The Arsenal of Security: Competing Through Industrial Policy

Since the end of the Cold War, US industrial policy has allowed the Nation’s supply chains to stretch far overseas and its manufacturing capabilities to atrophy. The United States has become dangerously dependent on its primary geopolitical competitor, the People’s Republic of China, for critical inputs to its weapons systems, batteries, and many other key technological sectors. The Chinese Communist Party has gained immense influence over the global flow of critical resources such as minerals, microchips, and pharmaceuticals. To protect the American way of life, Washington must reassert its industrial dominance and independence in these critical sectors, most urgently those that impact national security. This workshop will offer a history of US industrial policy, consider China’s trade policies, examine recent efforts to reinvigorate the Nation’s industrial base and the ongoing debates around those policies, and identify best practices to harness American industrial might for the future.

In coordination with their peers, candidates will participate in an in-depth tabletop exercise informed by the workshop’s readings and discussions. During this simulation, candidates will be asked to craft policy responses to a hypothetical crisis.

Featured Modules

• Industrial Policy in the United States

• The Fall and Rise of the U.S. Industrial Base

• Debating the Return of Industrial Policy

Candidates will showcase their newly gained policy insight by completing their choice of an op-ed or policy memo. Projects are due a week after the end of program and will be assessed by committee upon the basis of their strategic soundness, original analysis, and grasp of the policy area. The quality of this project will determine if candidates are awarded the certification.

Our Policy Certificate Program is seeking an accomplished cohort of early career professionals who demonstrate capability and interest in American foreign and domestic policy issues. The selection committee will consider a candidate's subject matter expertise, creative thinking, writing ability, and professional background. Applicants should meet the following criteria: