www.ndu.edu/inss DH No. 84 1
A
merican leadership in science, technology, and innovation (ST&I) has
been the foundation of U.S. national security for decades. Advanced
technology, along with America’s ability to operationalize it into
transformational capabilities, has long given us a military advantage. is ad-
vantage has provided superiority on the battleeld and for our broader national
security apparatus. Today, however, our technological superiority is increasingly
being challenged by near-peer and asymmetric competitors. Globalization of
science and technology, emerging and unpredictable threats (both manmade and
natural), conventional and emerging weapons of mass destruction, and an inver-
sion of technology ow from the private to public sectors all present challenges
to our national security.
To meet these challenges, the United States must develop a clear, synchro-
nized, and actionable national strategy that drives advances in science, technol-
ogy, and innovation in all domains (land, sea, air, space, cyber) to assure our
economic and national security.
While maintaining military technology over-
match remains a key national security objective, promoting technology develop-
ment by the private sector at home and around the world and then harnessing
that development in ingenious ways will be increasingly important for economic
prosperity as well as for national security. e recently released National Security
Strategy of the United States also points to research, technology, invention, and
innovation as key elements of our national power.
1
e Trump administration
has a historic opportunity now to re-invent the U.S. Government’s relationship
with the private sector and the international community to retain our country’s
technological dominance throughout the 21
st
century.
Technology and National
Security: The United States
at a Critical Crossroads
by James Kadtke and John Wharton
DEFENSE HORIZONS
National Defense University
CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY AND NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY
About the Authors
Dr. James Kadtke is an Expert
Consultant on emerging technologies
in the Institute for National Strategic
Studies (INSS) at the National Defense
University. Major General John
Wharton, USA (Ret.), is a Visiting
Senior Research Fellow in INSS for
Science and Technology.
Key Points
Rapid globalization of science and
technology (S&T) capacity presents
a serious and long-term risk to the
military and economic security of
the United States.
To maintain U.S. preeminence, our
domestic science and technology
enterprise requires a new para-
digm to make it more agile, syn-
chronized, and globally engaged.
U.S. technological competitiveness
depends not only on research but
also on legal, economic, regula-
tory, ethical, moral, and social
frameworks, and therefore re-
quires the vision and cooperation
of our political, corporate, and civil
society leadership.
Re-organizing our domestic S&T
enterprise will be a complex task,
but recommendations presented in
this paper could be rst steps on
the path to maintaining our future
technological security.
March 2018
