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 The outcome of the U.S.-CCP strategic competition will determine the direction of the twenty-first century, and U.S. economic policy will play a decisive role in this contest. To ensure the United States prevails in this competition, policymakers must leverage the broad range of economic policy tools at our disposal in a comprehensive fashion. Read FAL's three-part strategy to give the United States the best possible chance to outcompete the CCP and protect both U.S. economic and national security. 

The recent leak of highly classified documents revealed information potentially damaging to U.S. national security. FAL's brief will not repost the contents of the documents or comment on their authenticity, but will discuss the consequences of this leak and others before it, and recommend ways to better protect classified information.

Amid the strategic competition with the Chinese Communist Party and the war in Ukraine, the 118th Congress has an opportunity to make the Department of Defense (DoD) more effective at defending the national security of the United States. To win today and tomorrow, FAL provides key areas of reform for Congress to consider as it creates a FY2024 defense budget. 

 As the war in Ukraine drags on, the West must also address the looming threat of conflict over Taiwan. America’s most powerful allies in Europe, however, often exhibit a scattershot approach toward Taiwan. As a course correction, the U.S. should launch a serious effort to align Europeans with the goal of deterring a Chinese attack. FAL's plan to correct course and engage European allies in deterring China from an attack on Taiwan. 

Scores of intelligence successes over the last 15 years have depended on one section in one law that will expire at the end of this year. Allowing 702 to expire will blind us to threats when our adversaries are ramping up their espionage efforts. Here are some of the core questions about 702 collection, including what it does and does not allow, what safeguards are in place to protect Americans’ privacy, and what happens if it expires. 

 After Putin’s suspension of New START, the United States should not chase Russia back into compliance. The U.S. should use Russia’s suspension as a wake-up call to get serious at the dawn of a three-way nuclear competition with Russia and China. Here are the steps the United States should take to confront the evolving threat environment following this wake-up call.  

The Chinese spy balloon should be viewed as a tangible example of China’s aggressive intelligence gathering strategy, particularly on how China seeks to collect information on the U.S. military and critical infrastructure. It should also sound the alarm on how America protects the homeland. Read FAL's policy recommendations for U.S. leaders in light of the transit of a Chinese surveillance operation across the continental United States. 

The world is in midst of a technological revolution as the United States, its allies, and its adversaries make rapid technological advancement. But the DoD is not doing nearly enough to keep up. Here is a plan of action for the DoD and Congress to begin this necessary twenty-first century DoD transformation. 

  Preparing to protect U.S. interests and the American people during the next, inevitable pandemic outbreak is a significant national security imperative. It is impossible to know when and where the next pandemic will arise, but we know COVID-19 will not be the last. Here are four critical domains Congress should address to improve U.S. preparedness for future pandemic threats. 

According to the CDC, 107,000 Americans overdosed in 2021. 70,000 of those died from synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl. Fentanyl is a gamechanger for the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship and it should be treated as such. Here is FAL’s strategy to address this national emergency.

The United States should pursue a more ambitious plan for our engagement in Africa. FAL's Africa working group offers some initial ideas for a bolder policy centered around economic growth and prosperity, self-reliance and flourishing, and the U.S. enshrined as partner of choice for Africa. 

The U.S. needs realism, not wishful thinking, in its energy policy. To help right the ship, Congress should reassert its role in setting policy. Recommendations for more congressional oversight of the IEA and EIA and the establishment of a National Commission on Energy Transition Realism.