National Security | Council on Foreign Relations

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

What to Know About the New Trump Administration Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence

President Trump’s executive order on January 23rd follows his repeal of Biden’s AI executive order, directing reviews of relevant work by federal departments and agencies.

Post by Michael C. Horowitz January 24, 2025 Net Politics
Climate Change

The L.A. Fires Show the Need for Climate Realism

The wildfires scorching the region around Los Angeles are likely to be the most expensive in history. But, future climate change-related disasters will certainly top them in cost. Here are some steps to limit the damage.

Expert Brief by Varun Sivaram January 9, 2025
United States

A Conversation With Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines

Please note that the CFR meeting with Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Thursday, December 5, 2024, will now be held from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. (EST) due to a change in the speaker’s schedule. The lunch will begin at 12:15 p.m. Avril Haines discusses strategic competition with China and the operations of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, including her focus on collaboration with the private sector and the intelligence community’s recruitment needs. For those attending virtually, 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.

Virtual Event by Avril Haines and Michael Froman December 5, 2024

Experts in this Keyword

Daniel B. Poneman

Senior Fellow

United States

Trump’s National Security Appointees, With Christopher M. Tuttle (Transition 2025, Episode 3)

Christopher M. Tuttle, a senior fellow at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the people that President-elect Donald Trump has nominated for foreign policy and national security positions. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Christopher M. Tuttle November 19, 2024 The President’s Inbox
Climate Change

Securing the Future: Navigating the Nexus of Climate and Defense

Panelists discuss the intersection of climate change and national security, the emerging challenges for defense, and how the U.S. military is adapting to address these evolving threats.

Event with Meredith Berger, Sherri Goodman, Varun Sivaram and Raj Kumar October 21, 2024 Energy Security and Climate Change Program
RealEcon

National Security Regulation and the Decline of Cost-Benefit Analysis

Laws meant to insulate domestic companies from foreign transactions are often implemented with little regard to the ensuing domestic costs. Those costs could undermine the national security goals of the laws.

Article by Stephen Heifetz October 10, 2024 RealEcon
Technology and Innovation

What Is Quantum Computing?

Quantum computing, once the realm of science fiction, could bring massive economic gains. But it also threatens to upend national security, and governments are racing to prepare.

Backgrounder by Noah Berman October 7, 2024
Colombia

“Total Peace” is Dead. For Petro, Partial Peace is the Best Remaining Option

Gustavo Petro must rethink his talks with armed groups before they fail completely.

Post by Will Freeman and Steven Holmes September 24, 2024 Latin America’s Moment
RealEcon

To Drive National Security, Secure Supply Chains and Personal Data

New proposed rules on connected vehicles would keep China and Russia out of key parts of the automotive supply chain. But vulnerabilities in national security will remain until the U.S. establishes stronger data privacy protections.

Article by Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf September 23, 2024 Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program
Indo-Pacific

Guam’s Strategic Importance in the Indo-Pacific

The island’s proximity to Asia makes it a critical outpost for the U.S. military and a potential hub in the event of regional conflict.

In Brief by Clara Fong and Diana Roy September 6, 2024
Georgia

What Georgia’s Foreign Agent Law Means for Its Democracy

Georgia’s new law reflects rising Russian influence in the country and has prompted backlash from the United States and the European Union, which fear it could harm the Caucasus state’s democratic development.

In Brief by Marc Goedemans August 21, 2024
United States

In-Person DC Roundtable: National Security and the U.S. Pharma and Biotech Industries

The COVID-19 pandemic and chronic U.S. drug shortages highlight the health security and strategic importance of U.S. pharmaceutical and biotechnology capabilities during and between pathogenic crises. Geopolitical competition and interest in industrial policy for biotechnology further underscore the national security role of domestic biopharmaceutical infrastructure. Policymakers confront competing health, economic, and strategic priorities in maximizing innovation in technology, business models, and health-care systems in facilitating safe, accessible, secure, and sustainable products, services, and supply chains. Please join our speakers, Monique K. Mansoura, executive director for global health security and biotechnology at The MITRE Corporation, and Victor Suarez, Colonel (ret.), U.S. Army, senior fellow (visiting) at The Council on Strategic Risks and founder of BluZoneBio, to explore challenges facing the U.S. pharma and biotech industries and approaches to strengthening the national security resilience of those industries in a world marked by health and geopolitical threats.

Event with Monique K. Mansoura, Victor Suarez and David P. Fidler June 25, 2024
China

China Strategy Initiative Launch Event

Led by Senior Fellow Rush Doshi, the China Strategy Initiative will study and debate the questions that go to the heart of U.S. China strategy. It will launch several new programs that undertake fresh analysis, provide granular policy recommendations, and convene experts from around the world.

Virtual Event by Maher Bitar, Kurt M. Campbell, Tarun Chhabra, Elbridge A. Colby, Bonny Lin, Matt Pottinger, Stephen Wertheim, Rush Doshi , Michael Froman and Ellen Nakashima June 24, 2024
RealEcon

Supporting American Small Businesses Against Foreign Threats

Small businesses are critical to U.S. national security. They’re also increasingly targeted by foreign cyberattacks. The federal government can do more to protect them.

Article by Tara Donohue Bartels and Tarah Wheeler June 11, 2024 RealEcon
Middle East and North Africa

Oil and National Security: U.S.-Middle East Relations

Steven Cook discusses the modern history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East and how economic interests, including secure access to oil reserves, continue to influence U.S. priorities in the region today. In a preview of his forthcoming book The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East, he provides his vision for the future of U.S.-Middle East relations and what that could mean for U.S. energy security and global trade.

Virtual Event by Steven A. Cook and Helima Croft May 29, 2024 Middle East Program