White House Releases National Security Science and Technology Strategy

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has released a new National Security Science & Technology Strategy (NSSTS), a framework that outlines how the federal science and technology enterprise will support the Administration's 2025 National Security Strategy. The strategy update was mandated by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 and establishes science and technology leadership as a core national security objective.  

The strategy reflects a growing consensus that America's ability to compete economically, defend its national interests, and maintain global influence increasingly depends on technological leadership. According to the White House, competitors are investing heavily in advanced technologies, critical minerals, manufacturing capabilities, and military applications designed to challenge U.S. advantages. The strategy argues that maintaining leadership in science, engineering, and innovation is essential to counter these trends and strengthen U.S. economic and national security.  

The NSSTS is organized around four strategic pillars: 

• Focusing Techno-Strategic Competition by advancing technologies that strengthen military capabilities, homeland defense, and U.S. strategic advantages. 

• Building Technological Resilience through secure supply chains, critical infrastructure protection, and investments in transformative technologies. 

• Accelerate the Pace of Innovation by reducing barriers to research commercialization, improving acquisition processes, and encouraging stronger collaboration between government, academia, and industry. 

• Protect National Security Science and Technology through enhanced research security measures, export controls, investment screening, and safeguards against technology transfer to adversaries.  

The strategy identifies several research and technology areas that are expected to play an outsized role in future strategic competition in defense and national security. These include artificial intelligence, quantum science, advanced biotechnology, autonomous systems, space technologies, advanced manufacturing, critical materials, and next-generation energy technologies. The White House emphasizes that success in these fields will require both sustained federal investment and a vibrant private-sector innovation ecosystem.  

Of particular interest to the engineering community, the strategy repeatedly highlights the importance of strengthening the nation's research and development infrastructure and technical workforce. The document calls for expanding the pipeline of scientists, engineers, and skilled technical professionals while ensuring that federally funded research can transition more effectively into commercial and national security applications. The strategy also stresses the importance of reducing administrative burdens on researchers and accelerating technology deployment.  

The NSSTS further underscores the role of public-private partnerships in advancing innovation. Federal agencies are encouraged to align research investments, infrastructure development, and technology demonstration programs with national security priorities while leveraging private-sector expertise and capital. This emphasis reflects a broader federal effort to accelerate the commercialization of emerging technologies and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities. 

Read the full National Security Science & Technology Strategy (NSSTS).