A Networked Leapfrog Strategy to Recapture Technology Leadership
Michael J. Mazarr
Expert Insights
Published Jan 7, 2026
Cover: A Networked Leapfrog Strategy to Recapture Technology Leadership
It is now widely agreed that the contest for leadership in frontier scientific and technological progress is one of the foremost elements — if not the centerpiece — of the U.S.-China rivalry. China's leadership appears to believe that science and technology offer the primary engines of development and innovation that will realize its goals of national rejuvenation and is investing massively across many areas. After years of taking a largely hands-off approach to this contest, at least from a government standpoint, the United States now appreciates the significance of the contest for leadership in science and technology as foundational to the economic and national security aspects of the rivalry and has begun responding to the Chinese effort with investments, policies, and export controls of its own.
The author proposes a bold strategy for the United States to regain competitive advantage: large-scale, high-risk experiments targeting transformative technological breakthroughs. Rather than competing head-on with China's incremental innovations, the strategy advocates for leapfrogging current-generation technologies to create entirely new paradigms in such areas as semiconductors, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and health care diagnostics. It emphasizes multilateral collaboration with other leading industrial democracies to pool resources, talent, and influence, fostering a shared ecosystem of innovation.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA3365-1.html
