Chris Estep

Tech and National Security Comms | Non-Resident Fellow, @FPRI Asia Program | Former Pentagon, Team @VP46Archive, @HASCDemocrats, and @CNASdc | Views mine

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

PACOM might have a new name, but the U.S. government still has the same problems stemming from how it organizes its Indo-Pacific bureaucracy across the State Department, the Pentagon, the military, and the White House.

More from @Connor_Fiddler and me: https://t.co/huqRPT3WH0

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

No one should mistake a rebrand for a rethink of how the U.S. military is organized to defend American interests in the world's most consequential region.

Names matter, but an organization's goals, structure, and resources all matter more.

[U.S. Pacific Command @USPACOM]

Department of War Restores U.S. Pacific Command Designation.

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii — The Department of War announced today that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) will officially restore its name to the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM).

Originally established on January 1, 1947, by President Harry S. Truman, the command operated under the USPACOM banner for over 70 years, standing as the oldest and largest of the United States' unified combatant commands.

Restoring the legacy USPACOM designation honors the command’s deep historical roots, fostering a sense of pride and collective spirit among all who serve in the Pacific. From its critical role in establishing the post-WWII regional security architecture to its coordination of joint forces during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and countless humanitarian operations, the USPACOM namesake carries decades of military heritage and enduring regional partnerships.

USPACOM’s vast area of responsibility—spanning from the waters off the West Coast of the United States to the western border of India—remains exactly the same. The command's fundamental mission and its unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open theater alongside regional allies and partners are unchanged.

https://t.co/5zeycP2lip

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

@kenmoriyasu @TheNatlInterest Great piece, Ken. While we might have different solutions in mind, we’re totally agreed that the bureaucracy is overdue for a bold rethink to address today's realities.

I shared some thoughts about this issue in February with @Connor_Fiddler: https://t.co/huqRPT3WH0

[chicken boy 🐓 @badrechicken]

i think this is objectively the best tweet to ever grace this website

[Bob Elder @southernphd]

I never met Gordon Wood, but I have a story about him.

In one of my grad school seminars, we read Wood’s Creation of the American Republic. The sheer erudition and evidentiary depth of the book bowled me over.

Back then, before kids and before life accelerated to warp speed, I used to call my mother every Sunday to catch up. Lots of times, we ended up talking about what I was reading that week in my grad seminars or for leisure. Mom had an omnivorous mind, and she was always looking for something else to read. She was a true intellectual—curious about almost everything, always eager to integrate new arguments or ideas into her existing schemas of how the world worked or to have those schemas challenged and changed.

When we talked that particular Sunday, I think I tried to describe to her part of Wood’s argument about the relationship between the state constitutions during the Articles of Confederation era and the federal Constitution. Maybe I was tired, maybe I didn’t completely understand her questions, but the end result of the conversation was that Mom had questions about Wood’s argument that I didn’t answer satisfactorily. I told her that she should probably just read the book, and we said goodbye.

She did eventually read the book, but the next Sunday, Mom started our conversation by saying, “Well, I had a lovely conversation with Gordon Wood this week.” For a split second, I thought she was joking, but then I remembered who I was dealing with. I started to sweat. “How?” I asked. A whole variety of unlikely scenarios in which the foremost historian of the American Revolution and my mother, who lived in Wichita, Kansas, might have met ran through my mind. “Oh, I just looked up his office phone number on Brown’s website and called, and he picked up!” Mom said. I decided I would have to find another profession.

As it ended up, Gordon Wood spent about an hour on the phone with my mother answering her questions about the Constitution. Ever since, I’ve had a soft spot for the man when I imagine him picking up the phone in Providence and finding Becky Elder from Wichita on the other end of the line. His generosity in that moment spoke very well of him.

Rest in peace, professor.

[DiscussingFilm @DiscussingFilm]

Zendaya has shared a new photo teasing 2 of her upcoming films — ‘DUNE 3’ and ‘THE ODYSSEY’.

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

Read the full piece, authored in my capacity as a part of the @FPRI Asia team: https://t.co/03pI9Sx2T0

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

It's about more than just name-checking Taiwan (or not).

My new piece for the @Diplomat_APAC breaks down why Sec. Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue should have been a great opportunity to send a stronger signal of support for Taiwan—and what Washington should do next.

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

Much has changed in the world since Sec. Hegseth’s 2025 address at the Shangri-La Dialogue—but not Beijing’s aims and behavior toward Taiwan.

Good to chat with @AsiaLens, as part of the @FPRI team, about the Secretary’s speech this year and what it means for the Indo-Pacific.

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

In my capacity on the team at @FPRI, I wrote last year about what to expect from Secretary Hegseth's first-ever plenary address at SLD. Revisit my year-old predictions here: https://t.co/SXbBKdxNWo

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

Ahead of this weekend's Shangri-La Dialogue, I told @JackDetsch that a repeat no-show by Chinese defense minister Dong Jun would reflect Beijing’s failure to read the room in the Indo-Pacific. https://t.co/vR6sNr28L7

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

cleared without edits

[Petal @petaldairies]

3 words better than “i love you"???

[PsiQuantum @PsiQuantum]

PsiQuantum has been named to the @SVDG_official's NatSec100 list—for the fourth year in a row.

In the past year alone, our company has:

— Signed a $100 million Letter of Intent with the Department of @CommerceGov to advance U.S. quantum computing and semiconductor leadership

— Signed a $31.8 million contract with @DARPA under the most advanced stage of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative

— Broken ground in South Chicago on America's largest quantum computing project

— Announced new partnerships with @LockheedMartin and @Airbus

U.S. leadership in quantum technology is essential for national security and economic prosperity. And from systems, to state-of-the-art components, to partnerships, to infrastructure projects, we're building like it. https://t.co/gEpoI6F56N

[PsiQuantum @PsiQuantum]

PsiQuantum is manufacturing America's quantum future.

Today, the company announced that we have signed a Letter of Intent with the U.S. Department of @CommerceGov for $100 million in proposed federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act to advance American quantum computing and semiconductor leadership.

With this planned funding, combined with PsiQuantum's existing U.S.-anchored supply chain, the company will accelerate the domestic manufacturability and performance of our state-of-the-art components, including Barium Titanate (BTO) for higher-performance optical switches, high-temperature single-photon detectors, and advanced packaging approaches. Learn more: https://t.co/OdyE7DkMAR

[PsiQuantum @PsiQuantum]

We are proud to announce that Moreton Bay Central — a site at one of Australia's leading innovation, manufacturing, and talent hubs — will be the home of the world’s first utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer.​
​
Early site works at ​PsiQuantum’s quantum computing project in Queensland are now underway, and we look forward to breaking ground in June.

Learn more: https://t.co/jr76SUvTMY

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

@NikkeiAsia The Beijing summit raised these questions and more, and the Trump administration, Congress, and regional capitals all have consequential roles to play in answering them. /end https://t.co/IxGRnS4P19

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

Alongside @FPRI colleagues, I shared my thoughts on President Trump's meetings in Beijing last week with PRC President Xi Jinping, with an emphasis on what matters most for Indo-Pacific deterrence: what happens next. https://t.co/IxGRnS4P19

[Chris Estep @Chris_Estep]

@NikkeiAsia Third, can Washington, Canberra, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, and other regional players all stay the course on higher defense spending in the near-term? https://t.co/mvtnkgbz1i