NatSec Tech

Bölümler

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  The AI Race Against the Next Pandemic 09.09.2026 33dk

  In this episode of NatSec Tech, Jeanne sits down with Dr. Charity Dean, founder and CEO of PHC Global and former public health officer for the State of California. They discuss why Dean calls COVID "a dry run," why she left government to build an AI-powered bio-threat intelligence platform, and how agentic AI and large language models are simultaneously lowering the bar for bad actors to engineer novel pathogens and giving defenders powerful new tools to detect and counter them. The conversation ranges from the mechanics of early-warning biosurveillance and rapid medical countermeasures, to the private sector's growing role as an alternative to institutions like the WHO and CDC, to the erosion of public trust that Dean says now shapes how corporate America, not just government, will respond to the next outbreak. She closes with a candid look at the ongoing U.S. measles outbreak and a hopeful case for what AI-enabled biodefense can achieve if the country invests in it in time.
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  25 Years After 9/11: Are We Safer? 02.09.2026 45dk

  As the U.S. marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, host Jeanne sits down with Dr. Philip Zelikow, executive director of the original 9/11 Commission and now the Botha-Chan Senior Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. They explore whether America is truly safer today, how terrorist threats have evolved from centralized sanctuaries to online radicalization, and why conflicts in Gaza and Iran may not drive terrorism the way many assume. The conversation ranges widely — from the fate of key 9/11 Commission reforms like the DNI and NCTC, to the politicization of U.S. intelligence agencies, to Zelikow's stark warning that biotech and pandemic preparedness represent the most dangerous, most neglected threat on the horizon. A candid, wide-ranging look at what's changed since 2001 — and what hasn't.
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  Episode 109: Jen Obernier on Commercial Data, Government Innovation, & the Speed of Decision-Making 19.08.2026 24dk

  Data has been called the new oil, but for AI, power may be the real bottleneck. In this episode of NatSec Tech, host Jeanne Meserve is joined by Jennifer Obernier, CEO of Gristmill Exchange, to discuss why commercial data, not just government-collected intelligence, is now central to national security. Obernier explains how a century of stovepiped, agency-by-agency data acquisition is giving way to shared infrastructure that lets the US and its allies buy exactly the data they need, at the speed missions demand, and why nations that master data velocity, not just data volume, will hold the real edge over rivals like China.
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  Episode 108: Aliya Haq on Clean Energy, National Security, and Powering the AI Race 05.08.2026 32dk

  In this episode of NatSec Tech, host Jeanne Meserve is joined by Aliya Haq, President of Clean Econ, to discuss why "speed to power" may be the biggest constraint on America's ability to win the AI race. Haq breaks down why the century-old U.S. electric grid, with roughly 1.3 terawatts of capacity, is struggling to keep pace with surging demand, and how China has added that same amount of capacity in just three years. They discuss the two terawatts of energy projects stuck in interconnection queues, why hyperscalers are resorting to building their own power plants "behind the meter," the political battle over renewables versus fossil fuels under the current administration, and the growing case for next-generation nuclear technology.
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  Episode 107: Dr. Teija Tiilikainen on Hybrid Threats, Disinformation, & the Battle for Democracy 22.07.2026 31dk

  Conflict no longer requires troops or tanks. Increasingly, authoritarian regimes wage war through cyberattacks, disinformation, election interference, sabotaged infrastructure, and even weaponized migration, deniable tools designed to catch open societies off guard and erode trust from within. In this episode, we ask: As AI supercharges these hybrid threats, can the world's democracies build the resilience to withstand them? Dr. Teija Tiilikainen joins NatSec Tech from Helsinki to share her perspective on hybrid warfare and how democracies can defend themselves. Teija is Director of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats and previously served as Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and as State Secretary at Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs. She explains why hybrid attacks are so hard to detect and attribute, how Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea use them to test Western vulnerabilities, why AI currently favors the attacker, and why broad societal resilience, education, and public-private cooperation may be democracy's best defense.
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  Episode 106: Mark Murray on Disinformation, Deepfakes, & the Fight for Free and Fair Elections 08.07.2026 36dk

  Disinformation has always shadowed elections, but artificial intelligence now lets bad actors produce it at a scale and speed never seen before. With the midterms approaching and government election-security agencies diminished, the question grows urgent: Can the same technology fueling the threat also be used to defend against it? Mark Murray joins NatSec Tech to share his perspective on AI, disinformation, and election integrity. Mark is Editorial Director at OpenAI and previously served as senior political editor at NBC News. Drawing on decades covering elections and his work at the frontier of AI, he explains how AI can empower both bad actors and good ones, how tools like digital watermarking and verification aim to combat deepfakes, and why he's confident the midterms can still be free and fair.
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  Episode 105: Teresa Carlson on Frontier AI, Smart Regulation, & Keeping America Number One 24.06.2026 39dk

  Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than any technology before it, yet the United States still has no federal framework to govern it, leaving a patchwork of state and foreign rules that startups can barely navigate. With Europe regulating aggressively and China surging forward, the central tension is sharper than ever: regulate too much and risk falling behind, regulate too little and risk chaos. In this episode, we ask: As AI reshapes jobs, children's lives, and the integrity of our information, can America strike the right balance between innovation and safety before it's too late? Teresa Carlson joins NatSec Tech to share her perspective on AI policy and the global technology race. Teresa is CEO of General Catalyst Institute, which bridges venture capital and government to advance national resilience, and previously founded and led Amazon Web Services' Worldwide Public Sector business. Drawing on more than two decades at the intersection of big tech and government, she explains why the recent federal executive order on frontier models is only a first step, how the "Mythos moment" became a wake-up call for Washington, and why she believes the gravest risk isn't regulation, but a failure to act with urgency.
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  Episode 104: The Genesis Mission, AI-Driven Science, & America's Race to Innovate 10.06.2026 24dk

  For decades, the path from scientific breakthrough to real-world impact has taken ten to twenty years, with researchers relying on tools not far removed from a high school chemistry lab. The Department of Energy's Genesis Mission aims to change that, harnessing artificial intelligence to compress discovery from decades to mere years. In this episode, we ask: Can a "Manhattan Project 2.0" for science deliver the breakthroughs America needs to stay ahead of China? Angela Sheffield joins NatSec Tech live at the 2026 AI+ Expo to share her perspective on AI's power to revitalize American science. Angela is the Director of AI Strategy for Energy at Accenture Federal Services, one of the private partners building the digital infrastructure behind the Genesis Mission. Drawing on her experience as a national lab scientist, military officer, and DOE program manager, she explains how connecting data across the national laboratories could unlock everything from critical mineral independence to next-generation nuclear reactors — and why the mission's aggressive deadlines signal a new era for American scientific ambition.
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  Episode 103: Anshu Roy on AI-Powered Propaganda, Cognitive Warfare, & Future of Information Conflict 27.05.2026 25dk

  Propaganda has existed for centuries, but artificial intelligence and neurological research are transforming it into something far more dangerous: cognitive warfare. Today, adversaries aren't just shaping what we think, they're targeting how we think, exploiting fear, anxiety, and tribalism at massive scale. In this episode, we ask: As AI gives bad actors the power to destabilize populations and cloud the decision-making of leaders, is the world prepared for this new kind of war? Anshu Roy joins NatSec Tech live at the 2026 AI+ Expo to share his perspective on the rise of cognitive warfare. Anshu is the founder and CEO of Rhombus Power, an AI company delivering predictive intelligence for national security. Drawing on his experience building predictive intelligence tools and supporting active military operations, he explains how information warfare and kinetic warfare are converging and why cognitive warfare may be the next nuclear weapon.
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  Episode 102: Pete Newell on Battlefield Innovation, Scaling Speed, & the Future of National Security 13.05.2026 18dk

  In Ukraine and the Middle East, cheap and easy-to-produce drones have fundamentally altered the battlefield. But while technology moves at the speed of a text message, the Pentagon’s procurement process remains stuck on a different clock. In this episode, we ask: Is the Department of Defense actually equipped to counter this evolving threat, or are we just buying the wrong things faster? Pete Newell joins the show to share his perspective on the drone revolution. Pete is a 32-year Army veteran, the former Director of the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF), and the co-founder and CEO of BMNT. Drawing on his experience deploying the first military UAS systems in Iraq and the Switchblade in Afghanistan, he explains why today’s drones are essentially "IEDs that fly"—and why the military's biggest hurdle isn't technology, but institutional inertia.
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  Episode 101: Sal Khan on AI Education, Literacy, & The Human Edge 29.04.2026 33dk

  In this episode of NetSec Tech, host Jeanne Meserve sits down with Sal Khan, the visionary founder and CEO of Khan Academy, at the AI+ Education Summit. As AI reshapes national security and the global workforce, Khan shares how his nonprofit is leveraging artificial intelligence to solve the "two-sigma" problem: providing every student with a personalized, one-on-one tutor.
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  Episode 100: Keith Strier on AI Sovereignty, Resiliency, & What’s Next 15.04.2026 36dk

  To celebrate our 100th episode, NatSec Tech is evolving. We are moving from audio-only to a full video and audio experience. You can now watch our deep dives into the intersection of technology and national security on the SCSP YouTube channel and Spotify, or continue listening on your favorite podcast platform. For this milestone, host Jeanne Meserve welcomes Keith Strier, Senior Vice President of Global Markets at AMD and a leading global voice on the geopolitics of computing. In a wide-ranging conversation, Strier breaks down the transition from "AI as a novelty" to "AI as a matter of sovereignty."
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  Episode 99: Gina Raimondo & Eric Holcomb on States, AI, and Workforce Competitiveness 01.04.2026 30dk

