Laboratory researcher using a light microscope to examine stem cells in a culture jar. At right are a pipette, samples and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) helix to illustrate genetic editing and research. Photo Credit: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via AP Images. By: Roxanne Heston, Columnist Biosecurity is the field working to mitigate the risks of natural pandemics, … Continue reading Biosecurity and the National Security Community
Category: Technology
Hacker Militias or Cyber Command? The U.S. and Russian Institutionalization of Cyber Warfare
Russia’s reliance on proxy “hackers-for-hire” to accomplish strategic objectives have led some to question why Russia has yet to institutionalize its cyber workforce into its military. However, instead of creating its own "Cyber Command," Russia’s reliance on the hacker network for talent maximizes the country’s deniability in cyber operations (plausible or not), while remaining low-cost. … Continue reading Hacker Militias or Cyber Command? The U.S. and Russian Institutionalization of Cyber Warfare
How Cryptography Could Enable Privacy-Preserving Surveillance
An Enigma machine. Photo Credit: Wikimedia By: Roxanne Heston, Columnist Imagine a clunky metal typewriter with a bizarre keyboard. In the 1940s, this machine was highly sophisticated — the linchpin, and ultimate downfall, of its dependents’ plan. They are called Enigma machines, and they were used by Nazi Germany during World War II for secret … Continue reading How Cryptography Could Enable Privacy-Preserving Surveillance
REPORT: Technology and the Future of National Security
SFS Dean Joel Hellman, Professor Toni Gidwani (SFS’04, SSP’08) with Palmer Luckey, Founder of Anduril and Oculus VR, and Trae Stephens (SFS’06), Chairman of Anduril. Photo credit: Dakota Cary By: Dakota Cary, Reporter “Do you have an extra billionaire lying around?” asked one student at the Technology and the Future of National Security event on … Continue reading REPORT: Technology and the Future of National Security
Reframe the U.S.-China AI Arms Race
Photo Credit: Financial Times By: Daniel Zhang, Columnist In the past five years, there has been an explosive increase in the use and research of artificial intelligence in emerging military technologies. A faceoff between the United States and China is almost guaranteed and some even suggest a forthcoming “AI arms race” between two great powers.[i] … Continue reading Reframe the U.S.-China AI Arms Race
Russian Cyber Operations: Closing the Gap on U.S. Conventional Supremacy
Photo Credit: Getty Images By: Madison Creery, Columnist Last year the U.S. National Defense Strategy highlighted Russia as a central challenge to U.S. national security.[i] Yet, during that same year headlines across the globe predicted Russia’s military modernization program and international influence would soon decline.[ii] A May 2018 announcement claimed that Russia’s 2017 defense budget … Continue reading Russian Cyber Operations: Closing the Gap on U.S. Conventional Supremacy
Policy Options for Fighting Deepfakes
Photo Credit: CNN By: Conrad Stosz, Guest Columnist Advances in machine learning are making it easy to create fake videos—popularly known as “deepfakes”—where people appear to say and do things they never did. For example, a faked video of Barack Obama went viral in April in which he appears to warn viewers about misinformation.[i] Falsehoods already … Continue reading Policy Options for Fighting Deepfakes
Diplomatic Spillover Costs Make Leaving the INF Treaty Too Dangerous
Photo Credit: CNN By: Kathryn Long, Columnist On Friday, December 14th, the Russian Mission to the United Nations announced that it had submitted a resolution to the body’s General Assembly in support of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.[i] This follows the October announcement by President Trump that the United States would be exiting the … Continue reading Diplomatic Spillover Costs Make Leaving the INF Treaty Too Dangerous
What Quantum Technology Is and Why It Matters
Photo Credit: parliament.uk By: Roxanne Heston, Columnist “Quantum technology” offers nuanced opportunities and challenges to the United States in domains like cybersecurity, scientific research, and reconnaissance.[i] Although the technology is difficult to understand, it is worthwhile for policymakers to grasp its fundamentals and implications. Fortunately, unlike the quantum property of particles themselves, the technology’s potential … Continue reading What Quantum Technology Is and Why It Matters
Precision Agriculture: A Fruitful Target for Cyber Adversaries
Photo By: Getty Images By: Alexander Begej, Columnist Precision Agriculture (PA) is a growing practice that is transforming labor-intensive farms into data generating hubs. Although it aims to maximize crop yield and save on time and labor, it simultaneously widens the agriculture industry’s vulnerabilities to cyber threats from criminals and nation states alike. The Precision … Continue reading Precision Agriculture: A Fruitful Target for Cyber Adversaries