Benjamin Jensen

Director, Futures Lab and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Benjamin Jensen

Benjamin Jensen is director of the Futures Lab and a senior fellow for the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). At CSIS, Dr. Jensen leads research initiatives on applying data science and AI and machine learning to study the changing character of war and statecraft. Under his leadership, Futures Lab has pioneered building AI applications into wargames and innovative scenario exercises. The exercise topics range from major war, competitive strategy, and national mobilization to economic security, energy politics, and national resilience. He is also the Frank E. Petersen Chair for Emerging Technology and a professor of strategic studies at the Marine Corps University School of Advanced Warfighting (MCU). At MCU, he leads a research program on future war and teaches seminars on modern operational art and joint all-domain operations. Dr. Jensen has authored five books including Information in War: Military Innovation, Battle Networks, and the Future of Artificial Intelligence (Georgetown University Press, 2022), Military Strategy in the 21st Century: People, Connectivity, and Competition (Cambria, 2018), Cyber Strategy: The Evolving Character of Power and Coercion (Oxford University Press, 2018), and Forging the Sword: Doctrinal Change in the U.S. Army (Stanford University Press 2016). He also served as senior research director for the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission and is a reserve officer in the U.S. Army, with command experience from platoon to battalion. Dr. Jensen graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned his MA and PhD from the American University School of International Service.

Programs & Projects

Areas of Expertise

Media Queries

In the News 8 of 101 results

Show More

All Benjamin Jensen Content

Filter by

1 - 10 of 226 results

China’s Weaponization of Dual-Use Research Vessels for Undersea Data Dominance

Analysis of 223 vessels finds that Chinese research ships spend an unusually large share of time near subsea infrastructure on the high seas. The findings call for stronger allied monitoring, coordinated patrols, and faster cable repair.

Report by Jose M. Macias III, Tao-Hung Chang, Nico Vacca, and Benjamin Jensen — October 8, 2026

The Melting Arctic Lifeline for Russia’s Shadow Fleet

Two floating storage vessels have handled an estimated 53 percent of Russia’s seaborne Arctic crude exports since February 2022. CSIS Futures Lab analysis shows how the United States and Europe can target these bottlenecks to constrain the Kremlin’s wartime revenue.

Commentary by Tobias Oestreich, Jose M. Macias III, and Benjamin Jensen — September 23, 2026

Understanding the U.S. Federal Government’s AI Spending

Federal agencies obligated $4.1 billion across 2,255 AI-related contracts since FY 2019, and 83 percent of those dollars went to the Defense Department. The CSIS Futures Lab follows the money trail and tracks the evolution of federal AI demand.

Critical Questions by Yasir Atalan, Erik Tiersten-Nyman, and Benjamin Jensen — September 22, 2026

Don’t Slow Down AI Development—Speed Up Benchmarking

Ben Jensen and Yasir Atalan argue that the United States should stop debating how fast to build and start funding independent benchmarking—through NSF, NIST, and university policy labs.

Commentary by Benjamin Jensen and Yasir Atalan — September 17, 2026

From the Petrodollar to the Tokendollar: Economic Statecraft in the AI Era

AI tokens are emerging as the currency of a new international order. Benjamin Jensen argues that the United States should create a “tokendollar” linking AI infrastructure, futures markets, and dollar-backed stablecoins to extend U.S. financial power into the AI era.

Commentary by Benjamin Jensen — August 25, 2026

Flipping the Script: How to Hold China’s New Carriers at Risk

For two decades, the debate has fixated on whether China can sink a U.S. aircraft carrier. This report flips the script: as Beijing builds its own fleet of high-value carriers, how can the United States and its allies hold China’s carriers at risk?

Report by Benjamin Jensen, Mackenzie Eaglen, Henry H. Carroll, and Harold "Bud" Bishop — August 3, 2026

Red Kraken: The Coming Age of Agentic Cyber Strategy

In a tabletop exercise, members of Congress faced Red Kraken, an AI agent trained to emulate Beijing. Benjamin Jensen and Emily Harding examine how China could target ports and logistics to delay U.S. mobilization and argue for AI-enabled gaming to strengthen cyber defenses.

Commentary by Benjamin Jensen and Emily Harding — July 28, 2026

Audio Briefs

Red Kraken: The Coming Age of Agentic Cyber Strategy

An audio version of "⁠Red Kraken: The Coming Age of Agentic Cyber Strategy⁠," a new commentary by CSIS’s Benjamin Jensen and Emily Harding. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Benjamin Jensen and Emily Harding — July 28, 2026

Audio Briefs