Bøger udgivet af RAND

A strategic goal of the post-hurricane recovery plan for Puerto Rico is developing a modern workforce. Authors describe a course of action for a workforce development system that addresses workforce shortages and brings longer-term benefits to individuals, the community, and the economy. This system includes strong K through postsecondary education and career pathways, and aligns training with the evolving labor market and local business needs.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria stressed and destroyed significant areas of Puerto Rico''s natural resources, many of which were already strained by anthropogenic effects. This report presents information on the benefits of these resources, hurricane damage, and 25 recommended courses of action for restoring natural resources, managing solid waste, renewing parks, and improving economic opportunities.

In this report, the author examines hundreds of U.S. residents who have traveled or attempted to travel abroad to join or otherwise support terrorist organizations. The focus of the analysis is on the individuals' collective demographic profile.

This report summarizes the strategic planning process in support of the government of Puerto Rico in its development of a congressionally mandated recovery plan. Nearly 300 potential recovery actions were developed that Puerto Rico could take to repair damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria and address longer-term economic recovery needs.

Hurricane Maria magnified Puerto Rico''s fragile system for delivering social, behavioral, and environmental health services, which were evidenced by chronic disease burdens, demographic transitions, and unmet health needs. The recovery plan outlines action strategies for building a robust health infrastructure, strengthening the health care workforce, expanding social service capacity, and investing in healthy communities.

The federal government is working to enable simple and strategic hiring practices. Toward this end, the authors identified best practices for recruiting, hiring, and compensation in 41 federal demonstration projects and alternative personnel systems that began between January 2008 and May 2019. These best practices offer solutions for agencies seeking to modernize and refine current personnel programs.

Puerto Rico''s housing sector was hit hard by Hurricanes Irma and Maria and needs a big fix. In this detailed and comprehensive analysis of the housing damage caused by the 2017 hurricanes, the authors make informed recovery recommendations for policymakers so they can repair and rebuild safe and affordable housing in Puerto Rico and create a modernized housing infrastructure that is more resilient to future natural hazards and code-compliant.

To support development of Puerto Rico''s short- and long-term recovery and resilience plan, experts conducted a comprehensive assessment of the commonwealth''s challenges and the damage caused by the 2017 hurricanes. They identified short- and longer-term needs for Puerto Rico to recover and to build resilience to future storms; economic, social, and environmental trends; and ongoing governance challenges. This report summarizes their work.

In Puerto Rico''s post-hurricane reconstruction, the 78 municipal governments will be responsible for an estimated $4 billion in reconstruction funds and will need to manage complex projects while coordinating with the government of Puerto Rico and federal government. The authors recommend ways to target federal and Puerto Rico government technical assistance where it is needed most to help the municipalities in their reconstruction efforts

The threat of terrorism and violent extremism in the Philippines-especially in Mindanao, the Philippines'' second-largest island-is severe and persistent. In this report, RAND researchers provide a snapshot of the terrorist and extremist threats facing the Philippines and the countering violent extremism efforts that the Philippine government and nongovernmental agencies have undertaken in response.

Equal Access International (EAI)''s countering violent extremism (CVE)-themed programming involves training local civil society members in Mindanao to design and implement locally based CVE campaigns. This report contains an evaluation of and recommendations from a set of EAI tech camps and fellowships in the Philippines. The authors of this report include research from a study of EAI CVE radio programming on Mindanao.

The U.S. Air Force has a goal of reducing the life cycle operating and support (O&S) costs of the F-35A. Maintenance manpower is a significant driver of O&S costs, and consolidation and reorganization of career fields could reduce manpower and training costs. The authors of this report evaluate the costs and benefits of six F-35A maintenance manpower force structures in the U.S. Air Force that merge maintenance career fields in different ways.

This report presents the results of an evaluation designed to assess the effects of countering violent extremism-themed social media content used in a campaign to promote tolerance, freedom of speech, and rejection of violence in Indonesia. The campaign was partially successful in its appeal to the intended audience, its communication of its message, and its positive effects on certain attitudes. However, there were also negative effects.

The U.S.-led international coalition to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has made progress over the past several years, but the counter-ISIS campaign is not over. The authors assessed humanitarian needs in Eastern Syria''s Middle Euphrates River Valley and examined how locally focused stabilization might be orchestrated to help preclude the Islamic State''s recapture of territory, even as Syria''s larger civil conflict continues.

