Racing Ahead: US-Led Strategic Imperative

"Pax Americana"

Since the end of World War II, the US-led Order ushered in the Pax Americana, "The Long Peace." Outside of regional skirmishes and proxy-wars, there has been an absence of direct large-scale conflicts between major powers, mainly attributed to nuclear deterrence, economic interdependence, and international organizations promoting diplomacy.

This gave way to the greatest period of technological competition in history.

With the world in disarray, the US helped establish 5 International Treaties and Organizations that allowed this to happen.

1. 1944 - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ensure global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. (with the US Dollar as a Reserve Currency)
2. 1944 - The World Bank to provide financial and technical assistance to developing countries for development programs (e.g., bridges, roads, schools) that are expected to improve the economic prospects and quality of life for people in those countries.
3. 1947 - The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was a legal agreement minimizing barriers to international trade by eliminating or reducing quotas, tariffs, and subsidies while preserving significant regulations. It was later succeeded by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995.
4. 1945 - The United Nations?(UN) was created to prevent future conflicts and foster international cooperation.
5. 1949 - NATO as a military alliance of Western countries established for mutual defense against aggression, mainly to counter the influence of the Soviet Union during the early stages of the Cold War.

With the rise of China, Russia's waning status as a "Global Superpower," The BRICS Nation, and domestic strife and civil unrest in Western Democracies, there's new emerging world order that threatens the Old Guard.

The incoming US Presidency has an opportunity to rewrite US-Led Doctrines with her allies and partners, in hopes, to curb new challenges and threats at home and overseas.

"A Brave New World"

The United States' technological and economic leadership once seemed unassailable. For nearly eight decades, American innovation and economic strength - backed by this international framework - drove unprecedented global prosperity and technological advancement.

Today, that position is increasingly precarious.

From advanced semiconductor manufacturing to rare earth processing, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing, critical technologies and capabilities are concentrated outside our borders. This isn't just about supply chains or manufacturing — it's about maintaining the very sovereignty that allowed America to build and sustain the post-war order.

As nations race to control critical technologies that will define the next century, The United States and her allies and partners face a stark choice: secure technological independence or risk becoming a passenger in the new global order.

"So What?"

For the first time since the Cold War, the United States facing a near-peer adversary with intent and capability to reshape the global order. China's rise isn't just about economic competition - it represents a fundamental challenge to maintaining a technological edge and global security.

The Pentagon's recent China Military Power Report shows that:

Military Modernization: China's defense budget, now estimated between $330-450 billion, is the world's second largest. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is rapidly modernizing across all domains - from expanding its nuclear arsenal (now over 600 warheads) to building the world's largest navy (370 ships and submarines).

Industrial Capacity: China has developed a world-class defense industrial base capable of producing everything from advanced naval vessels to sophisticated weapons systems. Unlike America's struggling defense industry, China has "sufficient capacity to produce any required numbers" of military platforms.

Global Reach: The PLA is actively building capabilities to project power far beyond Asia. China is seeking military logistics facilities across Africa, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific, while developing long-range precision strike capabilities that can reach well into the Pacific.

Technological Competition: From semiconductors to quantum computing, hypersonics to artificial intelligence, the race for technological dominance will determine military advantage and economic prosperity for decades to come. China's integrated military-civil fusion strategy aims to harness all elements of national power in this competition.

Xi Jinping's "Make China Great Again" campaign has already closed the gap on economic parity and quickly closing the gap on technological and military parity.

The stakes extend beyond these individual technologies - anything that stands on its own fails. At their core, these capabilities represent the foundation of national sovereignty in the 21st Century - the ability of a nation to secure its interests, protect its citizens, and chart it's own course. Without domestic control of emerging technologies, even the world's most powerful country (the US and her allies) risks becoming dependent on adversaries for its basic security needs – for example, China's recent export control on rare earth metals to the US.

At the Reagan National Defense Forum, Jake Sullivan, President Biden's National Security Advisor, noted "this is not a competition America can win by simply trying to slow China down. Victory requires going faster - accelerating innovation, rebuilding industrial capacity, and forging deeper collaboration between government, industry, and allies. The nations that master these fundamental technologies will write the rules for the coming century."

"Make China Great Again"

What does this rising power really want? What is Xi Jinping's vision for the Chinese People? There are four related fronts:

- "Revitalizing the Party, cleansing it of corruption, restoring its sense of mission, and reestablish its authority in the eyes of the Chinese People."

- "Reviving Chinese nationalism and patriotism to instill pride in being Chinese."

- "Engineering a third economic revolution."

- "Reorganizing and rebuilding China's military so that it can, as Xi says, "fight and win."

The Pentagon's latest report shows how these ambitions - particularly military modernization - are becoming more real. China's defense budget, now estimated between $330-450 billion, funds an increasingly sophisticated force. The PLA's nuclear arsenal has grown to over 600 warheads with projections exceeding 1,000 by 2030. Its navy, now the world's largest with 370 ships and submarines, showcases China's growing power projection capabilities.

However, despite these advances, challenges remain. During the second half of 2023, at least 15 high-ranking military officers and defense industry executives were removed on corruption charges, including senior leaders of the Rocket Force and the head of China's largest missile manufacturer. While these purges may have disrupted progress toward stated 2027 modernization goals, they also demonstrate Xi's determination to build a world-class military by removing obstacles to his vision.

The stakes for China are clear: Xi views the PLA's modernization as essential to achieving "national rejuvenation" by 2049. Central to this goal is Taiwan - which Chinese leadership considers a fundamental condition of rejuvenation.

To this end, the PLA is developing capabilities specifically aimed at deterring or defeating foreign intervention in the region while expanding its global military footprint through overseas bases and logistics facilities.

"Running Faster"

As Jake Sullivan noted, we can't win this competition by simply trying to slow China down—we have to accelerate. The Pentagon's latest assessment highlights the urgency: China has developed a world-class defense industrial base while America's struggles to produce essential military platforms and munitions. This gap between industrial capacity and national security needs must be addressed.

Securing Global Sovereignty requires more than just technological innovation—it demands a coordinated strategy that combines deep tech investment, industrial base revival, and public-private collaboration to ensure countries can independently develop and control the critical technologies that will define future economic and national security.

Our core mission for 2025 is to close crucial gaps in the deep tech ecosystem by:

• Facilitating targeted venture deal flow between founders and investors
• Advancing policy advocacy for industrial base development and technological resilience
• Supporting ecosystem growth through streamlined access to talent, capital, and business development

The path forward isn't just outspending competitors – it's about building more resilient, innovative, and integrated technologies. Success requires reimagining how government, industry, and venture capital can work together to accelerate the development of innovation from the blueprints to deployment.

For eight decades, American innovation drove global prosperity and technological advancement. The next chapter of this story isn't just about maintaining our edge – it's about redefining what's possible.