Skip to content
ITIF Logo
ITIF Search

Defense and National Security

As nations engage in a race for global advantage in innovation, ITIF champions a new policy paradigm that ensures businesses and national economies can compete successfully by spurring public and private investment in foundational areas such as research, skills, and 21st century infrastructure. Our work on defense and national security covers topics such as weapons systems, innovation in defense and homeland security agencies, and the role of defense R&D in spurring innovation and competitiveness.

Robert D. Atkinson
Robert D. Atkinson

President

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Read Bio
Dorothy Robyn
Dorothy Robyn

Nonresident Senior Fellow

ITIF Center for Clean Energy Innovation and Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability

Read Bio

Featured

Time for a New National Innovation System for Security and Prosperity

Time for a New National Innovation System for Security and Prosperity

If the United States is to stay ahead of China militarily and technologically, it will need to put in place a new national innovation system that focuses on making U.S. advanced technology leadership—in both innovation and production—the central organizing principle of U.S. economic and national security policy.

More Publications and Events

September 17, 2025|Events

The Impact of Foreign Regulation on US Technology Leadership and Security

Please join ITIF’s Aegis Project for an expert panel discussion with leaders from the Council on Global Competitiveness and Innovation (CGCI) and Shield Capital as we examine the vital role Big Tech plays in U.S. technology leadership and national security.

August 4, 2025|Blogs

South Korea Should Choose Friends Over Foes for Semiconductor Production

South Korea must reduce its reliance on China for both semiconductor exports and raw materials by strengthening alliances with the United States and its partners, aligning with export controls, and building a more secure, diversified supply chain to safeguard its long-term competitiveness in the global chip race.

August 1, 2025|Op-Eds & Contributed Articles

Big Tech’s Critical Role in America’s National Security Innovation

Policymakers seeking to rein in or break up market-leading tech firms should consider a more balanced approach that recognizes the crucial role they play in strengthening America in its intensifying economic and geopolitical competition with China.

July 29, 2025|Blogs

Hardening US Infrastructure Before a Potential Iranian Cyber Attack

Iran’s growing cyber capabilities, combined with recent geopolitical tensions, pose a serious threat to U.S. critical infrastructure, requiring urgent federal action to strengthen digital defenses and build long-term resilience.

July 21, 2025|Blogs

Letting US Companies Sell Second-Tier Chips to China Is the Right Move

The Trump administration should maintain export controls where they clearly advance national security. But it should also ensure that U.S. companies can compete globally, reinvest in innovation, and remain central to the technologies that will shape the future.

July 16, 2025|Events

Geofencing AI Chips: Evaluating “Call Home” Mandates for Semiconductor Security

Watch now for an expert discussion surrounding the implications of location verification requirements for AI chips.

July 1, 2025|Blogs

South Korea Should Reform Outdated and Protectionist Mapping Data Restrictions

South Korea’s export restrictions on mapping data act as a protectionist measure that unfairly limits competition from foreign firms. Korean policymakers should reform these rules not only to remove this non-tariff trade barrier but also to ensure that they do not hold back the use of geospatial data by emerging AI tools.

June 16, 2025|Blogs

Texas’s New Cyber Command Offers a Model for Other States

Texas's new Cyber Command Center strengthens defenses against rising cyber threats and builds a long-term cybersecurity workforce—offering a model other states can follow.

May 5, 2025|Blogs

Overly Stringent Export Controls Chip Away at American AI Leadership

While the U.S. government is right to prevent U.S. companies from selling advanced AI technology to the Chinese military, cutting U.S. companies off from the entire Chinese market is a cure worse than the disease. It will ultimately harm both U.S. national security and economic interests.

May 5, 2025|Testimonies & Filings

Comments to the UK Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Regarding the UK Government’s China Audit

ITIF offered comments on evidence the UK government should draw on; short- and long-term objectives for the UK-China relationship; areas to engage with China, and areas to draw red lines; how engagement could affect other alliances; and how to assess dependencies on China while strengthening security and resilience.

Back to Top