- Alternate meanings: See RAND
(disambiguation)
The RAND Corporation is a US "think tank" organization first
formed to offer research and analysis to the US military, but which has since
expanded to working with other government and commercial organizations. RAND has around 1100 employees based at four sites: Santa Monica (California), Arlington (Virginia),
Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), and Leiden (The Netherlands). The corporation's name is a contraction of
the phrase "research and development".
Project RAND
RAND was set up, in 1945, by the USAAF as
Project RAND, under contract to the Douglas Aircraft Company, and in 1945 they released the
Preliminary Design of an Experimental World-Circling
Spaceship. In May 1948, Project RAND was separated from Douglas and became an
independent organization.
Mission Statement
RAND was incorporated as a nonprofit organization to
"further promote scientific, educational, and charitable purposes, all for the public welfare and
security of the United States of America."
Achievements and Expertise
The achievements of RAND stem from its development of systems
analysis. Important contributions are claimed in space systems and America's space program, in digital computing and in artificial intelligence.
Current areas of expertise, including that of RAND's education-related
division—the Institute on Education and Training, are: child policy, civil and criminal justice, education, environment and energy, health, international policy, labor markets, national security, population and regional studies, science and technology, social welfare, terrorism, and
transportation.
According to the 1994 annual report "two-thirds of Rand's research involves national security issues."
See also:
Notable RAND participants
External link
|