CNAS 2025 Wrapped: Events

In 2025, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted bold, bipartisan, and innovative conversations through panel discussions, fireside chats, and our 2025 annual conference. Over the course of the year, CNAS held 40 events that totaled almost 35,000 live views and thousands more views from those watching on their own time.

Through these events, CNAS hosted speakers across government, industry, and more including Special Envoy for U.S. Hostage Response Adam Boehler, the Honorable Douglas R. Bush, Senator Todd Young, Karen House, and many others to engage in dialogues on key issue areas like the future of artificial intelligence (AI), the trade war between the United States and China, and the revitalization of the defense industrial base.

As we move into the new year, revisit the top 10 CNAS events from 2025 and stay tuned in 2026 for more engaging live events.

CNAS Top 10

Maintaining America’s AI Edge — Paul Scharre, Michael Kuiken, and Randall Schriver

In this discussion, the state of the race for capable artificial intelligence between the United States and China and the steps the United States could take to stay ahead was examined following the release of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2024 Report to Congress

The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America — Anthony Vinci and Vivek Chilukuri

In a book talk featuring author and CNAS Senior Adjunct Fellow Anthony Vinci, advances in AI and the effects of the U.S.-China competition on transforming global espionage were explored, along with their implications for all.

Game Over? How the United States Could Have Won the Trade Wars — Emily Kilcrease, Wendy Cutler, Thorsten Benner, and Meredith Lilly

In the wake of trade negotiations between the United States and major trading partners, and following on from the release of the CNAS report Game Over? How the United States Could Have Won the Trade Wars, this panel discussion analyzed what the trade wars could mean for the future of the global economic order

From Production Lines to Front Lines: Revitalizing the U.S. Defense Industrial Base for Future Great Power Conflict — Representative John Garamendi, the Honorable Douglas R. Bush, Tom Jones, Becca Wasser, and Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn

In this discussion, following the release of a new report, From Production Lines to Front Lines: Revitalizing the U.S. Defense Industrial Base for Future Great Power Conflict, panelists explored ways to revitalize the U.S. defense industrial base, finding that a major gap remains between U.S. defense strategy and current defense industrial reality

“Free, Open, and Secure”: Mobilizing for Indo-Pacific Security in 2025 — Lisa Curtis, Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn, Dr. Arzan Tarapore, and Dr. Satoru Mori

Following increasing strains on the Quad partners—Australia, India, Japan, and the United States—due to evolving challenges and political uncertainty, this panel focused on the efforts that could be made to promote security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. The conversation drew upon a new report by the Hoover Institution, Mobilizing for a Free, Open, and Secure Indo-Pacific: A Strategic Reassessment.

Brussels Sprouts LIVE | Europe with Less U.S.: Preventing Russia Opportunistic Aggression in Europe — General Philip Breedlove (Ret.), Admiral James Foggo (Ret.), Andrea Kendall-Taylor, and Jim Townsend

For this live episode, General Philip Breedlove (Ret.) and Admiral James Foggo (Ret.) joined Brussels Sprouts to discuss insights from the CNAS report Understanding Russia’s Calculus on Opportunistic Aggression in Europe and to reflect on the challenges to European security that could arise from less U.S. engagement in Europe.

Global Compute and National Security: Strengthening American AI Leadership Through Proactive Partnerships — Vivek Chilukuri, Mark Beall, Sam Winter-Levy, Sam Hammond, and Janet Egan

As compute has become the engine of AI progress, the United States has occupied a dominant position within the compute ecosystem. However, following the release of the AI Action Plan, there is the question of how to balance “protecting” and “promoting” U.S. authority in AI computing power. To address this and mark the release of the new report, Global Compute and National Security: Strengthening American AI Leadership through Proactive Partnerships, panelists analyzed how to promote America’s AI leadership through leveraging its compute advantage while protecting national security.

Biopower: Securing American Leadership in Biotechnology — Senator Todd Young, Jessica Dymond, Doug Friedman, Vivek Chilukuri, and Alison Snyder

Biopower—a nation’s capacity to harness emerging biotechnologies to enhance national and economic security—has been a growing if underappreciated force in geopolitics, as emphasized in the CNAS report, Biopower: Securing American Leadership in Biotechnology. In this panel discussion, the stakes, challenges and opportunities for securing U.S. biotechnology leadership were highlighted as a key component of national security.

The Future of U.S. Policy in the Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Conflict — Elizabeth Dent, Rachel Brandenburg, Adham Sahloul, and Daniel Schneiderman

Following the outbreak of direct conflict between Iran and Israel in response to the preemptive Israeli strikes on Tehran’s nuclear program, it became paramount for Washington to carefully consider how to engage in the region. This discussion examined the short- and long-term impact of the ongoing Israeli military campaign on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the outlook for stability in the Middle East, and the possibility of future U.S. diplomatic or military intervention.

National Security Exchange with Richard Fontaine and Adam Boehler — Richard Fontaine and Adam Boehler

In his role as special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler has led efforts to secure the release of multiple hostages and detained Americans overseas. The discussion covered Boehler’s strategy toward negotiations and explored his role within the Trump administration to aid detained Americans abroad.

Featured Event:

CNAS 2025 National Security Conference | America's Edge: Forging the Future

In 2025, CNAS hosted its 19th annual national security conference, designed to bring together bipartisan leaders, policymakers, and industry to chart a vision for enhancing America’s global edge in the face of a rapidly changing global security landscape. Sign up below to be the first to hear about the next annual conference and other upcoming events from CNAS.