US defense innovation and great power deterrence

This event is now virtual-only. Please join us online to view this program. 

How well is the United States preparing its armed forces for the new era of great-power rivalry and potential conflict? Technology is changing fast, and America’s military needs to respond accordingly. The current era of great power rivalry is characterized in part by the growing capabilities of new weapons systems: cyber tools, robotics, artificial intelligence, small satellites, precision missiles including hypersonic varieties, and of course, stealth aircraft and quiet submarines, among other key innovations. The vulnerability of the systems the U.S. depends on to wage modern warfare is also of central concern.

Meeting this moment requires defense innovation, military modernization, and rapid adjustment to emerging threats and strategic demands. Almost two years into the Biden administration, how prepared are we to respond to the challenges of this complex global environment creatively and swiftly? How much progress have we made in preparing for different types of conflicts and therefore deterring them?

On November 14, the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at Brookings hosted an online discussion featuring two forward-leaning scholars who have contributed important intellectual work on this set of questions, Chris Brose and David Ochmanek. The focus of the conversation was on the state of U.S. military preparations for great-power deterrence and war.

Online viewers can submit questions via e-mail to [email protected] or via Twitter @BrookingsFP using #DefenseInnovation.