Many advanced and emerging technologies have dual-uses and are being sought by adversaries to lower barriers to developing or delivering WMD and advanced conventional weapons as well as enable technological, military, and economic advancement.
A significant number of international public and private
research organizations, tech industries, and start-up communities are unaware of dual-use applications of critical advanced and emerging technologies and remain vulnerable to theft and loss of critical advanced and emerging technologies, data, intellectual property (IP), knowledge and talent that can be leveraged for military end uses.
Malign actors use legal and illegal means such as mergers and acquisitions, joint commercial ventures, talent recruitment programs, research partnerships, cybertheft, state-sponsored industrial espionage, supply chain diversion, or sales or donation of untrustworthy hardware and software to acquire foreign intellectual property and data to advance key priorities.