John P. Godges

Research Communications Analyst

Santa Monica Office

Education

M.P.P. in public policy, Harvard University; M.J. in journalism, University of California, Berkeley; B.A. in American Studies, Georgetown University

One Page Bio

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

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

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Overview

John Godges is a research communications analyst at the RAND Corporation. He assists researchers chiefly in the National Security Research Division, Project AIR FORCE, and the Arroyo Center, with an emphasis on special mission analysis. Since his arrival at RAND in 1997, his additional areas of focus have included counterterrorism, security cooperation, and agile combat employment. His recent publications are mostly classified. He holds an M.P.P. in public policy from Harvard University, an M.J. in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, and an A.B. in American studies from Georgetown University.

Selected Publications

Simpson, Michael, Adam R. Grissom, Christopher A. Mouton, John P. Godges, and Russell Hanson, Road to Damascus: The Russian Air Campaign in Syria, 2015 to 2018, RAND Corporation (RR-A1170-1), 2022

Mouton, Christopher A., Carl Rhodes, Mark V. Arena, Paul DeLuca, Andrew Dowse, John P. Godges, Adam R. Grissom, Caleb Lucas, and Erik Silfversten, Establishing a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise for Australia: International and Domestic Lessons Learned, RAND Corporation (RR-A1710-1), 2022

Michael J. Mazarr, Samuel Charap, Abigail Case, Irina A. Chindea, Christian Durriden, Alyssa Demus, Bryan Frederick, John P. Godges, Eugeniu Han, Timothy R. Heath, Logan Ma, Elina Treyger, Teddy Ulin, Ali Wyne, Stabilizing Great Power Rivalries, (RR-A-456/1), 2021

Hanson, Russell, Christopher A. Mouton, Adam R. Grissom, and John P. Godges, COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: A New Tool Helps Analyze Commercial Air Travel Involving Infected Passengers, RAND Corporation (RR-A248-1), 2020

Mills, Patrick, James A. Leftwich, John G. Drew, Daniel P. Felten, Josh Girardini, John P. Godges, Michael J. Lostumbo, Anu Narayanan, Kristin Van Abel, Jonathan W. Welburn, and Anna Jean Wirth, Building Agile Combat Support Competencies to Enable Evolving Adaptive Basing Concepts, RAND Corporation (RR-4200-AF), 2020

Christopher A. Mouton, Edward W. Chan, Adam R. Grissom, John P. Godges, Badreddine Ahtchi, Brian Dougherty, Personnel Recovery in the AFRICOM Area of Responsibility: Cost-Effective Options for Improvement, RAND Corporation (RR-2161/1-AFRICOM) (RR-2161/1), 2019

Egel, Daniel, Adam R. Grissom, John P. Godges, Jennifer Kavanagh, and Howard J. Shatz, Estimating the Value of Overseas Security Commitments, RAND Corporation (RR-518-AF), 2016

The RAND Corporation, The Long Shadow of 9/11: America's Response to Terrorism, RAND Corporation (MG-1107-RC), 2011

Commentary

Socioeconomic Status

What Drives Income Inequality?
The mixed picture of income inequality around the world reinforces the point that it is more important to know the underlying explanations for inequality across countries and within them, rather than the amount of inequality or changes in it, write Charles Wolf, Jr., and John Godges.
Oct 24, 2012
The Orange County Register

