This Does Not Compute

On this episode of The Technology Policy Podcast, Jim Lewis sits down with David Hanke, one of the intellectual architects of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA). FIRRMA strengthened and modernized the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in order to better address the national security concerns associated with certain foreign investment transactions. They discuss Hanke’s work on FIRRMA as a lead policy advisor to Sen. John Cornyn; the importance of robust foreign investment review and export control policies for the 21st century to safeguard America's innovative and technological advantages; prospects for export control reforms that cover emerging technologies; and the United States' complex and evolving relationship with China.

In this episode, Jim Lewis talks with Colonel Donald Bray, former Acting Cybersecurity Director of the U.S. Army and current Director of Cyber Operations at Raytheon.  As the leader of Raytheon's cyber training efforts, Col. Bray works closely with the Department of Defense to train its cyber mission forces.  Jim and Col. Bray discuss the training program and how it has improved DoD's cyber capabilities; how attitudes towards cyber among the military branches have changed over time; and how cyber recruitment, training, and operations are likely to evolve in the future.

Quantum computing has been an ethereal concept for years, but what is it really? China is investing heavily in its development, but is the United States really falling behind? Jim Lewis sits down with Michael Brett, CEO of QxBranch, to dispel some of the common myths about quantum computing. They discuss how the U.S. can harness quantum’s potential, and how to face current challenges to American innovation.

Host Jim Lewis interviews Admiral Michael McConnell, former Director of the National Security Agency, and the second Director of National Intelligence. As head of the NSA during the early days of the internet, he helped set the path for how the U.S. intelligence community responded to the opportunities and risks of emerging digital technologies. They discuss how the nature of surveillance transformed with the emergence of the internet, how U.S. vulnerability to cyber threats has changed over time, and what needs to be done to confront the growing cyber threat posed by our nation’s adversaries.

In this episode Jim Lewis interviews William J. “Bill” Lynn, CEO of Leonardo DRS, a leading defense contractor, about his time as the Comptroller and Deputy Secretary of Defense. At the Department of Defense (DoD) he created a new kind of partnership between companies in the defense industrial base (DIB) through the DIB program and helped reorient DoD to treat cyber as a fifth domain.

In this first episode, host Jim Lewis interviews John Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS and Former Deputy Secretary of Defense. He was one of the first to recognize the strategic implications of cybersecurity and cyber conflict, and who helped lead the DoD in its early approaches to emerging cyber issues. He discusses the hacking incidents that first alerted policymakers to the cyber threats faced by the U.S.; the obstacles and successes in working with other agencies, Congress, and the private sector to address cyber threats; and how to chart a path towards developing structures and doctrines to manage cyber risks.

William A. Carter of the Technology Policy Program interviews the UVA Cyber Defense Team, 2018 winners of the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC). NCCDC is a national red/blue team cyber defense competition in which undergraduates defend the networks of fictional companies against teams of real world professional hackers and contractors. The UVA team, formed just 3 months before the competition, describe how they came together to defeat 230 experienced teams from across the country, and the lessons they learned from the competition that can be applied to the challenges faced by real-world companies and policymakers.

This podcast discusses how one technology could completely change the public debate about secure communications and surveillance – quantum computing. While quantum computing can be employed to crack encryption algorithms, quantum cryptography can be used to securely transmit information over communication networks. Listen in to find out which quantum application will advance faster as our guests discuss quantum computing and the security implications of quantum technologies. Our podcast guests are Ned Allen, Chief Scientist at Lockheed Martin; Seth Lloyd, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Systems at MIT; and Evan Rolfe, an Associate at Avascent.

CSIS is conducting a series of podcasts on quantum computing – what the technology is, what it enables us to do, and its implications for computing and communications. Our first podcast this topic is an interview with Micahel Brett, CEO and co-founder of QxBranch. Michael co-founded QxBranch to drive commercial application of advancements in data analytics and quantum computing. QxBranch focuses on analysis of challenging analytics problems in for finance, insurance and technology customers, applying expertise in quantitative analytics with quantum computing technology. On this podcast, we discuss the current uses and applications of quantum technologies, and how various industries are looking to use quantum to do nothing less than change the fundamental way we solve problems.

How will virtual and augmented reality applications change the way we connect and interact, and how is this being used in the defense industry? Katrina Timlin of CSIS interviews Dr. Mark Livingston, Head of the Virtual Environments and Visualization Section in the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).