National Security Resources for Congressional Policymakers

Research

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.

Kenneth Girardini, Candice Miller
Research

Apr 29, 2025

Preparing the U.S. Coast Guard for an Uncertain Future in Antarctica

This report presents an overview of the U.S. Coast Guard's (USCG's) current and historical role in Antarctica and characterizes how the future might change the USCG's role in the region using a strategic foresight workshop.

Rebecca Tisherman, Sara Stullken, Isabelle Winston, Emily Hoch, Susan A. Resetar, Michelle D. Ziegler, Aaron C. Davenport, Melissa Bauman
Research

Apr 28, 2025

Demystifying the Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Process: An Explainer

This report presents an overview of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) budget, its funding sources, and its flexible authorities. The authors describe VA’s budget process and some of the pressing VA-related issues that policymakers face.

Ryan Consaul, Reika Sophia Herman, Heather M. Salazar
Expert Insights

Apr 28, 2025

The Expansion of China's Military Space and Counterspace Capabilities and Implications for Space as a Contested Domain: Addendum

Document submitted April 23, 2025, as an addendum to testimony before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on April 3, 2025.

Brien Alkire
Research

Apr 28, 2025

Preparing the U.S. Coast Guard for Future Gray-Zone Competition: Project Evergreen Analysis

This report presents key aspects of how the U.S. Coast Guard can contribute to national strategic priorities by enforcing the rules-based order and deterring aggressive behavior in the maritime domain to reduce ambiguity in the gray zone by the 2040s.

Eric Cooper, Scott Savitz, Aaron C. Davenport, Peggy Wilcox, Emily Hoch, Camille Reeves, Phoebe Felicia Pham, Annette Prieto, Susan A. Resetar, Sara Stullken, Dulani Woods, Emily Yoder, Michelle D. Ziegler, Melissa Bauman
Research

Apr 24, 2025

Conceptualising Digital Capability: Enabling NATO Digital Capabilities Series: Paper 1

This paper, part one of a three-part series, examines digital capabilities within NATO, clarifying their role in NATO’s core tasks. We recommend fostering a shared understanding of key concepts for effective digital transformation.

Judith Huismans, Rebecca Lucas, Ondrej Palicka, Sarah Winder, Erik Silfversten
Research

Apr 23, 2025

Benchmarking the Transportation Security Administration’s Covert Index Testing Program

The Transportation Security Administration conducts covert testing programs, such as Index testing, to ensure security effectiveness. A RAND research team benchmarked this program against analogues and recommends steps for implementing standards.

Joseph C. Chang, Michael W. Robbins, Vanya Barrer, Nikolay Maslov
Research

Apr 18, 2025

Developing Combat Support Mission Ready Airmen for Agile Combat Employment

RAND researchers evaluated the process of organizing, training, and utilizing combat support mission ready airmen for agile combat employment by interviewing U.S. Air Force policy experts, conducting a workshop, and running simulation models.

Maria C. Lytell, Mark Toukan, Angela K. Clague, James Fan, Vikram Kilambi, Brandon Krueger, Sankalp Kumar, Anthony Lawrence, Nicolas M. Robles, Lewis Schneider, Karen M. Sudkamp, Sarah Weilant, Katie A. Wilson
Research

Apr 16, 2025

Central Bank Digital Currency Design Choices and Effect on Law Enforcement

The design of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) highlights potential impacts on law enforcement. This report identifies key design choices and law enforcement techniques that may need to evolve if a U.S. CBDC is launched.

Jim Mignano, Daniel Egel, Phoebe Rose Levine, Daniel Cunningham, Brian A. Jackson, John S. Hollywood, Lucy L. Thomson, Dulani Woods
Research

Apr 16, 2025

Identification of Potential U.S. Air Force Skill Gaps

In this report, the authors identify gaps between the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes currently available among U.S. Air Force active-duty personnel and those that are needed for the future.

Miriam Matthews, John A. Ausink, Raymond E. Conley, Kelly Atkinson, Sarah Nicole Kosic, Joshua Fields, Nelson Lim
Research

Apr 16, 2025

Differences in Cost of Living and Military Pay Growth for Army Personnel

The authors explore the extent to which military compensation growth has kept up with cost-of-living changes over time, across geographic areas, and across subgroups of soldiers, using data from 2018 to 2022.

Beth J. Asch, Jessie Wang
Research

Apr 16, 2025

Preventing Veteran Suicide: A Landscape Analysis of Existing Programs, Their Evidence, and What the Next Generation of Programs May Look Like

In this report, the authors analyze current and emerging activities to prevent veteran suicide, introducing the RAND Suicide Prevention Activity Matrix, a framework that organizes current approaches and their evidence.

Rajeev Ramchand, Ben Senator, Jordan P. Davis, Wendy Hawkins, Lisa H. Jaycox, Julia Lejeune, Whitney S. Livingston, Alicia Revitsky Locker, Benjamin Trachik, Alison Athey

National Security Issues

Contact Information

Recent Findings

Charting Multiple Courses to Artificial General Intelligence

Reinvigorating Naval Shipbuilding: Meeting the President's Challenge

Should I Use AI in My Wargame?

National Security Briefs, Reports, and Testimonies

Error

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

Preparing the U.S. Coast Guard for an Uncertain Future in Antarctica

Demystifying the Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Process: An Explainer

The Expansion of China's Military Space and Counterspace Capabilities and Implications for Space as a Contested Domain: Addendum

Preparing the U.S. Coast Guard for Future Gray-Zone Competition: Project Evergreen Analysis

Conceptualising Digital Capability: Enabling NATO Digital Capabilities Series: Paper 1

Benchmarking the Transportation Security Administration’s Covert Index Testing Program

Developing Combat Support Mission Ready Airmen for Agile Combat Employment

Central Bank Digital Currency Design Choices and Effect on Law Enforcement

Identification of Potential U.S. Air Force Skill Gaps

Differences in Cost of Living and Military Pay Growth for Army Personnel

Preventing Veteran Suicide: A Landscape Analysis of Existing Programs, Their Evidence, and What the Next Generation of Programs May Look Like

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National Security Issues

Contact Information

Recent Findings

Charting Multiple Courses to Artificial General Intelligence

Reinvigorating Naval Shipbuilding: Meeting the President's Challenge

Should I Use AI in My Wargame?

National Security Briefs, Reports, and Testimonies

Error

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

Preparing the U.S. Coast Guard for an Uncertain Future in Antarctica

Demystifying the Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Process: An Explainer

The Expansion of China's Military Space and Counterspace Capabilities and Implications for Space as a Contested Domain: Addendum

Preparing the U.S. Coast Guard for Future Gray-Zone Competition: Project Evergreen Analysis

Conceptualising Digital Capability: Enabling NATO Digital Capabilities Series: Paper 1

Benchmarking the Transportation Security Administration’s Covert Index Testing Program

Developing Combat Support Mission Ready Airmen for Agile Combat Employment

Central Bank Digital Currency Design Choices and Effect on Law Enforcement

Identification of Potential U.S. Air Force Skill Gaps

Differences in Cost of Living and Military Pay Growth for Army Personnel

Preventing Veteran Suicide: A Landscape Analysis of Existing Programs, Their Evidence, and What the Next Generation of Programs May Look Like

Oops! An unexpected error has occurred.