Our rapidly changing world has profound implications for the future of warfare. Changes in national objectives, operational doctrines, and military technologies are shaping the character of war in ways that challenge existing approaches to leveraging military power. These developments create potential threats, but also opportunities if the U.S. military can rapidly adapt to this shifting reality. To explore this issue, the CNAS Defense Program is pursuing multiple lines of effort:
Drone Wars
Recent conflicts, such as Nagorno-Karabakh, Libya, and Ukraine, have demonstrated how drones are shifting the way war is fought. This project examines global proliferation of military drones and their employment in modern conflicts to identify implications for future warfare in the Indo-Pacific.
Protracted War
Future high-intensity conflicts are more likely to extend for months or years than to rapidly conclude in a matter of weeks, as shown by Russian experiences in Ukraine. This research area explores the strategic and operational trends related to protracted conflict, focusing on the conventional and nuclear dimensions of a potential war between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.
AI Assurance
Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents new opportunities and offers strategic and tactical advantages across a range of domains and applications, from intelligence and business systems to maneuver and fires. This line of effort explores the procedural, institutional, and operational changes needed within the Department of Defense and across the defense ecosystem to leverage this technology in a safe and agile way.
Research Team:
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Stacie Pettyjohn
Senior Fellow and Director, Defense Program
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Becca Wasser
Senior Fellow, Defense Program
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Andrew Metrick
Fellow, Defense Program
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Josh Wallin
Fellow, Defense Program
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Hannah Dennis
Research Associate, Defense Program
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Philip Sheers
Research Assistant, Defense Program
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Molly Campbell
Program Administrator, Defense Program
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Jennifer McArdle
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Senior Director for Defense Programs and the Deputy Chief Learning Officer at CAE USA
Highlights
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Bad Blood: The TTX for the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
Congressional Testimony
I. Introduction Chairman Gallagher, Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi, distinguished members of the committee and staff, thank you for inviting me to come today to talk about the ...
By Stacie Pettyjohn, Becca Wasser & Andrew Metrick
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Buying Time
Reports
Discussions about defense strategy that focus on combat units and fail to account for logistics are irrelevant when it comes to understanding how well the United States can de...
By Chris Dougherty
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The Siren Song: Technology, JADC2, and the Future of War
Commentary
Winning future wars will not be about maintaining information advantage but rather prevailing when neither side has the advantage. And that is not a war that can be won by new...
By Andrew Metrick
