From Deep Sea to Deep Policy: What’s Fueling the Modern Energy Race?

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In this episode of At the Boundary, Dr. Andrew Whiskeyman sits down with Milo McBride of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to explore one of the most consequential issues in global security today: the race for critical minerals and the future of energy transition.

From solar and battery innovation to deep sea mining and friendshoring strategies, this conversation breaks down how access to rare earth elements, lithium, and other essential materials is reshaping geopolitics, military readiness, and climate ambitions. McBride shares why China’s dominance in energy supply chains is a structural challenge for the U.S., how new geothermal and battery storage technologies could offer a way forward, and what policies might close the gap between environmental ideals and practical realities.

If you care about energy security, emerging tech, or the intersection of national strategy and sustainability, this is a must-listen.

At the Boundary from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.

A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus.

The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.

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