Jonathan P. Wong

Jonathan P. Wong
Associate Director, Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program, RAND Arroyo Center; Policy Researcher; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in policy analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School; M.Phil in policy analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School; M.A. in security studies, Georgetown University; B.A in poltical science, University of California San Diego

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

Jonathan Wong (he/him) is associate director of the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program of the RAND Arroyo Center, a policy researcher at RAND, and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research focuses on the role of new technologies and operational concepts, and processes in shaping how militaries fight. He also contributes to other force design and development research and RAND's military logistics, manpower, intelligence policy, and strategy portfolios.

Previously, Wong was a consultant at Boston Consulting Group, providing strategic advice for clients in industrial goods and and nonprofit sectors. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an enlisted infantryman and infantry officer from 2001 to 11, deploying multiple times to Iraq and the Western Pacific.

Wong holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in policy analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School, an M.A. in security studies from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in political science from the University of California, San Diego.

Recent Projects

  • Alternative Concepts for Land Forces in the Indo-Pacific
  • Strengthening the Defense Innovation Ecosystem
  • Understanding the Performance of the Adaptive Acquisition Framework Pathway through Metrics
  • Accelerating Modernization and Innovation: Use of Other Transactions for Prototype Projects Authority
  • Digital Engineering’s Impact on Air Force Weapon System Cost Estimates

Selected Publications

Wong, Jonathan P., Michael J. Mazarr, Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, Michael Bohnert, Scott Boston, Christian Curriden, Derek Eaton, Gregory Weider Fauerbach, Joslyn Fleming, Katheryn Giglio, Dahlia Anne Goldfeld, Derek Grossman, Timothy R. Heath, John C. Jackson, Michael E. Linick, Eric Robinson, Lisa Saum-Manning, Ryan A. Schwankhart, Michael Schwille, Stephan B. Seabrook, Alice Shih, and Jonathan Welch, New Directions for Projecting Land Power in the Indo-Pacific: Contexts, Constraints, and Concepts, RAND Corporation (RR-A1672-1), 2022

Wong, Jonathan P., Yool Kim, Krista Langeland, George Nacouzi, Krista Romita Grocholski, Jonathan Balk, Karishma V. Patel, and Barbara Bicksler, Leveraging Commercial Space Services: Opportunities and Risks for the Department of the Air Force, RAND Corporation (RR-A1724-1), 2023

Wong, Jonathan P., Obaid Younossi, Christine Kistler LaCoste, Philip S. Anton, Alan J. Vick, Guy Weichenberg, and Thomas C. Whitmore, Improving Defense Acquisition: Insights from Three Decades of RAND Research, RAND Corporation (RR-A1670-1), 2022

Jonathan P. Wong, "Bad Idea: Overly Focusing on Development and Acquisition Speed," CSIS Defense 360, 2020

Honors & Awards

  • Hogaboom Leadership Writing Award, Marine Corps Association

Recent Media Appearances

Interviews: Aerospace International, UK; NPR News; Sea Control

Commentary

Publications