RAND authors analyzed responses from 2,389 survey respondents about public safety, election integrity, and preparedness of local officials to manage the November 2020 election in the pandemic context. Responses indicate that although most voters say they believe that voting will be safe and that their vote will be counted despite the pandemic, those who question election safety and some who question election integrity appear less likely to vote.

The U.S. Department of Defense has authority to use other transactions for prototype projects (OTs) to develop prototypes outside of most federal laws and regulations governing contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. Through literature reviews, interviews, and seven OT case studies, researchers reviewed recent U.S. Air Force experience in using this authority, identifying lessons for acquisition professionals and improvements for use.

Many of Puerto Rico's cultural resources were devastated in Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The authors discuss their importance, the damage they endured immediately after the storms, and detail recovery actions in Puerto Rico's recovery plan.

Focusing on the communications and information technology (IT) sector, the authors assess the damage caused in 2017 by Hurricanes Irma and Maria and present 33 courses of action that will both help the sector (and, more broadly, Puerto Rico) recover in a sustainable and resilient manner and support a digital transformation of Puerto Rico.

The authors review Puerto Rico's economic history and provide analysis following the 2017 hurricane season that serves as the context for a set of principles and actions in the recovery plan for rebuilding a healthy economy.

Long acquisition times have been a significant concern for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for decades. It is critical to provide capabilities to warfighters in a timely manner relative to the threats faced, and various approaches have been taken to reduce acquisition timelines. To reduce the time required to field operational capabilities, various Department of the Air Force and other DoD organizations have used a wide variety of approaches to acquisition that are more responsive and more agile. These organizational strategies for accelerated acquisition draw on multiple approaches and techniques, including some that can reduce acquisition time compared with norms and others that might mitigate (minimize) schedule growth. In this report, the research team identifies and analyzes various approaches, assesses their suitability for different conditions and types of acquisition, and identifies implementation issues. The team also develops a selection framework and tool that help program managers and leadership identify relevant approaches.

The authors examine (1) experiences of different communist regimes to forecast North Korean adoption of a new economic model; (2) what might happen if conventional deterrence fails on the Peninsula; and (3) why North Korea might use nuclear weapons.

Puerto Rico's seaborne logistics capacity is assessed in the context of recovery efforts following the Hurricane Maria. Key constraints are identified along with actions to mitigate potential bottlenecks.

The authors analyze supply-chain management and recovery governance in four disaster-ridden countries. Research was conducted in Puerto Rico to assess recovery after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, recommend restorative measures, and improve resilience.

The Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center was tasked with developing a long-range recovery plan for the damage caused in Puerto Rico by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. This report provides a comprehensive evaluation of the transportation sector and includes a description of prestorm transportation conditions; descriptions of damage and estimated costs to repair them; and 22 proposed courses of action across all transportation modes.

The authors describe Puerto Rico''s communities in terms of population characteristics, community and individual preparedness, and economic pressures leading up to Hurricanes Irma and Maria. They detail the storms'' impact in terms of damage, community stress, and migration. The researchers developed courses of action to improve capacity for emergency preparedness, coordination, communication, recovery planning, and research and training.

The government of Puerto Rico submitted a recovery plan to Congress in 2018 describing a strategic approach to recover from the 2017 hurricane destruction. HSOAC input provides a summary of damage to public buildings and the basis for 12 courses of action to repair hurricane damage and modernize the public building infrastructure to increase resilience to natural hazards, improve energy efficiency, and improve functionality and user experience.

This report describes the work done on estimating the costs of, and identifying potential funding sources for, Puerto Rico''s economic and disaster recovery plan. Total estimated cost is $139 billion. Up to $94 billion of funding from the federal government and private insurance claims is estimated to be available. Sources to fill the gap include the Puerto Rico government, the private sector, public-private partnerships, and philanthropies.

To explore what extended competition between the United States and China might entail out to 2050, the authors of this report assessed how successful China might be at implementing its grand strategy goals over the next three decades.

Voting and registration options can help ensure safe elections despite the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Each option has advantages; challenges; and different levels of risk regarding safety, integrity, access, and logistics.