Defending the United States Against Critical Infrastructure Attacks: A Critical Infrastructure Survey and Hypothetical Campaign of Cascading Impacts
Speakers: Tom Wingfield & Bridget Kane (RAND) Date: 4 February 2025 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Tom Wingfield (RAND) and Bridget Kane (RAND) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series. Stable and secure critical infrastructure—systems or assets essential to society—serve as a key component of national security and daily life […]
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International Collaboration in U.S. Integrated Deterrence: A Partner Perspective
Authors: LTG (Ret), Dr. Dennis Gyllensporre (Swedish Defence University); MG (Ret) Bengt Svensson, Swedish Defence University This publication was released as part of the SMA project “21st Century Strategic Deterrence Frameworks.” (SDF) For more information regarding this project, please click here. Publication Preview This non-paper, prepared at the Swedish Defence University (SEDU), investigates the dynamics […]
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Escalation Management in the Early Stages of International Crisis
Authors: Dr. Kyle Beardsley (Duke University), Dr. Jonathan Wilkenfeld (START University of Maryland), & Phuong Pham (Duke University) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “21st Century Strategic Deterrence Frameworks.” (SDF) For more information regarding this project, please click here. Publication Preview: This report evaluates how crisis actors respond to adversary actions […]
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U.S. Military Theories of Victory for a War with the People’s Republic of China
Speakers: Jacob Heim (RAND) & Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga (RAND) Date: 13 November 2024 Speaker Session Summary The United States has not had to seriously consider conflict escalation with a near-peer adversary that could result in a conflict that ends in large-scale destruction since the Cold War. However, it must now consider the potential for escalating toward that exact kind […]
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Emerging Military Technologies: Putting Policy Before Profit
Speakers: Dr. Michael Brenes, William Hartung (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft) Date: 25 September 2024 Speaker Session Summary There is growing concern among some scholars that the pursuit of economic incentives may push US military technology advancements ahead of the establishment of proper policies and security measures, prioritizing profits over policy. Mr. Hartung added that […]
Continue ReadingSafely balancing a double-edged blade: Identifying and mitigating emerging biosecurity risks in precision medicine
Authors: Dr. Dianne DiEuliis (National Defense University) & Dr. James Giordano (Georgetown University Medical Center) Publication Preview: Tools and methods of precision medicine are developing rapidly, through both iterative discoveries enabled by innovations in biomedical research (e.g., genome editing, synthetic biology, bioengineered devices). These are strengthened by advancements in information technology and the increasing body […]
Continue ReadingEmerging Chem-Bio (and Neuro-cognitive) and Data/Computational Science Capabilities and Threats
Author: Dr. James Giordano (Georgetown University Medical Center) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “21st Century Strategic Deterrence Frameworks.” (SDF) For more information regarding this project, please click here. Publication preview: The twentieth century evidenced the increasing use of state-of-the-art science and technology (S&T) in warfare. Included in this S&T armamentarium […]
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Statelet of Survivors: The Making of a Semi-Autonomous Region in Northeast Syria: US Options in the New Phase of the Syrian Conflict
Speaker: Dr. Amy Austin Holmes (George Washington University) Date: 28 August 2024 Speaker Session Summary The political overtures made by Turkish President Erdogan to normalize relations with the Assad regime are reshaping the dynamics of the Syrian civil war. These overtures have more closely aligned Turkish, Russian, and Iranian interests in the region. As evidence, […]
Continue ReadingClimate Change as an Indirect Contributor to Terrorism
Speaker: Madeline Romm (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), University of Maryland) Date: 21 August 2024 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Madeline Romm (UMD START) as part of its SMA AFOE Phase III Climate Effects Speaker Series. Climate change is now widely recognized as a […]
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Integrated Deterrence Reachback Study
Author: Dr. Sabrina Polansky (NSI, Inc.) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “21st Century Strategic Deterrence Frameworks.” (SDF) For more information regarding this project, please click here. Publication Preview: This work was situated within the broader Strategic Multilayer Assessment Strategic Deterrence Frameworks (SDF) study, which incorporated four lines of effort (LOEs) […]
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