Philip Reiner

Chief Executive Officer

Philip Reiner is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of the Institute for Security and Technology (IST), a global non-profit think tank that serves as the critical bridge between technologists and national security policy makers. Under his leadership, IST develops innovative solutions to the world’s most challenging tech-driven emerging security threats, positioning itself as a trusted interlocutor between industry and government.

With extensive experience in national security and technology policy, Reiner previously served in President Obama’s White House as the Senior Director for South Asia on the National Security Council staff. Prior to this role, he worked as a civil servant in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy at the Pentagon. His private sector experience includes several years at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, where he contributed to their Electronic Warfare, Remote Sensing, and Vision Systems units.

Reiner’s expertise spans business resilience, risk assessment, threat mitigation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, systems warfare, cognitive operations, and defense and intelligence in South and East Asia. He has established himself as a trusted advisor to governments, civil society organizations, CEOs, and entrepreneurs globally.

His academic credentials include a Master’s degree in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Religions and History from the University of California at Santa Barbara, with a focus on both East and South Asia.

Reiner holds numerous affiliations, serving as the Board Chairman of the AI Trust Foundation, as an External Advisory Board Member for the UC Berkeley Risk and Security Lab, an Affiliate at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), a Member of the Export-Import Bank Chair’s Council on China Competition, and a Member of the IST Board of Directors. He is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance.

As an educator, Reiner has taught cybersecurity at UC Berkeley and routinely guest lectures on emerging international security risks at both UC Berkeley and Stanford University.

From our Library

Reports

Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3): A Primer on Strategic Warning, Decision Support, and Adaptive Targeting Subsystems 

Alice Saltini, Sylvia Mishra, Philip Reiner

viewpdf

Podcasts

TechnologIST Talks: The Offense-Defense Balance

Philip Reiner and Heather Adkins

view

Podcasts

TechnologIST Talks: Not Just Science for the Sake of Science

Philip Reiner and Alain Harrus

view

Podcasts

TechnologIST Talks: The Deep Tech Renaissance

Philip Reiner and Manish Kothari

view

Podcasts

TechnologIST Talks: Why Venture Capital is Indispensable for U.S. Industrial Strategy

Philip Reiner, Michael Brown, and Pavneet Singh

view

Reports

AI-NC3 Integration in an Adversarial Context: Strategic Stability Risks and Confidence Building Measures

Alexa Wehsener, Andrew W. Reddie, Leah Walker, Philip Reiner

viewpdf

Op-ed

Democracy Gone Digital: The Election Season Online

Zoë Brammer and Philip Reiner

view

Podcasts

Philip Reiner on Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications

Philip Reiner and Gus Docker

view

Op-ed

How the conflict in Ukraine threatens US cybersecurity

Philip Reiner

view

Op-ed

5 Urgent Actions in the Fightback Against Ransomware

Philip Reiner

view

Podcasts

Back Story with Dana Lewis: Nuclear Hotlines

John Gower, Philip Reiner, and Dana Lewis

view

Podcasts

Learning from Success: Inter-Korean Crisis Communications

Philip Reiner with Dr. Moon Chung-in

view

Podcasts

Communication Over Escalation

Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes with Steven E. Miller and Ben Loehrke

view

Podcasts

Formally Verified

Philip Reiner and Peter Hayes with Adam Wick

viewpdf

Op-ed

When machine learning comes to nuclear communication systems

Philip Reiner, Alexa Wehsener, and M. Nina Miller

view

Op-ed

The Real Value of Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Command and Control

Philip Reiner and Alexa Wehsener

view