digital technologies." The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) criticized Flournoy for using "opaque" language to skirt government oversight. In June 2020 Flournoy argued that the US must invest in new military technologies and more long-range missiles, escalate US troop deployment to the South China Sea area, and step up roving war games in Asia to deter Chinese aggression. Without such ramped-up US military activity and absent the technology to ward off a Chinese cyber attack on US navigation systems, Flournoy asserted the US could stumble into a nuclear confrontation with China over Taiwan sovereignty. In a November 2020 CNAS report, "Sharpening the U.S. Military Edge: Critical Steps for the Next Administration," Flournoy argued the U.S. military must be more competitive with China "to keep its military-technological edge." She called for prioritizing artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, unmanned and autonomous weapons systems. Political positions Spencer Ackerman has described Flournoy as a centrist. Van Jackson, a former colleague, described her approach as that of a "classic liberal internationalist". Flournoy's 2020 Asia essay was criticized by historian Andrew Bacevich, who said goading China into a high-tech arms race was not prudent when other areas, such as addressing the climate crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, demanded collaboration, not competition. Bacevitch added that Flournoy's call for increased spending on unmanned space systems rested on premises that advanced technology always wins wars and that military might equals security, saying "The immediate threats to our collective safety and well-being—perhaps even to our Republic—are ... not on the other side of the planet." Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin argued in December 2020 that Flournoy would be the wrong choice for Secretary of Defense because she would "steer the American empire farther down its current path of lost wars, corrupt militarism and terminal decline". Other affiliations She is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group, and the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2012, Flournoy was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. , Flournoy is a member of the board of directors of Spirit of America. Personal life Flournoy's husband, W. Scott Gould, is a retired captain who served for 26 years in the United States Navy Reserve. He was a vice president at IBM before becoming United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The couple has three children and reside in Bethesda, Maryland. Publications References External links 1960 births 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians