Michael R. Thirtle

One-liner: Addresses the impact of changing skills required of fighter, mobility, bomber, and Special Operations Forces pilots on decisions about replacing or extending service lives of trainer aircraft. 450-character abstract: This monograph examines how the skills needed to perform future military missions might affect the capabilities required of new pilot training systems. In the next few years, the Air Force must decide to replace or extend the lives of two of its trainer aircraft. This monograph addresses which skills should be taught in undergraduate flying training, which are so different that they cannot be taught in current training aircraft, and what impact these issues have on decisions to replace or extend the lives of the aircraft.

Develops an overall force-management framework for identifying roles and organizations to provide analysis and diagnosis of understrength conditions and to also execute appropriate policy interventions to solve the problems. Develops an overall force-management framework for identifying roles and organizations to provide analysis and diagnosis of understrength conditions and to also execute appropriate policy interventions to solve the problems. Key to force management as a whole is operational-level (career-field) force management, which provides both the policy framework that guides tactical-level (individual career) management and the basic informational input for strategic-level (total Air Force workforce) decisions.

Late in 1996, the Air Force enlisted RAND's help to respond to inquiries from Congress about the effects of a specific Air Force proposal to consolidate and divest a portion of Eglin Air Force Base's test and evaluation capabilities. The analysis found areas of financial merit in the proposal but also elements that may not be cost effective. The authors highlight areas of risk for Air Force consideration prior to implementation.

This report documents research on the Medium Altitude Endurance (MAE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ACTD program (also known as the Predator UAV). What were the overarching lessons learned from the Predator ACTD, and which lessons can be generalized and applied to other ACTD programs? The authors detail the Predator ACTD and also document the important demonstration and transition issues from the project that can be applied to other ACTDs.