Publications

Report
An Enterprise Cost-Effectiveness Approach to Decisionmaking: Improving Analytic Support to Senior Defense Leaders
The authors propose analytic and programmatic frameworks to explore potential cost-per-effect measures, assess those measures with an enterprise cost-effectiveness approach, and chart a roadmap to add a joint focus in future Air Force decisionmaking.
Dec 5, 2022
Report
Road to Damascus: The Russian Air Campaign in Syria, 2015 to 2018
The authors review the chronology of Russian air operations in Syria, and assess the strategic and operational blueprint, basing strategy and force disposition, effectiveness of the Russian air campaign, and its applicability to future campaigns.
May 11, 2022
Report
Establishing a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise for Australia: International and Domestic Lessons Learned
The authors describe the relevance of five international case studies in relation to Australia's creation of a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise, identified as a key priority by the government in its 2020 Defence Strategic Update.
Mar 21, 2022
Report
Stabilizing Great-Power Rivalries
Leveraging theory and historical cases, the authors identify the factors that keep great-power rivalries stable and those that lead to conflictual outcomes and use that framework to assess the current U.S.-Russia and U.S.-China competitions.
Nov 29, 2021
Report
Seizures of Western Diplomatic Facilities: Historical Timelines, 1979–2019
To help develop effective response capabilities, the authors review attacks on Western diplomatic facilities since 1979, focusing on the duration of each attack and how much advance warning there was of the attack.
Jan 25, 2021
Report
COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: Worldwide Spread of COVID-19 Accelerated Starting on February 19, 2020
In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers estimate when COVID-19 transmission via commercial air travel began to rapidly accelerate throughout the world.
Sep 22, 2020
Report
COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: African Anchor States Face Higher Risk of Importing COVID-19 Cases
In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers quantify the potential vectors of transmission to countries in the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility.
Sep 22, 2020
Report
COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: COVID-19 Cases in China Were Likely 37 Times Higher Than Reported in January 2020
In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers estimate the likely number of infections in China in early 2020.
Jun 5, 2020
Report
COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: A New Tool Helps Analyze Commercial Air Travel Involving Infected Passengers
In this report—the first in a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers introduce a new tool to visualize how COVID-19 infections and commercial air travel have interacted to export infection risk across the world.
Jun 5, 2020
Report
COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: Decisionmakers Should Base Travel Restrictions on Infection Rates Per Capita and Air Traffic Levels
In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers quantify potential vectors of COVID-19 transmission to the United States resulting from commercial air travel.
Jun 5, 2020
Report
COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: Air Passenger Transmission Risk to GCC Countries Originated from Outside the Region
In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers quantify the potential vectors of COVID-19 transmission to Gulf Cooperation Council countries as a result of commercial air travel.
Jun 5, 2020
Report
COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: By January 31, 2020, at Least 1.5 Daily Infected Passengers Were Originating in China
In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers estimate the daily rate of COVID-19 transmission via air travel from China.
Jun 5, 2020
Report
Building Agile Combat Support Competencies to Enable Evolving Adaptive Basing Concepts
RAND researchers review the motivations for adaptive basing, describe a footprint model used for estimating its implications for Agile Combat Support (ACS), and discuss recommendations for the ACS community and the U.S. Air Force at large.
Apr 16, 2020
Report
Personnel Recovery in the AFRICOM Area of Responsibility: Cost-Effective Options for Improvement
This report identifies the most cost-effective options for improving medical rescue capabilities in U.S. Africa Command's area of responsibility.
Aug 27, 2019
Report
Timelines for Reaching Injured Personnel in Africa
This report studies the military medical literature and recent historical cases to explore the relationships between rescuability and time during medical evacuations and other personnel recovery missions.
Nov 17, 2016
Report
Estimating the Value of Overseas Security Commitments
In an era of intensifying debate over U.S. funding and resources, RAND researchers explore whether and to what extent the United States derives economic benefits from its overseas security commitments.
Sep 22, 2016
Research Brief
Economic Benefits of U.S. Overseas Security Commitments Could Far Outweigh Costs
Amid intensifying debate over U.S. funding and resources, RAND researchers find that the economic benefits of U.S. overseas security commitments could far exceed the costs.
