INSS research aligns itself with 10 themes derived from DoD and USG strategic documents. These themes are:

China

Inform U.S. strategy and policy toward China, including competition for support from third countries. Identify how the United States can prevail in strategic competition and potential areas for cooperation. 

Russia

Inform U.S. strategy and policy toward Russia, including impact and potential resolution of the Ukraine conflict. Identify how the United States can prevail in strategic competition and potential areas for cooperation. 

Integrated Deterrence

Examine how to weave cutting-edge technology, operational concepts, and state-of-the-art capabilities (military and nonmilitary) across the USG—and in concert with allies and partners—to influence adversary perceptions of the net benefits of aggression relative to restraint.

U.S. Competitive Advantage

Assess operational concepts, capabilities, designs, and plans to bolster deterrence and maintain U.S. military competitive advantage, with special attention to building national resilience, creating enduring advantages, and striking the right balance among current readiness, modernization, and emerging disruptive technologies.

Disruptive Technology

Assess disruptive technology and how it can be leveraged to enhance joint force capabilities, inform future warfare, and defend against exploitation and use by adversaries and competitors.

WMD Threats

Inform DoD leadership on ways and means to prepare for, deter, and, when necessary, prevail in conflict with a weapon of mass destruction (WMD)-armed adversary. 

Space, Cyber, and Information Domains

Develop insights into building resilience and protecting U.S. and allied space assets and networks from attack and in employing space, cyber, and information warfare capabilities to enhance U.S. conventional warfighting effectiveness and achieve information dominance. 

Allies and Partners

Identify high-return investments to strengthen the interoperability and capabilities of traditional allies and emerging security partners in the Indo-Pacific region and Europe as well as in the Middle East, Africa, and Western Hemisphere.

Other Nation-State and VEO Threats

Ensure that the U.S. military remains fully ready to deter and respond to nation-state threats from Iran and North Korea and from violent extremist organizations operating in the Middle East, Africa, and South and Central Asia.

Joint Warfighting Concept/Joint Force Development and Design (JWC/JFDD)

Assess how the U.S. military will operate and fight as an integrated team across all domains to ensure the joint force maintains its advantage.