Seth Jones

Seth G. Jones is a political scientist and former senior Defense Department official whose research focuses on defense strategy, the defense industrial base, and irregular warfare. He has written extensively on the conventional and irregular military capabilities of China, Russia, and Iran, as well as on terrorist and insurgent organizations. Jones currently serves as a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

As one of Washington’s leading voices on defense strategy and adversary military capabilities, Jones shapes how policymakers and the public understand the threat environment that is driving demand for autonomous and AI-enabled weapons systems. His work on homeland security and great-power competition puts him at the center of debates over where and how these technologies will be deployed.