John Allen ("Jay") Williams is Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago and is Chair and President of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society. His academic degrees are from Grinnell College (B.A.) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.A. and Ph.D.). His writings include works on civil-military relations, military culture, military professionalism and leadership, professional military education, personnel issues, military strategy, military forces and missions, catastrophic terrorism, defense organization, and strategic policy.
Dr. Williams' latest book is U.S. National Security: Policymakers, Processes, and Politics (with Sam C. Sarkesian and Stephen J. Cimbala). Previous books include The Postmodern Military: Armed Forces After the Cold War (with Charles C. Moskos and David R. Segal), Soldiers, Society, and National Security (with Sam C. Sarkesian and Fred B. Bryant), The U.S. Army in a New Security Era (with Sam C. Sarkesian), and U.S. National Security Policy and Strategy, 1987-1995: Documents and Policy Proposals (with Robert A. Vitas). He wrote the report, Catastrophic Terrorism: Imminent Threat, Uncertain Response for the McCormick Tribune Foundation. He co-authored "Civil Rights vs. Combat Effectiveness? Military Policies on Gender and Sexuality" (with Laura L. Miller), in Peter D. Feaver and Richard H. Kohn, eds., Soldiers and Civilians: The Civil-Military Gap and American National Security. He has published in Armed Forces & Society, The Washington Quarterly , Military Review, America, Air University Review, the National Strategy Forum Review, and the Naval Institute Proceedings, and has contributed numerous chapters to scholarly books.
In addition to his leadership of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, Dr. Williams chairs the Academic Advisory Committee and serves on the Editorial Board of the National Strategy Forum in Chicago. He is a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Sociology at Northwestern University and is co-organizer and past President of the International Security and Arms Control Section of the American Political Science Association. He is a frequent media commentator whose lectures and professional appearances discussing military policy and civil military relations have taken him to Russia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Turkey, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, El Salvador, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Taiwan, and Australia.
Dr. Williams retired as a Captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve with 30 years of commissioned service. A designated
Strategic Plans Officer, he performed active duty aboard USS Columbus (CG-12) and the U.S. Naval Academy, and
active and reserve duty with the Chief of Naval Operations (Strategic Concepts Branch), the Joint Chiefs of Staff
(Strategy Branch), the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Assistant Principal Deputy Undersecretary for Strategy and
Resources), the Naval War College, and the Commander, Second Fleet. His last reserve assignment was with the
Commander, Naval Training Center Great Lakes to provide military assistance to civilian authorities in the event of a
civil emergency. His personal awards include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal (two awards) and the
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
