Isabelle Winston

This report summarizes the findings of research on U. S. and other armed forces' capabilities in the Arctic, the extent to which non-U. S. entities are operating where U. S. forces cannot, and how those operations might affect U. S. national interests. The authors found that the United States is lacking in capacity and, to a lesser extent, capability and that this creates risk for U. S. security.

The Department of the Air Force wants to invest in advanced training technologies--such as augmented and virtual reality, gaming, and synthetic training environments--to maintain an asymmetric advantage over competitors. In this report, the authors construct a framework for training technology transfer and lay out potential barriers and enablers associated with each step. They also examine six use cases from across the U. S. Department of Defense.

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) manages the acquisition workforce as a whole in the U. S. Space Force (USSF) and the U. S. Air Force (USAF). The authors assess whether the DAF's current acquisition workforce management and development structures can meet the needs of both services. They pinpoint potential misalignments and make recommendations to address them.

This report describes how non-lethal weapons (NLWs) can be used in diverse strategic and operational contexts by drawing on insights from psychology and group dynamics. Effective NLW usage is illustrated by vignettes in multiple domains involving gray-zone situations, encounters with civilians, and combat scenarios. The authors also recommend desirable future NLW capabilities to pursue.

This report identifies promising advanced training-technology investments and steps that the U. S. Department of the Air Force can take to track and integrate them. The authors assess the technology landscape using a quantitative modeling approach, stakeholder perspectives on these technologies and developmental priorities, and an expert panel's analysis of the maturity, benefits, applicability, and adoption barriers for a subset of technologies.