Army Fellows Program

Each year the Army selects a number of majors and lieutenant colonels to work at the Arroyo Center in Santa Monica, California as visiting analysts in the Army Fellows Program. This program affords officers the opportunity to increase their analytical capabilities through participation on Arroyo studies addressing critical policy issues faced by the Army. In turn, their participation enhances the Arroyo staff's understanding of Army policies and practices. Fellows leverage analytical skills acquired during the one-year fellowship in subsequent three-year utilization tours on a senior-level Army or Joint staff.

This educational function reflects RAND's goal, stated in its 1948 Articles of Incorporation, to "further and promote scientific, educational, and charitable purposes, all for the public welfare and security of the United States of America." RAND's institutional commitment to education gives Army officers the unique opportunity not only to work side-by-side with RAND analysts, but to engage with officers from other military services who are also at RAND participating in visiting analyst programs.

Typically, the Army assigns 8-9 officers each year as Fellows to Arroyo. To date, 266 officers have participated in the program. Former Fellows have made significant contributions to RAND and the Army, such as leading the development of Army strategies on global logistics and partner/ally interoperability, serving in strategic billets at Human Resources Command, and serving as the Chair for Distance Education at the Army War College. Three former Fellows have gone on to serve as General Officers; others have become teachers, professors, business leaders and even RAND civilian researchers after completing their Army careers.

Eligibility Criteria

These criteria are drawn from the Broadening Opportunity Programs (BOP) Catalog, which contains additional detail.

General Criteria

  • Be in a non-AMEDD career field. (Army Medical Department staff should consult the Long Term Health Education and Training (LTHET) page on health.mil where the MILPER messages, applications, and lists of previous primary and alternates are posted.)
  • Be a Regular Army (AC) or Army Reserve (RC , Active Guard Reserve (AGR), Troop Program Unit (TPU), Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA), or Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), Major (MAJ) or Lieutenant Colonel (LTC).
  • Possess a graduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a GPA of 2.5 or better.

How To Apply

Refer to the Broadening Opportunity Programs (BOP) Catalog for full details on how to submit your application.

Selection Process

This information is drawn from the Broadening Opportunity Programs (BOP) Catalog

Step one: The U.S. Army Human Resources Command (HRC), Fort Knox, Kentucky will review and either approve or disapprove each request. Candidates will know their status within ten working days from the day of application submission.

Step two: HRC will forward the approved applications to the ACPC Executive Agent (RA Officers); and the Chief, Army Reserve Program Analysis and Evaluation Division (AR PAED) (USAR Officers) for selection of Fellows.

Candidates will be notified of final selection in October.

Points of Contact

Active Component Officers: Mr. Kenneth Mackey at kenneth.l.mackey2.civ@army.mil or usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.opmd- nonmelapps@army.mil

Army Medical Department (AMEDD): consult the Long Term Health Education and Training (LTHET) page on health.mil where the MILPERs, applications, and list of previous primary and alternates are posted.

Reserve Component Officers (IMA/IRR/AGR): usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.rpmd-omd-sab@army.mil .

Reserve Component Officers (TPU): usarmy.usarc.arcg.mbx.cmo-mi@army.mil.

Army Fellows Experiences

"My RAND Fellowship provided an enriching professional development experience that I have drawn upon for over a decade."

— MG Jim Coggin

"Working with RAND's fine cadre of analysts, having the opportunity to engage the Army and OSD on a variety of topics, and being permitted to conduct independent research in an area that was tremendously important to me, I believe, set the conditions for the future assignments I was subsequently given. My experience at RAND enabled me to approach problem solving in an open and objective manner and ultimately made me more valuable and useful to the Army."

— MG Bill McCoy

"It introduced me to new people, new concepts, new insights, and new methods for pursuing the analysis of some critical areas of the Army's interest. For me personally, it was one of the most intellectually stimulating and professionally rewarding accomplishments of my career"

— LTC Glenn Hewitt

"The RAND people I worked with showed me that it is a good thing to look at and approach problems from different angles. We should applaud efforts that aren't the approved Army process. RAND gave me insights to solving problems with solutions that were truly ‘out of the box.' These had direct pay offs when in battalion and brigade command."

— COL Kemp Littlefield

"My greatest thrill was being able to observe and participate in groundbreaking research. The insights I gained while working side by side with some of the world's best analysts has helped me tremendously in my follow-on assignments."

— COL Steven Galing