NatSec Tech

Dr. Erik Brynjolfsson, Stanford economist and director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, explores the rapid rise of AI and the idea of a Second Machine Age. He discusses the growing gap between tech capability and the workforce. He urges widespread AI fluency, targeted reskilling, nimble data systems, and rethinking work and education to capture productivity gains and avoid unequal outcomes.

In this episode of NatSec Tech, host Jeanne Meserve explores India's emerging role as a global AI superpower. Guests Rama Elluru, Senior Advisor at the Special Competitive Studies Project, and Eli Sugarman, Director of Special Projects at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, provide a firsthand account of the massive AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The discussion highlights a shift in the global AI narrative from Western-centric safety concerns to the population-scale adoption of technology in the Global South. NatSec Tech is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.

In this episode of NatSec Tech, recorded at the Munich Security Conference, host Jeanne Meserve is joined by André Loesekrug-Pietri, Chairman and Scientific Director of the Joint European Disruptive Initiative (JEDI). JEDI focuses on accelerating frontier technologies across energy, life sciences, and computing.Loesekrug-Pietri offers a candid assessment of why the West must move past "innovation theater"—the tendency to talk about technological advancement without fundamentally changing how organizations operate. The conversation explores the urgent need to move from linear, years-long procurement cycles to an exponential model measured in days and weeks, as seen on the modern battlefields of Ukraine. NatSec Tech is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.

Jeanne Meserve is joined by Sree Ramaswamy, Chief Innovation Officer at the NobleReach Foundation. The conversation explores how NobleReach is addressing this through the NobleReach Scholars Program, which recruits engineering and computer science graduates to enter public service for short-term, high-impact stints. The conversations cover the critical need to bridge the "tech talent gap" within the U.S., the U.S. Tech Force initiative, and the necessity of creating "dual citizens" who can move fluidly between the public and private sectors to maintain America's technological edge. NatSec Tech is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.

In this insightful discussion, Steve Blank, an adjunct professor at Stanford and a leader in defense innovation, shares his expertise on reforming the Department of Defense's acquisition process. He advocates for a shift from requirements-driven to problem-solving approaches, emphasizing quick delivery through lean startup methods. Blank highlights the importance of retraining staff, simplifying processes for startups, and the necessity of bipartisan support. With a focus on iterative learning, he underscores the need for accountability and real impacts on national security.

In this episode of NatSec Tech, Planet Labs CEO Will Marshall joins host Jeanne Meserve to discuss the vital role of satellite constellations in modern conflict, specifically as seen in Ukraine. Marshall explains how daily global imaging, paired with AI at the edge, is providing a critical information advantage by enabling rapid threat detection and "tipping" systems for drone operations. The conversation highlights how the democratization of this unclassified data allows not only militaries but also NGOs and journalists to hold global actors accountable in real time. NatSec Tech is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.

On this episode of NatSec Tech, host Jeanne Meserve sits down with General Jay Raymond, the first Chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force. As the service marks its sixth year, Raymond discusses the rapid transition of space into a warfighting domain where active satellites have surged from 1,500 to nearly 13,000 since 2019. He details how the Space Force is leveraging AI and "digital twins" to manage this massive congestion, track maneuvering "nesting doll" satellites from adversaries, and accelerate decision-making at the speed of space. NatSec Tech is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.

On this episode of NatSec Tech, host Jeanne Meserve is joined by Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov to examine the critical risks and opportunities at the intersection of AI, nuclear, and biosecurity. Dr. Kusnezov explains that the democratization and convergence of emerging technologies—like AI and gene editing—have lowered the barriers to creating highly sophisticated threats. He details NTI’s Future Safe initiative, which uses these same technologies to generate real-time risk awareness and develop new mitigation strategies, stressing that fighting technology with technology is the only path forward. NatSec Tech is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.

In this episode, host Jeanne Meserve welcomes Andrew King, Executive Director of Future Union, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to galvanizing the private sector to stand with democracy. The conversation addresses the critical issue of how U.S. firms and investors are, sometimes unwittingly, fueling Chinese technological innovation, fundamentally undercutting U.S. national security. NatSec Tech is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.

In this episode, host Jeanne Meserve welcomes Dr. Amber Jaycocks, Senior Vice President of Data Science at Dun & Bradstreet, and Mounir Ibrahim, Chief Communications Officer and Head of Public Affairs for TruePic, to discuss the critical challenge of digital visual deception in the age of AI. They explore how deepfakes and AI-generated content are being used to perpetrate widespread business fraud and detail the necessary technological counter-measures, such as robust authentication and cryptographic verification, for maintaining national security and global commerce. NatSec Tech is a product of the Special Competitive Studies Project.