Ellen M Pint

Researchers analyzed alternative price and credit policies for depot-level reparable parts and consumables to identify options that would provide units with greater predictability in budget execution, simplify turn-in transactions to reduce reliance on credits, help the supply chain operate more efficiently, and free up the time that commanders, leaders, and soldiers currently spend on managing credits and changing prices throughout the year.

Because of the widespread use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), concerns have been expressed that a disruption of GPS might require a national investment in backup capabilities. The authors assess the costs associated with realistic threats to domestic, nonmilitary uses of GPS, and review possible additions to the PNT ecosystem in light of those costs.

The U.S. Army has accepted risk in facility sustainment to maintain warfighting readiness, which can result in higher life-cycle costs because it increases the likelihood that facility components break earlier. To identify strategies and make recommendations for improving the allocation and execution of Army installation facility sustainment funding, the authors study practices in the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and public and private sectors.

The Army relies on commercial rail carriers for off-post rail movements, but it currently has three business models for on-post rail operations: government owned, government operated; government owned, contractor operated; and privatized. In this report, the authors evaluate the three business models and determine whether greater reliance on commercial rail assets could meet Army rail needs at a lower cost.

Ballistic glass delamination creates spots, bubbles, and discoloration on the windshields of U.S. Marine Corps tactical vehicles, impairing driver visibility. To address this issue, RAND researchers use a simulation model to estimate the effects of delamination on future sustainment costs and vehicle availability under various repair and replacement scenarios and identify steps that the Marine Corps could take to mitigate the associated risks.

This report reviews the extent to which the Army has implemented the actions directed by the Army Total Force Policy, issued in 2012. In general, the Army has made progress in integrating the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and U.S. Army Reserve, but budget constraints have limited implementation of some objectives. We recommend that the Army continue to develop innovative solutions and set goals and metrics to monitor progress.

This report discusses the results of occupation surveys administered to soldiers in selected Army military occupational specialties (MOSs) to assess the level and importance of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in these MOSs and to develop better crosswalks between military and civilian occupations. The report identifies both a broader range of military-civilian occupation matches and higher-quality matches than existing crosswalks.

An installation sustainability plan (ISP) documents long-range plans that address mission, community, and environmental issues developed through a strategic planning process. RAND Arroyo Center examined the experiences of Army installations with sustainability planning and made recommendations to help foster the effective development and implementation of ISPs throughout the Army.

One element of the Army's transformation strategy is its recapitalization (RECAP) program, which entails rebuilding and selectively upgrading 17 systems. To inform this program's decisionmaking, a two-part analysis was performed to assess the effects of aging on High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles and to estimate the timing recommended for RECAP and replacement of these vehicles.

With its large industrial base of ammunition plants and arsenals, the Army has more ordnance manufacturing capacity than it needs. This study proposes a strategic vision for this capacity and explores options for managing it, including privatization and creation of a federal government corporation.

This report, originally prepared as an annotated briefing, discusses the recommendations of the economics and business management literatures on issues related to outsourcing. It is found that organizations should outsource those activities that can be most effectively managed externally, so that senior managers can devote their attention to activities best managed internally. The economics literature emphasizes that activities involving transaction-specific assets should be managed internally, whereas the business management literature recommends that organizations retain internal control of their core competencies. Organizations can often gain access to superior performance at equal or lower cost by outsourcing other activities. Therefore, it seems prudent for the Air Force to focus its outsourcing efforts on activities that are neither core competencies nor involve great asset specificity, although the business management literature suggests that the Air Force could outsource activities that do involve asset specificity, such as the provision of complex services, if it develops longer-term partnerships with suppliers rather than treating them as arm's-length vendors. Also, past performance information could be used to advantage in outsourcing to develop longer-term relationships and encourage transaction-specific investments.