In a golden age of defense innovation and technology, the tools for national security and influence extend far beyond the battlefield. On Thursday, the sixth installment of the Texas National Security Forum at The University of Texas at Austin explored how diplomacy, emerging technologies, intelligence, information, and development aid shape the United States’ ability to lead without overreliance on the military.
Hosted by the Clements Center for National Security, the Robert M. Gates Global Policy Center and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, this one-day symposium examined how all instruments of national power, emerging and legacy, must be integrated into a comprehensive strategy to sustain U.S. leadership and counter rival powers.
The Return of Strategic Competition
Former Secretary of Defense and Director of Central Intelligence Robert Gates headlined the forum with a conversation with UT Executive Vice President and Provost William Inboden. The session was standing-room only, and discussion focused on Russia-China-U.S. foreign affairs, intelligence and economic fortification.
Gates expressed the need to strengthen national security and derisk the economy by fortifying supply chains. Specifically, he focused on rare earth material acquisition and refining. China is a dominant force in the rare earth supply chain, accounting for about 70% of rare earth mining and 90% of rare earth refinement, said Gates. In less than a month during the summer of 2025, a trade cut-off from China in response to tariffs halted production for major companies, such as Ford Motor Company, which rely on refined rare earth materials for manufacturing.
Using that example, Gates described the need for next-generation leaders and students to secure supply, support the economy, and reduce dependence on unreliable or rival countries. The highest priority, he explained, is to not only acquire rare earth materials domestically, but also refine them or work with friendly countries to trade and refine them.
What is needed is a much more creative method of blending legacy technologies and programs with emerging technologies.
Turning to his life of public service, Gates added that he never intended to make a career out of national security. He just kept being given interesting jobs with phenomenal people.
To that end, his greatest piece of advice to students interested in national security was simply to do it, adding, “The country desperately needs you.”
In the second session, Kori Schake, senior fellow and director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, joined Clements Center Deputy Executive Director Paul Edgar for a wide-ranging discussion on American leadership and the health of U.S. national security institutions. She underscored the enduring value of a nonpartisan military and the need to preserve the professionalism and civic trust that have long defined it.
Schake also highlighted the role universities and policy research centers play in strengthening national security by producing clear analysis and preparing future leaders. She encouraged students to take full advantage of these resources, noting that their intellectual engagement today will shape the country’s strategic direction tomorrow.
Commanding Beyond Combat
Following the discussion, a keynote panel featuring retired Army Gens. Vince Brooks and Peter W. Chiarelli and retired Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters discussed emerging technologies in the defense sector. The panel agreed there is opportunity to integrate innovative technologies into the military and national strategy and a need to consider the broader impact outside security. For example, Chiarelli mentioned that continued medical innovation is a must for the care and safety of troops and veterans.
Chiarelli added that since his time serving in Iraq, he’s seen a notable shift as U.S. corporations and foundations bring their capabilities to the battlefield in nonmilitary ways. The private sector, for example, supports Ukraine by providing forensic items for police to investigate crimes, assist with battle cleanup, set up hospitals, and provide prosthetics.
Throughout the day, panels presented opportunities and avenues for students and young leaders to step into the national security realm and tackle rising challenges. Several panels addressed modern humanitarian efforts, economic development and foreign affairs. One topic that emerged as a common thread among speakers: the rise of artificial intelligence and impact of emerging technologies.
“To avoid using military force, we have to detect, prevent and deter attacks,” said Adam Klein, director of the Strauss Center for International Security and Law.
Klein elaborated this can be accomplished by deterring force with military AI or drones and detecting or preventing miliary force using commercial AI and communication chips.
The Future of Security Intelligence and Technology
Klein’s panel on security intelligence and technology discussed whether it was possible to scale up and institutionalize commercial technology and software.
They looked back at the Russian invasion of Ukraine and considered how it made international allies realize that their technologies and equipment were not interchangeable; their operations did not align. Advanced technology that is unable to be integrated, they agreed, is useless.
Another important aspect of integrating technology is to avoid overreliance on it. AI is great for data, pattern recognition and supporting tasks. However, the complexity of human nature cannot be predicted. For example, digital dust — the residual data created by our digital activities, such as browsing history, social media posts and metadata — can be analyzed to reveal patterns not only in individual behavior but also governmental entities. But when that alone is used to forecast behavior, events still slip through the cracks, and the United States risks being caught flat-footed at critical moments.
Consequently, while defense agencies are responsible for setting guardrails and limitations on national security technology use, technological advancement continues. Implementation of artificial intelligence and other emerging technology in military and national security operations brings both opportunity and challenges for the U.S. and adversaries alike. For example, the panel explained that surveillance cameras in China are numerous and provide important data to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). However, the data collected has been sold several times on the dark web, making it available to CCP adversaries.
Throughout the forum, speakers were enthusiastic about the future of national security, crediting the talent and engagement of UT students and other new professionals as a bright spot in an increasingly challenging landscape.
