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The IC’s New OSINT Strategy Gets the Basics Right

The intelligence community released its first-ever OSINT strategy. CSIS's Emily Harding interprets the meaning behind the jargon.

Critical Questions by Emily Harding — April 2, 2024

Scaling AI-enabled Capabilities at the DOD: Government and Industry Perspectives

Transcript — March 28, 2024

On the Horizon Vol. 6

Report by Doreen Horschig and Jessica Link — March 27, 2024

The DARPA Perspective on AI and Autonomy at the DOD

Transcript — March 27, 2024

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Understanding China's Regionally Administered Totalitarianism

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How is the G7 Thinking about AI?

Podcast Episode by Gregory C. Allen and Brielle Hill — March 29, 2024

The Government Clock is Ti(c)kTok-ing

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — March 22, 2024

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State Department Careers: A Conversation with Ross Kaplan

Jobs inside the U.S. government can be nebulous, as can the process to get in the door. Learn to navigate the hiring process, as well as life as a State Department employee, with Ross Kaplan, Senior Advisor to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at the Department of State.

Event — June 4, 2024

DoD’s Warfighting Concept with the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

CSIS and the U.S. Naval Institute are excited to host ADM Christopher Grady, USN, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. for a Maritime Security Dialogue on the Navy’s contributions to current joint force missions across the globe.

Event — May 1, 2024

Global Security Forum 2024: Gathering Strength in a Gathering Storm

Join the CSIS International Security Program for its annual Global Security Forum on April 24, 2024, featuring keynote discussions with General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Honorable Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence.

Event — April 24, 2024

Counterspace Trends: An Evolving Global Landscape

Please join scholars from CSIS’s Aerospace Security Project and the Secure World Foundation as they discuss the latest counterspace weapons trends.

Event — April 17, 2024

CSIS-CSDS Transatlantic Dialogue on the Indo-Pacific

The CSIS Asia Program cordially invites you to 4th CSIS-CSDS Transatlantic Dialogue on the Indo-Pacific.

Event — April 9, 2024

CANCELLED: Strategic Landpower Dialogue: A Conversation with General Christopher Cavoli

Please join the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) for our fourth Strategic Landpower Dialogue event, featuring General Christopher Cavoli, Commander, U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Event — April 5, 2024

Strengthening Australia-U.S. Defence Industrial Cooperation: Keynote Panel

The CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group (DIIG) and Australia Chair cordially invite you to a panel discussion of the conference Strengthening Australia-U.S. Defence Industrial Cooperation.

The U.S.-Japan Alliance in 2024: Toward an Integrated Alliance

Please join the CSIS Japan Chair for the release of the next iteration of the Armitage-Nye Report, “The U.S.-Japan Alliance in 2024 Toward an Integrated Alliance," featuring Richard L. Armitage, Joseph S. Nye Jr., and more.

Event — April 4, 2024

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Chenggang Xu, Senior Research Scholar at the Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions and Visiting Fellow at Hoover Institution of Stanford University to discuss the institutional underpinnings of China’s political economy.

Nuclear strategy remains a priority for the United States. Host Dr. Kathleen McInnis speaks with CSIS Senior Adviser (Non-resident) to the Project on Nuclear Issues and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy, Elaine Bunn.

Event — April 3, 2024

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DARPA Aims to Develop AI, Autonomy Applications Warfighters Can Trust

An important goal of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing artificial intelligence that is trustworthy for the Defense Department — particularly for making life-or-death recommendations to warfighters, said Matt Turek, deputy director of DARPA's Information Innovation Office.

AI, machine learning and autonomy are being used by about 70% of DARPA's programs in some form or another, Turek said today at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event.

Another reason AI development is such a priority is to prevent an unexpected breakthrough in technology, or "strategic surprise," by adversaries who might also be developing advanced capabilities, he said, adding that DARPA also aims to create its own strategic surprise.

Spotlight: Science & Tech

To accomplish those goals, DARPA is looking for transformative capabilities and ideas from industry and academia, Turek said. 

One of the many ways the agency gets these capabilities and ideas is to hold various types of challenges where teams from the private sector can win prizes worth millions of dollars, he said. 

An example of that, he said, is DARPA's Artificial Intelligence Cyber Challenge , which uses generative AI technologies — like large language models — to automatically find and fix vulnerabilities in open-source software, particularly software that underlies critical infrastructure.

