Managing Risk in USAF Force Planning

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Defense is currently shifting funding from future investment programs to cover urgent war needs, accepting some increase in future risk in order to reduce risk in the near term, and this tension between current and future operational priorities is likely to worsen. To effectively manage risk across possible missions and between today and tomorrow, senior Air Force leaders must make difficult decisions. This monograph seeks to provide the Air Force with a framework to structure their deliberations, connect them to supporting staff and expert inputs, and communicate their decisions to a broader audience. It describes a risk-management process that would help senior Air Force leaders to (1) focus planning on the most salient threats, (2) gain greater clarity on the risks associated with alternative courses of action across multiple futures, (3) maintain a sense of the persistent uncertainties associated with any policy choice, and (4) effectively communicate their judgments about risk to key audiences.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA500063

Entities

People

  • Alan J. Vick
  • Alexander C. Hou
  • Forrest E. Morgan
  • Frank A. Camm
  • Lauren Caston

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Cyber
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combat Areas
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Game Theory
  • Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Recreation
  • Terrorists
  • Treaties
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design