Featured Reports
Behind the Front Line
Josh Wallin, Carlton Haelig | September 30, 2026
The AGI Moment
Paul Scharre | September 21, 2026
Drones, Missiles, and the U.S. Munitions Shortage
Philip Sheers, Stacie Pettyjohn | September 18, 2026
Redrawing the Map
Katherine L. Kuzminski | September 15, 2026
Reports
Behind the Front Line
This report considers the near-term opportunities that exist for integrating agentic artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities across the Department of War. While integration ...
Reports
The AGI Moment
Introduction The age of AI is upon us. What that means is not yet clear. As general-purpose AI capabilities continue to march toward human-level performance across a range of ...
Reports
Drones, Missiles, and the U.S. Munitions Shortage
Executive Summary Drones have exploded in popularity since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. There is a growing view that inexpensive drones—“affordable mass”—a...
Reports
Redrawing the Map
Executive Summary The United States is home to 17.3 million veterans in 2026—a population that has declined from 21.0 million in 2015, as older, conscription-era veterans have...
CNAS INSIGHTS
CNAS Insights brings timely analysis and expert commentary to the most pressing topics in national security.
CNAS Insights
CNAS Insights | U.S.-China AI Agreements Need Verification, Not Trust
The upcoming Trump-Xi summit is likely to disappoint the leaders of top AI labs that have recently called for urgent, coordinated pacing of frontier AI progress. While agreeme...
CNAS Insights
CNAS Insights | Strategic Stability with China Will Come at a Cost
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping will meet this week for the latest high-stakes summit. A core focus will be extending a trade truce set to...
CNAS Insights
CNAS Insights | America Must Expand AI Export Controls Amid Talks with China
The path forward is to lengthen the United States’ AI lead by expanding, not weakening, technology protections, starting with closing three priority gaps: remote access, adver...
Press
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In The News
Technology & National Security
OpenAI and Anthropic Poach Trump Officials as Industry Fights for Washington’s Trust“Frontier AI companies are aware that the Trump administration has a lot of levers over their business, from federal procurement and supply-chain designations to export contro...
By Michelle Nie
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Iran’s Drones Reveal U.S. Military Weakness
In The News
“Maybe you harden certain bases, and you’re going to put fewer forces on them, or are you going to create a fortress base,” with extra air defenses and buried facilities, said...
By Stacie Pettyjohn
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In The News
Technology & National Security
The Real Danger May Be AI as Dumb as UsIn a national security context, the stakes would be far higher, said Jack Shanahan, a retired Air Force general who served as the first director of the U.S. Defense Department...
By Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan
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After B-1’s Leave England, Analysts Point to Limited Options, Importance of Base Defense
In The News
The immediate operational impact of the bomber evacuation from Fairford is likely to be limited since the US is not currently flying many missions against Iran, according to S...
By Stacie Pettyjohn
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Pentagon Launches Pilot Program That Will Use AI to Manage Sensitive Information
In The News
Josh Wallin, who studies AI as a fellow at the Center for a New American Security’s defense program, told DefenseScoop Wednesday that automation could help with misclassificat...
By Josh Wallin
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Iran’s Drones Reveal U.S. Military Weakness
“Maybe you harden certain bases, and you’re going to put fewer forces on them, or are you going to create a fortress base,” with extra air defenses and buried facilities, said...
By Stacie Pettyjohn
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Munitions Procurement and the Fiscal Year 2027 Defense Budget
By Carlton Haelig
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Pentagon Launches Pilot Program That Will Use AI to Manage Sensitive Information
By Josh Wallin
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Iran’s Drones Reveal U.S. Military Weakness
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Trump, Xi, and the Race for Superintelligence
ChinaTalk's Jordan Schneider, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins Jerusalem Demsas and Matt Yglesias to compare how the U.S. and China ar...
