The Los Alamos Club

Uncover how a decades-long talent recruitment effort has enabled the PRC to strengthen its military capabilities using U.S. research expertise. Strider’s incisive analysis reveals that 162 scientists who once contributed to U.S. research at Los Alamos National Laboratory returned to China between 1987 and 2021.

Many are now driving advances in hypersonics, deep‑earth penetrating warheads, unmanned vehicles, jet engines, and submarine stealth technologies.

This investigation highlights how China’s Talent Superpower Strategy, including the Thousand Talents and Youth Thousand Talents programs, recruited these experts—some of whom held high‑level security clearances—to boost critical dual‑use and defense capabilities.

Read the full report to explore the detailed profiles of these returnees, understand the implications for research and innovation security, and find out how institutions and governments can safeguard strategic talent and stay ahead of state‑sponsored threats.