We simply wrapped up the second yr of our Expertise, Innovation, and Nice Energy Competitors class – now a part of our Stanford Gordian Knot Middle for Nationwide Safety Innovation.
Joe Felter, Raj Shah and I designed the category to 1) give our college students an appreciation of the challenges and alternatives for the US in its enduring strategic competitors with the Folks’s Republic of China, Russia and different rivals, and a pair of) supply insights on how industrial know-how (AI, machine studying, autonomy, cyber, quantum, semiconductors, entry to area, biotech, hypersonics, and others) are radically altering how we’ll compete throughout all the weather of nationwide energy e.g. diplomatic, informational, army, financial, monetary, intelligence and legislation enforcement (our affect and footprint on the world stage).
Why This Class?
The return of strategic competitors between nice powers grew to become a centerpiece of the 2017 Nationwide Safety Technique and 2018 Nationwide Protection Technique. The 2021 Interim Nationwide Safety Steerage and the administration’s just lately launched 2022 Nationwide Safety Technique clarify that China has quickly turn into extra assertive and is the one competitor probably able to combining its financial, diplomatic, army, and technological energy to mount a sustained problem to a secure and open worldwide system. And as we’ve seen within the Ukraine, Russia stays decided to wage a brutal struggle to play a disruptive function on the world stage.
Prevailing on this competitors would require greater than merely buying the fruits of this technological revolution; it’ll require a paradigm shift within the considering of how this know-how could be quickly built-in into new capabilities and platforms to drive new operational and organizational ideas and methods that change and optimize the way in which we compete.
Class Group
The readings, lectures, and visitor audio system explored how rising industrial applied sciences pose challenges and create alternatives for the US in strategic competitors with nice energy rivals with an emphasis on the Folks’s Republic of China. We centered on the challenges created when U.S. authorities companies, our federal analysis labs, and authorities contractors not have unique entry to those superior applied sciences.
This course included all that you’d count on from a Stanford graduate-level class within the Masters in Worldwide Coverage – complete readings, visitor lectures from present and former senior officers/consultants, and written papers. What makes the category distinctive nonetheless, is that that is an experiential coverage class. College students fashioned small groups and launched into a quarter-long mission that acquired them out of the classroom to 1) establish a precedence nationwide safety problem, after which to 2) validate the issue and suggest an in depth answer examined in opposition to precise stakeholders within the know-how and nationwide safety ecosystem.
The category was cut up into three elements. Half 1, weeks 1 by 4 lined worldwide relations theories, methods and insurance policies round Nice Energy Competitors particularly centered on the Folks’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Communist Peoples Social gathering (CCP). Half 2, weeks 5 by 8, dove into the industrial applied sciences: semiconductors, area, cyber, AI and Machine Studying, Excessive Efficiency Computing, and Biotech. In between elements 1 and a pair of of the category, the scholars had a midterm particular person mission. It required them to jot down a 2,000-word coverage memo describing how a U.S. competitor is utilizing a particular know-how to counter U.S. pursuits and a proposal for the way the U.S. ought to reply. (These coverage memos have been reviewed by Tarun Chhabra, the Senior Director for Expertise and Nationwide Safety on the Nationwide Safety Council.)
Every week the scholars needed to learn 5-10 articles (see class readings right here.) And every week we had visitor audio system on nice energy competitors, and know-how and its influence on nationwide energy and lectures/class dialogue.
Visitor Audio system
Along with the educating group, the course drew on the expertise and experience of visitor lecturers from business and from throughout U.S. Authorities companies to offer context and perspective on industrial applied sciences and nationwide safety.
Our class opened with three visitor audio system; former U.S. Secretary of Protection James Mattis and the CIA’s CTO and COO Nand Mulchandani and Andy Makridis. The final class closed with a chat by Google ex-Chairman Eric Schmidt.
Within the weeks in-between we had educating group lectures adopted by audio system that led discussions on the important industrial applied sciences. For semiconductors, the White Home Coordinator for the CHIPS Act – Ronnie Chatterji, and the CTO of Utilized Supplies – Om Nalamasu. For industrial tech integration and area, former Protection Innovation Unit (DIU) Director Mike Brown and B. Normal Bucky Butow – Director of the Area Portfolio. For Synthetic Intelligence, Lt. Gen. (Ret) Jack Shanahan, former director of the Joint Synthetic Intelligence Middle. And for artificial biology Stanford Professor Drew Endy – President, BioBricks Basis.
Group-based Experiential Venture
The third a part of the category was distinctive – a quarter-long, team-based mission. College students fashioned groups and developed hypotheses of how industrial applied sciences can be utilized in new and artistic methods to assist the U.S. wield its devices of nationwide energy. And in step with all our Gordian Knot Middle courses, they acquired out of the classroom and interviewed 20+ beneficiaries, coverage makers, and different key stakeholders testing their hypotheses and proposed options. On the finish of the quarter, every of the groups gave a last “Classes Discovered” presentation and adopted up with a 3,000 to five,000-word team-written paper.
By the top of the category all of the groups realized that the issue they’d chosen had morphed into one thing greater, deeper, and way more fascinating.
Group 1: Local weather Change
Unique Drawback Assertion: What mixtures of applied sciences and worldwide monetary relationships ought to the US prioritize to mitigate local weather change?
Last Drawback Assertion: How ought to the US handle China’s dominance in photo voltaic panels?
When you can’t see the presentation click on right here.
We knew that these college students might write a fantastic analysis paper. As we identified to them, whilst you could be the neatest particular person within the constructing, it’s unlikely that 1) all of the info are within the constructing, 2) you’re smarter than the collective intelligence sitting outdoors the constructing.
Jonah Cader: “Expertise, Innovation and Nice Energy Competitors (TIGPC) is that uncommon mixture of the theoretical, tactical, and sensible. Over 10 weeks, Clean, Felter, and Shah define the complexities of recent geopolitical tensions and produce college students up the educational curves of important areas of technological competitors, from semiconductors to synthetic intelligence. Every week of the seminar is a crash course in a brand new area, dropped at life by wealthy dialogue and an unimaginable slate of practitioners who stay and breathe the content material of TIGPC each day. Past the classroom, the course plunges college students into getting “out of the constructing” to iterate shortly whereas translating learnings to the true world. Alongside the way in which the course acts as a robust name to public service.”
Group 2: Networks
Unique Drawback Assertion: How would possibly we implement a ubiquitous safe world entry to the web with a purpose to assist circumvent censorship in authoritarian regimes?
Last Drawback Assertion: How can we create an open, free Web and keep efficient strains of communication in Taiwan in preparation for a possible invasion?
When you can’t see the presentation click on right here
By week 2 of the category college students fashioned groups round a particular know-how problem dealing with a US authorities company and labored all through the course to develop their very own proposals to assist the U.S. compete extra successfully by new operational ideas, organizations, and/or methods.
Jason Kim: “This course doesn’t simply talk about U.S. nationwide safety points. It teaches college students easy methods to apply an influential and confirmed methodology to quickly develop options to our most difficult issues.”
Group 3: Acquisition
Unique Drawback Assertion: How can the U.S. Division of Protection match or beat the velocity of nice energy rivals in buying and integrating important applied sciences?
Last Drawback Assertion: How can the U.S. Division of Protection deploy different funding mechanisms in parallel to conventional procurement automobiles to allow and incentivize the supply of important next-generation know-how in below 5 years?
When you can’t see the presentation click on right here
We needed to offer our college students hands-on expertise on easy methods to deeply perceive an issue on the intersection of our nation’s diplomacy, data, its army capabilities, financial energy, finance, intelligence, and legislation enforcement and dual-use know-how. First by having them develop hypotheses about the issue; subsequent by getting out of the classroom and speaking to related stakeholders throughout authorities, business, and academia to validate their assumptions; and eventually by taking what they discovered to suggest and prototype options to those issues.
Matt Kaplan: “The TIGPC class was a spotlight of my educational expertise at Stanford. Over the ten week quarter, I discovered an incredible quantity in regards to the significance of know-how in world politics from the three professors and from the consultants in authorities, enterprise, and academia who got here to talk. The category epitomizes a number of the greatest elements of my time right here: the chance to be taught from unimaginable, caring college and to work with inspiring classmates. Joe, Steve, Raj instilled in my classmates and me a recent sense of pleasure to work in public service.”
Group 4: Wargames
Unique Drawback Assertion: The U.S. wants a method, given a consultant simulation, to quickly discover a method for doable novel makes use of of current platforms and weapons.
Last Drawback Assertion: Strategic wargames stand to learn from a stronger integration of AI+ML however are struggling to seek out adoption and utilization. How can this be addressed?
When you can’t see the presentation click on right here
We would like our college students to construct the reflexes and abilities to deeply perceive an issue by gathering first-hand data and validating that the issue they’re fixing is the true downside, not a symptom of one thing else. Then, college students started quickly constructing minimal viable options (coverage, software program, {hardware} …) as a approach to take a look at and validate their understanding of each the issue and what it might take to resolve it.
