CNAS Live

Gaining the Asymmetric Advantage: Emerging Technology and the AUKUS Pillar 2 Promise

Pillar 2 of the trilateral agreement AUKUS is focused on cooperative actions between the three nations to develop advanced defense capabilities, which are critical to the balance of power in future strategic competition with China.
AUKUS Pillar 2's potential for establishing and maintaining advantages in critical technology areas can only be fulfilled if the alliance can demonstrate progress and overcome barriers to cooperation. As strategic competition continues to intensify, what can we expect from AUKUS Pillar 2 cooperation and emerging technologies? And how is Australia developing a technological edge the Indo-Pacific?
On September 20th, the Center for a New American Security hosted Professor Tanya Monro, Australia's Chief Defence Scientist, in conversation with Becca Wasser to discuss the latest developments and challenges under AUKUS Pillar 2. This conversation is part of the CNAS Mission Brief speaker series, which features deep-diving discussions with the military and civilian leaders driving future U.S. and allied defense strategy. You can watch past Mission Briefs, and find out about upcoming ones, at cnas.org/events
This podcast is a production of the Center for a New American Security, this episode was produced and edited by Anna Pederson, with assistance from Charles Horn. 

Assessing the Defense Industrial Base with Dr. William LaPlante

The Defense Industrial Base, or DIB, is a complex network that provides the U.S. department of defense with materials, products, and services to aid warfighting capabilities and business operations. Entities within the DIB can help produce anything from an aircraft to IT support, and relies on logistics planning, a healthy supply chain, and allocated funding to meet its goals.
The war in Ukraine has raised questions about weaknesses in industrial capacity and readiness as demand rapidly increases. Dr. William LaPlante, the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment overseas matters related to the DIB. He joined CNAS to discuss challenges in procurement with Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn. You can find out about all past and upcoming CNAS conversations by going to cnas.org/events. 

The Outbound Investment EO: What’s in, what’s out, and what does it all mean?

Last week, the White House released an executive order detailing a ban on U.S. private-equity and venture-capital investments in some Chinese technology companies that have potential military applications. To break down the executive order and discuss what’s in, what’s out, and what it all means for investors and companies, CNAS hosted a special event with the Atlantic Council’s Geoeconomics Center.
The conversation was moderated by Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at CNAS. She was joined by Sarah Bauerle Danzman, Senior Fellow, at the Atlantic Council, Peter Harrell, Nonresident Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Eric Sayers, Managing Director at Beacon Global Industries.
To learn more, read the latest commentary from CNAS Responds.
CNAS Live is a production of the Center for a New American Security, bringing the center’s public events to a podcast audience.
The show is produced by Anna Pederson and Charles Horn, with design help with Melody Cook and Rinn Rothback.

A Conversation with Women Veteran Authors

On March 17, 2021, the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program held its third annual panel with women veteran authors. The event featured four women veteran authors from a variety of genres and discussed their experiences, opinions, and perspectives. The panel discussion with authors Pamela Brodman, Diane Carlson Evans, Kelly Kennedy, and Maggs Vibo was moderated by Adjunct Senior Fellow Jeannette Gaudry Haynie and hosted by Research Assistant Nathalie Grogan.

Crafting a U.S. National Technology Strategy

On March 16, 2021, the CNAS Technology and National Security Program hosted a virtual event on “Crafting a U.S. National Technology Strategy.” Speakers for this event included Michèle Flournoy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors; Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security; and Martijn Rasser, Senior Fellow of the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.
Panelists included Secretary James "Hondo" Geurts, Performing the Duties of Under Secretary of the Navy, Director Sue Gordon, Senior Advisor at Pallas Advisors and Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Loren DeJonge Schulman, Vice President of Research and Evaluation at the Partnership for Public Service and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. The panel was moderated by Megan Lamberth, Research Associate for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.

A Conversation with Wesley Morgan on ”The Hardest Place”

On March 11, 2021, the CNAS Technology and National Security Program hosted a virtual book discussion with author Wesley Morgan about his new book, The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley. Paul Scharre, Senior Fellow and Director of the CNAS Technology and National Security Program, sat down with Morgan to discuss the work and its central themes.

Artificial Intelligence and the Role of Confidence-Building Measures

On March 5, 2021, the CNAS Technology and National Security Program hosted a virtual discussion on AI and the role of confidence-building measures. This event is a part of the CNAS Artificial Intelligence and Global Security Initiative, which explores how the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution could lead to changes in global power, the character of conflict, and crisis stability.
Speakers for this event included Michael C. Horowitz, Richard Perry Professor and Director of the Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania, Helen Toner, Director of Strategy at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), and Kerstin Vignard, Head of the UNIDIR Support Team to the UN Cyber Negotiations (OEWG and GGE). This event was moderated by Paul Scharre, Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS.

Building a Trusted ICT Supply Chain

On January 14, 2021, the CNAS Technology and National Security Program hosted a virtual panel to discuss the challenges, findings. and recommendations of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission white paper, "Building a Trusted ICT Supply Chain." Speakers for this event included Congressman Mike Gallagher, Co-Chairman of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission; Dr. Sarah Sewall, Executive Vice President for Policy at In-Q-Tel; Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Associate Professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin; and RADM Mark Montgomery, USN (Ret.), Executive Director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. Martijn Rasser, Senior Fellow at CNAS, moderated this event.

Report Launch: Massachusetts Veteran Needs Assessment: During the Pandemic and Beyond

On February 9, 2021, the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) held a two-part event to launch the report Massachusetts Veteran Needs Assessment: During the Pandemic and Beyond. The event was held as a CNAS webinar, and featured a presentation by Nathalie Grogan, keynote remarks by Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans Services Cheryl Poppe, and a discussion hosted by Emma Moore and Rosye Cloud, featuring panelists Michael Allard, Michael Dwyer, Meg Harrell, Pamela Johnson, and Kristy Kaufmann.

Caregiving in the Military | Athena Leadership Project

On December 1, 2020, the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and the Athena Leadership Project held a roundtable to discuss caregiving in the military. Caregiving can place unique burdens on service members given the demands of a military career, burdens that disproportionately affect women.
Athena Leadership Project directors Jeannette Gaudry Haynie, PhD and Kyleanne Hunter, PhD led a powerful discussion on the lived experiences of panelists MSgt Elizabeth Delellis, USMC (Ret); MSgt Tonya James, USMC (Ret); LCDR Alison Maruca, USNR; and Maj Frances Mercado, USAF.