FFRDCs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That suggests you have actual constructive comments and recommendations based on current fiscal realities, versus bemoaning the good old days or criticizing current leadership.

I bemoan the good old days of working for an employer who didn't lose money and whose leadership had a clear strategic plan.

You'd have to go back pre-2000 for that. I remember them bragging about raising the headcount cap with no mention of raising revenue. Turned out the idea was to flatten salaries. Eventually the non-mafia and best people left.

Right now, we’re all fighting over the few project scraps left, while leadership moves everyone into 3 year term gigs that basically turn us into a staffing agency... and meanwhile Jason’s friends in GER are out there writing think pieces about how AI is going to end the world.

You want them to make money, but you don't like GER, which fundraised to do the kind of work you're criticizing. You don't like that they brought in some weird Trump guy, presumably to help with the administration. (I don't know anything about him or their plan, but what else could it be?) There isn't a plan for solvency which involves whatever they were doing previously, whether it was five years ago or 25.

You’re mixing up different people and arguments. Multiple people are posting in this thread, and I’m not the one who made some of the earlier comments. Given that, my issue also isn’t that the organization needs to make money. Of course it does. The issue is that people are now competing over a shrinking pool of project work while more staff get pushed into three year term roles that effectively turn the place into a temp agency. GER is just an example. The bigger problem is that RAND’s CEO is inexperienced, and it shows. Fundraising from your personal network is not a strategy by itself. AI by itself is not a strategy either. A lot of decisions Jason (and Jim) made a few years ago are now catching up with them, and without a clear strategy those choices have snowballed.

Saying there is no solvency plan that involves what RAND used to do also doesn’t hold up when most peer organizations are not struggling nearly as badly, aside from MITRE it seems. At this point leadership blaming “the market” looks more like an attempt to avoid owning some very bad decisions they made before Trump returned to office, while now burning through overhead to hire people with White House connections. That is not a strategy, it's pathetic, and frankly it comes off as desperate and reactionary at this point in the game.

First of all, I don't know where you're getting the idea that their their peer organizations aren't struggling tremendously. They are. Second, I agree that RAND made many mistakes, but the big ones precede the current leadership and they're not what the RAND-critical people in this thread have pointed out. RAND's FFRDCs are top-heavy, bureaucratic, slow-moving, behind on technology, and they have a business model where they get paid tremendous amounts of money to say obvious things. These are what I hear people at RAND's client organizations complaining about and they're what I experienced as well, the same as with the other FFRDCS and UARCs. I blame the current leadership for deciding this wasn't worth taking on and for focusing on their own priorities instead. But there was no solution that would made RAND researchers happy and the organization solvent. And there shouldn't be, because these aren't effective organizations.

I work at a peer organization and this seems overblown.

I deal with some FFRDCs. Agree that Mitre is a mess. Disagree that all FFRDCs are a mess. Don't have any Rand interactions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That suggests you have actual constructive comments and recommendations based on current fiscal realities, versus bemoaning the good old days or criticizing current leadership.

I bemoan the good old days of working for an employer who didn't lose money and whose leadership had a clear strategic plan.

You'd have to go back pre-2000 for that. I remember them bragging about raising the headcount cap with no mention of raising revenue. Turned out the idea was to flatten salaries. Eventually the non-mafia and best people left.

Right now, we’re all fighting over the few project scraps left, while leadership moves everyone into 3 year term gigs that basically turn us into a staffing agency... and meanwhile Jason’s friends in GER are out there writing think pieces about how AI is going to end the world.

You want them to make money, but you don't like GER, which fundraised to do the kind of work you're criticizing. You don't like that they brought in some weird Trump guy, presumably to help with the administration. (I don't know anything about him or their plan, but what else could it be?) There isn't a plan for solvency which involves whatever they were doing previously, whether it was five years ago or 25.

