The NSPC executes research for, and functions as an intermediary between, government entities and academic institutions. We take on research projects in a variety of policy areas.

Past Performance

• The NSPC authored two influential reports for CIA on the Intelligence Community’s research and development requirements. These projects contributed directly to the establishment of CIA Labs.
• Sponsored by the Minerva Research Initiative, the NSPC created and host the Militant Group Alliances and Rivalries (MGAR) Database for the DOD: a systematic accounting of the scope, causes, and consequences of violent non-state actor relationships.
• The US Army’s National Ground Intelligence Center commissioned “Defining the Gray Zone,” a report to create a universal definition of gray zone activities.
• Research: Defense Intelligence Agency survey of the biosecurity ecosystem
  • Identifying gaps and overlaps in monitoring
  • Biothreats assessment
  • Response process and procedures
• Research: Deterrence & Threat Perception
  • Contracted research for Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
  • Manuscript: Threat Perception and Deterrence after the War in Ukraine

Ongoing Projects

• Research: China’s Global Influence
  • Influences of China on East Asian Countries
  • Economic Coercion/expansion
  • Supply Chain Interdependence
  • Naval Military Diplomacy
  • Zero Tolerance: Repression and Political Violence on China’s New Silk Road. Phil Potter, Chen Wang. Cambridge University Press, Dec. 2022.
• Research: Military and Democracy
  • Mass Democracy and the Expert Military
  • Extremism and the Military
  • Renewing Military Leadership and Civic Responsibility
• Research: Defense Intelligence Agency Biocomplexity Project
  • In partnership with UVA’s Biocomplexity Institute
  • Bioinformatics project on novel analytics to address national security issues