Changing Government Approaches to Technological Development: Results of a Cross-Country Assessment of Security Strategies

Abstract

Interest in critical and cross-cutting technologies is steadily growing, as many countries view them as key drivers of competitiveness and important instruments of geopolitical influence. While the concepts of technopolitics, techno-nationalism, technological sovereignty, and others have received scholarly attention, none of them provides a solid theoretical basis for a systematic comparison of various institutional approaches to technological development in the context of national security. Existing research rarely brings together institutional, economic, and geopolitical perspectives, leaving a gap in the assessment of national models of technological development. This article employs qualitative and quantitative analysis to identify how approaches to technological development have evolved in the security strategies of the United States, China, Russia, Japan, and the European Union in the post-Soviet period. The study draws on a qualitative examination of 34 official security documents. Current national strategies reflect a dual view of technologies, both as sources of threats and as resources for development, alongside a shift from a globalization-oriented model toward technological sovereignty. Technological development has broadened the spectrum of security concerns, with information and cybersecurity becoming particularly prominent. The study identifies the specific technologies prioritized by the United States, China, Russia, Japan, and the EU in their security strategies, together with a noticeable movement toward civil–military convergence. Shared goals across the examined countries and the EU include stimulating science and innovation, reducing reliance on foreign technologies, and developing high-tech industries. A comparison with data on integration into global supply chains, high-tech trade, and national R&D spending shows varying degrees of progress toward achieving technological sovereignty. The USA and China demonstrate the strongest statistical progress, while Japan, the EU, and Russia continue to face structural constraints and critical dependencies that weaken their efforts in the security sphere.