National Security and Terrorism

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RAND conducts a broad array of national security research for the U.S. Department of Defense and allied ministries of defense. Our federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) explore threat assessment, military acquisition, technology, recruitment and personnel management, counterinsurgency, intelligence, and readiness. RAND is a world leader in terrorism research. Studies address such topics as terrorism financing and strategies to undermine violent extremism.

  • Concept of neurodiversity, people's varied talents and skills associated with different brains, illustration by Iryna Spodarenko/Getty Images

    Research Brief

    Why National Security Needs Neurodiversity

    Neurodiversity, like other forms of diversity, can strengthen an organization. Members of the neurodivergent population have skills that can be beneficial in many fields of interest to national security. These include pattern recognition, problem-solving, visualization, and memory.

    Mar 27, 2023

  • The U.S. Capitol at dusk, photo by Stephen Emlund/Getty Images

    Report

    Truth Decay and National Security

    Truth Decay—the declining role of facts in American public life—creates national security vulnerabilities, including by making the United States more susceptible to foreign influence. What can be done to mitigate such risks?

    Apr 12, 2023

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  • Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence near Moscow, Russia, February 17, 2023, photo by Vladimir Astapkovich/Sputnik/Kremlin via Reuters

    Commentary

    Countering Russia's Nuclear Threat in Europe

    President Vladimir Putin's announced plan to put nuclear arms in Belarus may pose risks to NATO's nuclear posture. Three decades after the Soviet collapse, some allies might be uneasy about re-energizing NATO's nuclear mission. But others might argue that not responding to Russia's moving forward its nuclear arms could cause the Kremlin to doubt NATO's nuclear credibility.

    Apr 20, 2023

  • A screen grab from an undated video shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspecting what are said to be nuclear warheads at an undisclosed location, photo by KRT via Reuters

    Commentary

    How Kim Jong-un's Fears Shape North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Agenda

    North Korea has ramped up the frequency and intensity of its missile launches and other provocations over the last year, continuing its nuclear weapon–buildup while threatening attacks against South Korea and the United States. Why is North Korean leader Kim Jong-un making such excessive investments in his nuclear and weapons programs and dramatically showing off his country's military capabilities?

    Apr 19, 2023

  • Researchers in the Naval Postgraduate School’s Department of Applied Mathematics are supporting an ambitious research effort to apply new approaches in high-fidelity computer modeling, including machine learning, that will take advantage of future computing capabilities and realize the potential for significant improvements in the accuracy of hurricane prediction, photo by U.S. Navy

    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

  • Report

    Report

    Independent Review of the Homeland Security Grant Program Terrorism Risk Formula and Data

    Researchers evaluated the Federal Emergency Management Agency's terrorism risk formula, which considers threat, vulnerability, and consequences of terrorist attacks for allocating resources to the Homeland Security Grant Program.

    Apr 19, 2023

  • Brochure

    Brochure

    Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center: 2021–2022 Annual Report

    The 2021–2022 annual report from the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center describes the center’s research programs, provides project highlights, previews work on the horizon, and lists publicly released publications.

    Apr 19, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Network Logistics Games: Design and Implementation

    This report details a logistics game design that is flexible enough to accommodate a variety of scenarios, objectives, and modifications.

    Apr 19, 2023

  • Nickel-rich drill cores in Tamarack, Minnesota, November 22, 2021, photo by Mike Hughlett/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS/ABACA via Reuters Connect

    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

  • Report

    Report

    Imagining the Future of Professional Military Education in the United States: Results from a Virtual Workshop

    Professional military education (PME) institutions prepare leaders for complex future conflicts. RAND researchers led a workshop to discuss PME program evolution. Participants generally agreed on goals but not on the means for attaining them.

    Apr 18, 2023

  • Polish and American soldiers stand near their armored vehicles during NATO exercises at the military range in Bemowo Piskie, near Orzysz, Poland, May 24, 2022, photo by Kacper Pempel/Reuters

    Commentary

    Stick with Europe

    The United States' chief competitive advantage in the contest with China is its dominant global network of friends and allies. Now is the time to strengthen those coveted ties—in Europe and elsewhere.

