RAND Corporation

Topics Availability: Web-Only Year: 2026 Pages: 40 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/PEA5022-1 Document Number: PE-A5022-1 Burdette, Zachary, Barry Wilson, David R. Frelinger, Hiwot Demelash, and Julia Arnold, Exploring AI’s Operational Implications in a Future U.S.-China Conflict: Initial Observations from the Camp(ai)gn Wargame, RAND Corporation, PE-A5022-1, August 2026. As of August 13, 2026: https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA5022-1.html Burdette, Zachary, Barry Wilson, David R.

As a new school year starts up, America's schools are grappling with many tough challenges—from AI in the classroom to cell phone bans to chronic absenteeism. Heather Schwartz, vice president and director of RAND Education, Employment, and Infrastructure, discusses what these trends mean for teachers, students, and parents. Featured in This Podcast Deanna Lee You're listening to Policy Minded, a podcast by RAND. I'm Deanna Lee.

Topics Availability: Web-Only Year: 2026 Pages: 41 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA5185-1 Document Number: RR-A5185-1 Dixon, Lloyd and Jamie Morikawa, Southern California Edison's Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program: A Look at Performance to Date, RAND Corporation, RR-A5185-1, 2026. As of August 12, 2026: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA5185-1.html Dixon, Lloyd and Jamie Morikawa, Southern California Edison's Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program: A Look at Performance to Date.

As vice president and director of RAND Global and Emerging Risks, Matan Chorev oversees research on some of the most consequential challenges facing the United States and the world. That portfolio ranges from the rapid advance of artificial intelligence to growing biological threats to intensifying geopolitical competition. Chorev has spent his career working on U.S. national security strategy and diplomacy, in government as well as at policy research organizations.

Key Takeaways The costs of the specialized machinery and automation necessary to achieve the scale and per-unit efficiency to compete with low-cost foreign producers are high. Inconsistent demand, lower compensation, and a shrinking manufacturing talent pipeline make long-term workforce planning difficult. GPOs, distributors, and incumbent supplier relationships dominate health care procurement and often exclude smaller domestic manufacturers from meaningful opportunities.

Key Findings RAND researchers developed a five-part framework for evaluating the energy-related suitability of potential artificial intelligence (AI) data center sites. Existing infrastructure—especially substations, transmission access, and previously developed industrial sites—provides a major advantage for delivering power by 2030. No site is ideal across all dimensions; each involves trade-offs among power availability, infrastructure readiness, environmental risk, and governance factors.

McKernan, Megan, Stephen M. Worman, Anna Puglisi, Elizabeth Bujwid, Jackson Smith, Mark Stalczynski, Yuliya Shokh, Andrew Dowse, Sachini Kadaoluwa, Daniel Marns, Austin Wyatt, Lucia Retter, Harper Fine, Sydne J. Newberry, and Audrey F. Cisneros, Defense Requirements Planning in Comparative Organizations: Case Studies of Selected Adversaries and Allied Nations, RAND Corporation, RR-A3510-3, 2026.

Nations across Europe face a growing and diversifying array of threats within their borders and beyond. Readiness to meet these threats is improving, but unevenly. While some European nations are taking increasingly prudent steps to counter hostile state-sponsored threats, others risk delaying their responses to the detriment of their readiness to withstand crises.

Topics Availability: Web-Only Year: 2026 Pages: 20 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/PEA4950-1 Document Number: PE-A4950-1 Piazza, Kelly, Kelly Atkinson, and Nelson Lim, Modernizing Department of the Air Force Training and Education Approaches: Leveraging Stackable Certificates for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies, RAND Corporation, PE-A4950-1, August 2026.

Topics Availability: Web-Only Year: 2026 Pages: 48 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA4741-2 Document Number: RR-A4741-2 Lee, Jeffrey, Alyssa Worland, Christopher Rodriguez, Kyle Brady, Grant Ellison, Henry Alexander Bradley, Dawid Maciorowski, Jordan Despanie, Barbara Del Castello, Jason Johnson, and Steph Guerra, Testing Large Language Model Agents on the Use of Biological Tools for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening Evasion, RAND Corporation, RR-A4741-2, 2026.