Julia A Thompson

The foreign policy and defense communities have intensively debated the efficacy of low-cost and small-footprint military options for crises such as those in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. This report provides a statistical analysis of hundreds of cases, supplemented by case studies, to evaluate the strategic effects of each option across a range of irregular warfare operations and in a range of operational environments.

The challenge of deterring territorial aggression is taking on renewed importance, yet discussion of it has lagged in U.S. military and strategy circles. The authors aim to provide a fresh look, with two primary purposes: to review established concepts about deterrence, and to provide a framework for evaluating the strength of deterrent relationships. They focus on a specific type of deterrence: extended deterrence of interstate aggression.

Understanding the cybersecurity threat landscape is critical to mitigating threats, apportioning limited resources, and hosting a resilient, safe, and secure Olympic Games. To support the security goals of Tokyo 2020, this report characterizes the cybersecurity threats that are likely to pose a risk to the games, visualizes a threat actor typology, and presents a series of policy options to guide cybersecurity planning.

As part of a larger study on the future of the post-World War II liberal international order, RAND researchers analyze the health of the existing order and offer implications for future U.S. policy. The study's overall conclusion is that the postwar order continues to enjoy many elements of stability but is increasingly threatened by major geopolitical and domestic socioeconomic trends that call into question the order's fundamental assumptions.

The Department of State has developed several organizational elements and cultural attributes relevant for a lessons-learned program, and these provide a starting point from which the department can mature its enterprisewide capabilities. To that end, this report explores best practices across fields of organizational theory and within both public and private organizations.

This report assesses Chinese investment in U.S. aviation from 2005 to 2016. It provides context in China's demand for aviation products and aviation industrial policies, while assessing technology transfers and impact on U.S. competitiveness. Chinese investment in U.S. aviation over the past decade has primarily involved lower-technology general aviation manufacturers that do not affect U.S. competitiveness.