  In this episode of NatSec Tech, Former Rhode Island Governor and Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Former Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb joined host Jeanne Meserve, live at the AI+ Education Summit, to discuss how states can stay competitive as AI reshapes the workforce. The conversation focused on outcome-based retraining programs, stronger employer participation, AI literacy and education reform, and state-led efforts to prepare workers for automation. Raimondo & Holcomb emphasized aligning public-private incentives, expanding digital infrastructure, and making states “AI-ready” rather than attempting to restrict the technology.
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  Episode 98: Dr. Erik Brynjolfsson on Navigating the Second Machine Age 18.03.2026 26dk

  In this episode of NatSec Tech, host Jeanne Meserve sits down with Dr. Erik Brynjolfsson, Director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab and member of the newly formed SCSP-NVIDIA Task Force on AI and the Future of Work. Dr. Brynjolfsson argues that we are entering a "Second Machine Age" that will be ten times faster and significantly larger than the Industrial Revolution. As artificial intelligence races ahead of our economic institutions, the United States faces a critical turning point: will we lead the most advanced workforce in history, or succumb to a new "technology shock"?
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  Episode 97: Eli Sugarman and Rama Elluru on the Delhi Summit and India’s AI Aspirations 04.03.2026 26dk

  In this episode of NatSec Tech, host Jeanne Meserve explores India's emerging role as a global AI superpower. Guests Rama Elluru, Senior Advisor at the Special Competitive Studies Project, and Eli Sugarman, Director of Special Projects at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, provide a firsthand account of the massive AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The discussion highlights a shift in the global AI narrative from Western-centric safety concerns to the population-scale adoption of technology in the Global South.
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  Episode 96: André Loesekrug-Pietri on Reinventing the West’s Industrial and Military Edge 18.02.2026 31dk

  In this episode of NatSec Tech, recorded at the Munich Security Conference, host Jeanne Meserve is joined by André Loesekrug-Pietri, Chairman and Scientific Director of the Joint European Disruptive Initiative (JEDI). JEDI focuses on accelerating frontier technologies across energy, life sciences, and computing. Loesekrug-Pietri offers a candid assessment of why the West must move past "innovation theater"—the tendency to talk about technological advancement without fundamentally changing how organizations operate. The conversation explores the urgent need to move from linear, years-long procurement cycles to an exponential model measured in days and weeks, as seen on the modern battlefields of Ukraine.
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  Episode 95: Sree Ramaswamy on Bridging the Government’s Tech Talent Gap 04.02.2026 35dk

  Jeanne Meserve is joined by Sree Ramaswamy, Chief Innovation Officer at the NobleReach Foundation. The conversation explores how NobleReach is addressing this through the NobleReach Scholars Program, which recruits engineering and computer science graduates to enter public service for short-term, high-impact stints. The conversations cover the critical need to bridge the "tech talent gap" within the U.S., the U.S. Tech Force initiative, and the necessity of creating "dual citizens" who can move fluidly between the public and private sectors to maintain America's technological edge.
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  Episode 94: Steve Blank on Reforming the Department of Defense’s Acquisition Process 21.01.2026 32dk

  Jeanne Meserve is joined by Steve Blank, adjunct professor at Stanford and co-founder of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. They discuss the Department of Defense's proposal to transform its defense acquisition system. The conversation covers the shift from a requirements-based process to a problem-solving model, the introduction of portfolio management, and the challenges of integrating Silicon Valley-style innovation into a three-million-person organization to better compete with adversaries like China.
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  Episode 93: Will Marshall on Satellite Innovation and Planetary Intelligence 07.01.2026 26dk

  In this episode of NatSec Tech, Planet Labs CEO Will Marshall joins host Jeanne Meserve to discuss the vital role of satellite constellations in modern conflict, specifically as seen in Ukraine. Marshall explains how daily global imaging, paired with AI at the edge, is providing a critical information advantage by enabling rapid threat detection and "tipping" systems for drone operations. The conversation highlights how the "democratization" of this unclassified data allows not only militaries but also NGOs and journalists to hold global actors accountable in real time.
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  Episode 92: General Jay Raymond on the Future of the U.S. Space Force 17.12.2025 35dk

  On this episode of NatSec Tech, host Jeanne Meserve sits down with General Jay Raymond, the first Chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force. As the service marks its sixth year, Raymond discusses the rapid transition of space into a warfighting domain where active satellites have surged from 1,500 to nearly 13,000 since 2019. He details how the Space Force is leveraging AI and "digital twins" to manage this massive congestion, track maneuvering "nesting doll" satellites from adversaries, and accelerate decision-making at the speed of space.