Timothy R. Heath

Senior International/Defense Researcher

Washington Office

Education

Ph.D. in political science, George Mason University; M.A. in Asian Studies, George Washington University; B.A. in philosophy, College of William and Mary

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

Timothy R. Heath is a senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation. Prior to joining RAND in October 2014, he served as the senior analyst for the USPACOM China Strategic Focus Group. He has over twenty years of experience researching and analyzing military and political topics related to China.

In addition to his publications with the RAND Corporation, Heath has published numerous articles and one book. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, he has extensive experience analyzing China's national strategy, politics, ideology, and military, as well as Asian regional security developments. He has a Ph.D. in political science from George Mason Unversity and an M.A. in Asian studies from George Washington University.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

China and the International Order
China's Pursuit of Overseas Security
The Chinese Air Force's First Steps Towards Becoming an Expeditionary Air Force

Selected Publications

Timothy R. Heath, Winning Friends and Influencing People: Naval Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics, China Maritime Studies Institute , 2020

Timothy R. Heath, ""Dispute Control: China Recalibrates Use of Military Force to Support Security Policy's Expanding Focus"," Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies, 43(1-2), 2018

Timothy R. Heath, William R. Thompson, ""Avoiding U.S.-China Rivalry is Futile: Why the Best Option is to Manage Strategic Rivalry," Asian Policy, 13(2), 2018

Timothy R. Heath, Andrew S. Erickson, ""Is China Pursuing Counter-Intervention?"," Washington Quarterly, 38(3), 2017

Timothy R. Heath, "China's Evolving Approach to Economic Diplomacy," Asia Policy, 22(2), 2016

Timothy R. Heath, China's New Governing Party Paradigm: Political Renewal and the Pursuit of National Rejuvenation, Ashgate, 2014

Timothy R. Heath, "What Does China Want? Discerning the PRC's National Strategy," Asian Security, 8(1), 2012

Timothy R. Heath, "Why PLA Watchers Keep Missing Changes to China's Military Strategy," American Intelligence Journal, 27(1), 2009

Honors & Awards

Innovation Award, Rand Corporation
Army Achievement Medal (Fourth Award), U.S. Army

Languages

Chinese; French

Recent Media Appearances

Interviews: AlArabiya.net; al-Watan, Egypt; ARD News, Germany; Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, CSIS; BBC World Service; Bloomberg Television EMEA; Channel News Asia; CNBC Online; CTV News, Canada; Defense & Aerospace Report; The Diplomat; Dwnews, China; FOX News Channel; Gray DC; Here and There, Santa Fe Public Radio; Independent Journal Review; La Razon; Maritime Security; Newsy; Phoenix TV, China; Radio Free Asia; The Ross Kaminsky Show; Sinovision; The Spectator, UK; tbs eFM 101.3MHz - Seoul, S. Korea; VOA; Voice of America Chinese; World Politics Review; WXPI Pittsburgh