John D. Winkler is a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and former director of the Forces and Resources Policy Center of the RAND National Security Research Division. His areas of expertise include defense manpower and personnel policy, individual and family readiness, military education and training, and reserve component issues. Previously at RAND, Winkler held a range of corporate and leadership positions, developing and supervising studies and analyses that addressed a range of issues related to defense manpower, training, and reserve affairs.
From 2001 to 2007, Winkler 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, spearheaded policy and legislative initiatives to streamline reserve component personnel management, and developed Department of Defense policy documents governing the 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.
Ph.D. in social psychology, Harvard University; B.A. in psychology, University of Pennsylvania
