James F. Digby, who led the RAND Corporation’s International Security Affairs program in the 1960s, died Oct. 10, 2007 in Durham, N.C. He was 86.
Digby was a key player for six decades in understanding how new technology would change the face of warfare. Digby was an advocate for finding ways to avoid hitting civilians in war. Frequently, it was his job to translate the work of more flamboyant thinkers into practical terms that officials at the Pentagon could listen to and act upon.
In the early 1970s, Digby foresaw the change that smart bombs-then called precision-guided munitions-would change the way warfare was conducted, and set about getting the military to begin changing strategies. Working with other experts from all political stripes, Digby helped rethink the kinds of things the U.S. military should invest in.
In the 1980s, Digby coordinated the RAND Corporation’s contributions to the Pentagon’s bipartisan Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy.
Born in Farmerville, La. on Aug. 11, 1921 to Seaborn Lee and Maud Eloise “McLees” Digby, he was raised in nearby Monroe. Digby graduated magna cum laude from Louisiana Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1941 and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1942.
During World War II, Digby served in the Army Signal Corps and took special classes for soldiers in electronics at Harvard University and then in radar (then a military secret) at MIT.
He flew to England to get the radar of a troop carrier squadron in operational shape for the D-Day invasion.
After the war, Digby worked for Watson Laboratories editing training manuals.
But in May 1949, he became a researcher at the new RAND Corporation, working as a junior member of the team that rewrote all of American military strategy in the wake of the invention of the atomic bomb. Digby became the head of the Operations Department at RAND, working with Herman Kahn and Albert Wohlstetter overseeing studies on strategic warfare and air defense.
He was a consultant to the Science Advisory Committee for Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. Digby served as a member of Project Beacon, which Kennedy assigned to rework the Air Traffic Control System.
Digby then took over as program manager for International Security Affairs at RAND, where he coordinated RAND research on a wide range of programs, including research related to both Vietnam and NATO.
Retired from RAND in 1986, Digby remained a consultant. He was writing articles about RAND’s contributions to strategic thought until the day before his death.
Digby is survived by his wife, Mary Jane Bruck Digby; his son, Ward and his wife Lisa; his son, Drew and his wife Eleanor; his daughter, Leslie and her husband Check Pell and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the RAND Alumni Association, 1776 Main St., Santa Monica CA 90407.