Turek said a unique feature of this challenge is the partnership between DARPA and state-of-the-art large language model providers that are participating in the challenges, including Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic. 

Most likely, large language model improvements will also benefit the commercial sector, as well as DOD, Turek said.

Spotlight: Engineering in DOD

An example of the use of autonomy and of AI that DARPA has been testing with the Air Force involves its F-16 fighter jets, he said.

Turek said DARPA has four areas of AI research involving industry and academia partners: 1 Proficient artificial intelligence; 2 Confidence in the information domain, which includes tools that detect things like manipulated media; 3 Secure and resilient systems; and 4 Defensive and offensive cyber tools. Turek noted that there's a lot of synergy across those four areas.

Spotlight: Artificial Intelligence Spotlight: Artificial Intelligence:  https://www.defense.gov/Spotlights/Artificial-Intelligence/

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Global Force Symposium

Army artillery needs more range, mobility and autonomy, study finds.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army’s recently completed conventional fires study determined the service should focus on more autonomous artillery systems with greater range and improved mobility, the Army Futures Command chief said Wednesday.

Speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Symposium here, Gen. James Rainey said the Army will achieve these improvements by incorporating robotics into systems, improving artillery rounds and pursuing readily available mobile howitzer options.

The service began working last year on a conventional fires study intended to lead to a new strategy. Rainey said at the time the review would consider the existing capability and capacity and future Army needs. It was also going to assess new technology to enhance conventional fires on the battlefield, such as advances in propellant that make it possible for midrange cannons to shoot as far as longer-range systems.

The study has already influenced one program. The Army, after also conducting a prototyping effort for an Extended Range Cannon Artillery system, concluded the platform was not the right approach.

The service plans to focus instead on extending the range of current artillery systems with innovative munitions still under development as part of the ERCA program, Rainey said.

“We are in a resource constrained environment,” he added. “You can go after an exquisite system or you can take a more holistic approach.”

The Army was able to conduct a variety of successful tests with ERCA prototypes, including hitting a target 70 kilometers, or 43 miles, away at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, in December 2020 using an Excalibur extended-range guided artillery shell.

The problems with the cannon were mostly related to the length of the gun tube and its ability to withstand a large number of projectiles without excessive wear.

The Army is planning to deliver a better armored howitzer, Rainey said. “There are some great capabilities out there.”

However, towed howitzers may not have a clear future with the Army, he said, adding “the future is not bright for towed artillery.”

Rainey said he’s “very interested in autonomous and robotic cannon solutions” for joint forcible entry formations like the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions.

The Army is pursuing mobile, indirect fires capabilities for light infantry and Stryker formations as well, he noted.

Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.

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This report fulfills an Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requirement that the Department of Defense conduct research and development, engineering studies, economic analyses, activities with respect to systems, or other planning activities to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the spectrum use of the Department of Defense in order to make available electromagnetic spectrum in the 3100-3450 MHz band for reallocation for shared Federal and non-Federal commercial licensed use and for auction. This report summarizes the findings of those assessments and concludes that shared Federal and non-Federal use of the 3100-3450 MHz band is feasible if certain conditions are fully proven through rigorous, in-depth, real-world full scope operational testing with Joint Force assets and implemented in advance of any action. The conditions are:

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The FY2025 MURI FOA is Now Open!

The United States Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI) Funding Opportunity Announcement for FY2025 is here! https://www.nre.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities/fiscal-year-fy-2025-department-defense-multidisciplinary  MURI supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education (universities) that is of potential interest to DoD. The program is focused on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in scientific areas of interest to the DoD. White papers due by: 17 May 2024 (5 PM EST) Full proposals accepted until: 6 Sept 2024 (5 PM EST)

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• Nutrition and healthy eating
• Add antioxidants to your diet

Antioxidants are certain nutrients, such as vitamins C or E, or carotenoids, which may help protect cells against daily damage. As cells do their job, the way they process oxygen results in a molecule called a free radical. These molecules are unstable. As they regain stability, free radicals damage cells and DNA.

Disease and free radical damage

Over time, free radical damage can cause problems for tissues and organs in the body, potentially leading to disease. Research suggests that free radical molecules can add to the risk of health issues linked to aging. Some examples are heart disease, age-related macular degeneration, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

The body's cells can fix or prevent free radical damage, for example, by making antioxidant enzymes. And some antioxidants, such as vitamin C, come from food and drink.

