Acquisition reform returns as a familiar Washington ritual, yet change is often only seen at the margins. The task at hand has simply been too monumental to effectively revamp the entire system: Reforming how the Pentagon buys alone isn’t enough, any meaningful transformation depends on revitalizing the industrial base, strengthening supply chain security, giving industry the capital and demand certainty to invest, requirements-setting, and sustained workforce development and

Explore how Iran’s expanding cyber operations are reshaping national security risk for governments and critical infrastructure. This perspective outlines evolving tactics—from disruptive attacks to long-term espionage—and what leaders must do now to prepare for escalating cyber conflict.

Discover why U.S. drone dominance depends on three interconnected pillars—policy, production, and protection. In this SC Media perspective, Brett Freedman explains how strengthening regulatory frameworks, scaling industrial capacity, and advancing counter-drone defenses are essential to maintaining national security and protecting critical infrastructure in the age of drone warfare.

As drone warfare reshapes global conflict, the U.S. industrial base is falling behind—exposing tactical gaps, supply risks, and strategic vulnerabilities that demand urgent investment and policy response.

Explore why space capabilities are essential to U.S. national strategy and critical infrastructure in this SC Media perspective. Learn how satellite systems, space policy, and commercial innovation underpin communications, defense, navigation, and resilience in an era of growing geopolitical competition.

Explore how the U.S. can maintain competitive advantage in advanced technology against China by strengthening the “electric tech stack” that underpins defense, infrastructure, and innovation. This insight from SC Media highlights why semiconductor supply chains, critical materials, industrial policy, and cross-sector collaboration are essential to national security and economic resilience.

Uncovers the hidden cybersecurity risks posed by foreign-owned and operated technologies in U.S. ports—and why modernizing maritime security is now a national imperative.

ICIT organizes its focus area on critical infrastructure into three interdependent pillars that incorporate four of the sixteen critical infrastructure sectors: Energy & Grid, Water & Wastewater, and Transportation & Telecommunications. In 2026, we will be examining these pillars through the lens of topics like Defense Critical Infrastructure, Cyber Force, Drones, Federal Civilian Executive Branch, and Data Centers & Artificial Intelligence.

In this SC Media perspectives piece, Dr. David Mussington, demonstrates that with deeply converged infrastructure—extending across hyperscale data centers, global cloud services, and AI-powered supply chains—risk must also be considered as converged.

In this SC Media perspectives piece, Dr. David Mussington, CISSP DDN.QTE makes a strong case for a standards-first, layered “drone wall” that fuses multi-sensor AI, SAPIENT interoperability, and non-kinetic + attritable effects to defend at scale — a practical way to bend the cost curve against mass UAS attacks. The Alliance, he writes, can field this now by networking existing sensors, enforcing interfaces, and training together.

We live in a representative democracy—where the people in Washington work for you. While the inner workings of D.C. can feel distant, complex, even outdated, they must be understood because they shape how America safeguards its interests and advances our way of life.

The first test of a leader is presence. People may not remember the exact words you use, but they remember how your presence made them feel—steady, seen, or supported. That signal sets the tone in every setting, from the workplace to the family table. I’ve felt it in courtrooms, combat zones, and countless rooms where steadiness mattered most. In those moments, leadership was presence—grounded in preparation, steadied under pressure, and sharpened by focus, all sustained thro

The “quantum-age” refers to a near-future moment when quantum computers begin to reshape fields, from drug discovery and logistics to national defense and cryptography. Unlike classical computers, which solve problems step by step—like trying every key on a lock one at a time—quantum systems can evaluate many possibilities simultaneously.

Military installations are vital to both national security and daily life for service members and their families. As they become more connected to civilian infrastructure, they face growing cyber threats. This commentary highlights the need for the Department of Defense to strengthen cyber-physical security, close governance gaps, and adopt a people-centered approach to resilience and mission readiness.

The United States is under relentless cyber assault. This is not a distant or hypothetical threat—it’s a silent, ongoing campaign targeting our economy and critical infrastructure. Our adversaries, once content with stealing secrets, are now embedding persistent access, establishing beachheads inside the very systems that keep our country running.

The United States faces a mounting challenge in safeguarding its cybersecurity in an ever-evolving digital landscape. In this ICIT research paper, our experts address the increasing need for offensive security operations, shedding light on cyber-attack risks and the need for increased support of government intervention. The report explores the delicate balance between protecting democratic values and effectively combatting cyber threats, emphasizing the crucial role of ethica