Independent Task Force Program

The Council on Foreign Relations launched the Independent Task Force Program in 1995 with a Task Force on nuclear nonproliferation, chaired by Stephen J. Hadley, who most recently served as the national security adviser in the George W. Bush administration. More than seventy-five reports later, Task Forces have become a trademark of the Council. For more information about Task Forces, please contact [email protected].

79 Independent Task Force Reports

Recent Independent Task Forces

China's Belt and Road

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy endeavor, has the potential to meet developing countries’ needs and spur economic growth, but the reality is often otherwise. China’s Belt and Road: Implications for the United States provides a thorough examination of BRI and the challenges it poses to U.S. interests and proposes that the United States respond with an affirmative agenda of its own, drawing on its strengths and coordinating with allies and partners to promote sustainable, secure, and green development around the world.

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.

Contact Us

Anya Schmemann

Program Director
Phone
1.202.509.8502
Email [email protected]

Chelie Setzer

Associate Director
Phone
1.202.509.8515
Email [email protected]

Sara Shah

Program Associate
Phone
1.202.509.8569
Email [email protected]