Dr. McNaugher's books include The M16 Controversies: Military Organizations and Weapons Acquisition (Praeger, 1984); Arms and Oil: U.S. Military Strategy and the Persian Gulf (Brookings, 1985); and New Weapons, Old Politics: America's Military Procurement Muddle (Brookings, 1989). His articles on military strategy, defense organization, and weapons acquisition have been published in numerous books and scholarly journals.

His current research focuses on the shifting military balance in the Western Pacific.