Over the past 15 years, CNAS has shaped U.S. defense strategy and policy. Today, the United States must swiftly implement its defense strategy, develop innovative operational concepts, and undertake difficult institutional reforms to both meet the long-term challenges posed by great powers and short-term crises created by a diverse array of global actors. The CNAS Defense program addresses the central military challenges of today and tomorrow and assesses how to balance risk across time.
The Defense Program employs strategic, budgetary, and operational analysis and leverages innovative approaches such as wargaming to inform defense policy. We develop actionable policy recommendations on defense strategy, force structure, operations, and resourcing to help U.S. and allied leaders create needed change.
Highlights
- From Production Lines to Front Lines
ReportsExecutive SummaryThe U.S. defense industrial base (DIB) is strugglingto meet the demands of the current strategic environment—let alone prepare for a potential conflictagai...
By Becca Wasser & Philip Sheers
- Countering the Swarm
ReportsAfter decades of air dominance and a near monopoly on precision strike, the United States now faces a dramatically different, more hostile world as the proliferation of cheap ...
By Stacie Pettyjohn & Molly Campbell
- Stuck in the Cul-de-Sac
ReportsFor more than a decade, the United States has sought to modernize its military to deter China, but it has become stuck in a developmental cul-de-sac that has allowed China to ...
By Carlton Haelig & Philip Sheers
Recent Publications
- CNAS Insights | Budgetary Own Goals Undermine “Speed and Volume”
Commentary
By Philip Sheers, Carlton Haelig & Stacie Pettyjohn
- November 24, 2025
- Drones: Who Is Making the New Weapons of War?
By Stacie Pettyjohn
- November 14, 2025
- Who Will Lead on Military AI, the Government or Industry?
By Josh Wallin
- November 12, 2025
- What Trump Really Wants with Venezuela
By Becca Wasser
- November 7, 2025
Defense /Technology & National Security
What to Expect from Military AI in 2030By Josh Wallin
- November 6, 2025
Related Events
DefenseVirtual Event | Drones and Deterrence: Building Taiwan's Asymmetric Capabilities
Stacie Pettyjohn, Ely Ratner, Molly Campbell
Nov 4, 2025
DefenseVirtual Event | Stuck in the Cul-de-Sac: How U.S. Defense Spending Prioritizes Innovation over Deterrence
Carlton Haelig, Philip Sheers
Oct 23, 2025
DefenseVirtual Event | "Free, Open, and Secure": Mobilizing for Indo-Pacific Security in 2025
Lisa Curtis, Stacie Pettyjohn
Oct 2, 2025
Related Press
DefenseChinese Use of Claude AI for Hacking Will Drive Demand for AI Cyber Defense, Say Experts
In the wake of a report accusing China of using publicly available AI tech to launch cyberattacks, experts are warning cyber defenders they’re going to need some AI help of th...
DefenseChina’s Shadow Navy Trains to Take Taiwan
China is mobilizing an armada of civilian ships that could help in an invasion of Taiwan – a mission that could surpass the Second World War’s Normandy landings....
DefenseFrom Florist to Drone Maker: How the Weapon Became So Mainstream
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is often described as the world's "first drone war". It has led to a continuing huge growth in the production of military drones, both within a...
Research Team
Susanna V. Blume
Distinguished Senior Fellow, Defense Program
Stacie Pettyjohn
Senior Fellow and Director, Defense Program
Becca Wasser
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program
Josh Wallin
Fellow, Defense Program
Paul Benfield
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Director of Emerging Technologies, Pallas Advisors
Greg Grant
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Senior Principal, MITRE’s National Security Sector
LTG Anthony R. "Tony" Ierardi, USA (Ret.)
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Rebellion Defense
Dr. Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr.
Adjunct Senior Fellow
Dr. Erik Lin-Greenberg
Adjunct Fellow, Defense Program, Assistant Professor of Political Science, MIT
Jennifer McArdle
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Joint Special Operations University and Helsing AI
Dr. ED McGrady
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Principal, MonksHood Media LLC
Diem Salmon
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Strategy and Business Development, Anduril Industries
Rachel Tecott Metz
Adjunct Fellow, Defense Program, PhD Candidate in Political Science, MIT
Tom Shugart
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program
Steven Kosiak
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program
Robert O. Work
Senior Counselor for Defense and Distinguished Senior Fellow for Defense and National Security
W. Jonathan Rue
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Next Generation National Security Fellow, 2016
Trey Meeks
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program
Franz-Stefan Gady
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program
Molly Campbell
Research Assistant, Defense Program
Philip Sheers
Research Associate, Defense Program
Anna Avanesyan
Research Assistant, Defense Program
Morgan Poyant
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program
Carlton Haelig
Fellow, Defense Program
Sara Moller
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program
Jakob Barlow
Research Assistant, Defense Program
Kalena Blake
Intern, Defense Program
