Can the U.S. Build What It Needs?

Strength in Numbers continues its conversation from the National Security Data and Policy Institute’s (NSDPI) annual conference by analyzing how the United States’ and China’s distinct industrial policies are shaping the AI arms race. How are the decision-making and regulatory styles of these two countries shaping this technological competition? Host Jennifer Strong was joined on stage by panelists Philip Potter, Neil Wiley, and Lukas Filler. Potter is NSDPI’s executive director, Wiley is a former U.S. intelligence officer, and Filler is an NSDPI senior fellow and China analyst. Additional reading: The Chinese Communist Party’s Layered Artificial Intelligence Strategy Artificial Intelligence Knowledge Supply Chain — National Security Data and Policy Institute Breaking Defense Interviews Dr. Potter on the Future of AI Competition — National Security Data and Policy Institute

Strength in Numbers was recently recorded live at the annual conference of the National Security Data and Policy Institute (NSDPI). The conference hosted discussions on several of the topics we’ve covered this season—critical minerals, supply chains, the AI arms race with China—and we wanted to bring a flavor of those conversations directly to you. Host Jennifer Strong was joined on stage by panelists Philip Potter, Neil Wiley, and Lukas Filler. Potter is NSDPI’s executive director, Wiley is a former U.S. intelligence officer, and Filler is an NSDPI senior fellow and China analyst. Additional reading: China’s AI/ML Data Environment The Social Foundations of China’s Artificial Intelligence Policies

Is the United States in an artificial intelligence arms race with China? How are policymakers assessing possible economic and national security threats? How should China be understood as a potential peer competitor? And who’s likely to win? China experts Dean Cheng and Lukas Filler join Strength in Numbers to discuss. Cheng is formerly of the Heritage Foundation and the author of Cyber Dragon: Inside China’s Information Warfare and Cyber Operations. And Filler is a national security strategist at the National Security Data and Policy Institute. Additional reading: Deeper Questions Raised by DeepSeek DeepSeek’s Achievements and the Implications for Policy China’s AI/ML Data Environment

Much has been said about the United States and China’s approach to artificial intelligence, but another key player in the AI race is Europe. How are its regulators, political leaders, and industry approaching this new technology? Gabriele Mazzini, the lead architect on the EU’s landmark AI Act , joins host Jennifer Strong to discuss how this landmark legislation was brought into being—and what could now change. The episode also features University of Virginia School of Law’s Vice Dean Ashley Deeks to discuss how AI and emerging technologies are being used for defense and what guardrails should be in place. Additional reading: Artificial Intelligence Knowledge Supply Chain Tracking Advances in Multimodal AI for Time Series Analysis DeepSeek’s Achievements and the Implications for Policy

​​How are policymakers assessing future security challenges and what is being done to mitigate those threats? George Foresman, a senior advisor at the National Security Data and Policy Institute (NSDPI), shares his experience as the first undersecretary of preparedness at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with host Jennifer Strong. Former Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger also joins the series to recount how the U.S. government responded to the most ambitious cybercrime to date: Salt Typhoon. Finally, NSDPI’s research associate Nathan Timbs shares how open-source data is helping to track illicit networks and bring them into the open.  Additional reading: Precursors, Ports, and Pills: Inside the China-Mexico-U.S. Fentanyl Supply Chain

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Jack Reed join Strength in Numbers to share their assessments of the defense industrial base. Does the United States have access to the tools and materials needed to be secure? How is the country adapting to technological changes on the battlefield? And is the United States going to be able to outbuild competitors—or is it simply too late?  Additional reading: Chinese Investment in Mineral Resources — National Security Data and Policy Institute Building a Glass Fortress: China’s Delicate Trade Dominance in Critical Materials — National Security Data and Policy Institute NSDPI Co-Launches the 2026 Data-to-Impact Challenge — National Security Data and Policy Institute

Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of Altana, joins host Jennifer Strong to assess the state of critical mineral supply chains today. Who controls the materials? Why is such a vital part of national security controlled by an economic adversary? And, more importantly, what can be done to regain control of this important resource? Margaret Foster, a data scientist and scholar at the University of Virginia, then joins the podcast to share how she uses data and artificial intelligence to identify and mitigate potential supply chain chokepoints.  Additional reading: Microelectronics Supply Chain Analysis — National Security Data and Policy Institute  Microelectronics Supply Chain Analysis: Critical Components — National Security Data and Policy Institute Microelectronics Supply Chain Analysis: Vulnerability — National Security Data and Policy Institute Microelectronics Supply Chain Analysis: Lock-In and Substitutability — National Security Data and Policy Institute

How is artificial intelligence shaping the big questions in national security today? Host Jennifer Strong is joined first by Zack Kass, former head of Go To Market at OpenAI, to hear his take on how this new technology is nothing short of “revolutionary.” Then the National Security Data and Policy Institute’s executive director, Phil Potter, shares how AI is quickening the pace of change and driving current national security concerns. Additional reading: Artificial Intelligence Knowledge Supply Chain — National Security Data and Policy Institute The Social Foundations of China’s Artificial Intelligence Policies — National Security Data and Policy Institute

Coming soon: Strength in Numbers. A show from the University of Virginia’s National Security Data and Policy Institute, produced by FP Studios. How are artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies shaping national security? In each episode, we’ll look at the critical materials powering these trends and how this technology is being used on the battlefield and ask key policymakers and experts how to use these tools to make sure the United States stays competitive against potential adversaries.