James Syme

RAND evaluated potential effects of uncertain projections of demand and climate change on the ability of the Jinan Municipal Water Resources Bureau to meet its long-term water resources goals. This document describes RAND's approach and results, including development of a mathematical simulation model of the Jinan water supply system and analysis of the system's performance if new strategies and investments were to be implemented.

In this report, the authors assess mathematical strategies for quantifying complexity in wartime environments. By specifying ways to accurately measure complexity and by defining strategies for identifying parts of a process that are most vulnerable to complexity imposition, the authors aim to provide a framework that will help make complexity a concrete consideration in operational settings.

Florida's Miami-Dade and Broward counties are vulnerable to flooding and intrusion of saltwater into drinking water wells as a consequence of sea level rise, changes in precipitation, and the distribution of future asset growth across the region. The authors developed an integrated groundwater and economic model and decision support tool to help regional planners and decisionmakers focus mitigation actions on the most vulnerable areas.

How could the U.S. Army improve its distribution of heavy secondary items that account for a small proportion of the overall items but comprise the majority of the weight shipped? This report analyzes how the Army could leverage the scheduled-truck network of Defense Logistics Agency Distribution hubs to reduce wait time for customers while saving nearly $1 million monthly in shipping costs.

Many service members join (affiliate with) the Reserve Component (RC) after leaving the Regular Army (RA). Attracting prior service personnel to the RC allows the Army to retain valuable military experience. This report combines quantitative and qualitative methods to understand service member decisions upon exiting the RA: to join the RC or not; to join the U.S. Army Reserve versus the Army National Guard; and the timing of their affiliation.

Integrating women into special operations forces poses potential challenges for unit cohesion. The integration of women raises issues of effectiveness, in terms of physical standards and ensuring the readiness, cohesion, and morale essential to high-performing teams. This report assesses those challenges and provides analytical support for validating occupational standards for positions controlled by U.S. Special Operations Command.