Sep 22, 2016
Tool
Estimating the Value of Overseas Security Commitments: An Interactive Visualization
Researchers estimated that U.S. economic losses from major retrenchments of overseas security commitments would be more than triple any gains. This visualization compares different estimated gains and losses from selected retrenchment levels and selected tax, spending, and trade multipliers.
Sep 22, 2016
Draft
Aerospace Concept Exploration System: Architecture and Methods for an Air Vehicle Design Tool
Details the motivation, theory, applicability and architecture of the Aerospace Concept Exploration System design tool.
Feb 9, 2016
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 38, No. 2, Summer 2014
The cover story discusses the rising wave of cybercrime and possible responses to it, while other features highlight research on medical innovation and U.S. security cooperation, plus public policy insights from Victor Hugo.
Aug 7, 2014
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 38, No. 1, Spring 2014
Feature stories discuss the implications of climate change for the Colorado River Basin and the Sierra Nevada, the burdens borne by military caregivers, the drawbacks of joint aircraft programs, and growing inequalities across the European Union.
Apr 1, 2014
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 37, No. 2, Fall 2013
Stories discuss U.S. and Mexican immigration and labor reforms; British, French, and German defense policies in the face of austerity; seven ramifications of the Affordable Care Act; and the cost-effectiveness of correctional education programs.
Nov 26, 2013
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 37, No. 1, Summer 2013
Stories discuss the harms caused by sexual assault in the military; the prospects for minimalist international interventions; cyber threats and nations' responses to them; and the rising costs of dementia in the United States.
Jul 15, 2013
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 3, Winter 2012-2013
Stories discuss the promotion of tolerance and critical thinking in the Arab world through children's media, the challenges faced by the United States in an era of fiscal austerity, and promising models for measuring teacher performance.
Feb 5, 2013
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 2, Fall 2012
The cover story focuses on nine key issues in the 2012 U.S. presidential election: income inequality, health care costs, immigration reform, energy options, education, al Qaeda, Iraq, democratization in the Middle East, and China.
Sep 21, 2012
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 1, Spring 2012
Stories cover Iran's nuclear threat, social security in Mexico, programs for veterans, crime costs, U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, the health insurance mandate, legal defense, marijuana legalization, global education, and Louisiana's coastal planning.
May 11, 2012
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 35, No. 3, Winter 2011-2012
Stories discuss world demographic trends, Afghan peace prospects, U.S. health care spending, California prisoner reentry, Latin American inequalities, global health, veterans' mental health, highway investments, teacher bonuses, and charter schools.
Jan 13, 2012
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 35, No. 2, Summer 2011
Stories discuss America after 9/11, Afghan-based solutions, Al Qaeda's narrative, air passenger security, victim compensation, military families, health insurance, entrepreneurship, unemployment, sex, Katrina families, Arab Spring, and a new RAND.
Sep 1, 2011
Report
The Long Shadow of 9/11: America's Response to Terrorism
In a series of essays, this book addresses the question of how America has responded in the ten years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and suggests options for more effectively dealing with the terrorist threat in the future.
Jul 26, 2011
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 35, No. 1, Spring 2011
Stories discuss gays in the military, police recruitment, home health care, breast cancer, health insurance exchanges, alternative fuels, refinery taxes, alcohol prices, outer space debris, mental illness, diplomatic trends, and health care costs.
Apr 29, 2011
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 34, No. 3, Winter 2010-2011
Stories discuss Haitian recovery, transportation finance, teacher accountability, childhood psychological problems, aging Americans, military savings, U.S. space systems, Middle East peace, the Wallace Foundation, and Politics Aside 2010.
Jan 6, 2011
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 34, No. 2, Summer 2010
Features discuss retirement patterns of baby boomers, marijuana legalization, drug enforcement in Europe, and No Child Left Behind; news items cover the Gulf coast, food allergies, the U.S. health reform law, police benefits, and Pakistani militants.
Aug 14, 2010
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 34, No. 1, Spring 2010
Features discuss energy strategies for Israel, the economic recession, and Iran's leadership; other items discuss the KC-10 fleet, air pollution and hospital costs, no-fault insurance, silica litigation, poverty reduction, and political polarization.
Apr 9, 2010
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 33, No. 3, Winter 2009-2010
