John F. Bradford is a Senior Fellow in the Maritime Security Programme at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is also the Executive Director and founding President of the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (www.YCAPS.org ), a non-profit organization that capitalizes on Yokosuka City’s unique pool of global expertise and rich maritime heritage to deliver professional development opportunities, build networks between individuals, promote understanding of the role Japan’s base-hosting communities in regional affairs.
Mr. Bradford maintains an active research agenda focused on Asian security with special attention given to maritime issues and cooperative affairs. A frequent commentator at public events and specialized conferences, he has been invited to give lectures and presentations in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia. His written work can be found in publications such as Contemporary Southeast Asia, Asia Policy, Asian Security, Asian Survey, Naval War College Review, and Naval Institute Proceedings. He has also written book chapters, online articles, and monographs published by leading international think tanks.
Mr. Bradford received his BA in Asian Studies and Government from Cornell University. During his undergraduate experience, he also earned a Diploma of Indonesian studies from Malang State University in Indonesia and served as an exchange midshipmen sailing aboard the Royal Malaysian Navy ship, KD Rahmat. As an Olmsted Scholar, he studied in the Department of Political Science at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and completed an MSc (Strategic Studies) from RSIS. At RSIS, he was awarded the UOB Gold Medal as the top student in Strategic Studies. He is also a graduate of Japan’s National Institute of Defense Studies, the U.S. National Defense University, and the U.S. Naval War College.
Prior to joining the research sector full time, Mr. Bradford spent move than twenty years in the U.S. Navy. His Navy assignments included service as Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Combat Systems Officer, Chief Engineer, Navigator, First Lieutenant and Electronic Warfare Officer in ships forward-deployed to Japan that operated throughout the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean. He also served as Deputy Director of the U.S. 7th Fleet Maritime Headquarters, as Regional Cooperation Coordinator for the U.S. 7th Fleet; as Country Director for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; and as Asia-Pacific Politico-military Branch Chief on the Navy Staff.
John Bradford’s Publication
Academic Journal Articles
- 対機雷戦―日米韓安全保障協力の新たなアジェンダ, 海幹校戦略研究, Jan 2019 (with Narushige Michishita and Daniel Fillion). Published in Japanese. English citation: Anti-Mine Warfare – A New Agenda of Japan-US and South Korea Security Cooperation, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Command and Staff College Review, Jan 2019.
- Waves of Change: Evolution in the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Approach to Disaster Relief Operations Between the 2004 and 2011 Asian Tsunamis , Asian Security, spring 2013.
- The Case for a Northeast Asian Disaster Relief Hub , Asia Policy, June 2012 (with Deogsan Ahn, James Newberry and Harold Wescott).
- The Maritime Strategy of the United States: Implications for Indo-Pacific Sealanes , Contemporary Southeast Asia, Aug 2011.
- Shifting the Tides Against Piracy in Southeast Asian Waters , Asian Survey, May/June 2008.
- The Growing Prospects for Maritime Security Cooperation in Southeast Asia , Naval War College Review, summer 2005.
- Japanese Anti-Piracy Initiatives in Southeast Asia: Policy Formulation and Coastal State Responses ,
Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 26, No. 3, Dec 2004.
Edited Volumes
- U.S.-Japan Alliance Handbook. Office of the Secretary of Defense-Policy and National Defense University. 2nd edition Nov 2012. 1st edition Nov 2010.
Book Chapters
- U.S. Counter-Piracy Efforts in Southeast Asia 2004-2015: Consistent, Cooperative and Supportive, Piracy in Southeast Asia: Trends, Hot Spots and Responses , Caroline Liss and Ted Biggs (eds), Routledge, 2016.
Conference Proceedings
- U.S. Strategic Interests and Cooperative Activities in Maritime Southeast Asia, Maritime Security in Southeast Asia: U.S., Japanese, Regional and Industry Strategies , John Bradford, James Manicom, Simon Sheldon and Neil Quartaro, National Bureau of Asian Research Special Report #24, Nov 2010 (also published in The Global Maritime Security and the Japan-U.S. Alliance, Japan Forum on International Relations, May 2010).
Professional Journal Articles
- Trilateral Security Cooperation: Act Now Against Sea Mines , U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Jan 2018. (with Daniel Fillion).
- Develop Cross Cultural Competence , U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, March 2008 (with Annette Bradford).
Encyclopedia Entries
- Japan (1945 to present), Orang Laut, Tandjong Priok, Turtle Ships and Zheng He, The Sea in World History: Exploration, Travel, and Trade , Stephen Stein (ed), ABC-CLIO, 2017.
- Indonesian Revolution, Fall of Malaya-Singapore, Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation and Malayan Emergency, International Encyclopedia of Military History , James Bradford (ed), Routledge, 2006.
Research Institute Publication Sereies
- Understanding 50 Years of Japanese Maritime Security Initiatives in Southeast Asia, Foreign Expert Perspectives, National Institute of Defense, Sept 2018.
- Beyond Bilateralism: Exercising the Maritime Security Network in Southeast Asia , Issues & Insights, Vol 16, No 11, CSIS PACFORUM, 15 Jun 2016 (with Greg Adams).
- The Global Maritime Fulcrum: A New American Opportunity to Seriously Engage Indonesia , Issues & Insights, Vol 15, No 9, CSIS PACFORUM, 6 Oct 2015 (with Sean Quirk).
- Japan-China Maritime Confidence Building and Communications Mechanisms , PACNET #67, 20 Aug 2013 (with James Przystup and James Manicom).
- Southeast Asian Maritime Security in the Age of Terror: Threats, Opportunity, and Charting the Course Forward , RSIS Working Paper, No 75, Apr 2005.
- The Indonesian Military as a Professional Organization: Criteria and Ramifications for Reform , Explorations, Autumn 2005 (also published as RSIS Working Paper, No 73, Jan 2005.
- The ROTC Advantage, American Enterprise. Fall 1999 (with Elias Lehrer).
- Civil-Military Relations Theory, Reform. Muhammadiyah University Malang, Fall 1995.
Web-Based Publications
- New Multilateralism for Maritime Southeast Asia: Getting More Value Per CARAT , War on the Rocks, 5 Sept 2016 (with Greg Adams and Sean Quirk).
- A Ride through Singapore’s World War II Disaster , Sea Diaries, Commander U.S. 7th Fleet, 26 March 2016.
- The ‘Global Maritime Fulcrum’ and the U.S.-Indonesia Partnership , The Diplomat, 27 Oct 2015 (with Sean Quirk).
Book Reviews
- Review of Japan’s Security Renaissance by Andrew Oros, U.S. Naval War College Review, winter 2018 (with Matthew Noland).
- Review of Japan as a Sea Power by Alessio Patalano, U.S. Naval War College Review, autumn 2015 (with Carlos Rosende).
- Review of Bridging Troubled Waters by James Manicom, U.S. Naval War College Review, winter 2015 (with Joelle Portzer).
- Review of Contemporary Maritime Piracy in Southeast Asia: History, Causes and Remedies by Adam Young, International Journal of Maritime History, Dec 2007.