James D. Powers

In 2015, the United States and partner governments in the F-35 program began considering the use of a three-year block buy (BB) contract for procurement of F-35 aircraft during fiscal years 2018-2020. This report assesses potential cost savings available through use of a three-year block buy contract for procurement of F-35 aircraft during fiscal years 2018-2020--approximately $2.1 billion, or 4.9 percent of the cost of annual contracting.

Air Force mission success is increasingly dependent on assured access to electricity. A number of factors can interrupt supply of electric power, including natural disasters, accidents, and deliberate interference. The authors present a framework to assess energy assurance at Air Force installations.

This report explores the relationship between Air Force infrastructure management and mission capability and risk. The goal is to identify methodological approaches and data requirements for quantifying and articulating these links and enabling the Air Force to answer the question: What is the effect of funding infrastructure below stated requirements?

RAND researchers developed a framework and metrics for examining vulnerabilities, opportunities, and risks to U. S. transmission, storage, and distribution (TS&D) systems through 2030 under a range of uncertainties. They assessed major stresses on and opportunities in three TS&D systems: oil and refined-oil products, electric power, and natural gas. They also considered the resilience that these systems have to short-term shocks and disruptions.

There is increasing concern that Air Force systems containing information technology are vulnerable to intelligence exploitation and offensive attack through cyberspace. In this report, the authors analyze how the Air Force acquisition/life-cycle management community can improve cybersecurity throughout the life cycle of its military systems.

The authors analyze the practice of tankering fuel, which seeks to lower total fuel costs by having aircraft carry excess fuel when traveling from locations where fuel is cheaper than it is at the destination. To determine whether savings might be achieved, historical flying patterns, fuel prices, and other factors are examined for the C-5, C-17, and C-130 aircraft.