Features focus on stabilization missions, grade retention, health financing, and RAND's president; other items discuss the European Union, sodium, health insurance, retail medical clinics, energy efficiency, disaster recovery, and alcohol pricing.
Dec 23, 2009
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 33, No. 2, Summer 2009
A section on U.S. health care reform accompanies features on piracy, education priorities, emerging technologies, and Arkansas antismoking programs; other stories discuss climate change, parolees, oil risks, Mexican security, and global drug policies.
Aug 17, 2009
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 33, No. 1, Spring 2009
Feature stories discuss government cost controls, health information technology, and negotiations with Iran; other stories discuss climate change, soft power, charter schools, meth use, Hispanic enlistments, Mumbai terrorism, and Jeremy Azrael.
Apr 27, 2009
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 32, No. 3, Fall 2008
The cover story offers 12 suggestions for the new U.S. president; other pieces discuss education and health in China and India, health policy models, the U.S. Postal Service mailbox monopoly, a green U.S. Army, and political reform in the Arab world.
Dec 14, 2008
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 32, No. 2, Summer 2008
The cover story contains 11 essays that forecast 11 ''issues over the horizon''; other articles discuss the invisible wounds of war, visions of the future, colleges in prisons, and nuclear deterrence for the modern age.
Aug 1, 2008
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 32, No. 1, Spring 2008
The cover story compares neonatal services across the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Sweden; other features discuss water resources management, U.S. policies in Asia, and political polarization.
Apr 19, 2008
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 31, No. 3, Fall 2007
The cover story issues a midterm report card for the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Other features discuss prescription drug benefit plans for the elderly and different types of ungoverned territories around the world.
Dec 2, 2007
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 31, No. 2, Summer 2007
Feature stories discuss the precarious posture taken by the world toward Afghanistan, lessons for the U.S. National Guard from Hurricane Katrina, and competing claims stoked by the RAND Health Insurance Experiment.
Aug 29, 2007
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 31, No. 1, Spring 2007
Three stories highlight the advantages of policies that have been downplayed in recent years -- in defense, education, and health. Additional articles address antisocial behavior in Britain and problems within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Apr 2, 2007
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 30, No. 3, Fall 2006
The cover story reports on how the nightmare of Hurricane Katrina can give rise to a better morning. Other articles discuss the all-volunteer force, better ways to improve health in developing countries, and lessons from counterinsurgency research.
Dec 4, 2006
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 30, No. 2, Summer 2006
The cover story warns that Americans have succumbed too much to fear, forsaking the things for which they are fighting; related essays discuss suicide attacks, lessons from Algeria, protection for emergency responders, and public health preparedness.
2006
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 30, No. 1, Spring 2006
Addresses a set of shortfalls in U.S. performance in Iraq and identifies options for improvement, particularly with respect to sustaining army forces, promoting reenlistments, and rebuilding Iraqi security.
2006
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 29, No. 1, Spring 2005
Asserts that it is unfair to hold students and schools accountable for success without giving them the resources to succeed; also addresses public benefits of the arts, U.N. and U.S. experiences in nation building, and access cards in the workplace.
2005
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 29, No. 2, Summer 2005
Addresses the public investments and infrastructures that could help a Palestinian state succeed; also reviews the thin deployment of U.S. Army forces and how better electronic prescribing systems could improve health care.
2005
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 29, No. 3, Fall 2005
Outlines the wisdom of bearing the up-front costs for publicly funded high-quality early childhood intervention programs so that society can reap the plentiful returns over time; also reviews energy security, obesity, and national security issues.
2005
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 28, No. 1, Spring 2004
Argues that new threats to national security represent fundamental changes in the ecology of conflict and that America's approach must evolve to meet the challenges; education, obesity, and wind tunnels in aeronautical research are also discussed.
2004
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 28, No. 3, Fall 2004
Proposes ways to transform the U.S. military's personnel and compensation systems; also examines the influence of family socioeconomic background on student educational achievement and lessons of the Green Revolution for the "Gene Revolution."
2004
