Authoritarian regimes, cybercriminals, and state-backed hackers prey on American individuals and businesses to sow chaos, reap financial gain, and carry out ideological agendas. Three years ago, the congressionally mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) offered a new strategic approach to combat these threats and defend U.S. national security and economic interests in cyberspace

The Commission’s groundbreaking report and white papers provided more than 116 concrete recommendations to reform U.S. government structures, strengthen norms, promote national resilience, operationalize public-private collaboration, and preserve military instruments of national power. Congress and the White House have adopted many of these recommendations, but cyber threats continue to evolve. How effective is public-private collaboration today? Is the U.S. government effectively organized to defend our national security in cyberspace? What more should the federal government be doing to promote national resilience?

FDD and CSC 2.0 host a conversation with Commission Co-Chairs Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, and former Executive Director RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, who leads CSC 2.0 and serves as senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI). The conversation will be moderated by Maggie Miller, a cybersecurity reporter for Politico. The event will coincide with the release of the third annual assessment report, evaluating the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations.

There is an authentic Iranian revolution underway targeting the Islamic Republic that clings to power in Tehran. Iranians, especially courageous young women, have taken to the streets to speak out against the radical Islamist dictatorship that has ruled — and ruined — their lives. In the year since the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by Iran’s morality police for alleged improper headscarf wear, FDD has tracked more than 4,000 protests in Iran. The regime has responded brutally, resulting in more than 635 Iranians killed, including 79 minors, and nearly 22,000 arrested. Deliberate and sophisticated chemical attacks have been carried out against schoolgirls at nearly 500 schools.

As the protests continue to rage, Americans must not turn a blind eye to the Iranian people’s courageous demands for dignity, justice, and fundamental rights. What can the United States do to support the Iranian people? What bipartisan steps can be taken to amplify the voices of freedom-seeking Iranians and counter those who seek to silence them?

To answer these questions, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) will join FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz for an on-the-record discussion. FDD Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu will deliver remarks.

The smooth function of America’s economy is critical for national security, military readiness, and geopolitical influence, making it a likely target for an adversary during a conflict. To quickly recover in the event of a widespread cyberattack on multiple industries, Congress directed the president to establish a Continuity of the Economy (COTE) plan. The Biden administration delivered its response to Congress in August 2023, but the final product provides no plan to ensure rapid economic recovery. It asserts that COTE is sufficiently covered by other emergency response plans, and as a result, fails to grapple with important questions: Does the federal government have the information it needs to determine the order of recovery in the wake of a crisis? Can emergency response plans focused primarily on public health and safety work effectively to restart the economy? Who should be responsible for ensuring existing government plans actually get updated to incorporate COTE? And, critically, what role should the private sector – the owners and operators of the U.S. economy – play in COTE planning and implementation?

To address these shortcomings and provide recommendations on how to remedy them, FDD is hosting a virtual discussion with Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection; Tom Fanning, executive chairman of Southern Company; Mark Harvey, former senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council staff, and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, former executive director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. This panel will be moderated by Dr. Samantha Ravich, chair of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI).

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has undertaken a decades-long quest for global dominance, leveraging a multi-faceted strategy to supplant the current world order. In the economic realm, the CCP bullies companies and governments to follow Beijing’s rules – which benefit China to the detriment of all others. To safeguard U.S. national security interests, global prosperity, and an international system that promises free trade, the West must find ways to resist their illiberal influence.

Axios China reporter Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian recently published a new book, Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World, which includes headline-making stories of Western institutions bowing to Beijing’s pressure – and a glimpse of what America’s future may look like should liberal democracy come firmly under the thumb of authoritarian capitalism. To discuss her investigative reporting and the broader policy implications, FDD’s China Program hosts a conversation with Bethany as well as Liza Tobin, Senior Director for Economy at the Special Competitive Studies Project, and F. Scott Kieff, former Commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission. The discussion will be moderated by FDD Senior Fellow Craig Singleton.

Nearly two years after the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban regime has reconstituted its Islamic Emirate and returned to draconian policies that are in grave violation of fundamental human rights. While President Biden and the Taliban alike claim al-Qaeda is not active in Afghanistan, recent United Nations monitoring shows al-Qaeda leaders are embedded in key Afghan ministries, with the group running training camps, safe houses, and media operations across multiple Afghan provinces. Terror groups such as the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan enjoy free reign, while threats from the Islamic State persist.

To prevent Afghanistan from further collapsing into a hub for terrorism, the West must pursue a clear-eyed security strategy that imposes due costs on the Taliban and eliminates safe havens for Islamic extremists.

