Chaitra M. Hardison

Building a Healthy MQ-1/9 RPA Pilot Community: Designing a Career Field Planning Tool

The personnel who operate remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) are crucial in the Air Force, but many in the RPA career field are dissatisfied, and it is difficult to train and retain enough pilots to meet the demand. To assist in building a healthy, sustainable RPA career field, RAND has developed a long-term RPA career field planning model. This report explains the models main features, content, and data inputs and describes key technical aspects.

How Effective Are Military Academy Admission Standards

Abstract : The U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), and the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) provide undergraduate education and training for students who will become commissioned officers in the Armed Forces. Like all institutions of higher education, military academies rely on a set of admission criteria, but beyond that, they are particularly concerned about the outcomes of those admitted, because the goal is for those who graduate to move on and become successful as commissioned officers. RAND was asked to examine admission standards at these academies to see whether they were enrolling individuals who would both graduate and become successful officers, but the USNA chose not to participate. Thus, this brief summarizes the results of analyses of the applicant scoring systems that USAFA and USMA use for admission.

Identifying Key Workplace Stressors Affecting Twentieth Air Force: Analyses Conducted from December 2012 Through February 2013

Abstract : Anecdotal concerns about job stress and satisfaction have circulated within the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) community for some time, and many of these concerns are still being discussed in reviews of the nuclear enterprise years after they were first raised. Beyond these personal concerns, evidence points to higher rates of problem behaviors within the ranks of 20th Air Force (20 AF), the portion of the Air Force that operates our nations ICBM arsenal, than in the broader Air Force.