Strength in Numbers

Is the United States in an artificial intelligence arms race with China? How are policymakers assessing possible economic and national security threats? How should China be understood as a potential peer competitor? And who’s likely to win?

China experts Dean Cheng and Lukas Filler join Strength in Numbers to discuss. Cheng is formerly of the Heritage Foundation and the author of Cyber Dragon: Inside China’s Information Warfare and Cyber Operations. And Filler is a national security strategist at the National Security Data and Policy Institute.

Additional reading:

Deeper Questions Raised by DeepSeek

DeepSeek’s Achievements and the Implications for Policy

China’s AI/ML Data Environment

Much has been said about the United States and China’s approach to artificial intelligence, but another key player in the AI race is Europe. How are its regulators, political leaders, and industry approaching this new technology? Gabriele Mazzini, the lead architect on the EU’s landmark AI Act , joins host Jennifer Strong to discuss how this landmark legislation was brought into being—and what could now change.

The episode also features University of Virginia School of Law’s Vice Dean Ashley Deeks to discuss how AI and emerging technologies are being used for defense and what guardrails should be in place.

Additional reading:


Artificial Intelligence Knowledge Supply Chain


Tracking Advances in Multimodal AI for Time Series Analysis


DeepSeek’s Achievements and the Implications for Policy

​​How are policymakers assessing future security challenges and what is being done to mitigate those threats? George Foresman, a senior advisor at the National Security Data and Policy Institute (NSDPI), shares his experience as the first undersecretary of preparedness at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with host Jennifer Strong.

Former Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger also joins the series to recount how the U.S. government responded to the most ambitious cybercrime to date: Salt Typhoon.

Finally, NSDPI’s research associate Nathan Timbs shares how open-source data is helping to track illicit networks and bring them into the open. 

Additional reading: Precursors, Ports, and Pills: Inside the China-Mexico-U.S. Fentanyl Supply Chain

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Jack Reed join Strength in Numbers to share their assessments of the defense industrial base. Does the United States have access to the tools and materials needed to be secure? How is the country adapting to technological changes on the battlefield? And is the United States going to be able to outbuild competitors—or is it simply too late? 

Additional reading:

Chinese Investment in Mineral Resources — National Security Data and Policy Institute

Building a Glass Fortress: China’s Delicate Trade Dominance in Critical Materials — National Security Data and Policy Institute

NSDPI Co-Launches the 2026 Data-to-Impact Challenge — National Security Data and Policy Institute

Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of Altana, joins host Jennifer Strong to assess the state of critical mineral supply chains today. Who controls the materials? Why is such a vital part of national security controlled by an economic adversary? And, more importantly, what can be done to regain control of this important resource?

Margaret Foster, a data scientist and scholar at the University of Virginia, then joins the podcast to share how she uses data and artificial intelligence to identify and mitigate potential supply chain chokepoints. 

Additional reading:

Microelectronics Supply Chain Analysis — National Security Data and Policy Institute

 Microelectronics Supply Chain Analysis: Critical Components — National Security Data and Policy Institute

Microelectronics Supply Chain Analysis: Vulnerability — National Security Data and Policy Institute

Microelectronics Supply Chain Analysis: Lock-In and Substitutability — National Security Data and Policy Institute