The United States faces a dual imperative: responding to immediate military challenges while managing the nontraditional risks that are redefining global security. The ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza and rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, from Taiwan to the South China Sea, underscore traditional threats and reflect the enduring relevance of military power. Yet, transnational challenges like climate change, food insecurity, and the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence and disinformation are no longer peripheral concerns but central to the strategic environment. Addressing these complex threats requires rethinking American defense priorities and developing innovative, cross-cutting solutions to navigate this evolving security landscape.
Brookings hosted a series of conversations that explored big ideas and advanced provocative potential solutions to the world’s wide-ranging security challenges. This year’s forum featured keynote discussions with White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford and two panels of Brookings experts.
Online viewers submitted questions via e-mail to [email protected] and via Twitter @BrookingsFP using #KnightForum.