On June 17, 2020, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) launched the CNAS 2020 National Security Conference with a conversation between CNAS CEO Richard Fontaine and Axios China Reporter Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian about the challenges and opportunities facing the United States in the world after COVID-19.

On June 18, 2020, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a virtual discussion about a new CNAS working paper “Comparing VA and Non-VA Medical Centers,” in which authors Drs. Jill Inderstrodt and Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth examined the performance of 125 full-service VA medical centers around the country in comparison to nearby non-VA hospitals with similar characteristics. The authors and CNAS' Kayla M. Williams discussed the working paper's findings in greater detail, including that VA centers in aggregate outperformed or matched non-VA medical centers on three of four clinical measures and two of three patient experience measures.

On June 8, 2020, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) partnered with the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the Ronald Reagan Institute (RRI) to virtually host “Reflections on President Reagan’s Westminster Address: Lessons for Defending Freedom and Democracy in Today’s World.” The webinar featured a discussion between CNAS CEO Richard Fontaine and IRI President Dr. Dan Twining moderated by RRI Policy Director Rachel Hoff.

On June 4, 2020, the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a virtual discussion on Russian advances in military automation and AI featuring Samuel Bendett, an Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program. The event was moderated by Martijn Rasser, Senior Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program.

On May 21, 2020, the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service hosted a discussion on how national mobilization can support the United States in a pandemic or post-pandemic world. The discussion examined how strengthened pathways to service, a national mobilization pipeline, and other recommendations gleaned from the Commission's final report, Inspired to Serve, could have better supported the United States in the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare the United States to address future uncertainties.

Kayla M. Williams, Director of the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program, moderated the discussion with Dr. Janine Davidson, Commissioner for the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service; Dr. Jason Dempsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow, CNAS; and CAPT Mike Martinez, Senior Military Fellow at CNAS, United States Navy.

On Wednesday, May 20, 2020, the CNAS Technology and National Security Program hosted a virtual panel on emerging concepts in joint command and control featuring Hon. Robert O. Work, Senior Counselor for Defense at the Center for a New American Security and former Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Chris Dougherty, Senior Fellow of the Defense Program. The panel was moderated by Dr. Paul Scharre, Director of the CNAS Technology and National Security Program.

On April 24, 2020, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a virtual public event on coercive economic measures in the U.S.-China relationship. The event coincided with the release of a new CNAS report titled "A New Arsenal for Competition: Coercive Economic Measures in the U.S.-China Relationship" by Peter Harrell, Elizabeth Rosenberg, and Ashley Feng, and featured a discussion with the report's authors.

On April 23, 2020, the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society (MVS) Program hosted a virtual roundtable discussion to consider insights into Afghanistan's preparations for the coronavirus, how the pandemic it is upending already fraught negotiations, and what all of this means for the future of United States involvement in Afghanistan. MVS Adjunct Senior Fellow Jason Dempsey led the discussion with Zohra Rasekh, a human rights expert and CEO of Global Watch Group; Laurel Miller, Director of International Crisis Group’s Asia Program; and Barnett Rubin, Senior Fellow and Associate Director of New York University's Center on International Cooperation.

On April 16, 2020, the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program hosted the inaugural event of the Athena Leadership Project. Moderated by Athena Leadership Project directors Jeannette Gaudry Haynie, PhD and Kyleanne Hunter, PhD, the event featured a conversation with three veteran leaders who explored how their different perspectives and lived experiences shaped their leadership in and out of combat.

Discussion panelists included: Misty Posey, Marine Corps officer and previous commander of the Fourth Recruit Training Battalion at Parris Island, SC; Janine Garner, Marine Corps officer and KC-130 pilot; and David Forman, Naval officer and prior commanding officer of the USS Alaska.

On April 14, 2020, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a virtual, on-the-record event on the Middle East Security team's report entitled "Countering Iran in the Gray Zone: What the United States Should Learn from Israel's Operations in Syria." The event featured remarks from: Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Fellow and Director of the CNAS Middle East Security Program; Nicholas A. Heras, Middle East Portfolio Manager, Institute for the Study of War; and Kaleigh Thomas, Research Associate, CNAS Middle East Security Program.