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Military Personnel

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Armed forces include active-duty and reserve personnel, officers, and enlisted corps. RAND research and analysis helps policymakers understand how to recruit, train, and educate the military workforce and provide cost-effective health care for military personnel and their families.

Report
How the Pandemic Affected Military Recruitment and Retention
Military recruiting and retention activities are typically conducted in person, but with COVID-19–related stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements, the armed services had to quickly adapt their policies and procedures or risk missing their end strength objectives.
Jan 18, 2022
Essay
Preventing Sexual Violence in the Military
The military has worked hard in recent years to raise awareness about the problem of sexual violence. But it needs to take a big step forward to make investments and change the culture in ways that will deter sexual assault and sexual harassment by holding perpetrators and leaders accountable.
Nov 2, 2021

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Report
Exploring Differences in Organizational Culture Within the Department of Defense
The authors of this report analyzed the organizational culture of communities within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to understand how the current culture could be characterized and how DoD's culture varies within the department.
Jun 22, 2023
Report
Managing Military Personnel Costs: Operation Retrenchment Specter, A Workforce Futures Game
To weigh options in managing military personnel costs, the U.S. Air Force explores trade-offs in a workforce futures policy game that simulates the monetary and nonmonetary effects of workforce and personnel policies in real time.
Jun 13, 2023
Blog
Extremist Beliefs Among Veterans, Space Traffic, Teacher Well-Being: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on whether extremist beliefs are more prevalent among veterans, why it's time to manage traffic in outer space, crises facing the Russian military, and more.
Jun 9, 2023
Blog
Arming Teachers, F-16s in Ukraine, Commercial Spaceflight: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how teachers feel about arming teachers, what F-16s will (and won't) do for Ukraine, the need to regulate commercial spaceflight, and more.
Jun 2, 2023
Commentary
An Autistic Soldier Wants You to Read This
Despite the recruitment challenges it is currently facing, the Army continues to make personnel decisions based on last century's understanding of neurodivergent diagnoses. The loosening of stigma associated with these diagnoses could improve recruitment, and the Army might reap the benefits of neurodiversity.
Jun 1, 2023
Commentary
The Russian Military's Looming Personnel Crises of Retention and Veteran Mental Heath
Russia's looming troop-retention and veteran-treatment problems are already visible on the horizon, even though they have been delayed by policy. By invading Ukraine, Russia has created a wave of severe trauma that will soon crash over its own country.
Jun 1, 2023
Journal Article
Geographical Access to Specialized Behavioral Health Treatment Programs for U.S. Active Duty Service Members and Military Families from Military Installations
The purpose of this study is to determine geographical access to specialized behavioral health programs tailored to active duty U.S. service members and military families from military installations.
Jun 1, 2023
Report
Designing a New Framework for the U.S. Space Force Workforce
The authors of this Perspective outline a way for the U.S. Space Force to develop its officer workforce that is not tied to the traditional Air Force structure of stovepiped career fields.
Jun 1, 2023
Commentary
Who Should We Honor on Memorial Day?
The cost of war is not borne solely by soldiers on the field of battle, and for too many, the field of battle is unavoidable. Widening notions of whom we honor, and how, are signs of progress—but they are just a start.
May 30, 2023
Report
"Conditions for Postservice Success Are Set Well Before the Uniform Comes Off": Proceedings from a Roundtable on How Military Service Affects Veterans' Posttransition Outcomes
The RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute hosted subject-matter experts for a roundtable discussion focusing on how military experience shapes veterans' transitions to civilian life.
May 30, 2023
Commentary
Making the Most of JROTC
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) units in U.S. schools have drawn intensive scrutiny of late, and some districts might consider dropping JROTC. But they should take stock of what they'll lose. Students who choose to enroll in JROTC and stick with it do better in school than their peers.
May 26, 2023
Commentary
Military Assistance to Ukraine Is a Rare Success
Recently, the United States reversed its long-standing opposition to sending Ukraine F-16 advanced aircraft to aid its fight against Russia. The policy reversal is a smart call. Once the aircraft are delivered and training is complete the jets will help Ukraine defend its territory more efficiently, and might even help end the war.
May 26, 2023
Research Brief
Domestic Abuse Prevention and Outreach Approaches for the Military Community
This study focused on identifying strategies to help prevent domestic abuse among service members and their spouses or partners before it occurs and strategies for outreach to high-risk groups that could be effective in the military environment.
May 16, 2023
Report
Preventing Domestic Abuse in the U.S. Armed Forces
Domestic abuse has severe consequences for service members, their families, and, potentially, unit readiness. What strategies could help prevent domestic abuse before it occurs and help the military with communication to reach individuals who might have risk factors for domestic abuse?
May 16, 2023
Multimedia
Addressing the Recruiting Crisis in the Armed Services
Testimony presented before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on May 11, 2023.
May 11, 2023
Testimony
Addressing the Recruiting Crisis in the Armed Services
The U.S. military services struggled to meet their recruiting goals in fiscal year 2022, and the Army, Air Force, and Navy are on track for another tough year. If this problem persists, it could hurt operational effectiveness. What might be done to address this recruiting crisis?
May 11, 2023
Blog
RAND Turns 75: A Look Through the Decades At World-Changing Research
From anticipating the Space Age in the 1940s to studying gun policy and COVID-19 responses in the 2020s, RAND is celebrating 75 years of research that has made a difference.
May 8, 2023
Report
Gaining the Edge: Identifying and Leveraging Frameworks for Enabling Army Contributions to Competition
This report supports the U.S. Army's effort to rethink its roles and responsibilities to meet the demands of competition with near peers below the threshold of armed conflict.
May 2, 2023
Report
Supporting the U.S. Space Force Single-Component Structure: Impediments for Members Transitioning Between Full-Time and Part-Time Participation
U.S. Space Force leadership envisions a service in which Guardians transition easily between full- and part-time service. Five impediments discussed in this report make it unnecessarily difficult to make these transitions between types of service.
May 1, 2023
Report
Assessing Security Risk in a New Normal: Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Personal and Work Behaviors
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on a variety of behaviors considered during personnel investigations. The authors suggest ways to adjust the baseline of risk considerations for better identification of risky behavior.
Apr 26, 2023

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Stephen Dalzell

Senior Political Scientist

Steve Dalzell (he/his) is a senior political scientist at RAND. His current research focuses on military personnel management and readiness, particularly as they relate to the Reserve Components. Dalzell's other interests include security cooperation, military chaplains, urban security, and…
Samantha E. DiNicola

Policy Analyst

Samantha E. DiNicola (she/her) is a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. She is an industrial/organizational psychologist specializing in a variety of personnel, workforce, and talent management issues, with particular interest in assisting military organizations to determine the best…

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