Thomas S. Szayna is an adjunct political scientist at the RAND Corporation. He has over 35 years of experience in national security policy and defense analysis.
He was the director of RAND's Defense and Political Sciences Department in 2014–2020. From 1997 to 2011 he served as associate director of the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program in the RAND Army Research Division. His research has focused on aspects of strategic planning for the U.S. armed forces, European security, post-conflict stability and reconstruction operations, and coalition interoperability. He has given testimony for the U.S. House of Representatives and has been a keynote speaker at a number of defense conferences.
Szayna received an M.A. in international relations from Claremont Graduate School and a B.A. in history and philosophy from Villanova University.
Selected Publications
Thomas S. Szayna, Eric V. Larson, Angela O'Mahony, Sean Robson, Agnes Gereben Schaefer, et.al., Considerations for Integrating Women into Closed Occupations in U.S. Special Operations Forces, RAND Corporation (RR-1058), 2016
Michael J. McNerney, Angela O'Mahony, Thomas S. Szayna, Derek Eaton, Caroline Baxter, Colin P. Clarke, Emma Cutrufello, Michael McGee, Heather Peterson, Leslie Payne, Calin Trenkov-Wermuth, Assessing Security Cooperation as a Preventive Tool, RAND Corporation (RR-350), 2014
Elvira N. Loredo, John E. Peters, Karlyn D. Stanley, Matthew E. Boyer, William Welser, Thomas S. Szayna, Authorities and Options for Funding USSOCOM Operations, RAND Corporation (RR-360), 2014
Thomas S. Szayna, William Welser, Developing and Assessing Options for the Global SOF Network, RAND Corporation (RR-340), 2013
Eric V. Larson, Derek Eaton, Brian Nichiporuk, Thomas S. Szayna, Assessing Irregular Warfare: A Framework for Intelligence Analysis, RAND Corporation (MG-668), 2009
Thomas S. Szayna, Kevin F. McCarthy, Jerry M. Sollinger, Linda J. Demaine, Jefferson P. Marquis, Brett D. Steele, The Civil-Military Gap in the United States: Does It Exist, Why, and Does It Matter?RAND Corporation (MG-379), 2007
Thomas S. Szayna, Paul Dreyer, Derek Eaton, Lisa Saum-Manning, Army Global Basing Posture: an Analytic Framework for Maximizing Responsiveness and Effectiveness, RAND Corporation (RR-158), 2015