Etienne Reche-Ley: “Expertise, Innovation and Nice Energy Competitors gave me a chance to dive into an actual world nationwide safety risk to the US and perceive the implications of it throughout the nice energy competitors. Not like another class I’ve taken at Stanford, this class allowed me to take motion on our downside about networks, censorship and the dearth of free move of knowledge in authoritarian regimes, and gave me the possibility to fulfill and be taught from a large number of consultants on the subject. I completed this class with a deep understanding of our downside, a proposed actionable answer and a newfound curiosity within the intersection of know-how and innovation because it applies to nationwide protection. I’m very grateful to have been a part of this course, and it has impressed me to go a step additional and pursue a profession associated to nationwide safety.”
Group 6: Disinformation
Unique Drawback Assertion: Disinformation is a nationwide safety risk.
Last Drawback Assertion: The U.S.’s potential to shut the disinformation response kill chain is hampered by an absence of coordination between U.S. authorities companies, no clear possession of the disinformation downside, and an absence of clear pointers on public-private partnerships.
When you can’t see the presentation click on right here
One different objective of the category was to proceed to validate and refine our pedagogy of mixing a conventional lecture class with an experiential mission. We did this by tasking the scholars to 1) use what they discovered from the lectures and a pair of) then take a look at their assumptions outdoors the classroom, the exterior enter they acquired can be a drive multiplier. It might make the lecture materials actual, tangible and actionable. And we and they might find yourself with one thing fairly invaluable.
Shreyas Lakhtakia: “TIGPC is an interdisciplinary class like no different. It’s a fabulous introduction to a number of the most vital tech and geopolitical challenges and questions of the twenty first century. The category, just like the matters it covers, is unimaginable and impressive – it’s a good way to degree up your understanding of not simply worldwide coverage, political principle and know-how coverage but in addition deep tech and the function of startups in projecting nationwide energy. When you’re interested by the way forward for the world and the function of the US in it, you gained’t discover a extra distinctive course, a extra devoted educating group or higher audio system to listen to from than this!”
Group 7: Quantum Expertise
Unique Drawback Assertion: China’s deliberate authorities funding in quantum dwarfs that of the U.S. by an element of 10.
Last Drawback Assertion: The US quantum ecosystem doesn’t generate sufficient consciousness of alternatives to pursue careers in quantum that might catalyze business progress.
When you can’t see the presentation click on right here
We knew we have been asking rather a lot from our college students. We have been integrating a lecture class with a heavy studying listing with the very best practices of speculation testing from Lean Launchpad/Hacking for Protection/I-Corps. However I’ve but to wager incorrect in pushing college students previous what they suppose is cheap. Most rise method above the event.
Group 9: Lithium-Ion Batteries
Unique Drawback Assertion: Provide and manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries is centered in China. How can the U.S. turn into aggressive?
Last Drawback Assertion: China controls the processing of important supplies used for lithium-ion batteries. To regain management the DOE must incentivize brief and long-term methods to extend processing of important supplies and reduce dependence on lithium-ion batteries.
When you can’t see the presentation click on right here
All of our college students put in extraordinary quantity of labor. Our college students got here from a various set of background and pursuits – from undergraduate sophomores to fifth yr PhD’s – in a combination together with worldwide coverage, economics, laptop science, enterprise, legislation and engineering. Some will go on to senior roles in State, Protection, coverage or different companies. Others will be a part of or discovered the businesses constructing new disruptive applied sciences. They’ll be those to find out what the world-order will appear like for the remainder of the century and past. Will or not it’s a rules-based order the place states cooperate to pursue a shared imaginative and prescient for a free and open area and the place the sovereignty of all international locations massive and small is protected below worldwide legislation? Or will or not it’s an autocratic and dystopian future coerced and imposed by a neo-totalitarian regime?
This class modified the trajectory of lots of our college students. A quantity expressed newfound curiosity in exploring profession choices within the discipline of nationwide safety. A number of will likely be profiting from alternatives supplied by the Gordian Knot Middle for Nationwide Safety Innovation to additional pursue their contribution to nationwide safety.
This course and our work at Stanford’s Gordian Knot Middle wouldn’t be doable with out the unrelenting help and steerage from Ambassador Mike McFaul and Professor Riitta Katila, GKC founding college and Principal Investigators, and the tenacity of David Hoyt, Gordian Knot Middle Assistant Director.
Classes Discovered
- We mixed lecture and experiential studying so our college students can act on issues not simply admire them
- The exterior enter the scholars acquired was a drive multiplier
- It made the lecture materials actual, tangible and actionable
- Pushing college students previous what they suppose is cheap leads to extraordinary output. Most rise method above the event
- The category creates alternatives for our greatest and brightest to interact and handle challenges on the nexus of know-how, innovation and nationwide safety
- The ultimate shows and papers from the category are proof that may occur
Filed below: Expertise Innovation and Nice Energy Competitors |