You’re mixing up different people and arguments. Multiple people are posting in this thread, and I’m not the one who made some of the earlier comments. Given that, my issue also isn’t that the organization needs to make money. Of course it does. The issue is that people are now competing over a shrinking pool of project work while more staff get pushed into three year term roles that effectively turn the place into a temp agency. GER is just an example. The bigger problem is that RAND’s CEO is inexperienced, and it shows. Fundraising from your personal network is not a strategy by itself. AI by itself is not a strategy either. A lot of decisions Jason (and Jim) made a few years ago are now catching up with them, and without a clear strategy those choices have snowballed.

Saying there is no solvency plan that involves what RAND used to do also doesn’t hold up when most peer organizations are not struggling nearly as badly, aside from MITRE it seems. At this point leadership blaming “the market” looks more like an attempt to avoid owning some very bad decisions they made before Trump returned to office, while now burning through overhead to hire people with White House connections. That is not a strategy, it's pathetic, and frankly it comes off as desperate and reactionary at this point in the game.

First of all, I don't know where you're getting the idea that their their peer organizations aren't struggling tremendously. They are. Second, I agree that RAND made many mistakes, but the big ones precede the current leadership and they're not what the RAND-critical people in this thread have pointed out. RAND's FFRDCs are top-heavy, bureaucratic, slow-moving, behind on technology, and they have a business model where they get paid tremendous amounts of money to say obvious things. These are what I hear people at RAND's client organizations complaining about and they're what I experienced as well, the same as with the other FFRDCS and UARCs. I blame the current leadership for deciding this wasn't worth taking on and for focusing on their own priorities instead. But there was no solution that would made RAND researchers happy and the organization solvent. And there shouldn't be, because these aren't effective organizations.

I work at a peer organization and this seems overblown.

I deal with some FFRDCs. Agree that Mitre is a mess. Disagree that all FFRDCs are a mess. Don't have any Rand interactions.

Yeah that’s fair. I wouldn’t say all FFRDCs are a mess either, but RAND has felt like it’s been going downhill lately from the sponsor side. Just a lot more churn and things don’t seem as steady as they used to be. Just my perception.

[Anonymous]

This thread has degenerated into what's wrong with each FFRDC - as if what's wrong the FFRDC was the problem. It's not.

This Administration is about controlling facts and analysis. All contradictory facts and analysis are thought crimes and any organization/process that might generate a thought crime and all results from prior crimes - regulations, laws, ... have been/are being eliminated through a combination of defunding, personnel replacement, Schedule F, EOs, ...

Under this administration, one source of thought crimes are the FFRDCs. FFRDCs were set up/funded for 60+ years to be in the business of generating thought crimes. Prior administrations didn't always love the crimes, but they didn't just accept that it was OK for the FFRDCs to generate them, the Feds helped set up and funded them (as well as many Federal facts and analysis orgs that also generate such crimes - NIH, FDA, NCAR, BLS) because they understood their value.

A posting on the Political Discussion thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/330/1316799.page illustrates the value of thought crimes (as the current Administration would have them). It discusses a Salon article https://www.salon.com/2026/03/11/the-us-had-a-blueprint-to-avoid-civilian-war-casualties-trump-officials-scrapped-it-partner/ about a DoD organization that was spawned from a Rand analysis/report. The purpose of the Org was minimization of civilian casualties in war with effects as needed on rules of engagement. Among their recommendations/changes were, to the extent possible, ensuring that targeting information was based on current information. 160 schoolgirls died because Hesgeth made sure that wasn't done.

So, what's an organization built to develop thought crimes to do? Continue to generate crimes until the Administration zeroes out their funding thus putting them out of business? Stop being an organization for development of thought crimes and, instead, develop approved lies on alternative facts? Attempt to get this Administration to understand the value of thought crimes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread has degenerated into what's wrong with each FFRDC - as if what's wrong the FFRDC was the problem. It's not.

This Administration is about controlling facts and analysis. All contradictory facts and analysis are thought crimes and any organization/process that might generate a thought crime and all results from prior crimes - regulations, laws, ... have been/are being eliminated through a combination of defunding, personnel replacement, Schedule F, EOs, ...

