China’s ‘First Offset’ and Future Warfare

“A ‘New Era’ of Chinese Military Innovation — China’s ‘First Offset’ and Future Warfare”

SMA hosted a speaker session with Elsa Kania (Center for a New American Security [CNAS]) as a part of its SMA INDOPACOM Speaker Series.

Date: 19 September 2018

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Ms. Elsa Kania (Center for a New American Security [CNAS]) as a part of its SMA INDOPACOM Speaker Series. Ms. Kania began her presentation by stating that China is advancing an innovation-driven strategy in favor of economic development and military modernization. She discussed how China “recognizes an opportunity to achieve an advantage in emerging technologies,” such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, that could be used in future “intellegentized” warfare. She also spoke about the prioritization of defense innovation, the progress being made in terms of “unmanned” and “intelligent” systems, and China’s plans and ambitions in terms of both AI and quantum technology. She explained the potential military applications of AI, machine learning (ML), and quantum technology as well. To conclude her presentation, Ms. Kania discussed the implications of China’s increasing technological ambitions and military innovations.

This speaker session supported SMA’s Korea Strategic Outcomes project. For additional speaker sessions and project publications, please visit the Korea Strategic Outcomes project page.

Speaker Session Recording

To access Ms. Kania’s slides, please email Ms. Nicole Omundson (nomundson@nsiteam.com).

Briefing Materials

Biography

Elsa Kania is an Adjunct Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Her research focuses on Chinese military innovation in emerging technologies in support of the Artificial Intelligence and Global Security Initiative at CNAS, where she also acts as a member of the research team for the new Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and National Security. Her analytic interests include Chinese military modernization, information warfare, and defense science and technology. She has been invited to testify before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC). Elsa is an independent analyst, consultant, and co-founder of the China Cyber and Intelligence Studies Institute. She was a 2018 Fulbright Specialist and is a Non-Resident Fellow with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Centre. Elsa works in support of the China Aerospace Studies Institute through its Associates Program, and she is a policy advisor for the non-profit Technology for Global Security. Elsa has been named an official “Mad Scientist” by the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command. Elsa is a PhD student in Harvard University’s Department of Government, and she is also a graduate of Harvard College (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). Her thesis on the evolution of the PLA’s strategic thinking on information warfare was awarded the James Gordon Bennett Prize. Her prior professional experience includes time with the Department of Defense, the Long-Term Strategy Group, FireEye, Inc., and the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. While at Harvard, she has worked as a research assistant at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Elsa was a Boren Scholar in Beijing, China, and she is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.