Research
Dissertation project: Buy or Build? How States Source Their Military Might
Countries make a consequential decision when they choose how to acquire a new weapons system or platform. Governments may design and build the platform themselves, buy a completed version from a foreign partner, or share part of the production or research process with a foreign partner. The consequences of this decision, which I call their acquisition strategy, affect and are driven by a state’s political economy and international environment. My dissertation project develops a theory of platform acquisition through case studies of Japanese platform acquisition decisions and statistical analysis. I assess the generalizability of the Japanese case through comparative studies of U.S. allies—Australia, South Korea, and France.
Policy Articles and Commentary
”Opportunity Knocks on an Open Door: Japan’s Evolving National Security Posture,” with Eric Heginbotham and Richard Samuels, The Washington Quarterly 46, no. 2 (April 3, 2023): 47–67.
“How Japan Is Falling Short,” The National Interest, May 23, 2021.
“How to Avoid a South China Sea Showdown,” The National Interest, August 2, 2018.
Book Reviews
Review of The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace American Order by Rush Doshi, H-War, November 2022.
Review of Rivals in Arms: The Rise of UK-France Defense Relations in the Twenty-First Century by Alice Pannier, H-War, December 2021.