A stylized image representing AI. Photo Credit: Flikr/Mike MacKenzie. The US government must establish a special taskforce that tests and sanctions the release of diverse artificial intelligence (AI) products rolled out by Silicon Valley giants to reduce national security or physical security risks of new AI technologies. The potentially damaging effect of AI on society … Continue reading The Need for A Federal AI Supervisory Task Force is More Urgent than Ever
Category: Topics
Keeping the Navy Ship Shape: Assessing Lessons from the Past
Dreadnoughts of the German High Seas Fleet. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. One of the most prominent challenges confronting today’s Navy is lack of manpower. Despite calling for an increase in fleet size to 355 ships, the Navy has struggled to keep enough sailors to maintain operational readiness for the 285 ships it currently has. While … Continue reading Keeping the Navy Ship Shape: Assessing Lessons from the Past
Real Minds Gather to Discuss Artificial Intelligence at the Kalaris Intelligence Conference
Sue Gordon, Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, speaking at the Kalaris Conference. Photo Credit: GSSR/Hunter Price. Academics, government officials, and private sector members descended upon Gaston Hall on September 25, 2019 for the Georgetown University Center for Security Studies’ (CSS) and Center for Security and Emerging Technology’s (CSET) annual Kalaris Intelligence Conference. Together, … Continue reading Real Minds Gather to Discuss Artificial Intelligence at the Kalaris Intelligence Conference
Estonia’s Digital Embassies and the Concept of Sovereignty
An e-Estonia display. Photo Credit: E-Estonia. INTRODUCTION I have previously covered e-Estonia and the strategic risks Estonia’s e-government platforms pose for Estonian and NATO cybersecurity by presenting a ready center of gravity for adversarial cyber operations.[i] That risk is calculated against the revolutionary benefits that e-governance has brought Estonia, making the country’s administration incredibly flexible, … Continue reading Estonia’s Digital Embassies and the Concept of Sovereignty
The Fluctuation of Radicalization and the Fluidity of Extremist Belief-Systems
A group of white nationals marching. Photo Source: Mykal McEldowney/AP. Radicalization is difficult to fully grasp because of its complex historic milieu, geographic peculiarities, and individualistic idiosyncrasies. Frank Furedi, a sociologist best known for his work on the psychology of fear, argues that a government’s portrayal of radicalization usually has a “fantasy like character,” designed … Continue reading The Fluctuation of Radicalization and the Fluidity of Extremist Belief-Systems
The Paralysis of the International Norm against Conventional Weapons Proliferation
President Trump holding an executive order pulling the United States out of the Arms Trade Treaty. Photo Source: Lucas Jackson/Reuters. The norm against conventional weapons proliferation is a relative newcomer on the international legal scene. The first major multilateral treaty regulating the global arms trade, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), was only signed in 2013. … Continue reading The Paralysis of the International Norm against Conventional Weapons Proliferation
The Polyopticon: Data Gathering and State Technopower
A panopticon-inspired prison. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Introduction The world is on the cusp of a fourth industrial revolution.[i] This revolution is driven by the increased connectivity, reactivity, and converging nature of modern technologies. It is enabled by constant data-streams analyzed through ultramodern techniques, which allow vendors to immediately integrate analysis into product and service … Continue reading The Polyopticon: Data Gathering and State Technopower
An Unpatchable Exploit: The Human Vulnerability in Cybersecurity
Individual holding a flash drive. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Popular imagination envisions hackers as shadowy figures in dark rooms hunched over computers running thousands of lines of code as they attempt to brute force their way into target networks and systems. But the reality is that hacking is not often about “brute force.” Instead, whether … Continue reading An Unpatchable Exploit: The Human Vulnerability in Cybersecurity
Beam Us Up Donnie: The Future of Boost Phase Missile Defense
Concept art of a laser-armed aircraft destroying a missile. Photo Credit: Defense One. North Korea remains a clear threat to American security. Despite demonstrating a willingness to carry out major diplomatic spectacles and “dismantle” satellite launch sites such as the Sohae facility, North Korea continues to develop its ballistic missile and nuclear arsenal. The Kim … Continue reading Beam Us Up Donnie: The Future of Boost Phase Missile Defense
Breaching Fortress Russia: The Uncertain Future of U.S. Expeditionary Warfare
Russian soldiers marching in Red Square. Photo Credit: The Kremlin. Pivot to Near-Peer Competition Currently, the United States possesses unmatched military power projection capabilities, spending almost as much on its military as the next eight highest-spending countries combined, as well as possessing the greatest number of forward-deployed forces in the world.[I] However, as the U.S. … Continue reading Breaching Fortress Russia: The Uncertain Future of U.S. Expeditionary Warfare