Eating antioxidants

Plant-based foods are the best source of antioxidants. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices, and even cocoa. Plants have naturally occurring antioxidants such as carotenoids, flavonoids, isothiocyanates, and phenolic acids.

As a bonus, many foods that have antioxidants also have other benefits. They are often high in fiber, low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and good sources of vitamins and minerals.

Artichokes are a good example.

They naturally have the fiber inulin. But artichokes also have plant chemicals called flavonoids and phenolic acids. Those phytonutrients have the potential to help manage free radicals.

Does cooking affect antioxidants?

Drying, cooking or freezing foods can affect its level of antioxidants. Sometimes cooking allows an antioxidant to be better absorbed. Lycopene in tomatoes is one example.

More lycopene is available in cooked tomatoes than raw ones. And for some foods, such as sweet potatoes, cooked is the only way we could eat them at all.

In addition to cooking, some antioxidants are more available when paired with another nutrient. One example is orange and yellow vegetables with beta carotene and vitamin E. Cooked with a bit of fat, those antioxidants are more available to the body.

Other foods with carotenes also may offer more nutrients cooked. Examples are carrots, red and green peppers, kale, spinach, and broccoli. Some of their phytochemicals may be better absorbed by the body after being cooked.

Other foods have more antioxidants when raw. In jam made of berries, for example, antioxidant levels were lower than in the raw, unprocessed berries.

Fresh or frozen, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and cranberries are among the top fruit sources of antioxidants.

Nuts, seeds and grains

Along with fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains add antioxidants to the diet. Whole grains, nuts and seeds are a source for selenium, vitamin E and antioxidant phytochemicals.

Unsalted nuts and seeds have protein and fats in addition to other phytochemicals. They are a nutrient dense food.

Nut and seed oils also may help people balance their healthy fat intake. Walnuts and pecans are some of the top nuts for antioxidant content. Not crazy about nuts? Try sunflower seeds.

And don't forget those grains. When made into flour, buckwheat, millet and barley seem to hold on to their phytochemicals best.

Antioxidants add up

Overall, antioxidants from foods taken in over a long period of time seem to support health. Individual antioxidants taken as supplements have less scientific support.

When it comes to adding antioxidants to the diet, no one food or food group can do it all. The best bet is to get a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains into the diet.

Adding foods with different colors can help meet that goal. A food's color hints at its antioxidants. Red, orange, yellow, green, and even blue or black fruits and vegetables provide different antioxidants.

Other things in the diet, such as tea, coffee and some fruit juices also have antioxidants. Some dark chocolate may have antioxidants as well, but it depends on the cocoa contents.

And it can be helpful to make sure to get some antioxidants every day. For example, vitamin C isn't stored in the body. So eating food with that vitamin every day can help make sure the body has enough.

• Antioxidants and health. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/antioxidants/introduction.htm. Accessed March 11, 2024.
• Antioxidants and cancer prevention. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/antioxidants-fact-sheet. Accessed March 11, 2024.
• Duyff RL. Vitamins and minerals. In: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. 5th ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2017.
• Aune D, et al. Dietary intake and blood concentrations of antioxidants and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer, and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2018; doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqy097.
• Carlsen MH, et al. The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. Nutrition Journal. 2010; doi:10.1186/1475-2891-9-3.
• Zeratsky KA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. March 11, 2024.
• Izquierdo-Vega JA, et al. Evidence of some natural products with antigenotoxic effects. Part 1: Fruits and polysaccharides. Nutrients. 2017; doi:10.3390/nu9020102.
• Lopez-Romero D, et al. Evidence of some natural products with antigenotoxic effects. Part 2: Plants, vegetables, and natural resin. Nutrients. 2018; doi:10.3390/nu10121954.
• Rusu ME, et al. Health benefits of nut consumption in middle-aged and elderly population. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019; doi:10.3390/antiox8080302.
• Artichoke. Natural Medicines. https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com. Accessed Feb. 14, 2024.
• Neri L. Antioxidant activity in frozen plant foods: Effect of cryoprotectants, freezing process and frozen storage. Foods. 2020; doi:10.3390/foods9121886.
• 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov. Accessed Feb. 13, 2024.

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