Roger Cliff

Photo of Roger Cliff

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or e-mail media@rand.org.

More Experts »

Adjunct Senior Political Scientist
Off Site Office

Education

Ph.D. in international relations, Princeton University; M.A. in history (Chinese studies), University of California, San Diego; B.S. in physics, Harvey Mudd College

Overview

Biography

Roger Cliff is an adjunct senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation whose research focuses on China's military doctrine, defense industries, and future military capabilities, and their implications for U.S. strategy and policy. Cliff has served as assistant for strategy development in the office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and as a defense systems analyst for VERAC, Inc.

Cliff received his B.S. in physics from Harvey Mudd College; his M.A. in Chinese studies from the University of California, San Diego; and his Ph.D. in international relations from Princeton University.

Research Focus

Previous Positions

Assistant for Strategy Development, Office of the Secretary of Defense

Recent Projects

  • Chinese air force employment concepts
  • Future U.S.-China relations
  • Chinese anti-access strategies
  • China's aerospace industry
  • China's future military space concepts and capabilities

Selected Publications

Roger Cliff, Chad Ohlandt, and David Yang, Ready for Takeoff: China's Advancing Aerospace Industry, RAND Corporation (MG-1100), 2011

Roger Cliff, John Fei, Jeff Hagen, Elizabeth Hague, Eric Heginbotham, and John Stillion, Shaking the Heavens and Splitting the Earth: Chinese Air Force Employment Concepts in the 21st Century, RAND Corporation (MG-915), 2011

Roger Cliff "The PLA in the Asia-Pacific Region: Implications for the Evolving Regional Security Order," in Michael D. Swaine, Andrew N.D. Yang, and Evan Medeiros with Oriana Skylar Mastro, eds., Assessing the Threat: The Chinese Military and Taiwan's Security, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2007

Roger Cliff, et al., Entering the Dragon's Lair: Chinese Antiaccess Strategies and Their Implications for the United States, RAND Corporation (MG-524-AF), 2007

Roger Cliff, Evan Medeiros, Keith Crane, "Keeping the Pacific: An American Response to China's Growing Military Might," RAND Review, 31(1), 2007

Roger Cliff and David A. Shlapak, U.S.-China Relations After Resolution of Taiwan's Status, RAND Corporation (MG-527-AF), 2007

Roger Cliff and Jeremy Shapiro "The Shift to Asia: Implications for U.S. Landpower," in Lynn E. Davis and Jeremy Shapiro, eds., The U.S. Army and the New National Security Strategy, RAND Corporation (MR-1657), 2003

Roger Cliff, The Military Potential of China's Commercial Technology, RAND Corporation (MR-1292-AF), 2001

Commentary

China's Challenge — Jul 29, 2007

  • San Diego Union-Tribune

Roiling the Waters in the Taiwan Strait — Mar 21, 2006

  • International Herald Tribune

Beware Beijing's Military Ambitions — Aug 7, 2005

  • Los Angeles Times

Europe's Embargo: Keep the Ban on Arms for China — Mar 22, 2004

  • International Herald Tribune

Publications

Anti-Access Measures in Chinese Defense Strategy - 2011

New Opportunities and Challenges for Taiwan's Security - 2011

Ready for Takeoff: China's Advancing Aerospace Industry - 2011

Shaking the Heavens and Splitting the Earth: Chinese Air Force Employment Concepts in the 21st Century - 2011

The Development of China's Air Force Capabilities - 2010

Preparing and Training for the Full Spectrum of Military Challenges: Insights from the Experiences of China, France, the United Kingdom, India, and Israel - 2009

Dangerous Thresholds: Managing Escalation in the 21st Century - 2008

China Could Use "Antiaccess" Strategies to Counter U.S. Military Superiority - 2007

Entering the Dragon's Lair: Chinese Antiaccess Strategies and Their Implications for the United States - 2007

How Taiwan's Status Is Resolved Will Determine Whether U.S.-China Relations Are Cooperative or Hostile - 2007

RAND Review: Vol. 31, No. 1, Spring 2007 - 2007

U.S.-China Relations After Resolution of Taiwan's Status - 2007

Advances Underway in China’s Defense Industries - 2006

A New Direction for China’s Defense Industry - 2005

China’s Defense Industry Is Emerging from Its Troubled Past - 2005

China’s Military Modernization and the Cross-Strait Balance - 2005

Forecasting China's Military Spending Through 2025 - 2005

Modernizing China’s Military: Opportunities and Constraints - 2005

The U.S. Army and the New National Security Strategy - 2003

China's Commercial Technology: Implications for Future Military Capabilities - 2001

The Military Potential of China’s Commercial Technology - 2001

China’s Arms Sales: Motivations and Implications - 1999

The United States and a Rising China: Strategic and Military Implications - 1999