Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Press Release
from Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Belfer Center and CFR Launch New Task Force on Energy Security, Technological Innovation, and American Leadership

The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations, has launched a high-level and timely Task Force on Energy Security, Technological Innovation, and American Leadership.

Published:

Thursday, July  2, 2026—Cambridge, MA—The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations, has launched a high-level and timely Task Force on Energy Security, Technological Innovation, and American Leadership.

The project examines how the United States’ long-term security depends on reliable access to affordable energy at home, global leadership in emerging energy technologies, and sufficient geopolitical leverage as those technologies scale. 

The Task Force is cochaired by Belfer Center Director and CFR Board of Directors member Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Dean Arun Majumdar, and former Hess Corporation CEO John B. Hess. CFR Senior Fellow for Climate and Energy David M. Hart serves as the project director.

The Task Force will produce actionable policy recommendations to strengthen the U.S. position and identify national priorities to advance U.S. leadership in the global energy system. The Task Force plans to release its final consensus report in early 2027. 

A pumpjack operates in the foreground while a wind turbine at the Buckeye Wind Energy wind farm rises in the distance, Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
FILE - A pumpjack operates in the foreground while a wind turbine at the Buckeye Wind Energy wind farm rises in the distance, Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kansas. 

About the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School addresses the world’s most consequential challenges at the intersection of science, technology, and international affairs. Bringing together scholars, practitioners, and students, the Belfer Center delivers cutting-edge research and forward-looking policy solutions.  Benefiting from Harvard University’s dynamic academic community and broad range of perspectives, the Belfer Center bridges the gap between scholarship and real-world solutions while empowering the next generation of leaders to tackle complex global challenges. 

About the Council on Foreign Relations

The mission of the Council on Foreign Relations is to inform U.S. engagement with the world. Founded in 1921, CFR is a nonpartisan, independent national membership organization, think tank, educator, and publisher, including of Foreign Affairs. It generates policy-relevant ideas and analysis, convenes experts and policymakers, and promotes informed public discussion—all to have impact on the most consequential issues facing the United States and the world.