Independent Task Force Program
78 Independent Task Force Reports
Recent Independent Task Forces
Improving Pandemic Preparedness
The United States and the world were unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacted a heavy human and economic price. Emerging and reemerging infectious diseases are an imminent threat to global and national security that neither the United States nor the world can afford to ignore. Improving Pandemic Preparedness: Lessons From COVID-19 proposes a comprehensive strategy to help the United States and the multilateral system perform better in this crisis and when the next one emerges. Without increased U.S. leadership on and adequate investment in pandemic preparedness and response, the United States and the world and will remain vulnerable to epidemic threats.
Innovation and National Security
For the past three-quarters of a century, the United States has led the world in technological innovation, but it now risks falling behind its competitors, principally China. To ensure it remains the predominant power in a range of emerging technologies, the United States needs to advance a national innovation strategy based on four pillars: restoring federal funding for research and development, attracting and educating a science and technology workforce, supporting technology adoption in the defense sector, and bolstering and scaling technology alliances and ecosystems. With renewed dedication, the United States can ensure its continued and future economic growth and national security.
The Work Ahead
The world is in the midst of a transformation in the nature of work, as smart machines, artificial intelligence, new technologies, and global competition remake how people do their jobs and pursue their careers. The Work Ahead: Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership in the Twenty-First Century focuses on how to rebuild the links among work, opportunity, and economic security for all Americans in the face of accelerating change. To prosper and to lead, the United States must find new ways to meet the workforce challenges of the twenty-first century.
