CNAS Launches Election-Year Initiative to Inform Next President's National Security Agenda 

High Stakes: Preparing the Next President will offer bold, pragmatic policy recommendations on the most important national security issues facing the next administration.

Washington, April 2, 2024 — Today, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) launched High Stakes: Preparing the Next President, a new election-year initiative to explore the most pressing national security issues facing the next administration. Whether 2025 sees a second Biden or Trump term, High Stakes will identify key topics, explore options, and propose policies.

From today through Inauguration Day, CNAS will develop a targeted collection of resources to help candidates, policymakers, and the public to become better informed about key issues and challenges facing the next presidential administration.

The new series will officially kick off at 11:30 a.m. E.T. this Wednesday, April 3, with a timely conversation between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and CNAS CEO Richard Fontaine.

Deputy Secretary of State Campbell, a co-founder of CNAS, will discuss the future of the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) security partnership, one year after the historic Optimal Pathway announcement between the leaders of the three countries.

To RSVP to this public, virtual event, click here.

Throughout the year, the High Stakes series will continue to explore critical regions and issues through:

• A new web page, curated with CNAS reports, expert commentary, and multimedia, dedicated to key national security issues in the presidential campaigns and beyond;
• The High Stakes: Preparing the Next President email newsletter, which will provide subscribers with direct access to newly published materials;
• Rapid-response commentary and pop-up events on urgent national security issues that arise during the election year;
• Expanded outreach to journalists and the public as national security emerges as a top concern of American voters; and
• Dedicated outreach and briefings to campaigns, reflecting CNAS’s bipartisan commitment to factual, non-ideological national security analysis.

“High Stakes: Preparing the Next President underscores CNAS's mission of developing solutions to the most pressing foreign policy challenges affecting our country,” said CNAS Chief Executive Officer Richard Fontaine. “The next president will face a daunting set of national security issues. As the candidates, their teams, and the public debate these topics, CNAS will serve as a source of bold, pragmatic, and bipartisan analysis.”

“National security starts at home. Domestic and foreign policy issues are increasingly intertwined, as economic and technological competitiveness are essential for well-paying jobs and America’s position as a global leader. High Stakes: Preparing the Next President will help inform the American public and policymakers on both sides of the aisle about how to best navigate today’s complex global challenges,” said Paul Scharre, executive vice president and director of studies at CNAS.

For additional information about CNAS or to schedule interviews with CNAS experts, please contact Alexa Whaley at awhaley@cnas.org. To learn more about High Stakes: Preparing the Next President and to subscribe to the related newsletter, visit cnas.org/highstakes​​​​​​​.