    Apr 17, 2023

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Russian interior ministry board in Moscow, Russia, March 20, 2023, photo by Sputnik/Alexei Nikolskyi/Kremlin via Reuters

    Commentary

    Stalled in Ukraine, Kremlin Increasingly Turns to Political Theater

    Stymied in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has amped up the political theater to achieve his objectives. How do we interpret Putin's statements? While no nuclear threat should be ignored, Putin's pronouncements remain in the realm of propaganda.

    Apr 17, 2023

  • U.S., Australia and UK flags in front of the USS Asheville , a Los Angeles–class submarine, at HMAS Stirling, Western Australia, March 14, 2023, photo by AAPIMAGE via Reuters Connect

    Commentary

    Why China Should Worry About Asia's Reaction to AUKUS

    If most Indo-Pacific nations support AUKUS—or refuse to condemn it—then Beijing will have more geostrategic and military implications to worry about than AUKUS itself. As long as AUKUS continues to assuage nuclear proliferation concerns it will be viewed in the region as a legitimate counter to Chinese military excesses.

    Apr 15, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Truth Decay and National Security, Gun Violence, Blockading Crimea: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on Truth Decay and national security, America's gun violence problem, how Ukraine could blockade Crimea, and more.

    Apr 14, 2023

  • The China's PLA's Rocket Force conducts conventional missile tests off the eastern coast of Taiwan in this handout released on August 4, 2022, photo by EyePress via Reuters

    Testimony

    The Chinese Acquisition Process

    Despite great progress over the past 30 years, the People’s Liberation Army research, development, and acquisition system is plagued by many inefficiencies. Based on publicly available research, what are some policy insights Congress can keep in mind as it considers Chinese and U.S. processes?

    Apr 13, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Improving Transition Assistance for Reserve Component Members

    The authors identify unmet needs for transitioning reserve component members, assess the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), and recommend ways to improve TAP's effectiveness in addressing reserve component members' transition needs.

    Apr 12, 2023

  • A Chinese warship takes part in a military drill off the Chinese coast near Fuzhou, Fujian Province, across from the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands, China, April 11, 2023, photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters

    Commentary

    As China Ascends, Concerns Grow It Might Be Tempted into a 'Splendid Little War'

    When a nation newly ascends or returns to the status of a leading international power, it often feels the need to publicly demonstrate its rise through a brief, victorious war. Today, China's increasing strength may tempt it to pursue such a conflict, and not necessarily with Taiwan, if it anticipates that victory will be swift, decisive, and demonstrative.

    Apr 11, 2023

  • Service members of pro-Russian troops ride an armoured vehicle in the town of Popasna in the Luhansk Region, Ukraine, June 2, 2022, photo by Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

    Journal Article

    How the Ukraine War Accelerates the Defense Strategy

    This piece explores the implications of the Defense Department's support for Ukraine on the National Defense Strategy, and support for Taiwan in particular.

    Apr 11, 2023

  • A vessel of the Russian Navy is seen through a flock of birds in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, February 16, 2022, photo by Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters

    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

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron, and Olaf Scholz meet at Elysee Palace in Parisé, photo by Ukrainian Presidency via ABACAPRESS.COM/Reuters

    Commentary

    Europe: Ukraine's Essential Ally

    While the United States is Ukraine's primary military backer, Europe is sharing the war's overall burden, sanctioning Russia, arming Ukraine, and helping prepare it to join the European Union, as well as absorbing huge economic costs. Europe's partnership with the United States on Ukraine may be Western diplomacy's finest hour since the Berlin Wall fell.

    Apr 10, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Dementia and National Security, Finland Joins NATO, the Four-Day School Week: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on the risk that dementia could pose to national security, Finland's NATO membership, the downside of a four-day school week, and more.

    Apr 7, 2023

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