Letter From TLSI Leadership

The United States’ capacity and capability to innovate at speed and scale will determine if the 21st century is another American Century. 

We are in an age defined by rapid technological disruption and discontinuity. Advanced microelectronics and semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies and computing, biotechnology, advanced materials, and numerous other platform technologies are transforming industries and altering how we live and work. Advanced technologies like these—and the benefits that arise from their deployment—are shaping society at a speed never seen before. And in addition to the swift emergence of these individual technologies, their convergence presents remarkable opportunities to tackle society’s most pressing challenges and for the United States to secure its technological dominance. Consider how the convergence of these platform technologies is already affecting our lives:

• Farmers find themselves at the intersection of the digital and analog, optimizing crop yields through the deployment of satellites, sensors, and AI. 
  
  
• Physicians are on the verge of deploying personalized medical treatments by leveraging and co-mingling new insights from AI and the human genome. 
  
  
• Hyperscalers; local, state, and regional authorities; national laboratories; universities; and entrepreneurs are looking to re-invent America’s energy system—with a new look at renewables as well as traditional and advanced nuclear technologies, including fusion. 
  
  
• City administrators are leveraging data analytics and smart city infrastructure to reduce inefficiencies that have plagued urban life for decades. 

• Cyber security professionals use advancements in AI to protect critical infrastructure, detect and respond to cyberattacks, and analyze complex threat landscapes. 

• Business leaders are using advanced sensors and AI-powered data analytic engines to predict demand, manage inventory, and ensure timely delivery of products to customers. 

• Financers look to tap quantum computing to perform risk analysis, portfolio optimization, and derivative pricing at unprecedented speeds and accuracy. 

• Manufacturers are tapping bio-based materials for applications in textiles, construction, and packaging, which provide sustainable alternatives to traditional materials. 

• The warfighter is using AI to rapidly decrease software update time in threat environments, providing real-time, Over-the-air-Updates (OTAU) to weapons systems in response to complex and evolving threats. 

• The Defense Industrial Base (DIB) is investing in hypersonics to enhance U.S. defensive systems, including the Golden Dome and non-kinetic capabilities coupled with enhanced strike capabilities. These initiatives are designed to strengthen defenses against a variety of high-speed threats, such as hypersonics, ballistic missiles, and advanced cruise missiles. 

This list could go on and on, as technological convergence and its resultant innovations drive what economist Joseph Schumpeter called “creative destruction”—the phenomenon of innovations disrupting established businesses and industries, only to spur economic growth. Today, creative destruction is happening in nearly every sector and industry. This evolution is staggering in its speed and impact. In 2024, the average lifespan of a company on the S&P 500 is under 20 years; in 1980, it was more than 35 years.

Technology’s expanding power and influence is happening not only in the United States, but across the globe, making technology a critical element in geopolitical competition, affecting both economic standing and national security. As the stakes rise, the global race for technological supremacy intensifies, with technology leaders poised to reshape the global competitiveness landscape. President Trump expressed this sentiment in his March 26, 2025, letter to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Michael Kratsios, writing “…today, rivals abroad seek to usurp America’s position as the world’s greatest maker of marvels and producer of knowledge.” The United States now confronts its most significant competitor in nearly 250 years: China, whose ambitious strategies aim to dominate the global economy and reshape global security. 

If the United States is to maintain its position as the dominant global player in this tech-driven, innovation-based global competitiveness landscape, leaders from across the innovation ecosystem—from researchers and academicians to policymakers and influencers to entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 CEOs—must collectively respond to the challenges President Trump identified in his letter to Mr. Kratsios:

1. How can the United States secure its position as the unrivaled world leader in critical and emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and nuclear technology—maintaining our advantage over potential adversaries?
2. How can we revitalize America’s science and technology enterprise—pursuing truth, reducing administrative burdens, and empowering researchers to achieve groundbreaking discoveries? 
3. How can we ensure that scientific progress and technological innovation fuel economic growth and better the lives of all Americans? 

Reflecting on these important questions, and President Trump’s “Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base” Executive Order, issued on April 9, 2025, the Council on Competitiveness’ Technology Leadership and Strategy Initiative (TLSI) is introducing a Compact for America: A Call to Action for a New Tech-Driven Industrial Base and National Innovation Ecosystem. 

The Compact for America synthesizes the experiences, insights, and recommendations of the TLSI members—some 50 Chief Technology Officers from across business, academia, and the U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories—offering a roadmap for actionable policies designed to foster the technologies and resulting innovations that will underpin national productivity and economic growth, prosperity, and national security. The report includes 10 key recommendations, organized under four strategic pillars, including:

1. Pillar 1: Accelerate Technology Translation, Scaling, and Commercialization—Shorten the Time for Technology Maturation and Market Integration 
2. Pillar 2: Rapidly Expand Commercial Innovation into the Defense Industrial Base—Broaden the Deployment of Dual-use Technologies
3. Pillar 3: Win the Global Technology Competition —Set Standards, Secure Research, and Forge Strategic International Partnerships 
4. Pillar 4: Grow the Number of Innovation Ecosystems Across America—Extend Place-Making Innovation Best Practices from Coast to Coast 

This is a moment in need of technology strategic investments in emerging technology and action that expands U.S. innovation capacity and capability. The convergence of a wide range of technologies is creating a perfect storm—will it upend the world order, or will the United States emerge as the pacesetter and leader in a new era of innovation and sustainable growth?

On behalf of the entire TLSI membership, we are pleased to introduce the Compact for America, which is organized into an executive summary, followed by a review of the current technology-driven competitiveness landscape, and concludes with a deeper dive into the four pillars and 10 recommendation for a new tech-driven defense industrial base and national innovation ecosystem. 

We appreciate the opportunity to share the TLSI’s recommendations to influence a proactive, coordinated, and cross-sector national strategy for innovation. We look forward to working with leaders across the country’s innovation ecosystem to enhance technology and innovation-driven U.S. productivity, prosperity, and security.

Sincerely,