Julia Dickson

Research Associate, Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program
Julia Dickson

Julia Dickson is a research associate for the Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Her research interests include cybersecurity, cybercrime, and the role of technology in conflict. Prior to joining CSIS, she was awarded a Fulbright grant and spent a year teaching English in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. She was also previously a research assistant at the Wilson Center, an intern for the Conventional Defense Program at the Stimson Center, and a communications and outreach intern at the International Crisis Group. She holds a BA in international studies with a minor in French from Johns Hopkins University.

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What Happened at the Trump Administration’s Annual Threat Assessment Hearing?

At the worldwide threats hearings, the Trump administration’s top intelligence officials named illicit drug actors, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea as top threats to the United States. But questions about the Signal chat largely overshadowed the hearings.

Commentary by Emily Harding and Julia Dickson — March 27, 2025

Audio Briefs

The First Step for Making Government More Efficient: Fix Cyber Budgets

An audio version of “The First Step for Making Government More Efficient: Fix Cyber Budgets,” a new commentary by CSIS's Julia Dickson and Emily Harding. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Julia Dickson and Emily Harding — February 13, 2025

Audio Briefs

The First Step for Making Government More Efficient: Fix Cyber Budgets

Washington is at a pivot point on how government does business. That pivot must be away from old, buggy, patchworked IT and toward a modern IT system that is secure and ready for the AI revolution. The first step in the change will be to upend how the government funds IT.

Commentary by Julia Dickson and Emily Harding — February 13, 2025

Audio Briefs

Winning the Peace Means Winning the Information War

An audio version of “Winning the Peace Means Winning the Information War,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Emily Harding and Julia Dickson. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Emily Harding and Julia Dickson — December 19, 2024

Audio Briefs

Cyber Scamming Goes Global: Sourcing Forced Labor for Fraud Factories

People from over 100 countries have been trafficked to Southeast Asia’s fraud factories. These victims fail to conform to a single profile, so survivors often face insufficient or inappropriate law enforcement responses. 

Critical Questions by Lauren Burke Preputnik, Julia Dickson, Aly Senko, and Andrew Friedman — December 12, 2024

Audio Briefs

“Cyber Scamming Goes Global”: Audio Brief with Julia Dickson and Lauren Burke Preputnik

A short, spoken-word summary from CSIS’s Julia Dickson and Lauren Burke Preputnik on their recent commentaries, “Cyber Scamming Goes Global: Unveiling Southeast Asia’s High-Tech Fraud Factories,” and “Cyber Scamming Goes Global: Sourcing Forced Labor for Fraud Factories.”

Podcast Episode by Julia Dickson and Lauren Burke Preputnik — December 12, 2024

Audio Briefs

Winning the Peace Means Winning the Information War

Negotiations for peace in Ukraine will face a storm of zeros and ones. Critics and bots will stir anger on social media, amplifying extremes of the debate. Zelenskyy should see this as a distraction and remain focused.

Commentary by Emily Harding and Julia Dickson — December 11, 2024

Alternative Funding Mechanisms in Review

DOD’s new Office of Strategic Capital will work to ensure that the future warfighter has the capabilities they need by attracting and scaling private capital to critical technologies for national security, with the advantages and risks of a portfolio investment approach.

Report by Erin L. Murphy, Cynthia Cook, Emily Harding, Gregory Sanders, Nicholas Velazquez, Julia Dickson, and Maeve Sockwell — November 21, 2024