To discuss the situation on the ground, barriers to security, and the best path forward for policymakers, FDD will host a live, virtual panel featuring Kathy Gannon, former news director and chief correspondent for the Associated Press, who has covered Afghanistan and Pakistan for 35 years; Edmund Fitton-Brown, former British diplomat and coordinator of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban; and Bill Roggio, FDD senior fellow and editor of FDD’s Long War Journal. The discussion will be moderated by NBC News national security and global affairs reporter, Dan De Luce.

Ukraine’s effective cyber resilience – withstanding thousands of Russian attacks – is thanks in part to years-long cyber defense capacity building programs backed by both the U.S. government and industry. Washington’s robust efforts – if somewhat ad-hoc – help partners build cyber resilience, mature their law enforcement tools and techniques, improve information sharing, train cyber workforces, and deploy more secure and resilient information and communications technology networks. As attacks by criminal and state-backed hackers on America and its allies grow, is Washington organized and resourced to meet the needs of tomorrow? How can the U.S. government better organize to help partners improve their cyber resilience? Why is partner capacity building important for U.S. national security?

To answer these questions and discuss how to enhance partner capacity building, FDD hosts a conversation with the inaugural U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel C. Fick; RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI); and Annie Fixler, director of CCTI and research fellow at FDD. The discussion is moderated by John Sakellariadis, cybersecurity reporter at Politico.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has spent the last four decades building a network of armed groups on Israel’s borders to create instability and foment terrorism. Thanks to funding, arms, training, and coordination from Tehran, a mosaic of at least nineteen terrorist organizations in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria continue to strike at Israel, blunting any hope for calm, let alone peace. What are the tactical and strategic trends exhibited by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah, and what might a future multi-front conflict entail? What challenges does the beleaguered Palestinian Authority and its security forces in the West Bank face, particularly as Iranian surrogates gain strength? What can Israel, Washington, and allied nations do to counter the Islamic Republic’s proxies and prevent a regional war?

To explore these questions, FDD will host a panel discussion with Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus, former international spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces and a member of the Israel Defense and Security Forum; Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at FDD and former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury; and Joe Truzman, research analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal focused on Palestinian militant groups and Hezbollah. The conversation will be moderated by Enia Krivine, senior director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network.

The Republic of Palau, in the central pacific, is a core strategic partner of the United States. The deep and close relationship, born in the blood of World War II battles, is formalized in the Compact of Free Association (COFA). The agreement means Palauans can serve in the U.S. military and live and work in the United States. The COFA also grants the U.S. extensive and unique defense oversight in Palauan territory, including the right of strategic denial: access that is an imperative part of the U.S. defense architecture in the Pacific. Additionally, Palau recognizes Taiwan. All this combines to make Palau a major target of Beijing’s influence operations as they aim to force a derecognition of Taiwan and pressure them to move away from the United States. 

With the sensitive COFA renegotiation underway, Palauan President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. is in Washington and has agreed to sit down with FDD Non-Resident Senior Fellow Cleo Paskal and FDD Senior Vice President Jonathan Schanzer to discuss the U.S.-Palau relationship and details on the great power battle taking place in the Pacific Islands. 

The People’s Republic of China is undertaking a massive military buildup and wielding its growing might more aggressively, including in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea. At the same time, Beijing is deepening its security cooperation with Moscow and Tehran. To deter aggression in regions that are vital to American interests, Washington needs capable forward-positioned military forces. It also needs defense partners with cutting edge capabilities that can operate effectively alongside American forces and help carry the security burden. Thankfully, the United States already enjoys an impressive network of allies and partners — but growing threats require Washington to redouble efforts to build partner capacity and deepen their integration with U.S. forces. That’s easier said than done, requiring hard work on basing agreements, defense trade, contingency planning, and military exercises.

FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) hosts a conversation with Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Jessica Lewis on the Biden administration’s ongoing security cooperation efforts in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Drawing on Assistant Secretary Lewis’s recent visit to the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the conversation – moderated by CMPP Senior Director Bradley Bowman – will discuss priorities, opportunities, and challenges going forward.

Emerging technology develops at a pace that is hard to master, much less legislate. The government should ensure that the opportunities technology provides maximize the potential for societal improvements while ensuring both economic and national security. Two of the most effective efforts to tackle the emerging technology challenges in the past half-decade were the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) and the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC).

As the former chairs of these two congressionally mandated commissions, Rep. Mike Gallagher (CSC) and Dr. Eric Schmidt (NSCAI) discuss the roles of Congress, the Executive Branch, academia, and private sector leaders in shaping emerging technology policy, including how commissions can influence policies moving forward.

The panel is moderated by the former NSCAI Executive Director and current President and CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project Ylli Bajraktari, and the former CSC Executive Director and current Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation and CSC 2.0 Executive Director RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery.

The event is hosted by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Special Competitive Studies Project, and CSC 2.0.

Read more and watch the conversation here:

https://www.fdd.org/events/2023/06/07/thinking-forward-after-the-nscai-and-csc/