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Research Spotlight

Recent Work

  • A statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein remains in front of a destroyed communication center in Baghdad, Iraq, March 28, 2003, photo by Reuters Photographer/Reuters

    Twenty Years After the Iraq War, a Q&A with RAND Experts

    On the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq, RAND experts discussed what the war means for the people of Iraq and the veterans who fought there, what lessons the U.S. military learned (or did not learn), and what effect it has had on the balance of power in the Middle East and the global reputation of the United States.

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    Vanishing Trade Space: Assessing the Prospects for Great Power Cooperation in an Era of Competition

    To what extent can the United States still cooperate with China and Russia in certain areas even in this era of strategic competition? This report presents the overarching findings of a study that explored these questions.

  • U.S. soldiers kneel on the ground in an open, snowy landscape keeping watch. A couple armored vehicles are in the background.

    Prospects for U.S.-China and U.S.-Russia Security Cooperation

    In a world now dominated by U.S. strategic competition with Russia and China, the obstacles to cooperation—particularly the absence of trust—are growing. Cooperation will be rare and narrowly focused, often limited to making strategic competition "safer."

  • U.S. Air Force aircraft in a capabilities demonstration in honor of the U.S. Air Force's 75th Anniversary at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, August 12, 2022, photo by Tech. Sgt. Timothy Moore/U.S. Air Force

    Bolstering U.S. Air Bases Against Chinese and Russian Attacks

    There's a growing consensus that China and Russia represent major threats to U.S. interests, and there are calls to counter the threats cost-effectively. Air base resilience requires close familiarity with the threat, a systematic approach for addressing it, and sustained efforts to build on investments in protection.

  • A U.S. Air Force and a Republic of Korea air force F-35A Lighting II aircraft soar in a tight formation over Korea

    Managing the Escalation Risks of U.S. Military Activities in the Indo-Pacific

    Grounded in 14 case studies of reactions by the People's Republic of China (PRC) to U.S. military activities and other events in the Indo-Pacific, this brief offers U.S. military planners a framework to identify the PRC perceptions that are likely to cause an aggressive or escalatory PRC response.

  • A satellite orbits the earth as a source of bright white light becomes visible behind it

    Ensuring Mission Assurance While Conducting Rapid Space Acquisition

    What streamlining techniques are being used to accelerate U.S. Space Force acquisition? The authors of this report examine the risks associated with those techniques, their potential impact on mission assurance, and the possible mitigations.

  • Jim Chow introduces the first panel of the 7th Annual West Coast Aerospace Forum, photo by RAND Corporation

    The 7th Annual West Coast Aerospace Forum

    U.S. Air Force leaders and top national security experts gathered at the seventh annual West Coast Aerospace Forum in December 2022. This year's event focused on lessons learned from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and how those experiences will apply to security challenges in the Pacific theater and beyond. These videos include the proceedings from the event's five sessions.