RAND Australia defence research covers a wide range of topics for policy makers in Australia and beyond. The RAND Corporation has long been recognized for its contributions to defence policy, and RAND Australia advances this tradition with expertise and coverage of key defence issues such as international alliances, military spending, naval warfare, and submarine engineering and design.
We consider the nature of disinformation and its use in the hybrid warfare domain, before examining the problem through frames of planning approach, truth theory, systems thinking, and military strategy.
The authors provide an evidence base for an expanded Modelling and Simulation Strategy for the Royal Australian Navy so that it can better position itself to operate in a high-end warfighting environment.
In this report, the authors develop an analytical approach for identifying and prioritising critical technologies of national interest to Australia in a manner that balances national security, economic prosperity and social cohesion requirements.
This report provides a high-level review of the current landscape and future trajectory of robotics, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence from the perspective of maritime missions and enabling technologies.
The authors describe the relevance of five international case studies in relation to Australia's creation of a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise, identified as a key priority by the government in its 2020 Defence Strategic Update.
In this report, the authors provide an evidence base to inform the Royal Australian Navy's thinking as it develops its Maritime Robotics, Autonomous Systems and Artificial Intelligence (RAS-AI) Strategy 2040.
In this report, the authors analyse Australian Army publications from the period 2014–2020 to understand how a contest of ideas aligns with a proposed innovation flow model to support the evolution of Army's intellectual edge.
The authors examine how China's approach to deterrence signalling is evolving along with its expanding objectives, growing military capabilities, and the availability of new communication channels—and how regional countries should respond.
Against the 2020 Defence Strategic Update, the authors use evidence from several countries to highlight the merits of a 'total defence' approach to mobilisation planning for Australia with the goal of meeting contemporary threats.
Testimony presented before the Economics References Committee of the Australian Senate on November 13, 2020.
This report reviews the modernisation efforts and force generation practices of four armed forces with global presence to derive lessons and practices to inform the Australian Army's own reorganisation policy.
RAND identified and reviewed international contestability practices on behalf of the Australian Department of Defence.
RAND researchers explore the feasibility of Australia sustaining a domestic naval shipbuilding industry compared with buying ships from foreign shipbuilders. The authors outline the complex consequences and trade-offs of both options.
Assesses the domestic engineering and design skills that Australian industry and government will need to design a new submarine, identifies the skills they currently possess, and evaluates how best to fill any gaps between the two.
