The Five Most Urgent National Security Issues for the Next President

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

The Five Most Urgent National Security Issues for the Next President

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

The Five Most Urgent National Security Issues for the Next President

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

New Atlanticist

Oct 22, 2012

The Five Most Urgent National Security Issues for the Next President

By Kurt Volker

President Obama and Mitt Romney will battle over foreign policy in tonight’s third and final presidential debate. No matter who wins the presidential election November 6, Mr. Romney or Mr. Obama will have to confront five urgent national security issues in the first weeks of his term.

Economy & Business
Elections

Issue Brief

Oct 4, 2012

India’s water challenges

By Suresh Prabhu

The Water Conflict in South Asia project announces the release of its second issue brief, “India’s Water Challenges,” by Mr. Suresh Prabhu, elected member of India’s Parliament. The brief describes how India’s internal dynamics, such as the country’s growing population as well as increasing agricultural and industrial demands, have affected India’s water supplies. It concludes […]

Conflict
India

New Atlanticist

Oct 3, 2012

Golf and American Exceptionalism

By Harlan Ullman

“Fore!” is a loudly shouted warning in golf, alerting other players and spectators to an errant shot that could do serious injury. After all, however small, a golf ball is quite hard. Traveling at speeds in excess of 100 miles an hour, it can hurt any onlooker it strikes.

National Security
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Oct 2, 2012

Cyber Pearl Harbor

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

A shadowy hacker group in the Middle East has disrupted the electronic banking operations of some of the United States’ largest financial institutions, The Seattle Times reported.

Cybersecurity
National Security

New Atlanticist

Oct 1, 2012

The US Needs to Discuss Implications of Iran War

By Fallon Hagel Hamilton Pickering and Zinni

War with Iran is not inevitable, but U.S. national security would be seriously threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. Particularly given the recent speeches at the U.N. General Assembly, military action is being discussed intensely. Public discussion of military action, however, is often reduced to rhetoric and partisan politics. We propose a nonpartisan, reasoned debate about […]

Iran
National Security

New Atlanticist

Oct 1, 2012

Punching Above Their Weight

By Michael Hannan

The U.S. admires certain nations for their willingness to be involved in crises and contingency operations, but we rarely challenge them to lead. We must change this — by helping carefully selected nations to improve their ability to participate in and ultimately take charge of regional security efforts, and by championing them as fuller partners […]

Maritime Security
National Security

New Atlanticist

Sep 28, 2012

Obama v. Romney: More Style than Substance

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

The 2012 US presidential campaign is decidedly not about foreign policy. For Governor Mitt Romney, the campaign is about convincing the American electorate that President Barack Obama has been a poor steward of the economy and should be replaced. For Obama the task is to convince voters that Romney is too out-of-touch with the American […]

Elections
National Security

New Atlanticist

Sep 27, 2012

Drone War AWOL From Presidential Campaign

By James Joyner

A new study released this week by researchers at Stanford and NYU has found that American drone strikes in Pakistan are killing far more civilians than advertised, taking out few high value targets, and have become the primary recruiting tool for the terrorist groups the policy is aimed at combating. The report, “Living Under Drones: […]

Drones
National Security

New Atlanticist

Sep 27, 2012

Strategic Pivot to Nowhere

By Harlan Ullman

When Britain and France launched pre-emptive military strikes last year that would eventually depose Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and his regime, one of President Barack Obama’s most senior advisers described U.S. involvement as “leading from behind,” a most unfortunate descriptor that haunted the administration much as George W. Bush’s “mission accomplished” label early in the […]

Indo-Pacific
National Security

New Atlanticist

Sep 20, 2012

Missing in Action: A Plan to Win the War of Ideas

By Harlan Ullman

Last week’s violence in more than 20 Muslim countries with four Americans killed in Libya has been attributed to a highly offensive 13-minute video that went viral on YouTube igniting these protests.

Middle East
National Security
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Experts

Fellow

Alex Wagner

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoStrategy Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Human Rights National Security

Staff

Asha M. George

Director

Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense​ Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Defense Policy Infrastructure Protection

Fellow

LeAnne Noelani Howard

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Corey Jacobson

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Defense Policy National Security

Staff

Wendy Villalta

Assistant Director

Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense​ Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Middle East National Security

Fellow

Nathan K. Finney

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Indo-Pacific Security Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Conflict Defense Policy
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Events

Public Event Wed, January 28, 2026 • 3:00 pm ET

Rep. Rob Wittman on the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act
National Security Security & Defense United States and Canada