RAND helped create the field of defense analysis after World War II. Modern researchers at RAND, including RAND School students, carry on this tradition. Common topic areas include strategy and policy, technology and acquisition, logistics, and personnel. Students doing research in this area employ diverse methods: modeling and simulation, wargaming, archival research, econometric analysis, and more. In recent years, roughly forty percent of students’ project work (OJT) has been related to defense and security.
Through project-based research and other OJT and experiential learning opportunities, students work with faculty mentors to obtain professional skills and tacit knowledge that courses alone cannot convey. Here are a few recent projects and their resulting research.
