National Security & Sino-American Technology Competition - Hertog Foundation

Technology competition drives Sino-American geostrategic competition, but the national security community is only beginning to understand the precise nature of this competition. Will China’s missile force and military innovations nullify U.S. military primacy in Asia? Can the U.S. restructure important supply chains – from pharmaceuticals to semiconductor chips – to achieve less dependency on China? How can the U.S. counter China’s attempt to export “tech totalitarianism” – including mass surveillance and Big Data analysis – to other dictatorships? How will emerging technologies like AI shape the competition?

This new fellowship seeks to educate the next generation of East Asia strategists and national security generalists about how technology will shape U.S.-China strategic rivalry. Just as America’s greatest strategists of the Cold War – from Henry Kissinger to Paul Nitze – were highly knowledgeable about the nuclear revolution and space and missile breakthroughs so, too, do our young strategists need to understand the technologies that matter most in Sino-American competition.

The fellowship will consist of three parts:

  • Evening seminars and dinner briefings, taught by leading scholars and practitioners on a different dimension of Sino-American technology competition,
  • An independent research project guided by the Fellowship Dean, AEI Director of Asia Studies Dan Blumenthal,
  • A one-day conference where fellows will present their research to their colleagues and a panel of national-security experts

More instructors and speakers to be added.

Dan Blumenthal converses with H. R. McMaster about the China Nightmare

Preview the Syllabus by Week/Session

Fellowship Components

Seminars & Dinner Briefings

Fellows will meet twice a month for seminar sessions. Sessions will run two hours, with a presentation from a guest instructor for 30 minutes, followed by a seminar style discussion led by the fellowship dean and guest instructor. Once a month, fellows will convene for a dinner with a briefing from a high-level policymaker or industry expert.

Research Project

As part of their application, all applicants will propose a research project that focuses on a specific area of the technology competition. If selected for the fellowship, they will work with the Fellowship Dean and junior faculty to refine their proposal. For the duration of the Fellowship, fellows will meet regularly with the Dean and junior faculty to discuss their progress and receive mentorship.

Conference

Over a one-day conference, fellows will hear from high-level policymakers and experts. They will also present their research to their colleagues and a panel of national-security experts.

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