Daniel M. Gerstein
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@RANDCorporation. Security & defense issues, incl. #technology, #HomelandSecurity, #cyber, #biodefense. Opinions do not represent RAND. RTs not endorsements.
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Articles by Daniel M. Gerstein
Your Daily Phil: AI-powered cyberattacks put nonprofits at risk
Good Monday morning! In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we examine the growing threat of AI-powered cyberattacks against nonprofits and interview Aaron Institute’s Zvi Eckstein about the state of the Israeli economy ahead of a two-day conference that he is hosting on the subject.
Responding to President Trump’s Recent Executive Orders on Drones
President Donald Trump’s June 6, 2025 Executive Order (EO) “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” calls for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) or drones to “enhance United States productivity, create high-skilled jobs, and are reshaping the future of aviation.” Its ambitions include “transforming industries from logistics and infrastructure inspection to precision agriculture, emergency response, and public safety.” The EO provides a comprehensive challenge to government and industry to become the...
Responding to President Trump’s Recent E.O. on Drones The EO provides a comprehensive challenge to government and industry to become the global leader in UAS technologies Read Full Article »
Responding to President Trump’s Recent Executive Orders on Drones
President Donald Trump’s June 6, 2025 Executive Order (EO) “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” calls for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) or drones to “enhance United States productivity, create high-skilled jobs, and are reshaping the future of aviation.” Its ambitions include “transforming industries from logistics and infrastructure inspection to precision agriculture, emergency response, and public safety.” The EO provides a comprehensive challenge to government and industry to become the...
Responding to President Trump's Recent Executive Orders on Drones
President Donald Trump's June 6, 2025 Executive Order (EO) “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” notes that Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) or drones “enhance United States productivity, create high-skilled jobs, and are reshaping the future of aviation.” Its ambitions include “transforming industries from logistics and infrastructure inspection to precision agriculture, emergency response, and public safety.” The EO provides a comprehensive challenge to government and industry to become the...
Responding to President Trump’s Recent Executive Orders on Drones
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Metaverse Risks and Implications for Child Safety
Key Findings Metaverse technologies — which encompass artificial intelligence systems, immersive technologies, and enabling digital technologies — will likely continue to become more available, have greater capabilities, and cost less to obtain and use. As has been the case with other digital technologies, metaverse technologies likely will have few policy, legal, ethical, or regulatory impediments constraining their development or use. The metaverse concept is at an inflection point.
Your Daily Phil: Thousands more suspect votes discovered in World Zionist Congress election
Recent Issues Good Friday morning. In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we get the scoop on thousands of newly identified suspect votes in the ongoing World Zionist Congress elections and interview Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, ahead of his organization’s upcoming Global Forum Conference.
Emerging Technology and Risk Analysis
Key Findings The concept of personhood has been debated for centuries by Western philosophers, yet the definition remains open. In the United States, the term has been used inconsistently in the legal field.
Emerging Technology and Risk Analysis
This report is one in a series on analyses of the effects that emerging technologies could have on U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) missions and capabilities. As part of this research, the authors were charged with developing a technology and risk assessment methodology for evaluating emerging technologies and understanding their implications within a homeland security context.
Daily Kickoff: The escalating extremist rhetoric on college campuses
Good Friday morning. In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the escalation in extremist rhetoric among anti-Israel protesters on college campuses, and report exclusively on a new push by Reps. Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler for antisemitism monitors on campus. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Angela Alsobrooks, Sam Halaby and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Ed. note: The next Daily Kickoff will arrive on Wednesday, May 1.
What Will Australia's Approach to Net Assessment Be?
This commentary originally appeared on The Strategist on April 10, 2024. The 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR) is very clear: Australia must change the way it plans for and acquires defense capabilities. The DSR recognizes that doing so will require a net assessment to examine the various factors that may contribute to or detract from the country's military capabilities.
Artificial Intelligence and Critical Infrastructure
Key Findings AI is transformative technology and will likely be incorporated broadly across society—including in critical infrastructure. AI will likely be affected by many of the same factors as other information age technologies, such as cybersecurity, protecting intellectual property, ensuring key data protections, and protecting proprietary methods and processes. The AI field contains numerous technologies that will be incorporated into AI systems as they become available.
