September 14, 2021

U.S. Technology Competitiveness: Lessons from the Space Age

America has a rich history of rising to meet generational challenges. The Soviet Union's 1957 launch of Sputnik—the world's first satellite—triggered the U.S.-Soviet space race. A centerpiece of the Cold War, the space race catalyzed U.S. science and technology competitiveness and galvanized the American public in the decades that followed.

A new video explainer from CNAS explores how the U.S. government mobilized its remarkable innovation base—its people, infrastructure, and resources—in the aftermath of the Sputnik launch. The U.S. government's actions throughout this period hold important lessons for how the country should bolster and advance its technological competitiveness today.

This latest release is the second in a series of videos on the need for a U.S. national technology strategy. Watch the first video in the series.

  • Reports
    • July 24, 2023
    Technology Competition: A Battle for Brains

    Emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence (AI), quantum information science and technology (QIST), and biotechnology—will transform people’s lives and work world...

    By Sam Howell

  • Reports
    • August 30, 2022
    Lighting the Path

    The world’s leading powers are engaged in an unprecedented technology competition. Autocratic regimes are advancing a vision for technology use—a techno-totalitarianism that e...

    By Carisa Nietsche, Emily Jin, Hannah Kelley, Emily Kilcrease, Megan Lamberth, Martijn Rasser & Alexandra Seymour

  • Reports
    • July 28, 2022
    Regenerate: Biotechnology and U.S. Industrial Policy

    A revolution in biotechnology is dawning at the precise moment the world needs it most. Amid an ongoing climate crisis, fast-paced technological maturation, and a global pande...

    By Ryan Fedasiuk

  • Reports
    • May 24, 2022
    Reboot: Framework for a New American Industrial Policy

    The relationship between American industry and the U.S. government must change. The nature of the U.S.-China strategic competition, one centered on technology, requires a rese...

    By Martijn Rasser, Megan Lamberth, Hannah Kelley & Ryan Johnson

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia