John D. Winkler is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation and director of the Forces and Resources Policy Center of the RAND National Security Research Division. The Center's mission is to improve policy and decisionmaking governing personnel management and use of defense resources to enhance readiness and sustain a vibrant all-volunteer force. His areas of expertise include defense manpower and personnel policy, individual and family readiness, military education and training, and reserve component issues. Winkler joined RAND in 1980 where he served until 2001 and held a range of corporate and leadership positions, developing and supervising studies and analyses which addressed a range of issues related to defense manpower, training, and reserve affairs.
In 2001, Winkler entered public service in the U.S. Department of Defense. From 2001 to 2007, he was deputy assistant secretary of defense for manpower and personnel, responsible for National Guard and Reserve manpower and personnel matters (e.g., manpower requirements and utilization; recruitment, attrition, and compensation; individual and family support; medical programs; personnel data systems; and legislation). He led the Reserve Component portion of the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review, developed the "continuum of service" personnel management paradigm, and developed Department of Defense policy documents governing use of military forces and the management of the Reserve Components as an operational force. He served as principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs from 2007 to 2009. He is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.
Winkler received his Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University.
Selected Publications
Agnes Gereben Schaefer, John D. Winkler, Kimberly Jackson, Daniel Ibarra, Darrell Jones, Geoffrey McGovern, Approaches for Strengthening Total Force Culture and Facilitating Cross-Component Integration in the U.S. Military, RAND (RR-2143-OSD), 2020 (forthcoming)
John D. Winkler, Timothy Marler, Marek N. Posard, Raphael Cohen, Meagan L. Smith, Reflections on the Future of Warfare and Implications for Personnel Policies of the U.S. Department of Defense, RAND (PE-324-OSD), 2020
Beth J. Asch and John D. Winkler, Ensuring Language Capability in the Intelligence Community: What is the Best Mix of Military, Civilians, and Contractors?RAND (TR-1284), 2013
Susan M. Gates, Geoffrey McGovern, Ivan Waggoner, John D. Winkler, Ashley Pierson, Lauren Andrews, Peter Buryk, Supporting Employers in the Reserve Operational Forces Era: Are Changes Needed to Reservists' Employment Rights Legislation?RAND (RR-152), 2011
John D. Winkler, "Developing an Operational Reserve: A Policy and Historical Context and the Way Forward," Joint Forces Quarterly, 59((4)), 2010
Jennifer C. Buck, Thomas L. Bush, Barbara A. Bicksler, Karen L. McKenney, John D. Winkler "The New Guard and Reserve," in John D. Winkler and Barbara Bicksler (Eds.), The New Guard and Reserve, Falcon Books, 2010
Bernard D. Rostker, Susan Hosek, and John D. Winkler (Study Co-Directors), Sexual Orientation and U.S. Military Personnel Policy: An Update of RAND's 1993 Study, RAND (MG-1056-OSD), 2010
John D. Winkler, R. Wayne Spruell, Thomas L. Bush, and Gary L. Crone "A "Continuum of Service" for the All-Volunteer Force," in Barbara A. Bicksler, Curtis L. Gilroy, and John T. Warner (Eds.), The All Volunteer Force: Thirty Years of Service, Brassey's Inc., 2004