The Council on Critical Infrastructure conducts original research across six core program areas. Each program is designed to deliver strategic intelligence that equips executive leadership with the analysis needed to understand risk, make informed decisions, and protect the systems that underpin modern economies and national security.
ENERGY SECURITY
Energy infrastructure sits at the foundation of every modern economy. Disruptions to oil, gas, electricity, and emerging energy systems carry consequences that extend far beyond the energy sector itself — affecting manufacturing, transportation, supply chains, and national security. The Council’s Energy Security program examines the strategic vulnerabilities, geopolitical pressures, and policy shifts reshaping global energy systems. Our research is designed for the executive leadership of energy companies, utilities, industrial operators, and government agencies responsible for energy infrastructure decisions.
INDUSTRIAL CYBERSECURITY
Operational technology environments — the industrial control systems, SCADA platforms, and cyber-physical infrastructure that run the world’s critical industries — face an accelerating threat landscape. Unlike traditional IT security, industrial cybersecurity carries consequences that are physical, operational, and potentially catastrophic. The Council’s Industrial Cybersecurity program provides executive-level analysis of threats targeting OT environments, the strategic implications of industrial cyber incidents, and the governance frameworks that resilient organizations require.
GEOPOLITICS
Infrastructure risk does not exist in a vacuum. State competition, regional conflict, trade policy, and foreign influence operations all shape the threat environment facing critical infrastructure operators worldwide. The Council’s Geopolitics program examines how global power dynamics, territorial disputes, sanctions regimes, and adversarial strategy translate into operational and strategic risk for infrastructure-dependent organizations and industries.
MANUFACTURING RESILIENCE
The security and resilience of industrial manufacturing has emerged as a defining strategic challenge of the current era. Supply chain concentration, single-source dependencies, workforce shortages, reshoring pressures, and cyber threats targeting production environments have elevated manufacturing risk to the executive agenda. The Council’s Manufacturing Resilience program investigates the vulnerabilities, policy developments, and strategic responses shaping the future of industrial production and national manufacturing capacity.
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Water systems, transportation networks, communications infrastructure, and physical security systems form the connective tissue of modern society. Their disruption carries cascading consequences across every sector. The Council’s Critical Infrastructure program provides broad strategic analysis of the threats, dependencies, and governance challenges affecting the full spectrum of infrastructure systems that executives, operators, and policymakers are responsible for protecting.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced automation, and dual-use technologies are reshaping the capabilities of both defenders and adversaries across the infrastructure landscape. The strategic implications of these developments are not yet fully understood by most organizations. The Council’s Emerging Technology program evaluates the infrastructure and industrial security implications of technological change — helping executive leadership anticipate and prepare for a rapidly evolving risk environment.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The Council’s research draws on the practitioner experience of its fellows and advisors, open-source intelligence analysis, and engagement with the executive, policy, and operational communities it serves. Our work is designed to be accessible to senior leadership without sacrificing analytical rigor. We do not produce technical documentation. We produce strategic intelligence.
ENGAGE WITH OUR RESEARCH
Organizations seeking to engage with the Council’s research programs, commission focused analysis, or explore institutional partnerships are encouraged to contact us through the Contact page.