White House unveils National Security Science and Technology Strategy targeting AI, semiconductors, and defense innovation

The White House released its National Security Science and Technology Strategy earlier this week, a 24-page blueprint that lays out how the US government plans to channel federally funded research and development toward the country’s most pressing security priorities. The document, issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, satisfies a congressional mandate baked into the CHIPS and Science Act requiring a science and innovation strategy to accompany each new National Security Strategy. It is explicitly tied to the 2025 National Security Strategy. Four pillars, one message: compete harder The NSSTS is built around four central pillars: Focusing Techno-Strategic Competition, Building Technological Resilience, Accelerating the Pace of Innovation, and Protecting National Security S&T. Across all four pillars, a handful of technology domains receive top billing: artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, future computing architectures, space technology, undersea capabilities, and cybersecurity. What’s notable is the degree to which the strategy treats them as interconnected rather than siloed priorities. Golden Dome and the defense dimension The str...