Emerging Technology and Risk Analysis
The U.S. Threat Systems Management Office operates a swarm of 40 drones at the National Training Center in 2019.
Photo by James Newsome
RAND researchers working in the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC), an FFRDC operated by RAND on behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, examined the effects of emerging technologies on DHS missions and capabilities. This series of reports considers how increases in the pace of technological innovation and adoption will affect components across the Department’s mission areas.
The first works in this series include a volume on risk factors from additive manufacturing. While the risks posed by 3D printed firearms are a common feature of news stories, the authors describe other malign uses, such as producing illicit materials and manufacturing counterfeit goods. Additional volumes in the series describe the potential risks of synthetic pandemics, and the increasing threat of intelligent drone swarms. New reports will be added to this page in the coming months.
