Cynthia Cook

Cynthia Cook is director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group and a senior fellow in the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She is widely published on defense acquisition policy and organization, the defense industrial base, new technology development, and weapon systems production and sustainment. Dr. Cook is a member of the editorial board for the Defense Acquisition Research Journal and is an adjunct professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. From 1997 to 2021, Dr. Cook worked as a senior management scientist at RAND, where she served as the director of the Acquisition and Technology Policy Center and managed a wide range of studies for components across the U.S. Department of Defense, along with the Australian Department of Defense and the UK Ministry of Defense. Previously, Dr. Cook was a research specialist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working on the Lean Aerospace Initiative. Before her graduate studies, Dr. Cook worked in New York as an investment banker, specializing in high-yield finance. She holds a PhD in sociology from Harvard University and a BS in management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Areas of Expertise
Media Queries
- H. Andrew Schwartz
- Chief Communications Officer
- 202.775.3242
- aschwartz@csis.org
- Samuel Cestari
- Media Relations Coordinator, External Relations
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In the News 8 of 67 results
Trump and Biden both claim diplomatic win in Gaza ceasefire deal
Cynthia Cook in Financial Times — January 16, 2025
US defence industry braced for tech shake-up under Trump
Cynthia Cook in Financial Times — January 16, 2025
Why China rivalry could fuel Donald Trump’s quest for cost-effective warships
Cynthia Cook in South China Morning Post — January 12, 2025
The New Frontier for Drone Warfare Is Deep Underwater
Cynthia Cook in The Wall Street Journal — December 16, 2024
Analysts wrestle with Replicator tea leaves as Trump returns to Oval
Cynthia Cook in Inside Defense — November 25, 2024
The US is finally going to make a key explosive at home, and that's good news for the military
Cynthia Cook in Business Insider — November 23, 2024
Defence firms 'need reassuring' that big orders will be long-term
Cynthia Cook in BBC — August 26, 2024
Lawmakers want DOD to show its work on blocking R&D contracts to Chinese entities
Cynthia Cook in Inside Defense — August 20, 2024
All Cynthia Cook Content
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Mapping the U.S. DOD Acquisition Ecosystem
Meeting DoD’s Innovation Challenge: Adapting and Scaling Cutting-Edge Technology to Enhance Modernization
Event — January 15, 2025
Managing Risk While Achieving Innovation: Lessons from the Collaborative Combat Aircraft with Hon. Andrew P. Hunter
Event — December 10, 2024
Alternative Funding Mechanisms in Review
Report by Erin L. Murphy, Cynthia Cook, Emily Harding, Gregory Sanders, Nicholas Velazquez, Julia Dickson, and Maeve Sockwell — November 21, 2024
Funding Allied Innovation: Ensuring Advanced Capabilities for the Future Warfighter
Event — November 7, 2024
Implementing the National Defense Industrial Strategy: A Fireside Chat with the Honorable Dr. Laura D. Taylor-Kale
Event — October 30, 2024
Army UAS Roundtable featuring ASA(ALT) Hon. Douglas R. Bush and Commanding Gen. James E. Rainey, U.S. Army Futures Command
Event — September 27, 2024
Building a Mutually Complementary Supply Chain between Japan and the United States
Report by Christopher B. Johnstone, Cynthia Cook, Audrey Aldisert, Leah Klaas, Christine Michienzi, Gregg Rubinstein, Gregory Sanders, and Nicholas Szechenyi — August 15, 2024
Press Briefing: Previewing the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations
Event — August 1, 2024
Recruiting Friends for the Polar Icebreaker Express: Viewing the ICE Pact through Broader Defense Industrial Cooperation
Podcast Episode by Katy Buda, Gregory Sanders, and Cynthia Cook — August 1, 2024
