National Security & Sino-American Technology Competition

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

Evening sessions will be held in Washington, DC from 6 PM to 8 PM ET on Thursdays, from September 2021 to March 2022. If the ongoing public health crisis prevents in-person gatherings, the fellowship will operate via virtual platforms.

Faculty & Speakers

Faculty
Speaker

Daniel Blumenthal

AEI

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Daniel Blumenthal

AEI
Daniel Blumenthal is the Director of Asian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on East Asian security issues and Sino-American relations. Mr. Blumenthal has both served in and advised the U.S. government on China issues for over a decade.

Featured Publication

2020
The China Nightmare

Daniel Blumenthal
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Emily de la Bruyère

FDD

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Emily de la Bruyère

FDD
Emily de La Bruyère is a senior fellow at FDD with a focus on China policy. She has pioneered novel data collection and analysis tools tailored to Beijing’s strategic and institutional structures. Her work was the first Western analysis to document Beijing’s China Standards 2035 national plan. Ms. de La Bruyère is a co-founder of Horizon Advisory, a consulting firm focused on the implications of China’s competitive approach to geopolitics.
Amy Chang

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

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Amy Chang

JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Amy Chang is the Head of Client Intelligence & Strategic Engagement within Global Cybersecurity at JPMorgan Chase & Co, where she serves as an important conduit between the financial sector, U.S. government partners, and the intelligence community. She is also an Officer in the Navy Reserve. Ms. Chang is bilingual in Mandarin with extensive travel experience in Asia.
Robbie Diamond

Securing America’s Future Energy

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Robbie Diamond

Securing America’s Future Energy
Robbie Diamond is the Founder, President and CEO of Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), which unites prominent military and business leaders to develop and advocate for policies that improve America’s energy security. Mr. Diamond is also the President and CEO of the Electrification Coalition, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit group of business leaders committed to promoting policies and actions that facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale in order to combat the economic, environmental, and national security dangers caused by the nation’s dependence on petroleum. Prior to his roles with SAFE and the Electrification Coalition, Diamond served as Deputy Director of Community Outreach on Senator Joe Lieberman’s 2004 presidential campaign.
Erica Downs

Columbia University

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Erica Downs

Columbia University
Erica Downs is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA, focusing on Chinese energy markets and geopolitics. She has over 15 years of experience working in the public and non-profit sectors. She previously worked as a senior research scientist in the China Studies program of the CNA Corporation, a senior analyst in the Asia practice at Eurasia Group, a fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, an energy analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, and a lecturer at the Foreign Affairs College in Beijing, China.

Featured Publication

2000
China’s Quest for Energy Security

Erica Downs
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Mackenzie Eaglen

AEI

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Mackenzie Eaglen

AEI
Mackenzie Eaglen is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where she works on defense strategy, defense budgets, and military readiness. Before joining AEI, Ms. Eaglen worked on defense issues in the House of Representatives, in the US Senate, and at the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on the Joint Staff.
Jimmy Goodrich

Semiconductor Industry Association

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Jimmy Goodrich

Semiconductor Industry Association
Jimmy Goodrich is the Vice President for Global Policy at the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). He leads SIA’s global policy team, working to advance SIA’s international competitiveness, trade, supply chain, and China policy agenda. Mr. Goodrich is a member of the Executive Committee for Beijing-based U.S. information Technology Office (USITO), where he represents SIA in his capacity.
Katherine Koleski

Defense Innovation Unit

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Katherine Koleski

Defense Innovation Unit
Katherine Koleski is a Program Analyst at the Defense Innovation Unit, where she assesses the impact of proposed U.S. policy, regulations, and statutes on the Defense Innovation Unit and the dual-use innovation ecosystem. Prior to this role, she was a Lead Business Analyst at JAB Innovation Solutions. Ms. Koleski previously served as the Research Director for the Research Working Group and a Policy Analyst for the Economic & Trade team at the congressionally-created U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission (USCC). She has advanced proficiency in both Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
James Mulvenon

Defense Group Inc.

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James Mulvenon

Defense Group Inc.
James Mulvenon is general manager of SOS International’s Special Programs Division. A Chinese linguist and a specialist on the Chinese military, he is a leading international expert on Chinese cyber and espionage issues.

Featured Publication

2000
Soldiers of Fortune: The Rise and Fall of the Chinese Military-Business Complex, 1978-1998

James Mulvenon
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Derek M. Scissors

AEI

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Derek M. Scissors

AEI
Derek M. Scissors is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on the Chinese and Indian economies and on US economic relations with Asia. He is concurrently chief economist of the China Beige Book.
LTG (Ret.) John Shanahan

Joint Artificial Intelligence, DOD

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LTG (Ret.) John Shanahan

Joint Artificial Intelligence, DOD
Lt. Gen. John N.T. “Jack” Shanahan served as the inaugural Director for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center at the U.S. Department of Defense. Lt. Gen. Shanahan was responsible for accelerating the delivery of AI-enabled capabilities, scaling the department-wide impact of AI, and synchronizing AI activities to expand joint force advantages.
Matt Turpin

Palantir Technologies

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Matt Turpin

Palantir Technologies
Matthew Turpin is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he specializes in U.S. policy toward the People’s Republic of China, economic statecraft, and technology innovation. He is also a senior advisor at Palantir Technologies.

