Forrest E. Morgan

Paul DeLuca

Martin C. Libicki

David R. Frelinger

Eric Heginbotham

Michael Nixon

Jacob L. Heim

Jeff Hagen

Sheng Li

Jeffrey Engstrom

David A. Shlapak

Burgess Laird

Kyle Brady

Lyle J. Morris

A RAND study analyzed Chinese and U.S. military capabilities in two scenarios (Taiwan and the Spratly Islands) from 1996 to 2017, finding that trends in most, but not all, areas run strongly against the United States. While U.S. aggregate power remains greater than China’s, distance and geography affect outcomes. China is capable of challenging U.S. military dominance on its immediate periphery—and its reach is likely to grow in the years ahead.

Forces, Geography, and the Evolving Balance of Power, 1996–2017

The U.S.-China Military Scorecard

Howard J. Shatz

Brent Williams

James Dobbins

Raphael S. Cohen

Bryan Frederick

Nathan Chandler

Edward Geist

As the U.S. National Defense Strategy recognizes, the United States is currently locked in a great-power competition with Russia. This report seeks to define areas where the United States can compete to its own advantage. It examines Russian vulnerabilities and anxieties; analyzes potential policy options to exploit them; and assesses the associated benefits, costs, and risks, as well as the likelihood of successful implementation.

Competing from Advantageous Ground

Extending Russia

Kenneth Horn

Kimberlie Biever

Kenneth Burkman

Lewis Jamison

The body armor that U.S. forces wear in Afghanistan is effective against ballistic threats, but it is heavy in weight and makes up a large portion of the load that soldiers and marines carry on patrol and into combat. This report summarizes a congressionally directed study of how body armor weight can be reduced.

Arroyo Support to the Army Response to Section 125 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011

Lightening Body Armor

Kimberly Curry

Kimberly Curry Hall

Jessie Riposo

John F. Schank

Mark V. Arena

Nuclear submarine design resources at the shipyards, their suppliers, and the Navy may erode for lack of demand. Analysis of alternative workforce and workload management options suggests that the U.S. Navy should stretch out the design of the next submarine class and start it early or sustain design resources above the current demand, so that the next class may be designed on time, on budget, and with low risk.

Sustaining U.S. Nuclear Submarine Design Capabilities

Paul DeLuca

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