By Jordan Schneider
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China Has Resolved Its ‘Malacca Dilemma’
By James Crabtree
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How Much More Trump Trouble Can Indonesia’s Prabowo Take?
By Derek Grossman
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Trump, Xi, and the Race for Superintelligence
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National Security Human Capital
Hegseth Military Base Competition: Map Shows 6 States Most Likely to HostKatherine Kuzminski, director of studies at the Center for a New American Security, told Newsweek that one of the biggest questions is what Hegseth means by a “base.” The U.S....
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
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National Security Human Capital
Hegseth Calls for Contest to Decide America’s Next Military BaseBy Katherine L. Kuzminski
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National Security Human Capital
The Airpower We Need for Irregular WarfareBy Tobias Switzer
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Ukraine's Winter Forecast: Economy and Politics
A fast-approaching winter looms over Ukraine. Russia has intensified a concerted campaign against the infrastructure that keeps Ukraine’s economy running, striking railways, w...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
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Why Has America Suddenly Pulled Its Bombers Out of Britain?
By Jim Townsend
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The Pentagon’s Plan for a Smaller Group of NATO Allies
By Jim Townsend
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Ukraine's Winter Forecast: Economy and Politics
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As the U.S. Pulls Its Forces Out of Iraq, What Happens to Iran-Backed Armed Groups?
"There is a realistic prospect for several armed groups to disarm and integrate within the state, some have already made it public that they are willing to do so and that is b...
By Hamzeh Hadad
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Iraq Begins High-Stakes Security Balancing Act as U.S. Troops Withdraw
By Hamzeh Hadad
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U.S. Troops Are Leaving Iraq. What Does That Mean for U.S. Influence in the Region?
By Hamzeh Hadad
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As the U.S. Pulls Its Forces Out of Iraq, What Happens to Iran-Backed Armed Groups?
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Trump Blames Democrats and Ukraine for Soaring U.S. Fuel Prices, Not Iran War
“The ongoing conflicts with Iran and Russia’s war with Ukraine are reinforcing each other, impairing oil product markets, but Middle Eastern flows are far from normal,” Rachel...
By Rachel Ziemba
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Middle East Economic Activity Still Below Last Year, but Improving, Says Analyst Ziemba
By Rachel Ziemba
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Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security
Finland’s President Bets on America but Prepares for a New World OrderBy James Crabtree
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Trump Blames Democrats and Ukraine for Soaring U.S. Fuel Prices, Not Iran War
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Technology & National Security
OpenAI and Anthropic Poach Trump Officials as Industry Fights for Washington’s Trust“Frontier AI companies are aware that the Trump administration has a lot of levers over their business, from federal procurement and supply-chain designations to export contro...
By Michelle Nie
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Technology & National Security
The Real Danger May Be AI as Dumb as UsBy Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan
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Technology & National Security
Sharper: Countering Cyber ThreatsBy Charles Horn & Cadence Barker
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U.S. Strikes Iranian Oil Tankers in Response to Tehran’s Attacks on Navy Ships
While civilian ships aren’t typically lawful targets, they lose their protected status if they contribute to an adversary’s military action and if destroying them offers a def...
By Mark Nevitt
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Shutdown Reform’s Constitutional Blind Spot: The Two-Year Clause
By Mark Nevitt
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Women’s Share of Top Military Promotions Falls as Hegseth Blocks Nominees
By Mark Nevitt
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U.S. Strikes Iranian Oil Tankers in Response to Tehran’s Attacks on Navy Ships
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CNAS Insights | New Rules for U.S. Foreign Aid
Join us for the CNAS 2026 National Security Conference: New Rules, on Thursday, June 11!...
By Gibbs McKinley
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Transatlantic Security / Global Swing States
Beyond the SahelBy Kate Johnston, Valeria Allende & Isabel Dlabach
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CNAS Insights | Why the “Swing States” Approach Is Right for Africa
By Gibbs McKinley
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CNAS Insights | New Rules for U.S. Foreign Aid
