Emerging Issues

National security today extends well beyond troops and treaties. New technologies, shifting global power balances, and unconventional threats are reshaping how the United States defines and defends its interests, forcing policymakers to grapple with challenges that didn’t exist a generation ago and that don’t fit neatly into old categories.

Shifting balances of power shape much of this landscape, as the United States adjusts its military posture, alliances, and economic tools to compete with rival nations on the world stage. That competition increasingly plays out through Great Power Competition and reaches into orbit through Space Policy, where satellites and launch capabilities carry both civilian and military stakes.

New technology is changing what security even means, from artificial intelligence and computer chips to surveillance tools that raise questions about privacy and control. These issues fall under Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology.

Threats that cross borders without armies round out this picture. A warming climate strains resources and destabilizes regions in ways the military now plans around, a subject covered in Climate Change and Security. Meanwhile, foreign governments and other actors use online propaganda and disinformation to influence public opinion and undermine trust, a fight explored in Disinformation and Information Warfare.