Emerging Technology and Risk Analysis
Throughout history, pandemics have been a risk to human existence. Experts have warned with increasing frequency about the risk of naturally occurring pandemics, yet the emergence of the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought a renewed global attention to the threats associated with pandemics. Experts now warn that humans are at increasing risk for more naturally occurring global pandemics, largely due to a wide variety of human activities.
Emerging Technology and Risk Analysis
Key Findings UASs, or drone technologies, for both individual systems and for surrogate swarms represent a current threat and, in the case of intelligent swarms, a growing threat given continued advances in range, payload, and power as UAS technology continues to mature.
Emerging Technology and Risk Analysis
Additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional (3D) printing has become technologically mature, accessible, and available and is exponentially proliferating for licit and illicit uses. Complementary technological advancements in materials science, computer-aided design, and artificial intelligence contribute to this growth, and the availability of more 3D printing materials and techniques has enabled more sophisticated use cases.
America has immunized troops since George Washington's time. Here's how to improve military (and civilian) vaccination programs
John Trumbull's 1786 oil painting depicting the death of the American revolutionary general Richard Montgomery during a failed attack on the British in Quebec. Before the battle, the American forces grappled with a crippling outbreak of smallpox. In 1776, George Washington was facing a serious obstacle in his quest to defeat British colonial forces in America. Smallpox was crippling his army. In fact, an outbreak the prior year had probably caused a major offensive to fail.
Examining New Approaches for Implementing Vaccine Mandates Within the Department of Defense
The U.S. military has a long history of vaccinating service members against infectious disease as a military necessity to protect soldiers and contribute to the overall mission readiness of the force. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has once again demonstrated the importance of the health and readiness of the force.
Daily Kickoff: DeSantis, Mizel, Adelson, Nides and Friedman gather in Jerusalem
đ Good Thursday morning! In todayâs Daily Kickoff, we cover Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisâ press conference in Jerusalem and report on a GOP governorsâ initiative to commemorate Jewish American Heritage Month. Also in todayâs Daily Kickoff: Avi Hasson, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Norm Brownstein.
Economic Security and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) contributions to U.S. economic security and, by extension, the economy itself are often misunderstood and undervalued. The country's economic prosperity depends increasingly on the flow of goods and services, people and capital, and information and technology across U.S. borders — both visible and invisible. The challenges the United States faces from an interconnected world have never been more significant.
Healthy nation, safe nation: Build health security into national security
Since there has not been a comprehensive national review of the COVID-19 preparedness and response, it is unlikely that needed changes will be made to better coordinate across the whole of the U.S. government. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo March 17 (UPI) -- The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a need for a more robust health security paradigm within the broader national security context.
Harnessing the Power of Science and Technology Communities for Crisis Response
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has to respond to crises generated by a variety of threats and hazards, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and public health emergencies. When confronted with such challenges in the past, DHS has relied on scientific and technical advice and solutions to identify gaps in its processes and operations.
Learning, relearning, and not learning the lessons of COVID-19
Several recent announcements have demonstrated how little has been learned from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the potential need for a national reckoning to assess shortfalls and develop recommendations for preparing for and responding to future pandemics and other biological risks. To complicate matters, the CDC and ASPR “turf wars” obscures a broader group of complexities that could be addressed in any future response to a public health crisis.
Time for a U.N. Peace Enforcement Operation in Northern Ukraine?
Now that the Russian military in Ukraine has retreated north to positions in Belarus and Russia—presumably to refit and rearm before moving east—a de facto cease-fire is in place in Kyiv and central Ukraine. This could present an opportunity for the U.N. to call for a formal cease-fire in reclaimed territory and issue a recommendation to willing states to move into Ukraine with a peacekeeping force.
Time for a U.N. Peace Enforcement Operation in Northern Ukraine?
Published by The Lawfare Institute in Cooperation With Now that the Russian military in Ukraine has retreated north to positions in Belarus and Russia—presumably to refit and rearm before moving east—a de facto cease-fire is in place in Kyiv and central Ukraine. This could present an opportunity for the U.N. to call for a formal cease-fire in reclaimed territory and issue a recommendation to willing states to move into Ukraine with a peacekeeping force.