Under this administration, one source of thought crimes are the FFRDCs. FFRDCs were set up/funded for 60+ years to be in the business of generating thought crimes. Prior administrations didn't always love the crimes, but they didn't just accept that it was OK for the FFRDCs to generate them, the Feds helped set up and funded them (as well as many Federal facts and analysis orgs that also generate such crimes - NIH, FDA, NCAR, BLS) because they understood their value.

A posting on the Political Discussion thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/330/1316799.page illustrates the value of thought crimes (as the current Administration would have them). It discusses a Salon article https://www.salon.com/2026/03/11/the-us-had-a-blueprint-to-avoid-civilian-war-casualties-trump-officials-scrapped-it-partner/ about a DoD organization that was spawned from a Rand analysis/report. The purpose of the Org was minimization of civilian casualties in war with effects as needed on rules of engagement. Among their recommendations/changes were, to the extent possible, ensuring that targeting information was based on current information. 160 schoolgirls died because Hesgeth made sure that wasn't done.

So, what's an organization built to develop thought crimes to do? Continue to generate crimes until the Administration zeroes out their funding thus putting them out of business? Stop being an organization for development of thought crimes and, instead, develop approved lies on alternative facts? Attempt to get this Administration to understand the value of thought crimes?

Take $ from tech billionaires while also hiring Trump advisors as lobbyists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread has degenerated into what's wrong with each FFRDC - as if what's wrong the FFRDC was the problem. It's not.

This Administration is about controlling facts and analysis. All contradictory facts and analysis are thought crimes and any organization/process that might generate a thought crime and all results from prior crimes - regulations, laws, ... have been/are being eliminated through a combination of defunding, personnel replacement, Schedule F, EOs, ...

Under this administration, one source of thought crimes are the FFRDCs. FFRDCs were set up/funded for 60+ years to be in the business of generating thought crimes. Prior administrations didn't always love the crimes, but they didn't just accept that it was OK for the FFRDCs to generate them, the Feds helped set up and funded them (as well as many Federal facts and analysis orgs that also generate such crimes - NIH, FDA, NCAR, BLS) because they understood their value.

A posting on the Political Discussion thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/330/1316799.page illustrates the value of thought crimes (as the current Administration would have them). It discusses a Salon article https://www.salon.com/2026/03/11/the-us-had-a-blueprint-to-avoid-civilian-war-casualties-trump-officials-scrapped-it-partner/ about a DoD organization that was spawned from a Rand analysis/report. The purpose of the Org was minimization of civilian casualties in war with effects as needed on rules of engagement. Among their recommendations/changes were, to the extent possible, ensuring that targeting information was based on current information. 160 schoolgirls died because Hesgeth made sure that wasn't done.

So, what's an organization built to develop thought crimes to do? Continue to generate crimes until the Administration zeroes out their funding thus putting them out of business? Stop being an organization for development of thought crimes and, instead, develop approved lies on alternative facts? Attempt to get this Administration to understand the value of thought crimes?

Agreed. Good point.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. Good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RAND is fine. Stop with the histrionics.

RAND isn't bringing in the monthly projects needed to sustain staff even after the October RIFs. The trickle of layoffs is starting again and I expect another RIF.

And yes, I know the point of projects isn't to sustain staff but to inform policy and processes, but the business needs the revenue to pay staff and those left in RAND know even the FFRDC work is far below even revised projections.

There is always GER.

Not sure if that's a joke or sarcasm, but GER isn't bringing in any funding that is replacing other parts of RAND. I say this as a soon to be former RANDite (knocks on wood), but GER is just RAND International with new branding and talk about AI. It might save a few analysts and researchers, but there's going to be another RIF.

If you have the right skills and interests, GER is doing very well and there’s a place for you. I know it’s painful when an organization is modernizing and it may not need your skills anymore. If you don’t like this new direction, that’s fine! You should leave and find a place that is a better fit for you. It’s a big world out there!

[Anonymous]

DOGE is reviewing FFRDCs now. Your employer cannot retaliate against you for reporting waste, fraud, and abuse. DMs open. https://x.com/DOGE_DOW

[Anonymous]

DOGE already "visited" MITRE. Nothing left there to destroy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That suggests you have actual constructive comments and recommendations based on current fiscal realities, versus bemoaning the good old days or criticizing current leadership.

