Shreyas Bharadwaj

As a branch of the U.S. military, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) must understand, manage, and report its readiness. The readiness systems of the U.S. Department of Defense were not designed to meet the unique demands of the military space community. The USSF has an opportunity to create systems that work better given the characteristics of operations in outer space. The authors of this report have created a readiness framework for the USSF.

This report documents the constraints the U.S. Air Force must operate under in comparison with alternative compensation and benefit structures found in other federal agencies and the private sector. It provides recommendations for actions the Air Force can take to improve the competitiveness of its compensation and benefits packages for select hard-to-fill and mission critical occupations.

Most U.S. Air Force (USAF) medical personnel care for patients with ailments far less complex or urgent than the trauma-related injuries they would see in war, and the USAF must ensure that these personnel receive the training and experience they need for high-casualty environments. The authors present findings, recommendations, and a prototype framework to suggest readiness activities and policies that could be employed to prepare personnel for war.