The Institute for National Strategic Studies serves as a focal point for analysis of critical national security policy and defense strategy issues.
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Jan. 27, 2026
Quantum Technologies: Focusing a Bit Upon Realities
Quantum technologies are often discussed in terms of being “revolutionary.” In the long term, this may likely be true, but at present, at least in military contexts, perhaps a more useful framing is to ask: in what domains and ways do quantum capabilities demonstrably outperform contemporary classical approaches; where are such technologies still insufficiently mature in readiness and operational feasibility; and what effects do such technologies exert on force design, intelligence tradecraft, and risks to national security?
Jan. 26, 2026
AI-powered military neurotech: Mind enhancement or control?
Neurable, a consumer neurotechnology startup, has partnered with the Air Force to study whether electrode-studded headphones can track service members’ cognitive fitness, much like Garmin smartwatches have monitored Space Force members’ physical fitness, company and government officials said this month.
Jan. 22, 2026
The Arctic is a Strategic Distraction
Over the past five years, numerous articles have called for increased U.S. defense resources focused on the Arctic. This is a strategic mistake, a distraction.
Jan. 20, 2026
INSS Contributes Chapter on "PLA High Command in a Protracted War" in Army War College Book
INSS China Center Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow published a chapter on “PLA High Command in a Protracted War: Four Scenarios” in a new Army War College book edited by Joshua Arostegui, The 2024 Carlisle Conference on the PLA: Protracted War Against the PRC.
Jan. 8, 2026
Re-constructing and Construing the Warfighter: The Intersection of Bioengineering and Identity in Neurotechnologically Enhanced Military Personnel
Current joint warfighters are no longer merely trained — in many ways, they are increasingly bioengineered.
Dec. 22, 2025
Biotechnologies and the Treaty Gap: Why Biological Weapons Governance Is Falling Behind; and Some Thoughts on How to Fix It
The Scottish ballad Auld Lang Syne, written in 1788 by poet Robert Burns is a tune traditionally played to ring out the passing year and herald in the new. The lyrics offer an invitation to celebrate that which was good, and toast to what may come.
Dec. 17, 2025
Biotechnology in the FY 2026 NDAA: Strategic Implications — and Recommendations — for Joint Force Readiness
The newly released FY 26 NDAA places explicit emphasis upon the increasing involvement of biotechnology in US military missions. As 2025 comes to a close, and we look ahead to the new year, Dr. James Giordano, Director of the CDTFW, offers a view to why biotechnology is — and will be ever more — intrinsic and important to national defense and offers a set of recommendations for fortifying Joint Force engagement in the biotechnological domain.
Dec. 16, 2025
The Imperial Trap: Russia’s War in Ukraine and the Lessons of Failed Conquests
Since the release of the U.S. 28-point draft peace plan in late November, many officials and observers have suggested that a ceasefire in Ukraine may be on the horizon.
Dr. Tom Lynch Contributes U.S. Chapter to The Palgrave Geopolitical Atlas
"Chapter 2: United States" in The Palgrave Geopolitical Atlas: State and Quasi-State Actors in Great Power Competition is part of a comprehensive 54-chapter edited book that examines global state and quasi-state interactions in the new era of Great Power Competition.
Dec. 11, 2025
The Challenge of a Rising, Nuclear-Armed China
This National Institute for Public Policy article examines several specific developments in China’s nuclear arsenal, which, coupled with Beijing’s aggressive foreign policy, hold sobering implications for U.S. national security interests.