In 1969, a series of missteps and miscommunications led China and the Soviet Union to the precipice of nuclear war. According to a recent RAND paper, this crisis offers key lessons for today's U.S. military planners—particularly related to growing concerns that a conflict could break out in the Taiwan Strait.
As decisionmakers in Washington consider how a hypothetical war between the United States and China might unfold, they will need to account for the same confusion that brought China and the Soviet Union to the brink more than 50 years ago. In other words, they should remember that leaders may not know how their actions will be received by the other side. In fact, history holds many examples when one side did not receive the actions of the other as intended.
That's why the United States “needs a clear vision of how it can win a war with China without catastrophic escalation,” says RAND’s Jacob Heim, lead author of the paper. Then, America needs to start investing in the capabilities necessary to make that vision successful. Young officers, especially—the senior leaders of tomorrow—need to think through their options if deterrence and diplomacy ever fail, and the United States and China go to war.
Veterans who are issued Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharges are often left with little or no access to VA benefits. These veterans face significant challenges. For example, they have higher rates of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and alcohol misuse than their honorably discharged counterparts. Further, the risks of homelessness and suicide among veterans who received OTH discharges are more than double those of veterans who were discharged honorably. A new RAND paper provides recommendations for how VA and Congress can enhance care for these vulnerable veterans—and ensure they don’t fall through the cracks. Read more »
Housing consistently ranks as a top concern for Americans, especially younger Americans. Just how bad has the housing market been? What's being done to address homelessness? And what do we know about various policies and proposals that aim to address the country’s many challenges in this area? RAND researchers Sarah Hunter and Jason Ward recently sat down to answer key questions related to the U.S. housing crisis. Read more »
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According to RAND’s Naoko Aoki, if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the election, then there is likely to be more continuity than change in U.S. policy toward North Korea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted that Moscow might resume nuclear testing. In Defense News, RAND’s William Courtney discussed key considerations for the United States and NATO.
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