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RAND research addresses the challenges of developing, managing, and protecting energy, transportation, water, communications, and other critical infrastructure throughout the world.

Commentary
Financial Panic in the Age of Digital Banking and Social Media
Bank runs as a source of systemic risk are nothing new. To manage systemic risks in the age of social media, regulators may need to anticipate where the crisis will go and build in automatic brakes to slow them down. There likely won't be time to react at the speed of negotiation between regulators and bankers.
Mar 14, 2023
Commentary
Puerto Rico's Food Security Must Factor in Planning Energy Security
The tragedy of disaster recovery has unlocked substantial capital for Puerto Rico to rewrite its interdependent security in energy and food. Considering food security in this context could help to ensure the population has access to both power and food.
Feb 24, 2023

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Testimony
Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities for the Department of Defense
Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into U.S. national security plans poses special challenges. And both China and Russia are pursuing militarized AI technologies, intensifying those challenges. What are some actions the Department of Defense could take in response?
Apr 19, 2023
Commentary
Militaries, Metals, and Mining
Securing access to supply, increasing global and domestic capacity, and diversifying supply chains upstream to downstream for critical minerals should be at the top of the agenda for both nations and private industry. Failure to do so could put both climate mitigation strategies and U.S. military readiness at risk.
Apr 18, 2023
Commentary
A Potential Backslide in Mental Health Care for Millions of Americans
The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration expires in less than a month. When it does, it will have broad-sweeping effects, and one of the most significant is little known: It could begin undoing the expansion of mental health care access for millions of Americans.
Apr 18, 2023
Testimony
U.S.-China Aviation Competition
The United States leads in aviation capability and technology. However, as of early 2023, China continues to close the gap. What should Congress take into account when considering how to maintain U.S. competitive advantages in aviation?
Apr 13, 2023
Report
How Will Technology Shape, and Be Shaped By, Policy Choices in the Coming Decades? A Research Agenda from the Technology Futures Policy Summit
The summit gathered 15 top thinkers from industry, academia, and government to evaluate how emerging technologies could change the balance of policymaking and decisionmaking between governments and other actors.
Apr 12, 2023
News Release
Audio-Only Telehealth Remains Common At Many Safety Net Clinics
In August 2022, more than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, audio-only telehealth visits still accounted for 1 in 5 primary care visits and 2 in 5 mental health care visits at safety net clinics in California.
Apr 11, 2023
Commentary
Why Blockading Rather Than Retaking Crimea Might Be Kyiv's Best Option
Ukraine may lack the military capability to retake Crimea from Russia. But Kyiv might still achieve some of its key objectives by blockading the peninsula. New technology may ease this task.
Apr 10, 2023
Testimony
Cyber Threats to Canada's Defence Infrastructure
Cyber threats to critical infrastructure have been a concern for at least three decades. What are the potential impacts those threats can have for the security of North America? And what can the governments of Canada and the United States do to address them?
Apr 6, 2023
Report
Assessing the Readiness for Human Commercial Spaceflight Safety Regulations
What is the progress of the commercial space industry in adopting voluntary standards for participant safety, and towards meeting key metrics that would indicate readiness for regulation?
Apr 3, 2023
Commentary
Can China's Green Energy Acceleration Put at Risk the West's Hydrogen Plans?
Hydrogen (H2) plays a key role in the decarbonization plans of the European Union and the United States. Both have launched aggressive hydrogen strategies to increase the generation of H2 and deployment of related technologies. But these bold ambitions may face headwinds due to the acceleration of China's energy transition.
Apr 3, 2023
Journal Article
Reflecting on One Year of War: The Role of Non-Military Levers
One year after Russia's illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this article examines the role of non-military levers (e.g., diplomatic, information, economic) in the conflict so far.
Mar 28, 2023
Report
Opportunities and Risks of 5G Military Use in Europe
The authors consider U.S. military uses of the fifth-generation technology standard for cellular communications in a notional 2030 time frame, concentrating on a future smart logistics mission in the Baltics and surrounding countries.
Mar 23, 2023
Journal Article
Changes in Poison Center Calls for Intentional Exposure During Public Health Emergencies: COVID-19 and Winter Storm Uri in Dallas County, Texas
This study explored changes in the volume of calls to poison control centers for intentional exposures in Dallas County, Texas. Changes in call volume varied by gender and age and increased during the local COVID-19 surge.
Mar 23, 2023
Report
An Initial Methodology for Evaluating Social Equity Performance in Disaster Mitigation Grants: The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program
The authors explore how the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program addresses the greatest natural hazard risks for mitigation (predisaster actions to reduce damage and ease recovery) while also integrating social equity factors.
Mar 22, 2023
Report
Behavioral Health Care Following the Onset of the Pandemic
In what ways did the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic change how behavioral health care was delivered to service members with PTSD, depression, or substance use disorder?
Mar 20, 2023
Report
Russia's Asymmetric Response to 21st Century Strategic Competition: Robotization of the Armed Forces
The authors explore Russian views on the military applications of robotics and artificial intelligence and how they differ from the United States' views on the matter. They assess whether Moscow has delivered -- or can deliver -- its robotization vision.
Mar 13, 2023
Testimony
Challenges to U.S. National Security and Competitiveness Posed by Artificial Intelligence
Among a broad set of technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) stands out for both its rate of progress and its scope of applications. How does AI affect national security and U.S. competitiveness? And what actions could national security organizations take in response?
Mar 8, 2023
Multimedia
Challenges to U.S. National Security and Competitiveness Posed by AI
An overview of testimony by Jason Matheny presented before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on March 8, 2023.
Mar 8, 2023
Commentary
Consequences of the War in Ukraine: The Economic Fallout
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, projections estimated global economic growth in 2022 would be around 5 percent. But the war in Ukraine contributed to slowed economic growth in 2022 and a slowed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. What are the broader consequences for the global economy?
Mar 7, 2023

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Christopher G. Pernin

Director, Engineering and Applied Sciences Department

Chris Pernin (he/him) is director of the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department and a senior physical scientist at the RAND Corporation. Since joining RAND in 1999, Pernin has been involved with or led a wide range of national security and domestic research projects on decisionmaking,…
Karishma V. Patel

Policy Researcher

Karishma Patel is a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She specializes in international relations and development, environmental and climate change, urban issues, and natural resource management, having worked in…

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