Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** June 5, 2025
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Defending U.S. Military Bases Against Drones
On Sunday, Ukraine launched a surprise drone blitz deep in Russian territory that reportedly destroyed or damaged about a dozen Russian bombers. The dramatic attack was the latest example of Ukraine getting creative and doing real damage to its much larger invader. But at the same time, the operation highlights a risk that U.S. adversaries could tap into the proliferation of cheap commercial drones to endanger American military bases and personnel.
To better understand this risk, RAND partnered with the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office to conduct a tabletop exercise on improving U.S. counter-drone operations. More than 100 participants from more than two dozen federal agencies took part, exploring scenarios in which drones could attack U.S. bases.
The event informed the U.S. approach to mitigating drone incursions in several key ways. For example, it highlighted the need to work with state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities, which are usually the first to identify incursions. It also clarified conditions that would justify the Federal Aviation Administration's support in jamming unlawful drones at or near military bases.
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The Challenges of China's Supply Chain Dominance
Because of China's preeminence in several key industries, the United States and other countries have become dependent on Chinese manufacturing. In testimony presented to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission today, RAND's Bradley Martin answers key questions about addressing the vulnerabilities created by China's supply chain dominance. "Remediation is less a matter of countering China," Martin says, "than of addressing challenges the United States has created for itself."
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Many Teachers Feel Unprepared to Support Multilingual Learners
Multilingual learners are a rapidly growing group among K-12 public school students. But according to new RAND survey results, about one-half of educators serving multilingual students feel not at all or only somewhat prepared to teach them. And about 60 percent of educators said they needed more or better teaching materials designed for multilingual learners. Professional learning and improved access to high-quality curricula could help ensure that teachers receive the support they need.
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** RAND Recommends
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- RAND's Bruce Bennett discusses why South Korea's newly elected president, Lee Jae-myung, should be careful in "drawing too close to China."
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- Sleeping positions are "highly subjective," says RAND sleep expert Wendy Troxel, but side-sleeping is often recommended for people facing sleep apnea, acid reflux, and other complications.
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- In case you missed it, check out our recent conversation with RAND's David Ochmanek on the Policy Minded podcast. He discusses why it's time to rethink U.S. defense strategy.
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** Events
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Deep Seabed Mining: What Might Happen Next?
Monday, June 9, 2025 (Online)
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** Policy Minded, RAND's Flagship Podcast
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On Policy Minded, we pick the brains of the world's top policy experts. In each episode, RAND researchers join us for conversations that go beyond the headlines--bringing you insights you can't find anywhere else.
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