On October 23, CNAS hosted a panel on the U.S. defense budget and the Department of Defense’s alignment of resources to strategy.

Featuring our new report, Stuck in the Cul de Sac: How U.S. Defense Spending Prioritizes Innovation over Deterrence, CNAS Defense Program experts Dr. Carlton Haelig and Philip Sheers examine the gaps between the Department of Defense’s strategic priorities and its resource allocation and identify a wide range of challenges and opportunities the Pentagon faces in transitioning its key modernization initiatives to the field. This discussion drew on those insights to cover a range of topics from creating and maintaining a next-generation force, the impacts of a government shutdown on defense preparedness, and more.

The panel featured:

• Moderator Philip Sheers, Research Associate, Defense Program Center for a New American Security
• The Honorable Susanna V. Blume, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Center for a New American Security
• Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
• Dr. Carlton Haelig, Fellow, Defense Program, Center for a New American Security

To learn more about upcoming events at CNAS, head to cnas.org/events.

On Wednesday, October 15, CNAS hosted a live, virtual event​ on Countering China's Digital Silk Road featuring former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Digital Silk Road (DSR), China’s flagship initiative to strengthen its global ties and influence through technology. A decade after its launch, the DSR has become more vital to Beijing than ever as technology has moved to the center of its global ambitions. Since the DSR's inception, Beijing has signed bilateral technology agreements with over 80 countries, and Chinese tech exports have increased nearly 10-fold in the past three years alone.

This CNAS event featured a fireside chat between former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and CNAS Senior Fellow Vivek Chilukuri, followed by an expert panel that examined the DSR's evolution and effectiveness to date, U.S. and allied efforts to counter it, and key domains of U.S.-China tech competition in emerging markets. The panel featured:

• Moderator James Palmer, Deputy Editor at Foreign Policy and author of FP's weekly China Brief newsletter
• Jonathan Hillman, Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics, Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Digital Silk Road: China’s Quest to Wire the World
• Ruth Berry, Senior Director and Head of Policy, NVIDIA Government Affairs
• Ruby Scanlon, Research Associate, Technology and National Security Program, Center for a New American Security

To learn more about upcoming events at CNAS, head to cnas.org/events.

Judge Advocates General (JAGs) serve a critical role in the U.S. military by providing expert, apolitical legal advice to commanders and defense officials. On Wednesday, October 8, CNAS held the Judge Advocates General: On the Frontline of National Security and the Rule of Law event. The event featured opening remarks from Admiral John Richardson, USN (Ret.), member of the CNAS Board of Directors and former chief of naval operations, and a panel discussion with Judge James E. Baker, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; Rear Admiral James E. McPherson, JAGC, USN (Ret.), former undersecretary of the Army and former judge advocate general of the Navy. Hosted by Carrie Cordero, General Counsel and Senior Fellow at CNAS, the conversation covered the critical role of Judge Advocates General on the frontline of national security and rule of law, the need for factual and legal assessments in military operations, how JAGs can navigate operational pressure when providing legal advice to their commanders, and more.

Over the past two years, CNAS has conducted research work that focuses on federalism and national security, including work that addresses disputes that can arise between presidents and governors over deployment of the National Guard. This work includes a commentary series published in May that provides recommendations at the federal and state levels for ensuring that domestic deployment of the military is consistent with law and the protection of civil liberties.

To learn more about upcoming events at CNAS, head to cnas.org/events.