Council of Councils
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Defense and Security
Defense Technology
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How 2026 Could Decide the Future of Artificial IntelligenceSix CFR fellows examine the challenges that lie ahead, reviewing how governance, adoption, and geopolitical competition will shape artificial intelligence and society’s engagement with this new technology.
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Trump’s $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget Should Not Come as a SurpriseIn the context of global threats to the United States, a long overdue defense modernization bill, and the ambitions of Trump’s signature defense priorities, perhaps the budget request should have been expected.
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Are We Ready? | America’s Crumbling Defense Industrial Base, With Kathleen HicksKathleen Hicks, former Deputy Secretary of Defense and a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, the Johns Hopkins University’s Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the U.S. defense industrial base has struggled to keep pace with the demands of renewed great power competition.
Experts in this Topic
International Affairs Fellow in National Security, sponsored by Janine and J. Tomilson Hill
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DoD's AI Balancing ActTo secure a strategic advantage, the DoD must manage the tension between vendor hype and extreme alarmism regarding AI adoption.
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Putin’s Nuclear Offer: How to Navigate a New START ExtensionThe United States should not fall for Putin’s gambit to undercut Ukraine. Before agreeing to an extension, it must secure greater verification guarantees and a commitment to further negotiations.
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U.S. Economic Security: Winning the Race for Tomorrow’s Technologies
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Strategic competition over the world’s next generation of foundational technologies is underway, and U.S. advantages in artificial intelligence, quantum, and biotechnology are increasingly contested. The United States must address vulnerabilities and mobilize the investment needed to prevail.
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Time to Accept Risk in Defense AcquisitionsU.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth launched enterprising Pentagon reforms that prioritize speed in acquiring new military capabilities, but this ambitious proposal is at risk of running into the same bureaucratic obstacles that have plagued past efforts.
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Are We Ready? | The New Weapons of War, With Michael HorowitzMichael Horowitz, Richard Perry professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania and senior fellow for technology and innovation at the Council on Foreign Relations, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how emerging military technologies are revolutionizing the modern battlefield and how the Pentagon is adapting and incorporating these new technologies.
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Are We Ready? | The China Reckoning, With Rush DoshiRush Doshi, the C.V. Starr senior fellow for Asia Studies and director of the China Strategy Initiative at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States is reckoning with the rise of China and a world of renewed geopolitical competition.
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The Golden Dome Missile Defense System, With Todd HarrisonTodd Harrison, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the feasibility of a multi-layer missile defense system for the United States.
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Is the Pentagon Slowing Artificial Intelligence Adoption?Senior Pentagon officials have demoted a crucial AI office from senior leadership to inside the research and development shop. They say it will lead to an AI-first push, but the move could put Trump’s plan for AI dominance at risk.
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The Opportunities and Risks of Trump's AI Action PlanThe Trump administration released its AI action plan on July 23 to coincide with its ‘Winning the AI Race’ summit in Washington. CFR convened seven of its experts to examine the plan and detail the opportunities and risks they foresee.
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India’s Space Policy: Between Strategic Autonomy and Alignment With the United StatesIndia’s space policy, once driven primarily by domestic development goals, is increasingly aligning with that of the United States. How it approaches the norms of space governance, however, could provide a path for other Global South nations.
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Transition 2025 Series: National Security in the Age of Artificial IntelligencePanelists discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping the national security landscape and how government and technology leaders can respond to emerging threats, protect critical systems, and manage global competition. This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration. This is a virtual meeting through Zoom. Log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
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Navigating the Gray Zone—Strategies to Address Hybrid WarfarePanelists discuss the rising threat of hybrid warfare, exploring the tactics used by hostile states, and effective strategies to counter these covert attacks. **This is a virtual meeting through Zoom. Log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this virtual meeting will be posted on the CFR website.