Defense and National Security
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As nations engage in a race for global advantage in innovation, ITIF champions a new policy paradigm that ensures businesses and national economies can compete successfully by spurring public and private investment in foundational areas such as research, skills, and 21st century infrastructure. Our work on defense and national security covers topics such as weapons systems, innovation in defense and homeland security agencies, and the role of defense R&D in spurring innovation and competitiveness.
Nonresident Senior Fellow
ITIF Center for Clean Energy Innovation and Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability
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Time for a New National Innovation System for Security and Prosperity
If the United States is to stay ahead of China militarily and technologically, it will need to put in place a new national innovation system that focuses on making U.S. advanced technology leadership—in both innovation and production—the central organizing principle of U.S. economic and national security policy.
More Publications and Events
January 16, 2025|Events
Balancing National Security and Economic Competitiveness in AI Export Controls
Watch now for a panel discussion on the proposed AI export control framework’s implications for U.S. competitiveness, the global AI ecosystem, and national security. Panelists will discuss the risks of the proposed approach, explore alternative policy strategies, and discuss the path forward to balance economic, security, and foreign policy objectives.
November 14, 2024|Presentations
Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on National Security and the Economy
Daniel Castro speaks about the impact of emerging technologies on national security and the economy at the Margalla Dialogue in Islamabad, hosted by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).
September 24, 2024|Testimonies & Filings
Testimony to the US House Oversight Committee: Defending America From the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Warfare, Part III
The best way for U.S. policymakers to think about China, at least in the realm of technology and industry, is that we are engaged in a form of war: China is seeking to defeat the United States on the techno-economic battlefield.
April 17, 2024|Presentations
Prospects for US-Japan Economic Security Partnership and Countering Coercion
Stephen Ezell presents on the state of global geoeconomic competition and avenues for United States-Japan economic security collaboration for the Japan Foundation.
March 27, 2024|Blogs
Lina Khan’s Defective Critique of Boeing as “National Champion”
The chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, is using the crisis facing aerospace giant Boeing to press her case that “national champions” invariably behave badly because they are protected from competition. It is disappointing that Khan’s critique of Boeing reflects so little sectoral expertise and understanding of markets.
March 19, 2024|Events
An Era of Economic Warfare: Examining the EU’s Economic Security Strategy
Watch now for an expert panel discussion of Europe’s efforts and the implications for an allied approach to economic security in an era of economic warfare.
November 17, 2023|Blogs
How Europe Can Make Its Defense Industry a Global Competitor
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 illustrated that Europe is neither as secure nor as prepared as it thinks it is. The European defense industry's fragmentation has come with higher costs and fewer R&D capabilities, making Europe less competitive and less safe.
October 24, 2023|Events
Securing Our Future: A Framework for Critical Technology Assessment
Please join ITIF, The Hamilton Project at Brookings, and the National Network for Critical Technology Assessment in a press release and showcase event launching the release of the report, Securing America’s Future: A Framework for Critical Technology Assessment.
October 2, 2023|Podcasts
Podcast: Getting Export Controls Right, With Kevin Wolf
Export controls exist at the perilous intersection of economic policy and national security. What could go wrong?
February 28, 2023|Blogs
Groupthink Is To Blame for Recent TikTok Bans
A growing number of countries have banned TikTok for alleged security threats. If the threat from China is real, a TikTok ban alone is too limited, but if the threat is overstated, these bans are a wasteful exercise in security theater. Either way, these bans are misguided.
