Amid a rapid shift in the global balance of power, CSIS offers practical solutions to the hardest national security strategy questions. CSIS’s defense and security research covers issues including traditional missile defense, nuclear weapons, aerospace security, irregular threats, democratic institutions, and the use of AI and critical minerals in defense technologies.

Photo: Zhang Jiansong/Xinhua via Getty Images

Photo: Zhang Jiansong/Xinhua via Getty Images

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

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Seth G. Jones

Seth G. Jones

President, Defense and Security Department; Harold Brown Chair
Emily Harding

Emily Harding

Vice President, Defense and Security Department; Director, Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program
Daniel Byman

Daniel Byman

Director, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program
Tom Karako

Tom Karako

Director, Missile Defense Project and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Jerry McGinn

Jerry McGinn

Director, Center for the Industrial Base and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Kari Bingen

Kari A. Bingen

Director, Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Alek Jovovic

Alek Jovovic

Deputy Director, Center for the Industrial Base and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Clayton Swope

Clayton Swope

Deputy Director, Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Lauryn Williams

Lauryn Williams

Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Strategic Technologies Program
Bonny Lin

Bonny Lin

Director, China Power Project and Senior Adviser
Max Bergmann

Max Bergmann

Director, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Stuart Center
Matt Pearl

Matt Pearl

Director, Strategic Technologies Program
Benjamin Jensen

Benjamin Jensen

Director, Futures Lab and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Oge Onubogu

Oge Onubogu

Director and Senior Fellow, Africa Program

Nikita Shah

Senior Fellow, Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program
Yasir Atalan

Yasir Atalan

Deputy Director and Data Fellow, Futures Lab, Defense and Security Department
Brian Hart

Brian Hart

Deputy Director and Fellow, China Power Project
Andy Lim

Andy Lim

Deputy Director and Fellow, Korea Chair
Joseph Rodgers

Joseph Rodgers

Deputy Director and Fellow, Project on Nuclear Issues
Douglas Comstock

Douglas Comstock

Fellow for Satellite Imagery Analysis and Open-Source Intelligence, iDeas Lab
Aman Thakker

Aman Thakker

Fellow, Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics
Ryuhei Ono

Ryuhei Ono

Visiting Fellow, Critical Minerals Security Program

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The Impossible State

Brewing Korea Crisis? Mines, Missiles, & POWs

Dr. Victor Cha, Mr. Wonchul Kim, and Ms. Jeehye Yoo discussed President Lee’s North Korea initiative, recent tensions involving the DMZ and North Korean POWs, and the broader outlook for inter-Korean relations. 

Podcast Episode by Victor Cha — October 8, 2026

The Impossible State Podcast

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 Last Line of Defense

Can America’s Industrial Base Handle a Two-Front War?

Host Seth Jones sits down with The Honorable Dr. Kathleen Hicks, the 35th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and former director of the International Security Program at CSIS, to discuss how industrial production shapes U.S. military readiness across multiple theaters.

Podcast Episode by Seth G. Jones and The Honorable Dr. Kathleen H. Hicks — October 7, 2026

The Last Line of Defence

The Postwar Threat to Gulf Energy Infrastructure

As Gulf states build new pipelines to reduce Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is likely to adapt. Pipelines offer greater resilience, but remain vulnerable to Iranian missiles, drones, sabotage, and other attacks on critical energy infrastructure.

Report by Daniel Byman and Alden Ness — October 6, 2026