U.S. National Technology Strategy

The CNAS U.S. National Technology Strategy project will develop the intellectual framework for a national technology strategy for the United States that can serve as a roadmap for successful, long-term American innovation and technological leadership. The project focuses on how the government should establish technology policy on key issues, such as accelerating American innovation, mitigating risk to U.S. advantages, and contending with the technology strategies of competitors.

The U.S. National Technology Strategy project, a U.S. government-supported initiative, will explore options for boosting innovation through research and development funding, developing and maintaining human capital (STEM education, high-skilled immigration, upskilling), technical standard-setting, and supplying public goods (data, computing resources). This project explores the institutional and bureaucratic processes through which the government should develop and execute an effective national approach. It also examines these processes against case studies in specific areas of technology.

The United States must also protect its vital competitive advantages. This project analyzes measures such as increased supply chain diversity and security, improved visa screening, targeted export controls and investment screening, and increased and more effective counterespionage investigations. Many of these issues require balancing a variety of competing interests, such as protecting critical technologies with stimulating the long-term growth and success of American technological leadership by allowing U.S. companies to compete in a global marketplace. Balancing these and other issues requires meaningful and systemic coordination by multiple stakeholders across the government and private sector.

The U.S. National Technology Strategy project, partially supported by a grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Commercial and Economic Analysis (OCEA), aims to provide concrete, actionable policy recommendations on high-impact areas to further U.S. technological advantage. Through a series of roundtable discussions, reports, op-eds, and multimedia, this project will develop a comprehensive U.S. technology strategy to reinvigorate American technological competitiveness.

This project is part of America Competes 2020, a Center-wide initiative featuring cutting-edge CNAS research, publications, events, and multimedia aimed at strengthening the United States’ strategic advantages at home and abroad.

Learn more:

Watch the CNAS In Short Series:

The Center for a New American Security Technology and National Security Program produced a three-video series that explores the need for a U.S. National Technology Strategy.