Preview the Syllabus by Week/Session

September

Session I (Sept. 23)

Session II (Sept. 30)

October

Dinner Briefing I (Oct. 14)

Session III (Oct. 21)

Session IV (Oct. 28)

November

Session V (Nov. 10)

Dinner Briefing II (Nov. 18)

December

Session VI (Dec. 9)

Dinner Briefing III (Dec. 16)

January

Session VII (Jan. 6)

Session VIII (Jan. 13)

Dinner Briefing IV (Jan. 20)

February

Session IX (Feb. 3)

Session X (Feb. 10)

Dinner Briefing V (Feb. 17)

March

Session XI (Mar. 3)

Session XII (Mar. 10)

Closing Dinner (Mar. 18)

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

The National Security & Sino-American Technology Fellowship seeks to build a cohort of diverse and highly committed junior to mid-level professionals (35 years old or younger) already working in policy-relevant institutions. Applicants may include those working or pursuing advanced study in the following fields:

U.S. public policy, including national security and economics,
Science and technology,
Law and business

Proficiency in Mandarin is a plus, but not required. Up to 14 fellows will be selected to participate.

The final deadline is Monday, May 10, 2021.

Application Requirements

CV or résumé
Research Proposal

A statement of no more than 1,500 words outlining a research project on a specific area of U.S.-China technology competition
Two professional references

Names and contact information of two individuals who can speak to your background and interests as they relate to the program
A professional writing sample

5 pages maximum

Apply Now

Alumni Spotlight

Jakob Urda

Jakob Urda is an alum of the War Studies Program, and has since returned for subsequent Hertog programs as a young professional. After a course with Dan Blumenthal, he and Dan worked together to research and write an essay on China’s economic and military power. Jakob is a senior research specialist at Gartner, a consultancy which studies emerging technologies. He is also an MA candidate in Security Studies at Georgetown University.

The “Nixon and China” class I took under Dan Blumenthal is a great example of Hertog’s value. Instead of laying out a single viewpoint about a difficult issue, the class used a primary-source focus which forced students to develop their own opinions. Reading documents such as Kissinger’s transcripts and Nixon’s op-eds makes clear the enormous complexity of the decisions involved. For a generation of young people interested in participating in similarly momentous challenges, this is an invaluable experience.

Jakob Urda

Current Position:

Senior Research Specialist, Gartner | MA Candidate in Security Studies, Georgetown University
Past:

Data Manager, Chicago Project on Security and Threats
Education:

University of Chicago, 2019

HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT WAR STUDIES?

One of my professors at the University of Chicago, Robert Pape, recommended I apply to the War Studies program. The University of Chicago Scholarship Office said that based on my interests in great power politics and political thought that the War Studies program would be a strong fit.

Subsequently, I participated in the Hertog Seminar on “Nixon in China” and the Security and Strategy Seminar Series on China. I have also attended War Studies Advanced Courses such as “Civil Military Relations” and “Russian Hybrid Warfare.” I could not have asked for a better experience in these programs. They pushed me to develop the rigor of my ideas and built my personal network of like-minded young professionals.

TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR CAREER PATH.

I studied political science at the University of Chicago with a special focus on the foreign policy strategy of the late Hapsburg monarchy. One of my most formative experiences was being sent to the NATO Center of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism as an instructor for a weeklong program to bring social science research into the discussion with security practitioners. It convinced me that I want to continue to operate at the nexus of research and security.

Hertog programs have been instrumental in my professional development. The War Studies and China programs sharpened my ambitions and gave me analytical tools to succeed in my work and school environments.

WHAT STICKS OUT IN YOUR MEMORY ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION EXPERIENCE WITH WAR STUDIES?

The War Studies Program took me beyond being a foreign policy hobbyist. The War Studies Program conducts a holistic discussion of the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war. From close readings of theory of war to simulated debates over post-war doctrinal evolution, students leave with a deeper understanding of the concepts at work.

What most stood out to me was the War Studies instructors’ uncompromising approach to intellectual honesty. Every idea would be subject to intense scrutiny and every theory would be applied to unusual and difficult test cases. We discussed what Clausewitz would say about the Gulf War air campaign or the Russian Deep Battle doctrine. In subsequent experiences in school and work, I have had to work with similar frameworks and I always go back to the approaches taught in the War Studies Program.

OVERALL, WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF HERTOG PROGRAMS?

The Hertog programs have helped more than anything else to keep me sharp and critical. It is all too easy to slip into comfortable opinions and routines, but the Hertog classes consistently force me to engage with new and diverging viewpoints and push me out of my comfort zone. The ability to engage with such an intelligent student body on such important issues is unparalleled.

DO YOU THINK HERTOG PROGRAMS ARE BENEFICIAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE INTERESTED IN SECURITY STUDIES?

Absolutely. My impression is that while many people are nominally interested in foreign policy and security studies issues, they are limited by resources which only scrape the surface. Hertog programs are unique in their ability to drive students deeper into these important topics.

The “Nixon and China” class I took under Dan Blumenthal is a great example of Hertog’s value. Instead of laying out a single viewpoint about a difficult issue, the class used a primary-source focus which forced students to develop their own opinions. Reading documents such as Kissinger’s transcripts and Nixon’s op-eds makes clear the enormous complexity of the decisions involved. For a generation of young people interested in participating in similarly momentous challenges, this is an invaluable experience.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS?

I want blend my security studies and technology policy backgrounds to work on America’s technology competition with China. One lesson that Hertog teaches you is that competition has many faces and changes form throughout history. Today, it seems that technology competition will be a key foreign policy issue which spans political, economic, and military domains. I would like to work for a US government body such as CFIUS, BIS, or OSTP to help America design a technology strategy which protects our core national interests.

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.