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Critical Infrastructure Protection

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Every nation has an obligation to protect essential government, financial, energy, transportation, and other critical infrastructure operations against terrorist activities and natural disasters. RAND addresses homeland security and critical infrastructure needs through objective research that assists national, state, and local agencies in preventing and mitigating terrorist activities, as well as in improving disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Report

How to Protect Army Installations from Emerging Threats

Nov 10, 2020

Emerging technologies such as drones, 5G communications, smart city systems, and the use of social media disinformation by adversaries all pose potential threats to U.S. Army bases. A new framework can help assess possible solutions and the resources required to defend against these threats.
Commentary

How the Military Might Expand Its Cyber Skills

Apr 22, 2021

The U.S. military will need to improve its software fluency if it wants to be dominant on the battlefields of the future. Ensuring that future leaders in the military develop cyber skills and the ability to interface with technical experts may be increasingly important.

Explore Critical Infrastructure Protection

Testimony

Managing September 12th in Cyberspace

"The U.S., while worried about a '9/11 in cyberspace,' also ought to worry about what a '9/12 in cyberspace' would look like," warns Martin C. Libicki in testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats on March 21, 2013. The consequences of the reaction to a cyberattack could be more serious than the consequences of the original action itself.

Mar 21, 2013
Testimony

Managing September 12th in Cyberspace

The U.S., while worried about a "9/11 in cyberspace," also ought to worry about what a "9/12 in cyberspace" would look like. The consequences of the reaction to a cyberattack could be more serious than the consequences of the original action itself.

Mar 20, 2013
Commentary

What Is an Act of Cyberwar? It's a Decision, Not a Conclusion

Perhaps making war can persuade the attacker to stop. Yet, war also risks further disruption, great cost, as well as possible destruction and death—especially if matters escalate beyond cyberspace, writes Martin Libicki.

Mar 4, 2013
Report

Capabilities-Based Planning Can Enhance Energy Security at DoD Installations

Energy security strategies are needed because DoD installations rely on the U.S. commercial electricity grid which is vulnerable to disruption from natural hazards and actor-induced outages, such as physical or cyber attacks.

Feb 20, 2013
Commentary

Is Enforcement Key to Fixing America's Immigration System?

The current debate regarding comprehensive immigration reform offers an opportunity to redesign the worksite immigration enforcement system to achieve more efficient enforcement with better intelligence on where undocumented workers are employed, say Andrew Morral and Peter Brownell.

Feb 15, 2013
Blog

The State of the Union 2013

The 2013 SOTU address will be remembered for its impassioned call for greater gun control just two months after Sandy Hook. But President Obama's second-term agenda can be characterized by its sheer breadth, reflecting the broad range of policy challenges facing the U.S. today.

Feb 13, 2013
Commentary

The European Cyber Security Strategy: Too Big to Fail?

The European Cyber Security Strategy is remarkable because it tries to co-ordinate policy across three areas whose competences and mandates were formerly very separate: law enforcement, the 'Digital Agenda', and defence, security, and foreign policy, writes Neil Robinson.

Feb 8, 2013
Commentary

Legalization and Border Security: Are We There Yet?

The White House and a bipartisan group of senators recently unveiled proposals for comprehensive immigration reform. The proposal raises a number of questions, says Peter Brownell: How would success in securing the border actually be determined? Would it mean absolutely zero unauthorized immigration across U.S. borders?

Feb 7, 2013
Report

Analysis of Cyber Threats Informs Swedish Strategy

How do governments characterize cyber threats and what role does law enforcement play in tackling cyber crime in different countries? These are some of the questions RAND Europe investigated on behalf of the Swedish National Defence College to inform the development of the Swedish Cyber Security Strategy.

Feb 5, 2013
Blog

Potential Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants Takes Shape

A group of U.S. Senators this week unveiled a proposal to reform the nation's immigration laws, outlining a path to citizenship for most of the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants and endorsing an increase of certain types of foreign-born workers.

Jan 31, 2013
Commentary

The Motivations Behind the Amenas Terrorist Attack

An attack of this complexity would have required months of reconnaissance, planning, recruiting of inside confederates, and training of participants. France's intervention in Mali was used to “justify” an attack that would likely have taken place anyway, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.

Jan 29, 2013
Commentary

Opening of the European Cybercrime Centre — a Journey Begins

While the opening of the EC3 at Europol, in line with our first-choice scenario, is very welcome, our study uncovered a range of risks that the EC3 will need to confront if it is to tackle cybercrime in a more coordinated and effective manner, writes Neil Robinson.

Jan 11, 2013
Blog

A Cybercrisis Is Inevitable — and Manageable

The United States can manage a cybercrisis by taking steps to reduce the incentives for other states to step into crisis, by controlling the narrative, understanding the stability parameters of the crises, and trying to manage escalation if conflicts arise.

Jan 9, 2013
Commentary

A Matter of Degree: Who Can Authorize a Cyberattack?

Understanding when the United States should engage in cyberwar and who should approve cyberattacks requires understanding that cyberwar has multiple personalities: operational, strategic, and that great gray area in-between, writes Martin Libicki.

Jan 8, 2013
Commentary

The Mirage of the Arab Spring

Like it or not, the United States counts among its allies a number of authoritarian Arab countries, and they are essential partners in protecting its interests, writes Seth G. Jones. The normative hope that liberal democracy may flourish in the future must be balanced by the need to work with governments and societies as they exist today.

Jan 3, 2013
Report

Cybercrises Can Be Managed with Multiple Strategies

The chances are growing that the United States will find itself in a crisis in cyberspace. Such crises can be managed by taking steps to reduce the incentives for other states to step into crisis, by controlling the narrative, understanding the stability parameters of the crises, and trying to manage escalation if conflicts arise from crises.

Jan 3, 2013
Report

Examining Europe's Policy Options to Foster Development of the 'Internet of Things'

The Internet of Things (IoT) may challenge conventional business, market, policy and societal models. This research aims to inform a consistent European policy stance capable of fostering a dynamic and trustworthy IoT that meets these challenges.

Dec 31, 2012
Commentary

Cyber Operations Can Supplement a War, but They Cannot Be the War

The U.S. military, with its high-tech systems, must protect itself from cyber threats with much the same careful management that protects it against vulnerabilities associated with, say, explosives. But there can be no choice between boots on the ground and fingers on a keyboard, writes Martin Libicki.

Dec 19, 2012
Commentary

More Secure or Less Free?

It is not surprising that people report a willingness to trade convenience, money, and liberty for security. Legal precedent reinforces that decreased civil liberties may be accepted when confronting existential threats with demonstrably effective security—to a point, writes Henry H. Willis.

Dec 17, 2012
Commentary

Fake Boarding Pass Fears Inflated

Instead of ratcheting back the PreCheck program because of manufactured fears about security lapses, TSA should be encouraged to expand this program to more airlines, more airports and more infrequent travelers, write Jack Riley and Lily Ablon.

Dec 12, 2012

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RAND Topic:
Critical Infrastructure Protection

Topic Synonyms:
CIP

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