OPINION – The current conflict with Iran highlights a longstanding, core premise that national security comes from visible instruments of power - weapons. While hard power will always be critical to national security, national security is not created by accumulated hard power. It is created by enduring internal capacity that prevents the need to rely on hard power. This enduring internal capacity ...
The article presents a new perspective on national security, emphasizing the importance of internal capacity over material advantage. This shift reflects a recognition of the complexities and uncertainties of modern geopolitical competition, particularly in the context of gray zone conflict and cognitive warfare. By focusing on decision quality, institutional performance, societal resilience, and innovation and adoption capacity, the author suggests that nations can better protect and advance th...