National Security

National Security

One of the primary functions of government is to ensure its citizens remain safe from external and internal threats. From conventional military strikes to terrorist attacks, governments must have the policies in place to protect their countries and ensure stability. These include robust intelligence gathering, deep relationships with international allies and partners, and strong defense and military institutions.

Religion as statecraft: What a decade of research reveals about the geopolitics of religious soft power

New Atlanticist Nov 13, 2024

The threat from wildfires is growing. The US needs a unified response.

By Dan Hart

Congress should create a modern, centralized wildfire intelligence system that can serve firefighters nationwide.
National Security United States and Canada
Religion as statecraft: What a decade of research reveals about the geopolitics of religious soft power

Future of DHS Sep 26, 2024

The Secret Service needs a budget increase—but so does the rest of the Department of Homeland Security

By Thomas S. Warrick

On Wednesday, Congress passed a bill to increase Secret Service funding in response to threats, after two assassination attempts against Donald Trump. The same logic should apply to the overall DHS budget.
Migration National Security
Religion as statecraft: What a decade of research reveals about the geopolitics of religious soft power

New Atlanticist Sep 25, 2024

What the next administration should do to ensure US economic and national security

By Kimberly Donovan, Maia Nikoladze

The next administration must protect sensitive US technology, drive the energy transition, and safeguard the global financial system.
China Economy & Business

Content

Report

Nov 3, 2026

Religion as statecraft: What a decade of research reveals about the geopolitics of religious soft power

By Peter Mandaville

The post-Cold War assumption that international politics was converging toward a secular liberal framework in which religion would play at most a marginal role has not survived contact with the evidence. From China to Turkey to Saudi Arabia and Russia, states are integrating religion into their foreign policy in strategically significant ways.

China India

Scorecard

Nov 2, 2026

Scowcroft Strategy Scorecard: Grading Canada’s second-ever national security strategy 

By Atlantic Council

For only the second time in its history, Canada has a new national security strategy. Does it match the clarity with which Prime Minister Mark Carney has described the challenges the country faces? Atlantic Council experts weigh in.

National Security Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Oct 29, 2026

Ukraine’s drone defenses debunk the myth of inevitable Russian victory

By Mykola Bielieskov

Ukraine’s emergence since 2022 as a drone superpower has made international headlines, but the role of drone-based air defenses on the battlefield has not yet received as much attention as it arguably deserves, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Defense Industry

Issue Brief

Oct 15, 2026

Toplines: Twenty-five years after anthrax, the US still is not prepared for a biological attack

By Robert Bradley, John T. O’Brien

The anthrax events of 2001 transpired twenty-five years ago. The US still needs better preparation against biological attacks.

National Security

Report

Sep 23, 2026

Building a multilateral cognitive warfare defense network: A collaborative framework for the United States, Japan, and Taiwan

By Yu-Hao “Vinson” Shen

Beijing is pressuring Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines not only with ships and aircraft but also in the cognitive domain—which no multilateral mechanism defends. This report explores what it would take to build a coordinated multilateral defense network to combat this threat across the first island chain.

Artificial Intelligence China

Dispatches

Sep 23, 2026

Three things to know about Trump’s Greenland deal

By Connor McPartland

The agreement signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly makes several important changes to the status quo.

Europe & Eurasia Greenland

UkraineAlert

Sep 17, 2026

Putin is escalating against NATO but a Baltic incursion remains unlikely

By James Rice

The recent escalation in Russian gray zone aggression across Europe has sparked a lively debate over how far the Kremlin may be prepared to go, but a Russian attack on the Baltic states remains unlikely, writes James Rice.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Sep 11, 2026

Ukrainian police are preventing Russia from turning civilians into saboteurs

By Andrii Niebytov, Clara Kaluderovic

Since spring 2024, Russia has been waging a campaign far behind the front lines featuring arson, sabotage, and terrorist attacks using Ukrainians who are recruited online, deceived, and discarded, write Andrii Niebytov and Clara Kaluderovic.

Conflict Infrastructure Protection

UkraineAlert

Aug 27, 2026

Drone parade showcases Ukraine’s remarkable military transformation

By Mykola Bielieskov

Ukraine celebrated Independence Day this week with a novel military parade made up exclusively of unmanned systems, underlining the country’s emergence as a global leader in the field of drone warfare, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Aug 11, 2026

Western weakness is encouraging Putin to test NATO

By Peter Dickinson

As Moscow's hybrid war against NATO continues to escalate, the alliance's reluctance to impose any additional costs on the Kremlin will only only embolden Putin and fuel Russian perceptions of Western weakness, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones
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Experts

Fellow

Ryan Arick

Nonresident Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

NATO Security & Defense

Fellow

Victor Atkins

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Indo-Pacific Security Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Crisis Management Cybersecurity

Fellow

Kyle Atwell

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Afghanistan Colombia

Fellow

David Auerswald

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

James E. Baker

Distinguished Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Artificial Intelligence Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

John B. Barranco

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Americas Iraq
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Events

Public Event Thu, November 12, 2026 • 9:00 am ET

From anthrax to AI: Biological attribution then and now
Crisis Management Infrastructure Protection National Security Non-Traditional Threats