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Students from Gordian Knot Center classes at the White House with NSC Senior Director for Technology and National Security Tarun Chhabra in Washington D.C.

AI-augmented Class Tackles National Security Challenges of the Future

In classes taught through the Gordian Knot Center, artificial intelligence is taking a front and center role in helping students find innovative solutions to global policy issues.

The Stanford Report

“We Have a More Formidable Challenger Now,” Air Force Chief Says of Pivot to Asia

Fresh off the first steps of reorienting the armed service he leads to bolster defense in the Asia-Pacific region, US Air Force secretary Frank Kendall III was up front about what America lacks in the region.

Security in Asia-Pacific Region

Indian, US Defense Leaders Sign New Agreement at INDUS-X Conference Hosted by Stanford

The Gordian Knot Center hosted the 3rd Annual INDUS-X Summit, where US and Indian defense officials signed an MOU, pledging further cooperation on defense innovation.

US-Indian Defense Relations

News

Ernestine Fu Mak (far left) and Steve Bowsher (far right) speaking with panelists during a session of the "Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government" speaker series.

Examining the Past, Present, and Future of Silicon Valley’s Relationship with the Government

News November 4, 2025

Examining the Past, Present, and Future of Silicon Valley’s Relationship with the Government

News November 4, 2025

Recordings of the course “Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government,” co-led by instructors from FSI’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation and the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, are available online for free.

60 Minutes: Headline

News June 15, 2025

60 Minutes: Headline

News June 15, 2025

First, how a Philippines, China clash could draw in the U.S. Then, 3D printing homes on Earth, someday the moon.

https://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/#

Defense Tech's New Guard: They're Young, Patriotic, and Building the Future of Warfare

News May 28, 2025

Defense Tech's New Guard: They're Young, Patriotic, and Building the Future of Warfare

News May 28, 2025

Inc article featuring Hacking for Defense Alums Andrew Powell and Jarren Reid.

https://www.inc.com/sam-blum/defense-techs-new-guard-theyre-young-patri…

AI takes central role in national security classes

News May 13, 2025

AI takes central role in national security classes

News May 13, 2025

In courses taught through the Freeman Spogli Institute’s Gordian Knot Center, artificial intelligence is helping students find innovative solutions to global policy issues.

https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/05/ai-artificial-intelligence-na…

Army SBIR|STTR and xTech Join Venrock and America’s Frontier Fund for first Demand Signal Forum at Stanford

News March 31, 2025

Army SBIR|STTR and xTech Join Venrock and America’s Frontier Fund for first Demand Signal Forum at Stanford

News March 31, 2025

U.S. Army article featuring Gordian Knot Center, Joe Felter, and Stanford Defense Community

https://www.army.mil/article/284271/army_sbirsttr_and_xtech_join_venroc…

The ‘fatal mistake’ most people make starting a business, says Stanford professor who co-founded 4 startups: I’ve ‘seen this a million times’

News March 24, 2025

The ‘fatal mistake’ most people make starting a business, says Stanford professor who co-founded 4 startups: I’ve ‘seen this a million times’

News March 24, 2025

An article about Steve Blank, Hacking for Defense Instructor

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/24/steve-blank-most-people-make-this-fatal…

Students take nuclear strategy ideas to the White House

News December 20, 2024

Students take nuclear strategy ideas to the White House

News December 20, 2024

Four engineering students developed proposals for supporting America’s transition to nuclear energy and presented them to the National Security Council in Washington, D.C.

https://engineering.stanford.edu/news/students-take-nuclear-strategy-id…

How to Fix a Broken Defense Department to Beat China and Russia

News November 27, 2024

How to Fix a Broken Defense Department to Beat China and Russia

News November 27, 2024

https://warontherocks.com/2024/11/how-to-fix-a-broken-defense-departmen…

To compete with China on AI, we need a lot more power

News September 24, 2024

To compete with China on AI, we need a lot more power

News September 24, 2024

A ChatGPT query uses 10 times the wattage of a Google search. It may already be impossible for the U.S. to match China’s centralized energy system.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/09/24/ai-power-grid-china-…

Indian, US Defense Leaders Sign New Agreement at INDUS-X Conference Hosted by Stanford

News September 9, 2024

Indian, US Defense Leaders Sign New Agreement at INDUS-X Conference Hosted by Stanford

News September 9, 2024

US and Indian defense officials signed a memorandum of understanding on Stanford’s campus September 9, 2024, pledging further cooperation on defense innovation at the INDUS-X conference which saw Hoover Institution director Condoleezza Rice predict a continued warming of US-India relations.

“We Have a More Formidable Challenger Now,” Air Force Chief Says of Pivot to Asia

News May 30, 2024

“We Have a More Formidable Challenger Now,” Air Force Chief Says of Pivot to Asia

News May 30, 2024

https://www.hoover.org/news/we-have-more-formidable-challenger-now-air-…

3 areas the DoD should fix to rapidly integrate new tech

News March 18, 2024

3 areas the DoD should fix to rapidly integrate new tech

News March 18, 2024

"Delivering greater access, clarity, and confidence to commercial companies would dramatically improve companies’ ability to participate in the federal market, and thereby significantly strengthen America’s defense readiness," write Jeff Decker and Noah Sheinbaum in this op-ed.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and her team meet at the Hoover Institution with students and faculty from the Gordian Knot Center.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Discusses Importance of Strategic Partnerships with Stanford Faculty and Students

News April 12, 2022

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Discusses Importance of Strategic Partnerships with Stanford Faculty and Students

News April 12, 2022

A visit from the Department of Defense’s deputy secretary gave the Gordian Knot Center a prime opportunity to showcase how its faculty and students are working to build an innovative workforce that can help solve the nation’s most pressing national security challenges.

Ending China's Chokehold on Rare-Earth Minerals

News September 18, 2020

Ending China's Chokehold on Rare-Earth Minerals

News September 18, 2020

The U.S. and allies can break Beijing's monopoly on elements vital to electronics and national defense.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2020-09-18/ending-china-s-choke…