Security 2040 | RAND

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How technology, people, & ideas are shaping the future of global security

Security 2040 is a research initiative from RAND's Center for Global Risk and Security. Led by a team of young RAND researchers, this collection of work spans the globe and crosses different disciplines—from nuclear strategy, to economics, to anthropology. The ultimate goal is to provide guidance that helps decisionmakers plan for a safer, more secure future.

Go Beyond the Day's Security Headlines

Security 2040 tackles big, important questions about new technologies and trends that are shaping the future of global security.

What threats do quantum computers pose to today’s encrypted data?
How might artificial intelligence affect the risk of nuclear war?
In what ways does 3D printing threaten security?
Can humans survive a faster future?

Featured Reading

Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Coming. Will We Be Ready?
Aug 27, 2020

Brain-computer interfaces give humans the ability to directly control machines with their minds. Before this emerging technology matures, it's important for developers to weigh the opportunities against the risks.

Researcher Spotlight

Anika Binnendijk

Brain-Computer Interfaces

Brain-Computer Interfaces: U.S. Military Applications and Implications, An Initial Assessment August 27, 2020

Article
Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Coming. Will We Be Ready?

Global Climate Change

Building Resilience Together: Military and Local Government Collaboration for Climate Adaptation April 28, 2020

Quantum Computing

Securing Communications in the Quantum Computing Age: Managing the Risks to Encryption April 9, 2020

Article
Quantum Computers Will Break the Internet, but Only If We Let Them

3D Printing

Additive Manufacturing in 2040: Powerful Enabler, Disruptive Threat May 8, 2018

Article
Four Ways 3D Printing May Threaten Security
Commentary
Downloadable Guns and Other 3-D Printing Security Threats

Millennials and National Security

Millennial Perceptions of Security: Results from a National Survey of Americans June 14, 2018

Artificial Intelligence

How Might Artificial Intelligence Affect the Risk of Nuclear War? April 24, 2018

Speed

Speed and Security: Promises, Perils, and Paradoxes of Accelerating Everything May 1, 2018

Article
Can Humans Survive a Faster Future?
Essay
What the Speed of Life Means for Security and Society

Expert Insights

More about Security 2040

Discontinuities and Distractions — Rethinking Security for the Year 2040: Findings from a RAND Corporation Workshop April 27, 2018
Security 2040: Perils and Promise Over the Near Horizon April 24, 2018

View more global security research