I bemoan the good old days of working for an employer who didn't lose money and whose leadership had a clear strategic plan.

You'd have to go back pre-2000 for that. I remember them bragging about raising the headcount cap with no mention of raising revenue. Turned out the idea was to flatten salaries. Eventually the non-mafia and best people left.

Right now, we’re all fighting over the few project scraps left, while leadership moves everyone into 3 year term gigs that basically turn us into a staffing agency... and meanwhile Jason’s friends in GER are out there writing think pieces about how AI is going to end the world.

You want them to make money, but you don't like GER, which fundraised to do the kind of work you're criticizing. You don't like that they brought in some weird Trump guy, presumably to help with the administration. (I don't know anything about him or their plan, but what else could it be?) There isn't a plan for solvency which involves whatever they were doing previously, whether it was five years ago or 25.

You’re mixing up different people and arguments. Multiple people are posting in this thread, and I’m not the one who made some of the earlier comments. Given that, my issue also isn’t that the organization needs to make money. Of course it does. The issue is that people are now competing over a shrinking pool of project work while more staff get pushed into three year term roles that effectively turn the place into a temp agency. GER is just an example. The bigger problem is that RAND’s CEO is inexperienced, and it shows. Fundraising from your personal network is not a strategy by itself. AI by itself is not a strategy either. A lot of decisions Jason (and Jim) made a few years ago are now catching up with them, and without a clear strategy those choices have snowballed.

Saying there is no solvency plan that involves what RAND used to do also doesn’t hold up when most peer organizations are not struggling nearly as badly, aside from MITRE it seems. At this point leadership blaming “the market” looks more like an attempt to avoid owning some very bad decisions they made before Trump returned to office, while now burning through overhead to hire people with White House connections. That is not a strategy, it's pathetic, and frankly it comes off as desperate and reactionary at this point in the game.

First of all, I don't know where you're getting the idea that their their peer organizations aren't struggling tremendously. They are. Second, I agree that RAND made many mistakes, but the big ones precede the current leadership and they're not what the RAND-critical people in this thread have pointed out. RAND's FFRDCs are top-heavy, bureaucratic, slow-moving, behind on technology, and they have a business model where they get paid tremendous amounts of money to say obvious things. These are what I hear people at RAND's client organizations complaining about and they're what I experienced as well, the same as with the other FFRDCS and UARCs. I blame the current leadership for deciding this wasn't worth taking on and for focusing on their own priorities instead. But there was no solution that would made RAND researchers happy and the organization solvent. And there shouldn't be, because these aren't effective organizations.

I work at a peer organization and this seems overblown.

I deal with some FFRDCs. Agree that Mitre is a mess. Disagree that all FFRDCs are a mess. Don't have any Rand interactions.

Why is mitre a mess?

[Anonymous]

There is a CNA analyst afloat aboard each carrier in the Middle East WEZ and also one each at CENTCOM and also at NAVEUR.

This is what differentiates CNA from all the other FFRDCs. They are forward deployed and actively engaged supporting the fight -- with reach back support from analysts in Arlington who previously have been afloat and know the mission.

CNA should keep focus on putting its analysts forward and afloat.

[Anonymous]

What do they do while onboard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do they do while onboard?

The analysts look at operations plan alternatives, get answers to questions from flag and senior officers on the ship, provide independent analysis of situations, help with after action reporting, often run statistical / numerical analysis of ship or TF issues, and all kinds of other stuff. A lot of 16 hour work days - no overtime pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DOGE is reviewing FFRDCs now. Your employer cannot retaliate against you for reporting waste, fraud, and abuse. DMs open. https://x.com/DOGE_DOW

If you are on DOGE, please remember to retain counsel when you are deposed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DOGE is reviewing FFRDCs now. Your employer cannot retaliate against you for reporting waste, fraud, and abuse. DMs open. https://x.com/DOGE_DOW

If you are on DOGE, please remember to retain counsel when you are deposed.

All that does is make their crimes worse than their coverups.