National Security

On Friday, Nov. 7, Vanderbilt University’s Institute of National Security and the Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NROTC) Alumni Association partnered for the first time to host a full day of programming celebrating leadership, service, and pragmatic solutions to national security challenges—culminating in the 15th Annual National Security Symposium in Sarratt Cinema. Read More

Political propaganda and artificial intelligence–driven misinformation are infiltrating social media accounts, and Americans need to do something about it. That’s the warning revealed in research from two Vanderbilt professors and discussed on this special episode of the Quantum Potential podcast. Read More

Character and leadership took center stage at Vanderbilt University as retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal joined retired Gen. Paul Nakasone, founding director of the Institute of National Security, for the institute’s speaker series Monday evening. Read More

A transformative gift from Vanderbilt parents Laurel and Cliff Asness of Greenwich, Connecticut, to the Vanderbilt Institute of National Security and the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation will have a significant impact on the future of national security and neurodiversity. The gift highlights the extraordinary support of the Vanderbilt community and underscores the ongoing momentum of the university’s historic Dare to Grow campaign which surpassed its original goal of $3.2 billion 20 months ahead of schedule. Read More

In this episode of Quantum Potential, Gen. Nakasone, former NSA director, founding director of Vanderbilt’s Institute of National Security, Distinguished Research Professor of Engineering Science and Management, and special advisor to the chancellor, joins Provost C. Cybele Raver to discuss the challenges of national security in the 21st century and academia’s role in training the next generation of multifaceted national security professionals. Read More

Away from Washington but at the heart of critical conversations, Vanderbilt is fast becoming a national hub for security and strategy. A prime example: the 2025 Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats, which brought together national and international leaders for two days of high-level dialogue April 10–11. That commitment took on new form this year with the summit’s first installment connected with the newly launched Institute of National Security. Read More

Eleven Vanderbilt students are engaging in cutting-edge national security research through a new, dynamic partnership between Immersion Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt Institute of National Security. This partnership emphasizes the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of Immersion Vanderbilt and supports the Institute of National Security’s mission of developing the next generation of national security leaders. Read More

Big ideas, bold leadership and lessons in resilience took center stage at this year’s Live. Learn. Lead. Symposium. From a four-star general’s wisdom to hands-on student leadership, here’s what you missed. Read More

The Vanderbilt Institute of National Security has launched the Wicked Problems Lab to tackle some of the toughest challenges in national security. By combining cutting-edge research with real-world expertise, the Lab develops practical, actionable solutions that bridge the gap between policy and implementation. Read More

Sam Altman, the visionary CEO of OpenAI and one of the most influential figures in artificial intelligence, is set to deliver the opening keynote at the 2025 Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats. His highly anticipated address will take place on the morning of April 10, 2025. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Institute of National Security welcomed more than 450 guests to a Washington D.C. launch event. The evening featured a discussion between Retired General Paul M. Nakasone and Retired General Mark A. Milley about global conflict and the presidential election. Read More

More than 3,200 alumni came together on Vanderbilt’s campus from Nov. 7 to Nov. 10 for Reunion and Homecoming. The weekend schedule featured more than 85 events designed to deepen connections among alumni, provide insights on current issues and celebrate the milestone class years ending in 4 and 9.   Read More

After the launch of the Institute of National Security, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars joined a special panel with Microsoft and institute leaders titled “Interdisciplinary Thought Leadership Across the Security Landscape.” The panel featured two experts from Microsoft—Vishal Amin, general manager of security solutions, and Lili Davoudian, director of technical sales—in conversation with institute Executive Director Douglas Adams Read More

Vanderbilt University announced today the launch of its Institute of National Security, led by Paul M. Nakasone, former director of the National Security Agency, former commander of U.S. Cyber Command and retired four-star general. Read More

Vanderbilt University, the University of Cambridge, King’s College Cambridge, the White House and the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters recently convened to showcase the power of academic collaboration on critical national security issues like the development of cryptographic algorithms that can hold up against quantum attacks. Read More

The founding director of Vanderbilt University’s Institute of National Defense, retired General Paul Nakasone, has been appointed to OpenAI’s Board of Directors as a member of its Safety and Security Committee. Read More

Vanderbilt computer science students got some real-world experience in cybersecurity when they joined Retired General Paul M. Nakasone at DEF CON 32, considered the world’s largest conference of hackers. The conference allows hackers to test the latest technology for flaws and give advice on how to avoid being hacked. Read More

See how students in a special Immersion Vanderbilt project are partnering with a new national security institute to prevent cybersecurity attacks. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Office of Federal Relations hosted U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly on campus to talk about cybersecurity workforce shortages and the higher education cybersecurity ecosystem. Read More

Retired General Paul Nakasone, who was named as the founding director of the Vanderbilt Institute for National Security earlier this year, received the 2024 William Oliver Baker Award, given in honor of the former president of Bell Labs and a longtime Presidential science advisor. Read More