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 28, No. 2, Summer 2004
Presents data that communities can use to improve the quality of local health care, enumerates conditions that would justify a military draft, suggests ways to improve policy research, and discusses the future of American civil justice.
2004
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 27, No. 3, Fall 2003
Shows how coordinated efforts among community groups and public agencies can reduce gun violence among inner-city youth; also covers expanding health insurance, defense personnel policies, the nuclear threat, domestic violence, and nanotechnology.
2003
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 27, No. 1, Spring 2003
Examines the debate regarding the safety and efficacy of ephedra; also covers contrasting lessons from different educational interventions, a "systems approach" to counterterrorism, domestic abuse, public health, and genetic manipulation.
2003
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 27, No. 2, Summer 2003
Discusses how lessons from the past have not yet been applied to American efforts at nation-building in Afghanistan and Iraq; also examines troop deployment, infectious diseases, workers' compensation, and the health consequences of prisoner release.
2003
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 26, No. 1, Spring 2002
Suggests that the new national agenda of high-stakes testing in K-12 schools may be more of an academic hindrance than a help; also discusses ways to take the profit out of WMD proliferation, U.S. Army logistics, and the 2002 general election.
2002
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 26, No. 3, Fall 2002
Portrays the plight of public policies that are subject to conflicting goals -- on the national, state, and international levels -- including welfare reform in the United States, air quality in California, and information technology around the world.
2002
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 26, No. 2, Summer 2002
Surveys RAND research conducted since Sept. 11, 2001, that examines the dimensions of the terrorist threat and potential responses to it, and issues such as global priorities, oversees deployments, homeland security, and state and local initiatives.
2002
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 25, No. 3, Fall 2001
Presents eight commentaries outlining complementary strategies for the long-term war against terrorism; also discusses how American arts organizations can adapt to shifting audiences and how improvements in depression care pay for themselves.
2001
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 25, No. 1, Spring 2001
Outlines a global agenda for the United States and advocates "selective global leadership" and "strengthened and revitalized alliances"; also discusses key points in a national science and technology agenda for the new administration.
2001
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 25, No. 2, Summer 2001
Recommends ambitious global reorganizations of the U.S. and allied armed forces; proposes a national tracking system to measure the quality of U.S. health care; and suggests that municipal power generation would be a good energy investment.
2001
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 23, No. 3, Winter 1999-2000
Argues that developing and industrialized countries can avoid both environmental and economic disaster resulting from global warming by harnessing alternative fuel technologies; also covers relations with China and U.S. military personnel issues.
2000
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 24, No. 2, Fall 2000
Charts the likely future course of the information revolution throughout the world and suggests an "information strategy" for the global information age; also examines youth violence, electricity deregulation, and terrorism and popular culture.
2000
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 24, No. 1, Summer 2000
Special presidential election issue offers recommendations regarding several domestic and foreign policy issues that will play a crucial role in this year's presidential election.
2000
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 22, No. 2, Winter 1998-1999
Examines the forces driving terrorism today and argues that to counteract the religious root causes of terrorism, there must be national and international leadership that goes beyond military strategy; terrorism and technology also discussed.
1999
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 23, No. 2, Fall 1999
Discusses how the inequities in HIV care demand remedies for U.S. health care and how quality deficiencies pervade the U.S. health care system, and examines the value of drug prevention programs as a means of solving the problems of substance abuse.
1999
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 23, No. 1, Spring 1999
Argues that to be successful, the European-American partnership can no longer depend on a lopsided military relationship, and that Europe must shoulder more of the burden and America must share leadership; also discusses U.S. defense planning.
1999
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 22, No. 1, Fall 1998
Special commemorative issue celebrates 50 years of cutting-edge RAND research, how RAND diversified into social welfare research, and identifies important ways in which RAND research will continue to serve the crucial needs of the future.
1998