Our vision is to develop and support leaders who serve and solve our most pressing national security challenges.

Joined April 2026
21 Photos and videos
Five years. One mission. A permanent hub for national security dialogue.  As conflict shifts into the Age of Asymmetry, the Institute is scaling to meet the challenge. This is our roadmap for the 2026 #AsnessSummit—convening the leaders defining the future of American security.
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Securing America’s manufacturing base requires continuous innovation and intentional generational knowledge transfer. At the 2026 #AsnessSummit, @danwwang emphasized the need to get students actively involved in the patient work of preserving our trade capabilities.
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"How are we working with private sector companies to create an effective defense?" At the 2026 #AsnessSummit, @TheCipherBrief’s @SuzanneKelly_ highlights why securing the information environment requires a unified public-private cognitive defense strategy.
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This is what happens when mass surveillance meets A.I. @VanderbiltU research exposes China’s alarming push to weaponize AI and predict who is likely to become a dissident before they even act. Read the full article from @julianbarnes at the @nytimes. nytimes.com/2026/06/01/us/po…
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National resilience and competitive advantage are built through a culture of radical collaboration. Gen. Paul Nakasone on how the #AsnessSummit serves as a platform for our brightest minds to solve the challenges of modern conflict together.
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National resilience starts with the supply chain. @GinaRaimondo at the #AsnessSummit: ”Economic security, supply chain security, technological security, is national security.” We cannot separate our economic strength from our ability to lead on the global stage.
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"The returns on that investment of time will always be exponential." Gen. Dan Caine at the #AsnessSummit on the value of a life of service and the unique perspective required to lead through today’s unprecedented complexity.
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National resilience depends on "leaders who can move fluently between innovation and strategy, between engineering and geopolitics." @VanderbiltU Chancellor Daniel Diermeier at the #AsnessSummit on the new baseline of strategic leadership required to meet modern conflict.
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The conversations shaping global security are evolving rapidly — and Vanderbilt is helping lead them. Read our latest newsletter on Substack: -2026 #AsnessSummit -@bjgol on AI and cybersecurity -@VanderbiltU National Security major launching Fall 2026 -Welcome 2026 INS Fellows
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What was it really like at the 2026 #AsnessSummit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats? Don’t take it from us — hear directly from the leaders who joined the conversation. Here’s what stood out to them and why Nashville has joined the global national security conversation.
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What began at @VanderbiltU in 2022 is now a nationally recognized forum, evolving alongside the challenges it was built to address—from AI to cyber. This year marks a new chapter as the Asness Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats.
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Watch the #AsnessSummit Day 2 highlight reel: — Opening remarks from Sen. @MarshaBlackburn — Keynote conversation with Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla (Ret.) on modern warfare and global security — Panels on cyber operations, drone warfare, and what’s ahead for national security
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Watch the #AsnessSummit Day 1 highlight reel for a glimpse inside: — Opening fireside with General Dan Caine — Key insights from The Honorable Gina Raimondo and author Dan Wang — Panels on supply chains as battlegrounds, the power of perception, and lessons from modern conflict
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Academic expertise meets real-world stakes. During National Security Week, @VanderbiltU faculty completed a high-stakes Arctic simulation to tackle the complexities of modern conflict. We’re strengthening national security through collaboration and applied problem-solving.
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What does the next gen of national security leadership look like? During National Security Week, 80 students engaged with Gen. Paul Nakasone, Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy (Ret.), and experts from OpenAI, DARPA, and the FBI. We’re moving beyond convening leaders to building them.
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Highlights from #AsnessSummit Day 2 📸 The conversations zeroed in on where modern conflict is actively evolving. A key takeaway: the future fight will be shaped by those who can integrate technology, strategy, and speed of decision-making faster than their adversaries.
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Cybersecurity is now personal. In a @nytimes essay, @bjgol, director of the Institute's Wicked Problems Lab, warns that AI is accelerating threats to individuals. Are you prepared? nytimes.com/2026/04/28/opini…
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Highlights from Summit Day 1 📸 Cyber, the Iranian conflict, and collaboration — three main themes from opening day of the 2026 #AsnessSummit on Conflict and Emerging Threats. A key takeaway: focus on actions that drive outcomes.
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VU Institute of National Security retweeted
When it comes to national security, we need the brightest minds working together. The Vanderbilt Institute of National Security Asness Summit has become such an important part of the national dialogue, and it was an honor to speak about the great work being done in Tennessee.
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