Jacob Stokes

Senior Fellow & Deputy Director, Indo-Pacific Security Program, @CNASdc. Former White House and U.S. Congressional staffer. Views mine.

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

One of the key questions of the new nuclear age is how big China's nuclear arsenal will ultimately grow.

In my new piece for @DefenseOne, I game out potential endpoints. Link in next tweet (free to access, no paywall).

[Kevin McCauley @knmccauley1]

Reportedly PRC training Russian troops for war in Ukraine

Reuters said the training included instruction in:

Drone operations and first-person-view (FPV) drones
Electronic warfare
Counter-drone systems
Combined arms warfare
Explosives handling and demining
Armored infantry tactics
Army aviation
https://t.co/Vw7MfOdkZI

[Daniel Remler @danielremler]

The Western AI community has spent years scrutinizing U.S. developers while giving China a free pass—I turn the tables in my new @CNASdc report, "Red Lines: Understanding the National Security Risks of China's Advanced AI": 🧵

[Ely Ratner @elyratner]

Looking forward to this great discussion tomorrow.

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

Join us in person and watch online tomorrow during CNAS's biggest event of the year!

[CNAS @CNASdc]

❗Tomorrow 🗓️

The 2026 CNAS National Security Conference will bring together experts from across the public and private sectors for a full day of discussions on today’s most pressing national security issues.

Take a look at the agenda 🧵⬇️

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

Not wrong, but:
- Approved is not the same as delivered.
- Biden armed Taiwan directly through Presidential Drawdown Authority (giving from U.S. stockpiles), too. That's not captured here.

[Thompson Chau @tchau01]

In its first year and a half, the second administration of US President Donald Trump has approved 36% more arms sales to Taiwan than Joe Biden’s administration did during its full four years. @NikkeiAsia https://t.co/nZq419ESxw

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

@ishaantharoor @NewYorker Big congrats, Ishaan! Looking forward to reading more of your work.

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

@johnarnold Makes sense, thanks for explaining!

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

@olgakhazan Especially irksome because they got it right on the keyboard but failed on the mouse.

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

@knmccauley1 Thanks for sharing, Kevin! I hope the report is useful to you and your followers.

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

@mcgregorrichard I got a lot out of the book, Richard. Thanks for writing it.

[CNAS @CNASdc]

Control over the physical means of communication could be decisive in a cross-Taiwan Strait conflict.

In a new report, @jacobstokes and @RyanHClaffey examine three areas—undersea cables, satellite communications systems, and the electromagnetic spectrum—that would be critical to a Chinese effort to impose a communications blackout in Taiwan.

[CNAS @CNASdc]

May 28 🗓️

Join CNAS to discuss the struggle for information control across the Taiwan Strait and how the U.S. could help Taiwan resist China’s efforts to cut off its information and communications networks.

🎙️@BethanyAllenEbr
🎙️@KitschQuixote
🎙️@barros_bryce
🎙️@RyanHClaffey
🎙️@jacobstokes

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

The forum also featured insights from @ZackCooper, @patricia_m_kim, @Henrietta_Ivy, @IvoHDaalder, and @ChrisRMcGuire, among other leading voices. Read 'em all.

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

Enjoyed contributing to this @NOTUSreports experts forum on the long-term impact of the Trump-Xi summit. https://t.co/PWCpfXWiuX

[Dewey Sim 沈炜淳 @deweysim]

Exclusive: The Pentagon is planning to send a high-level delegation to Beijing within weeks to lay the groundwork for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to visit China, sources say. My latest with @zhengwei75
https://t.co/XhTDLBQjQL

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

Big win for Kim Jong Un if he gets Xi to come to North Korea.

[Charlie Campbell @CharlieCamp6ell]

Exclusive: Xi Jinping will visit North Korea for a second state visit, perhaps as early as next week, two sources with knowledge of the trip told me https://t.co/JYPaLhkIAm

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

👀

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

The 11th Panchen Lama is an important leader in Tibetan Buddhism. At age six, he and his family were disappeared; 31 years later their location and status remain unknown. Beijing should immediately release him and allow Tibetans to choose their religious leaders.

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

Fraught word choice by Speaker Johnson.

[Forbes @Forbes]

"They need to stay independent and secure there."

Speaker Mike Johnson responds to question about Pres. Trump's comments on Taiwan during Trump's trip to China. https://t.co/Sc5H84c89S

[Jacob Stokes @jacobstokes]

Trump briefed Takaichi on his summit with Xi while flying back to the United States. Good to see.

[高市早苗 @takaichi_sanae]

先程、トランプ大統領と電話会談を行いました。

中国訪問を終えられ、お帰りになるエアフォース・ワンの中から、お電話をいただきました。

トランプ大統領からは、今般の中国訪問について詳細に説明があり、経済安全保障を含む経済や、安全保障など、中国をめぐる諸課題を中心に意見交換を行いました。

また、イラン情勢についても、トランプ大統領に日本の考えを改めてお伝えしました。

日米同盟の更なる強化に向けた協力やインド太平洋、中東などの国際情勢への対応で、今後とも、トランプ大統領と緊密に連携してまいります。