Entering the Fall 2026 | Friends, Foes, and FX

The global geopolitical landscape shifted decisively around 2016-2017, marking a transition from viewing China as a pacing competitor to an adversary. This transformation necessitates a move toward reindustrialization and a strategic pivot from an East-West to a North-South global perspective. Modern warfare increasingly relies on dual-use technologies and artificial intelligence, yet near-peer conflicts risk reverting to primitive, high-attrition engagements where basic survival skills and societal resilience become paramount. As the United States navigates this era of strategic competition, the integration of private sector insights into national security and the cultivation of agile, service-oriented leadership among the next generation are critical. Ultimately, the decoupling of parallel economic and power systems appears inevitable, requiring a fundamental reassessment of how societies prepare for potential crises in an increasingly fragmented world order.