Among the security challenges and opportunities facing the Atlantic community around the globe are several that arise at the interface of defense ministries and industries. Led by the Council’s M.A. and George Lund Fellow, this practice focuses on clarifying tough business and managerial issues that affect international security and on cultivating a constituency for constructive solutions to these problems. To address this mandate, the practice engages governments, militaries, and corporations in deliberations that promote critical thinking and provoke action. In 2015, the activities of this initiative are focused on two objectives: Shaping the evolution of defense-industrial resources for the 21st century and changing how the defense establishment plans for the future or warfare. In addition to sustaining the three enduring initiatives of the practicethe Corporate Strategy Forum, Captains of Industry Series, and Defense-Industrial Policy Seriesin 2015, it also will establish the Art of Future Warfare project.

Key Projects

Atlantic Council Captains of Industry Series

The Captains of Industry Series is a platform for senior defense industry executives to address the public interests their companies serve and the public policies that shape their markets. By engaging the perspective of business leaders about issues at the interface of defense ministries and industries, the series will cultivate a constituency for practical solutions to these problems

Art of Future Warfare

The Atlantic Council’s Art of Future Warfare project is driven by the Scowcroft Center on International Security’s mandate to advance thinking and planning for the future of warfare. The project’s core mission is to cultivate a community of interest in works and ideas arising from the intersection of creativity and expectations about how emerging antagonists, disruptive technologies, and novel warfighting concepts may animate tomorrow’s conflicts. We will create a platform for this community — the Art of Future Warfare website, activate social media around this mission and host live events. The project will curate artistic renderings of future warfare through crowd-sourced “war-art challenges,” and publish collections of these works. The project also will cultivate an audience within the traditional defense community for this creative approach to understanding the future of warfare and social conflict.

Commanders Series

The Commanders Series is sponsored by Saab North America Inc. and is the preeminent platform for military and defense leaders to discuss strategic issues with an audience drawn from the broader Washington policy community.

Corporate Strategy Forum

The Corporate Strategy Forum convenes chief strategists of transatlantic companies in aerospace, defense, security, and government services for a private roundtable discussion about issues confronting the long-term health of these industries.

Defense-Industrial Policy Series

The Defense-Industrial Policy Series is a platform for senior government executives in defense and aerospace to address the public policies that shape these industries’ markets. By engaging the perspective of government leaders about issues at the interface of defense ministries and industries, the series aims to cultivate a constituency for practical solutions to these problems.