaps might affect U.S. Department of Defense unit readiness and propose approaches to data compilation, analysis, and classification for estimating the readiness impact of mishaps.

May 7, 2025

U.S. Space Force Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI): Recommendations for Organizational Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities

In this report, the authors make recommendations for the U.S. Space Force regarding roles, responsibilities, and organizational structure in the context of the operational test and training infrastructure.

Apr 30, 2025

Common Shop Stock Lists for the Army's Ground Brigade Combat Teams

The authors suggested improvements to the process to update the shop stock list maintained by the Army's brigade combat teams to enhance battlefield performance and mobility and reduce the workload required to reconfigure storage locations.

Apr 22, 2025

Reinvigorating Naval Shipbuilding: Meeting the President's Challenge

To respond to the Trump administration's call for the reinvigoration of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, policymakers should examine past failures, seek an improved shipbuilding workforce, and consider enlisting the help of close allies like Japan and South Korea.

Mar 25, 2025

Risk Management of Strategic Readiness: Concepts, Practices, Data Analytics, and Next Steps

RAND researchers were asked to develop ways to ensure department decisionmaking regarding strategic readiness is pedagogically coherent, objective, informed by data, and based on risk.

Mar 25, 2025

Ready for Strategic Readiness?

This brief presents the results of an analysis of whether the U.S. Department of Defense's implementation of strategic readiness was sound, risk-based, and data-informed.

Mar 13, 2025

Assessing Needs for Civilian STEM Talent in the Department of the Air Force: Navigating the Complexities of Workforce Demand and Supply

The authors consider how the Department of the Air Force (DAF) can track the supply and demand of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent in the civilian workforce and identify potential gaps in technical competencies.