Six paths forward to a "pandemic treaty"
The headquarters of the World Health Organization. Credit: ©Yann Forget/Wikimedia Commons. CC-BY-SA 3.0. Throughout wave after wave of COVID-19, a range of voices have called for reforming the way governments manage pandemics. From mixed messages to inequitable vaccine distribution, the global response to COVID-19 just hasn’t cut it.
Charting a Strategic Path Forward for DHS in an Evolved Threat Landscape
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joins DHS employees in a flag-raising ceremony Sept. 11, 2021, at DHS Headquarters. (DHS photo) The Department of Homeland Security owes a Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) report to Congress by the end of calendar year 2021 and a department Strategic Plan by February 2022.
Difficult choices in the race to innovate and compete
The Senate passage of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) — supported by both Republicans and Democrats in the chamber in a 68-32 vote — recognizes the fierce competition across the globe, and particularly with China, for leadership in key technology areas. To this end, part of the draft legislation is the Endless Frontier Act which would prioritize investments in key technologies areas on the front lines of the competition with China.
Origin Story: How Did the Coronavirus Emerge?
Previous Blog PostThe Informal Carers Who Help People with MS Need Support More Than EverNext Blog PostNew Thinking to Translate Infrastructure Dollars into Resilience commentary (The National Interest) Photo by Stockcrafter/Getty Images President Joe Biden has called for the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble efforts to determine the origins of the COVID-19” pandemic.
Origin Story: How Was the Coronavirus Created?
President Joe Biden has called for the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble efforts to determine the origins of the COVID-19” pandemic. This mandate is based on a new U.S. intelligence report that indicated several of the lab workers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick in autumn 2019 “with symptoms consistent with both Covid-19 and common seasonal illness.” Allegedly, the three were hospitalized in November 2019.
Daily Kickoff: Carolyn Maloney’s latest challenger + David Axelrod suggests Orthodox voters = Obama’s opposition
Recent Issues 👋 Good Tuesday morning! The 2020 census results confirmed thatTexas will gain two congressional seats in 2022, and Florida, Colorado, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon will each gain one. California, Illinois, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will each lose a seat. According to census officials, New York was just 89 residents short of keeping all its congressional seats.
Your Daily Phil: SCOTUS hears donor disclosure case + Jewish education’s silver bullet
News Opinion Your Daily Phil Jewish Insider Recent Issues Good Tuesday morning! The fundraising group that supports Ben-Gurion Universityin Israel’s Negev Desert has changed its name to Americans for Ben-Gurion University and launched a campaign called “Partners in the Remarkable” to tout the school’s technological breakthroughs, such as COVID variant testing and drip irrigation.
'Building Back Better' requires a new approach to US science and technology
Over 60 years have elapsed since the Sputnik moment, the last major redesign of the U.S. science and technology enterprise. Those organizational and process changes included the establishment of the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and ushered in decades of U.S. leadership in scientific research and development.
Could the bioweapons treaty be another tool for addressing pandemics?
Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense specialists with the US Marine Corps practice responding to weapons of mass destruction scenarios. Credit: US Marine Corps via Wikimedia Commons. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has played a central role in updating the public, investigating the origin of the novel coronavirus, and encouraging public health measures around the globe.
The essential role of DHS in the economic recovery from COVID-19
The name Department of Homeland Security belies an important set of roles, missions and functions of the department related to the economic security of the United States. Perhaps nowhere has this become more evident than in the response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Wielding these powers to their full extent could set the conditions for a more rapid recovery, reduce the human suffering and stimulate the development of a more resilient and “built back better” U.S. economy.
A 'come as you are' vaccination plan Original
The uncoordinated and sluggish distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is turning into one more step in the United States’ “come as you are” pandemic response. As of Dec. 29, 2.13 million doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccines had been administered — a fraction of the stated year-end goal. Government officials have called the early roll out “slower than we thought it would be” and admitted early distribution mistakes.
Healthy Nation, Safe Nation: Build Health Security into National Security
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a need for a more-robust health security paradigm within the broader national security context.
Assessing the US government response to the coronavirus
Scanning electron microscope image of the virus that causes COVID-19 emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab. Image captured and colorized at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Rocky Mountain Laboratories. Credit: NIAID When the coronavirus pandemic struck the United States, the country demonstrated significant shortfalls in preparedness and response. Diagnostic testing came late and was inadequate.
