全球智库信息集成服务系统

• The authors' research revealed that the structure of a DoD advisory board — the design of its charter, the relationship with senior DoD officials, the selection of members, and the choice of projects — should be designed to meet the board's underlying goals.
• An ideal defense advisory board project topic is an issue the Secretary is deeply invested in addressing, one DoD cannot solve on its own, and one specific enough so board members understand what is asked of them.
• Prioritizing diversity involves including groups that have historically been excluded from national security decisionmaking and examining projects through how their recommendations will affect different groups unevenly.
• The board chair establishes the culture of the board and should possess the management skills to lead a diverse board and create a culture of inclusivity.
• Successful boards need to overcome bureaucratic challenges, including administrative processes imposed by DoD.

On January 30, 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin halted all the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) external advisory boards and committees. In a letter issued that day, he ordered a "zero-based review" of all such boards. In this report, RAND Corporation researchers detail an exploratory study to reveal lessons learned for how DoD can improve its advisory boards. The authors conducted 16 interviews with current and former DoD officials to learn what worked well, what could be enhanced or dispensed with, and how boards might be reconfigured. The result is a set of findings and recommendations regarding how defense advisory boards are formed, designed, and structured; how DoD selects the chair and members of each board; how DoD could implement a diversity mindset on advisory boards and what the benefits are of doing so; and approaches for overcoming administrative and bureaucratic challenges. This report provides lessons learned and recommendations for defense leaders and officials.

• Skip to page content

Objective Analysis. Effective Solutions.