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Trending Issues
Iran
Settler Violence, A New Israeli Government, and Return to U.S.-Israel-Iran War
Media Call
One war, many fronts: Iran and its proxies
Generation Jihad
China
Ukraine knows the secret to defending Taiwan
Kyiv’s use of unmanned boats shows how low-cost weapons can threaten a stronger navy.
The Washington Post
What to expect of a Trump-Xi-Putin nuke meeting — if it happens
Axios
October 1, 2026
2:00 pm
EVENT: Winning the Adoption War: Diffusing AI Across the U.S. Military
The United States leads the world in frontier artificial intelligence. However, cutting edge technology used by a limited number of people is a trophy, not a capability – and the contest with China will not be decided only at the frontier.
If the most sophisticated technology on earth reaches only a fraction of the force, how much advantage does it confer? How is the Pentagon moving from procuring AI to diffusing it across the force? What cultural and organizational changes does an “AI-first” military require? And how does the United States build and keep the technical talent inside government, turning tools into outcomes before its competitors close the gap?
To discuss these questions and others, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) hosts a conversation with FDD Visiting Military Fellow Major Megan “Napalm” Hainline, F-16 instructor pilot and AI leader; FDD Adjunct Fellow Isaac “Ike” Harris, executive director of the Frontier Security Institute; and Leah Siskind, FDD AI Research Fellow. The discussion will be moderated by RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.
Featured Experts
Jonathan Schanzer
Executive Director
- Palestinian Politics
- Iran
- Iran Sanctions
- Iran Global Threat Network
- Hezbollah
- Iran-backed Terrorism
- Turkey
- Jihadism
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Elaine K. Dezenski
CEFP Senior Director and Head
Behnam Ben Taleblu
Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow
- Iran
- Iran Sanctions
- Iran Missiles
- Iran Human Rights
- Iran Politics and Economy
- Iran Global Threat Network
- Sanctions and Illicit Finance
Max Meizlish
Research Fellow
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U.S. Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor
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Lai Ching-te
President of Taiwan
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Tsai Ing-wen
Former President of Taiwan
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Former Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State
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Former President
Overnight Brief: October 29, 2026
Read Full BriefToday In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
- "Ukraine knows the secret to defending Taiwan," The Washington Post
- "Jordanian Strikes Lay Bare Security Vacuum in Southern Syria," FDD Policy Brief
- "One war, many fronts: Iran and its proxies," Generation Jihad (FDD's Long War Journal)
The Must-Reads
- Israel braces for uncertainty with early election results pointing to deadlock
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- A ceasefire in a Ukrainian city is holding, officials say, as Moscow and Kyiv await US-led talks
- Houthis strike Yemen's Aden airport after evacuation warning
- U.S. restricts trade with Chinese genomics company
- US and Japan to establish a Japanese facility for joint missile production
- Bolsonaro lands in Miami after fleeing Brazil
- WSJ Editorial: To Brazil’s victor goes political revenge
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