The Strategic National Stockpile and COVID-19
Testimony presented before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 24, 2020. Testimony in Brief This report is part of the RAND Corporation testimony series. RAND testimonies record testimony presented by RAND associates to federal, state, or local legislative committees; government-appointed commissions and panels; and private review and oversight bodies.
Biosecurity Is the Lesson We Need to Learn from the Coronavirus Pandemic
There is no scientific evidence that the virus that causes the coronavirus was bioengineered. However, that does not mean that humans do not bear some responsibility for this pandemic. Human activities such as disrupting environmental habitats, promoting the mixing of species in venues such as the wet market in Wuhan, and experimenting with pathogens in laboratories all present windows of vulnerability.
Epic fail: Why the US wasn't prepared for the coronavirus pandemic
A shipment of medical equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile arrives in South Carolina. Many states have reported difficulty obtaining the personal protective equipment and other supplies they need to combat the coronavirus outbreak. Credit: South Carolina National Guard. By the end of February, two months after China reported a mysterious cluster of pneumonia cases to the World Health Organization, the disease we now know as COVID-19 had already claimed almost 3,000 lives.
Learning, Relearning, and Not Learning the Lessons of COVID-19
Several recent announcements have demonstrated how little has been learned from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the potential need for a national reckoning to assess shortfalls and develop recommendations for preparing for and responding to future pandemics and other biological risks. To this end, the United States should create a national commission—not unlike the 9/11 Commission—to develop a way forward.
How to reopen America
Daniel M. Gerstein of the RAND Corporation formerly served as the acting undersecretary and deputy undersecretary in the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security from 2011-2014. Gerstein's latest book is "The Story of Technology: How We Got Here and What the Future Holds," published by Prometheus Books.
To Know the Future of Biological Weapons, Look to the Past
Over the more than 27 years that the U.S. offensive biological warfare program was in existence from its inception in 1942 to President Richard Nixon's public denunciation (PDF) of it in 1969, researchers established the enormous potential of biological weapons, lessons that appear to have been forgotten today. In the next several months, a Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, chaired by former Sen. Joe Lieberman and former Gov.
A tech war has already started and the US needs to get ready now
A global "technology war" that will likely shape U.S. economic and national security well into the twenty-first century is emerging. Many technologies have become the focus of this war, with winners and losers are already beginning to emerge. At this point, the United States finds itself at a distinct disadvantage. Ironically, the seeds of this emerging conflict were inadvertently sown by the United States.
Is the United States Ready for a Tech War?
Daniel Gerstein Security, Americas The Trump administration should develop technology priorities, and technologies considered vital to U.S. economic and national security should receive investments to stimulate advances and promote American leadership. Is the United States Ready for a Tech War? A global “technology war” that will likely shape U.S. economic and national security well into the twenty-first century is emerging.
Is the United States Ready for a Tech War?
A global “technology war” that will likely shape U.S. economic and national security well into the twenty-first century is emerging. Many technologies have become the focus of this war, with winners and losers are already beginning to emerge. At this point, the United States finds itself at a distinct disadvantage. Ironically, the seeds of this emerging conflict were inadvertently sown by the United States.
Three 'New Rules' Worth Considering for the Internet
by Daniel M. Gerstein In a recent commentary, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg argues for new internet regulation starting in four areas: harmful content, election integrity, privacy, and data portability. He also advocates that government and regulators “need a more active role” in this process. This call to action should be welcome news as the importance of the internet to nearly all aspects of people's daily lives seems indisputable.
Three ‘new rules’ worth considering for the internet – TechCrunch
Daniel M. Gerstein Contributor Daniel M. Gerstein works at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and is an adjunct professor at American University. He was the undersecretary (acting) and deputy undersecretary in the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security from 2011-2014. Gerstein’s latest book, “The Story of Technology: How We Got Here and What the Future Holds,” will be published in August 2019.
Time to Bolster Global Biological and Chemical Defense Capabilities
The 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)1 and 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention2 (CWC) serve as the norms against the use of biological and chemical weapons, respectively. However, recent biological and chemical trends should be cause for concern about a growing indifference to respect for and support of these institutions.
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