Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology

05/29/2026

Missed yesterday's live panel in DC? The full event recording is now available.

The US is facing a once-in-a-generation power grid buildout—but we remain heavily dependent on our competitors for the "electrotech stack" (batteries, power electronics, and embedded software) needed to build it. This reliance introduces critical vulnerabilities into America’s digital nervous system.

To counter this, a new joint white paper from the Carnegie Mellon’s Institute for Strategy and Technology (CMIST) and Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) introduces a practical solution: The "Electrotech Moneyball."

Watch the full, on-the-record discussion hosted by FDD and moderated by Harry Krejsa to see how a strategic, risk-ranking framework can help US policymakers secure our energy and AI supply chains without falling into policy paralysis.

Featuring insights from:
Phoebe Benich (CMIST)
RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery (FDD CCTI)
Jackie Siebens (Helion Energy / Atlantic Council)
Dr. Emma Stewart (CMIST / Idaho National Laboratory)

Watch the full discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/live/NeEiWnHsCu8?si=7OdsjNq2ErC6KZRf&t=1476

Photo credit: Jeff Song, FDD

05/29/2026

Peru's most polarizing politician is making a fourth bid for the country’s presidency. In The Loop, Carolina Guerrero Valencia and CMIST's Ignacio Arana Araya discuss how Keiko Fujimori built her career on two shortcuts to power: dynastic inheritance and the First Lady role.

Peru's most polarising politician is making an extraordinary fourth bid for the country’s presidency. Carolina Guerrero Valencia and Ignacio Arana Araya discuss how Keiko built her career on dynastic inheritance and the First Lady role: two shortcuts to power that push fragile democracies to...

05/28/2026

Revisiting last fall’s Scientists & Strategists speaker series, "AI and National Security: The History and Future of Emerging Technology and Cybersecurity in Conflict," with a quote from Brigadier General (Ret.) Greg Touhill on the growing complexity of cybersecurity today. As artificial intelligence and emerging technologies continue to evolve, the conversation raises urgent questions about security, innovation, and the systems we rely on every day. Watch the full discussion: https://youtu.be/A6zVvklaHo8?si=PUTNXCkcSzV78jr7

05/28/2026

STARTING SOON - Join FDD & CMIST for an on-the-record discussion of the paper, “Electrotech Moneyball: An Industrial Strategy for Ranking Risk and Opportunity in Energy & AI Supply Chains.” A livestream begins at 12pm ET today (Thurs, 5/28).

Event The Electrotech Stack at Risk: China, AI, and America’s Energy Supply Chains Home » Cyber The Electrotech Stack at Risk: China, AI, and America’s Energy Supply Chains May 28, 2026 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm Report Livestream A livestream of the conversation will begin here at 12:00pm ET on Thursd...

05/28/2026

"If they can expand capacity to match demand, the South Korean government stands to become a durable presence in allied missile defense procurement," writes CMIST non-resident fellow Troy Stangarone.

Read his analysis in KEI:

Iran war interceptor shortages and slow U.S. Patriot production are pushing Gulf states toward South Korea's Cheongung-II — if Seoul can scale capacity.

05/27/2026

The traditional rules of American redistricting have been shattered.

What used to be a once-a-decade routine has devolved into a chaotic, mid-decade political battleground. From legislative maneuvers in Texas and California to the US Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, the guardrails against partisan gerrymandering are shifting rapidly.

Next week, the University of Pittsburgh is hosting a vital panel discussion, Congressional Redistricting Frenzy: Reshaping Government: Possibilities and Perils, to explore if the fundamental right to an equal vote is under siege.

We are proud to share that CMIST faculty member and redistricting expert Dr. Jonathan Cervas will be featured on the panel to lend his insights to this critical conversation.

In-person registration encouraged; virtual option available. https://www.thornburghforum.pitt.edu/june-4-2026-congressional-redistricting-frenzy

05/27/2026

"The book problematizes what many IR liberals consider natural: that personalists themselves are the problem." CMIST's John Chin contributes to the H-Diplo | Jervis Forum Roundtable on Madison Schramm's book, Why Democracies Fight Dictators.

Read his review: https://issforum.org/roundtables/jervis-forum-roundtable-17-40-on-schramm-why-democracies-fight-dictators

05/27/2026

The US is in the early stages of a generational energy buildout driven by soaring AI demand and accelerating digitization of the grid itself. But even as hundreds of billions of dollars flow into batteries, power electronics, and the embedded software that will give America’s electrical infrastructure its digital nervous system, the United States remains dependent on China for the tools to build it. Beijing dominates much of this “electrotech stack,” and that dependence is not only creating supply vulnerabilities – it’s threatening to undermine the very security advantages a modernized grid is meant to deliver.

The most pressing danger, however, may not be Chinese hardware but rather American policy paralysis: overcorrection that delays the technologies this buildout demands, or indecision that continues ceding strategic ground to Beijing. A new paper by FDD and Carnegie Mellon’s Institute for Strategy and Technology (CMIST), Electrotech Moneyball: An Industrial Strategy for Ranking Risk and Opportunity in Energy & AI Supply Chains, responds to this moment with a clear framework for achieving the greatest strategic return.

To discuss “Electrotech Moneyball,” FDD and CMIST will host an on-the-record discussion moderated by Harry Krejsa, director of studies at CMIST, featuring Phoebe Benich, non-resident fellow at CMIST; RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI); Jackie Siebens, vice president of public affairs at Helion Energy and non-resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council; and Dr. Emma Stewart, non-resident fellow at CMIST and lead for Idaho National Laboratory’s Center for Securing Digital Energy Technology.

A livestream of the conversation will begin at 12pm ET on Thurs, 5/28.

Event The Electrotech Stack at Risk: China, AI, and America’s Energy Supply Chains Home » Cyber The Electrotech Stack at Risk: China, AI, and America’s Energy Supply Chains May 28, 2026 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm Report Livestream A livestream of the conversation will begin here at 12:00pm ET on Thursd...

05/26/2026

Earlier this month, CMIST and the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) published their newest white paper addressing a major current challenge: the need to expand the US power grid due to AI demand, while simultaneously decoupling from strategic competitors without slowing domestic industrial growth.

Authors Phoebe Benich, Dr. Emma Stewart, and Harry Krejsa introduce a "Moneyball" framework for the electrotech stack. By assessing components based on "smart" connectivity and systemic influence, the paper provides a roadmap for policymakers to:

▪️ Prioritize the "Smart" Layer: Focus security scrutiny on the digitally active control layers—the grid's "nervous system."

▪️ Maintain Deployment Speed: Preserve the cost advantages of global commodity markets for hardware where security exposure is lower.

▪️ Establish Strategic Firebreaks: Use high-leverage jurisdictions and secure-by-design baselines to protect the buildout.

The electrotech stack is the operating system of our future economy. Getting the prioritization right ensures this system is built for American advantage.

Read the full report here: https://www.cmu.edu/cmist/tech-and-policy/electrotech-moneyball/index.html

05/26/2026

Summer is the perfect time to pick up something new to read, watch, or listen to. In our annual CMIST summer selections series, faculty and staff are sharing the media that's stayed with them, challenged their thinking, or made an impression. First up: Visiting Prof. Mieke Eoyang shares some of her recommendations—and what is on her list this summer!

05/25/2026

As we observe Memorial Day, we honor the brave individuals who gave their lives in service to our country, and we remember their lasting legacy.