Forces and Resources Policy Center
The Forces and Resources Policy Center (FRP) investigates policies to preserve the quality of U.S. forces and to make optimum use of personnel and defense resources.
FRP's history dates to the beginning of the all-volunteer force over 30 years ago. The center has been a major source of analysis on issues relating to the creation and sustainment of an all-volunteer military.
FRP's research today explores three dimensions of defense policy:
- Obtaining and maintaining the personnel skills that will allow the United States to meet its strategic goals. This includes compensation, benefits, quality of life, and other instruments to recruit, retain, and support high-quality people who are able to operate in evolving global assignments using new technologies. It also includes providing service members and their dependents high-quality, affordable health care.
- Employing and deploying active and reserve forces and civilian employees to make the best use of available personnel as the scope of U.S. military commitments broadens.
- Effectively reforming support functions and better managing costs and resources, taking advantage of lessons from the private sector.
The center's sponsors have included the offices of the Deputy Secretary of Defense; the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness); the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics; the Joint Staff's Manpower and Personnel Directorate (J-1); the Navy; and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
Current and Recent Contributions
- Ensuring Appropriate Supply of Personnel
How can the United States continue to ensure the high quality of its all–volunteer force? How can it most efficiently recruit and retain its personnel—active and reserve, military and civilian? Is the military compensation system structured to retain, motivate, and eventually separate personnel effectively, and does the compensation system afford flexibility in managing personnel by branch of service, occupational area, and in response to unanticipated circumstances? How has the high level of deployments affected recruiting and retention? 
- Assessing and Improving Military Quality of Life
Today’s high pace of military operations places significant stress on active and reserve families. What types of support are available to families, and how well does the support meet family needs? What instruments and measures are available to judge how well the family support programs are doing? What factors account for the lower earnings of military spouses and what can be done to improve their earnings prospects? - Developing Personnel and the Workforce
What policies and mechanisms can help to make military transformation successful, what occupations and skills will DoD need in both its military and civilian workforces, and should the DoD consider careers transitioning from the actives to DoD civilian positions? What activities should be outsourced, and what roles should reserve forces play? In addition, DoD remains concerned with the development of its service members and civilians. What enhancements are needed in DoD’s training and professional development systems? What career management policies maximize the overall effectiveness of the workforce? - Providing Health Care
Will the medical system have the right structure and resources to support future military operations? What programs are in place to ensure the occupational health of military personnel, and how well do they work? What are the implications of current medical treatment policies as well as the health needs of the war wounded on future medical missions and resources? What would be the effects of benefit changes on DoD and beneficiary costs, and on the retention of military personnel? How can the DoD ensure the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care in its in–house military health system? And how can it become a value purchaser of private-sector health care? - Managing Other Resources
How can DoD most effectively reform a range of functions, from logistics to maintenance, that support its ongoing operations? What management lessons can be learned from the private sector and applied in the DoD context? What organizational and planning process changes are most needed?
Inquiries about the Forces and Resources Policy Center or its activities can be directed to:
Dr. James Hosek
Director, Forces and Resources Policy Center
RAND Corporation
1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90407
(310) 393-0411 x7183
James_Hosek@rand.org
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