Francis Rico C. Domingo

Francis Rico C. Domingo, PhD

Associate Professor
Quality Assurance Officer

Bulwagang Silangang Palma
Africa Street
University of Philippines Diliman, Quezon City

fcdomingo2@up.edu.ph

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Francis Domingo is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in International Relations. Prior to joining the Department, he was faculty member of De La Salle University from 2010-2023 as well as a Teaching Fellow in Cybersecurity and International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington in 2016.

His research and teaching lie at the intersection of International Relations and Strategic Studies, with particular emphasis on military strategy, war and the use of emerging and established technologies in international affairs. His work has been published by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) and in peer-reviewed academic journals such Comparative Strategy and Defense & Security Analysis. His book, Making Sense of Cyber Capabilities for Small States, was published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis in 2022.

Francis serves as a resource person for cyber issues and military strategy for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Defense College of the Philippines, the Philippine Congress as well as diplomatic missions based in Manila. He was elected as a Fellow of the Philippine Public Safety College in 2023 and is a member of Royal United Services Institute’s (RUSI) Global Partnership for Responsible Cyber Behaviour. He completed the International Visitor Leadership Program (Cybersecurity Policy) of the U.S. Department of State in October 2025.

Before joining academia, Francis worked briefly as a research analyst with the Office of Strategic and Special Studies (OSS), Armed Forces of the Philippines. In the private sector, he coordinated nationwide field operations involving brand protection and enforcement for several Fortune 500 companies, as the Associate Managing Director of RVDBic, a business risk and intelligence consultancy based in Makati City.

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations, University of Nottingham, 2018
  • Master of Research in Strategic Studies, University of Reading, 2014
  • Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies, Brunel University of London, 2009
  • Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, De La Salle University, 2004

Research Interests

Strategic Studies, Technology and International Security, Foreign Policy Analysis, International Relations Theory, Intelligence Studies

Recent Publications

Book

  • Domingo, F. (2022). Making Sense of Cyber Capabilities for Small States. Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge. ISBN 9781032077628.

Book Chapters

  • Domingo, F. (2024). Great Power Competition in Cyberspace in Brian C. H. Fong and Ja Ian Chong (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Great Power Competition (pp. 265-276). Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge.
  • Domingo, F. (2014). Philippine Intelligence Community: A Case for Intelligence Transparency” In Jennifer Oreta and Kathline Tolosa (eds.) Philippine Security Sector Reform Modern Defense Force (pp. 75-86). Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.

Journal Articles

  • Domingo, F. (2016). China’s Engagement in Cyberspace. Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs Vol. 3 No. 2 (2016), pp. 245–259. DOI: 10.1177/2347797016645456
  • Domingo, F. (2016). Explaining Great Power Competition in Cyberspace. Comparative Strategy Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 154-168. DOI: 10.1080/01495933.2016.11764679
  • Domingo, F. (2015). The Problem of Expertise in Strategic Studies. Strategic Analysis Vol. 39(5), 527–534. DOI: 10.1080/09700161.2015.1069979
  • Domingo, F. (2015). The Contexts of Strategy as a Guide for Defense Planning in the Philippines. Defense & Security Analysis Vol. 31(2), 159-167. DOI:10.1080/14751798.2015.1069109
  • Domingo, F. (2014). The RMA Theory and Small States Military and Strategic Affairs Vol. 6 No. 3 (2014), 43-58.

Commissioned Work

  • Domingo, F. (2025). In Technology We Trust? The Struggle to Build a Cyber Force in the Philippines. Center of Integrative and Development Studies, University of the Philippines. https://cids.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/DP-In-Technology-We-Trust.pdf?ref=cybersecurity.ph
  • Domingo, F. (2022). Security Implications of China’s Autonomous, Cyber, and Space Weapons Systems for the Philippines” in Bates Gill (eds.) Meeting China’s Emerging Capabilities (pp. 70-81). Washington D.C.: National Bureau of Research.
  • Domingo, F. and Misalucha-Willoughby, C. (2020). Japan-Philippines Security Cooperation in the Post-Coronavirus World, Makati, Philippines: Albert Del Rosario Institute of Strategic and International Studies.
  • Domingo, F. (2019). Singapore’s Cyber Defense Snapshot in Sean Cordey and Robert S. Dewar (eds.) National Cybersecurity and Cyberdefense Policy Snapshots Collection 2. Switzerland: Center for Security Studies: ETH Zürich 129-145.

Opinion editorials/think pieces

  • Domingo, F. (2024, March 4) “Made in China? The Challenge of State-Sponsored Cyber Intrusions in the Philippines” Fulcrum. https://fulcrum.sg/made-in-china-the-challenge-of-state-sponsored-cyber-intrusions-in-the-philippines/
  • Domingo, F. (2022, June 2). “Diplomacy in the time of cyber conflict” East Asia Forum https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2022/06/02/diplomacy-in-the-time-of-cyber-conflict/
  • Domingo, F. and Gomez, M. A. (2021, May 12) “Cyber Interactions in Southeast Asia: Trends and Responses” FACTS Asia, https://www.factsasia.org/blog/cyber-interactions-in-southeast-asia-trends-and-responses

Courses Taught

  • Political Science 187: Modern Military Strategy
  • Political Science 110: Political Analysis
  • Political Science 180: Introduction to International Relations
  • Social Science 2: Social, Economic, and Political Thought
  • International Affairs 290: Theories of International Relations
  • International Studies 205: Evolution of the International System