Samantha Cherney

This report, now in its third edition, synthesizes available scientific evidence for the effects of various firearm policies on firearm deaths, violent crime, suicides, the gun industry, defensive gun use, and other outcomes. The authors highlight policies whose effects are more rigorously and reliably demonstrated by current research, as well as areas where better information could contribute to establishing fair and effective gun policies.

The Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform asked RAND to provide an independent analysis of PPBE-like functions in selected countries and federal agencies. In this report-Volume 5 in a seven-volume set of case studies-RAND researchers analyze the defense budgeting processes of five additional allied and partner nations: France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and Sweden.

The Department of Defense (DoD) requires estimates of the number of its workers with disabilities to support its strategic goals and compliance with federal regulation. In this report, the authors seek to estimate the potential demand for assistive technology (AT), given projections of the number of DoD civilian employees--and of injured and wounded service members--with disabilities, as well as anticipated requests and costs for AT.

In this report, the authors examine how the Department of Defense (DoD) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program was developed and implemented, determine how previous DoD vaccination programs influenced those decisions, and identify opportunities to strengthen the department's vaccination program, particularly against emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.

The Psychological Health Center of Excellence commissioned RAND researchers to conduct supplemental analysis to support its response to Congress of the use of intensive outpatient programs to treat active-duty service members affected by the mental health consequences of sexual harassment and sexual assault while in the military. The goal was to better understand different program components available to these affected service members.

In response to the rapid spread of disinformation online and as part of the RAND Corporation's Truth Decay initiative, RAND researchers worked to identify and characterize the universe of web-based tools targeted at online disinformation, focusing on those tools created by nonprofit or civil society organizations. This report serves as a companion to the already published web database, describing the methodology and the types of tools included.

This report offers suggestions for updating DD Form 214, which is used to characterize separating servicemembers' service, military history and the reasons for separation, for electronic delivery. While DD Form 214 is well-established and remains the definitive document to verify veteran status, transferring it to a fully electronic document will take substantial effort.

Contractors provide supplies and perform other functions in theaters of conflict. This comprehensive review of the U. S. Department of Defense (DoD) operational contract support (OCS) planning and integration workforce shows that some doctrinally mandated tasks are not being performed by DoD personnel and that the force receives limited training in OCS, recommending several options to address these shortfalls.

On January 12, 2015, the UCLA-RAND Center for Law and Public Policy held a conference in Santa Monica, California, to examine the depth of the resourcing problem for state courts in the years following the 2008 financial crisis, discuss impact and collateral implications, and identify policy options and practical steps to mitigate the challenges. This report summarizes the panel discussions and participants' responses to audience questions.