Lucas Thoma is a Ph.D. candidate at the RAND School of Public Policy and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. Prior to joining RAND, he was the acting Cyber Division Chief for Space Systems Command, U.S. Space Force (USSF), responsible for mitigating cybersecurity, counterintelligence, and supply chain threats to over 200 USSF programs. For more than a decade he has been a member of the Army National Guard, where he currently serves as a military intelligence officer. His previous roles include a range of active-duty intelligence, cyber, and international affairs positions at U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Staff. He also completed traditional Army assignments including company commander, deputy G2X, and operations officer for both a cyber protection team and an intelligence and electronic warfare battalion.
Thoma's academic interests center on geopolitics and great power competition—specifically, how technology, climate change, and other changes will shape the international order and how the United States will develop and implement strategy. He holds an M.A. in international security studies from the University of Arizona and B.A. in history from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Education
M.A. in international security studies, University of Arizona; B.A. in history, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo