We simply wrapped up the second 12 months of our Know-how, Innovation, and Nice Energy Competitors class – now a part of our Stanford Gordian Knot Middle for Nationwide Safety Innovation.

Joe Felter, Raj Shah and I designed the category to 1) give our college students an appreciation of the challenges and alternatives for america in its enduring strategic competitors with the Folks’s Republic of China, Russia and different rivals, and a couple of) provide insights on how business know-how (AI, machine studying, autonomy, cyber, quantum, semiconductors, entry to area, biotech, hypersonics, and others) are radically altering how we are going to compete throughout all the weather of nationwide energy e.g. diplomatic, informational, army, financial, monetary, intelligence and legislation enforcement (our affect and footprint on the world stage).

Why This Class?
The return of strategic competitors between nice powers grew to become a centerpiece of the 2017 Nationwide Safety Technique and 2018 Nationwide Protection Technique. The 2021 Interim Nationwide Safety Steerage and the administration’s lately launched 2022 Nationwide Safety Technique clarify that China has quickly grow to be extra assertive and is the one competitor doubtlessly able to combining its financial, diplomatic, army, and technological energy to mount a sustained problem to a secure and open worldwide system. And as we’ve seen within the Ukraine, Russia stays decided to wage a brutal conflict to play a disruptive function on the world stage.

Prevailing on this competitors would require greater than merely buying the fruits of this technological revolution; it should require a paradigm shift within the pondering of how this know-how will be quickly built-in into new capabilities and platforms to drive new operational and organizational ideas and methods that change and optimize the way in which we compete.

Class Group
The readings, lectures, and visitor audio system explored how rising business applied sciences pose challenges and create alternatives for america in strategic competitors with nice energy rivals with an emphasis on the Folks’s Republic of China. We centered on the challenges created when U.S. authorities companies, our federal analysis labs, and authorities contractors not have unique entry to those superior applied sciences.

This course included all that you’d anticipate from a Stanford graduate-level class within the Masters in Worldwide Coverage – complete readings, visitor lectures from present and former senior officers/consultants, and written papers. What makes the category distinctive nonetheless, is that that is an experiential coverage class. College students fashioned small groups and launched into a quarter-long challenge that received them out of the classroom to 1) determine a precedence nationwide safety problem, after which to 2) validate the issue and suggest an in depth resolution examined towards precise stakeholders within the know-how and nationwide safety ecosystem.

The category was break up into three elements. Half 1, weeks 1 by way of 4 coated worldwide relations theories, methods and insurance policies round Nice Energy Competitors particularly centered on the Folks’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Communist Peoples Occasion (CCP). Half 2, weeks 5 by way of 8, dove into the business applied sciences: semiconductors, area, cyber, AI and Machine Studying, Excessive Efficiency Computing, and Biotech. In between elements 1 and a couple of of the category, the scholars had a midterm particular person challenge. It required them to write down a 2,000-word coverage memo describing how a U.S. competitor is utilizing a particular know-how to counter U.S. pursuits and a proposal for the way the U.S. ought to reply. (These coverage memos had been reviewed by Tarun Chhabra, the Senior Director for Know-how and Nationwide Safety on the Nationwide Safety Council.)

Every week the scholars needed to learn 5-10 articles (see class readings right here.) And every week we had visitor audio system on nice energy competitors, and know-how and its affect on nationwide energy and lectures/class dialogue.

Visitor Audio system
Along with the educating crew, the course drew on the expertise and experience of visitor lecturers from business and from throughout U.S. Authorities companies to offer context and perspective on business applied sciences and nationwide safety.

Our class opened with three visitor audio system; former U.S. Secretary of Protection James Mattis and the CIA’s CTO and COO Nand Mulchandani and Andy Makridis. The final class closed with a chat by Google ex-Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Within the weeks in-between we had educating crew lectures adopted by audio system that led discussions on the vital business applied sciences. For semiconductors, the White Home Coordinator for the CHIPS Act – Ronnie Chatterji, and the CTO of Utilized Supplies – Om Nalamasu. For business tech integration and area, former Protection Innovation Unit (DIU) Director Mike Brown and B. Common Bucky Butow – Director of the House Portfolio. For Synthetic Intelligence, Lt. Gen. (Ret) Jack Shanahan, former director of the Joint Synthetic Intelligence Middle. And for artificial biology Stanford Professor Drew Endy – President, BioBricks Basis.

Staff-based Experiential Venture
The third a part of the category was distinctive – a quarter-long, team-based challenge. College students fashioned groups and developed hypotheses of how business applied sciences can be utilized in new and inventive methods to assist the U.S. wield its devices of nationwide energy. And per all our Gordian Knot Middle courses, they received out of the classroom and interviewed 20+ beneficiaries, coverage makers, and different key stakeholders testing their hypotheses and proposed options. On the finish of the quarter, every of the groups gave a closing “Classes Realized” presentation and adopted up with a 3,000 to five,000-word team-written paper.

By the tip of the category all of the groups realized that the issue that they had chosen had morphed into one thing larger, deeper, and rather more fascinating.

Staff 1: Local weather Change

Authentic Drawback Assertion: What mixtures of applied sciences and worldwide monetary relationships ought to the US prioritize to mitigate local weather change?

Last Drawback Assertion: How ought to the US handle China’s dominance in photo voltaic panels?

If you happen to can’t see the presentation click on right here.

We knew that these college students might write a fantastic analysis paper. As we identified to them, when you will be the neatest particular person within the constructing, it’s unlikely that 1) all of the information are within the constructing, 2) you’re smarter than the collective intelligence sitting exterior the constructing.

Staff 2: Networks

Authentic Drawback Assertion: How may we implement a ubiquitous safe world entry to the web as a way to assist circumvent censorship in authoritarian regimes?

 Last Drawback Assertion: How can we create an open, free Web and keep efficient strains of communication in Taiwan in preparation for a possible invasion?

If you happen to can’t see the presentation click on right here

By week 2 of the category college students fashioned groups round a particular know-how problem dealing with a US authorities company and labored all through the course to develop their very own proposals to assist the U.S. compete extra successfully by way of new operational ideas, organizations, and/or methods.

Staff 3: Acquisition

Authentic Drawback Assertion: How can the U.S. Division of Protection match or beat the velocity of nice energy opponents in buying and integrating vital applied sciences?

Last Drawback Assertion: How can the U.S. Division of Protection deploy various funding mechanisms in parallel to conventional procurement autos to allow and incentivize the supply of vital next-generation know-how in beneath 5 years?

If you happen to can’t see the presentation click on right here

We wished to provide our college students hands-on expertise on the right way to deeply perceive an issue on the intersection of our nation’s diplomacy, info, its army capabilities, financial energy, finance, intelligence, and legislation enforcement and dual-use know-how. First by having them develop hypotheses about the issue; subsequent by getting out of the classroom and speaking to related stakeholders throughout authorities, business, and academia to validate their assumptions; and eventually by taking what they realized to suggest and prototype options to those issues.

Matt Kaplan: “The TIGPC class was a spotlight of my tutorial expertise at Stanford. Over the ten week quarter, I realized an amazing quantity in regards to the significance of know-how in world politics from the three professors and from the consultants in authorities, enterprise, and academia who got here to talk. The category epitomizes among the finest elements of my time right here: the chance to study from unbelievable, caring college and to work with inspiring classmates. Joe, Steve, Raj instilled in my classmates and me a recent sense of pleasure to work in public service.”

 Staff 4: Wargames

Authentic Drawback Assertion: The U.S. wants a approach, given a consultant simulation, to quickly discover a method for potential novel makes use of of current platforms and weapons.

Last Drawback Assertion: Strategic wargames stand to profit from a stronger integration of AI+ML however are struggling to search out adoption and utilization. How can this be addressed?

If you happen to can’t see the presentation click on right here

We would like our college students to construct the reflexes and expertise to deeply perceive an issue by gathering first-hand info and validating that the issue they’re fixing is the actual downside, not a symptom of one thing else. Then, college students started quickly constructing minimal viable options (coverage, software program, {hardware} …) as a method to check and validate their understanding of each the issue and what it might take to resolve it.

Etienne Reche-Ley: “Know-how, Innovation and Nice Energy Competitors gave me a chance to dive into an actual world nationwide safety risk to america and perceive the implications of it throughout the nice energy competitors. In contrast to some other class I’ve taken at Stanford, this class allowed me to take motion on our downside about networks, censorship and the shortage of free move of knowledge in authoritarian regimes, and gave me the possibility to fulfill and study from a mess of consultants on the subject. I completed this class with a deep understanding of our downside, a proposed actionable resolution and a newfound curiosity within the intersection of know-how and innovation because it applies to nationwide protection. I’m very grateful to have been a part of this course, and it has impressed me to go a step additional and pursue a profession associated to nationwide safety.”

Staff 6: Disinformation

Authentic Drawback Assertion: Disinformation is a nationwide safety risk.

Last Drawback Assertion: The U.S.’s skill to shut the disinformation response kill chain is hampered by an absence of coordination between U.S. authorities  companies,  no clear possession of the disinformation downside, and an absence of  clear pointers on public-private partnerships.

If you happen to can’t see the presentation click on right here

One different purpose of the category was to proceed to validate and refine our pedagogy of mixing a standard lecture class with an experiential challenge. We did this by tasking the scholars to 1) use what they realized from the lectures and a couple of) then check their assumptions exterior the classroom, the exterior enter they acquired can be a power multiplier. It could make the lecture materials actual, tangible and actionable. And we and they’d find yourself with one thing fairly beneficial.

Shreyas Lakhtakia: “TIGPC is an interdisciplinary class like no different. It’s a fabulous introduction to among the most important tech and geopolitical challenges and questions of the twenty first century. The category, just like the matters it covers, is unbelievable and impressive – it’s an effective way to degree up your understanding of not simply worldwide coverage, political principle and know-how coverage but in addition deep tech and the function of startups in projecting nationwide energy. If you happen to’re interested in the way forward for the world and the function of the US in it, you gained’t discover a extra distinctive course, a extra devoted educating crew or higher audio system to listen to from than this!”

Staff 7: Quantum Know-how

Authentic Drawback Assertion: China’s deliberate authorities funding in quantum dwarfs that of the U.S. by an element of 10.

Last Drawback Assertion: The US quantum ecosystem doesn’t generate sufficient consciousness of alternatives to pursue careers in quantum that would catalyze business development.

If you happen to can’t see the presentation click on right here

We knew we had been asking quite a bit from our college students. We had been integrating a lecture class with a heavy studying listing with the most effective practices of speculation testing from Lean Launchpad/Hacking for Protection/I-Corps. However I’ve but to wager flawed in pushing college students previous what they assume is cheap. Most rise approach above the event.

 Staff 9: Lithium-Ion Batteries

Authentic Drawback Assertion: Provide and manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries is centered in China. How can the U.S. grow to be aggressive?

Last Drawback Assertion: China controls the processing of vital supplies used for lithium-ion batteries. To regain management the DOE must incentivize quick and long-term methods to extend processing of vital supplies and reduce dependence on lithium-ion batteries.

If you happen to can’t see the presentation click on right here

All of our college students put in extraordinary quantity of labor. Our college students got here from a various set of background and pursuits – from undergraduate sophomores to fifth 12 months PhD’s – in a mixture together with worldwide coverage, economics, pc science, enterprise, legislation and engineering. Some will go on to senior roles in State, Protection, coverage or different companies. Others will be part of or discovered the businesses constructing new disruptive applied sciences. They’ll be those to find out what the world-order will seem like for the remainder of the century and past. Will or not it’s a rules-based order the place states cooperate to pursue a shared imaginative and prescient for a free and open area and the place the sovereignty of all international locations giant and small is protected beneath worldwide legislation? Or will or not it’s an autocratic and dystopian future coerced and imposed by a neo-totalitarian regime?

This class modified the trajectory of lots of our college students. A quantity expressed newfound curiosity in exploring profession choices within the area of nationwide safety. A number of will probably be benefiting from alternatives supplied by the Gordian Knot Middle for Nationwide Safety Innovation to additional pursue their contribution to nationwide safety.

This course and our work at Stanford’s Gordian Knot Middle wouldn’t be potential with out the unrelenting help and steering from Ambassador Mike McFaul and Professor Riitta Katila, GKC founding college and Principal Investigators, and the tenacity of David Hoyt, Gordian Knot Middle Assistant Director.

Classes Realized

• We mixed lecture and experiential studying so our college students can act on issues not simply admire them
  • The exterior enter the scholars acquired was a power multiplier
  • It made the lecture materials actual, tangible and actionable
  • Pushing college students previous what they assume is cheap ends in extraordinary output. Most rise approach above the event
• The category creates alternatives for our greatest and brightest to interact and deal with challenges on the nexus of know-how, innovation and nationwide safety
  • The ultimate shows and papers from the category are proof that may occur

Filed beneath: Know-how Innovation and Nice Energy Competitors |