THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025 75 AFSA NEWS Erik Black met with then–AFSA President Tom Yazdgerdi at AFSA headquarters on July 14 to receive his award. AFSA/MARK PARKHOMENKO AFSA Presents the 2025 Strategic Writing Award Erik Black, a mid-level Foreign Service officer and a 2025 National War College graduate, is the recipient of the 2025 AFSA Strategic Writing Award for his essay, “U.S.-India Education Cooperation Should Be a Key Pillar of the Indo-Pacific Strategy.” The AFSA Strategic Writing Award recognizes the best essay on strategy or policy from the current cohort of National Defense University graduates. Currently serving as the education officer for the U.S. mission to China, Black oversees the U.S.-China Fulbright Program, one of the largest Fulbright exchanges globally, and directs EducationUSA China. He joined the Foreign Service in 2005 and has previously served as a human rights officer and labor attaché at U.S. Embassy Managua and as a consular officer at U.S. Embassy Kyiv, where he also coordinated humanitarian missions and led public diplomacy initiatives. In his essay, Black argues that the United States should prioritize educational cooperation with India as a strategic component of its Indo-Pacific policy. Drawing on national security documents and education mobility data, he builds the case for shifting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education partnerships toward India to mitigate risks posed by China’s “Military-Civil Fusion (MCF)” strategy and maintain U.S. innovation leadership. He argues that China’s state-directed co-optation of academic research, particularly through its graduate students abroad, poses a long-term threat to U.S. intellectual property and national security. In contrast, India offers a growing pool of STEM talent without the same risks, with the added benefit of shared democratic values and geopolitical alignment. Black writes: “Educational cooperation with India provides a reliable and strategic alternative for STEM talent without MCF-related risks to the United States’ innovation system.” His paper outlines policy recommendations including expanding Fulbright and other educational exchange programs focused on STEM, increasing U.S.-India military education partnerships, offering National Science Foundation and Department of Defense–funded fellowships for Indian graduate students, and reforming U.S. visa and immigration policies to better retain global STEM talent. Black holds a BA in Russian from Pomona College and earned dual MBA/MS degrees in business administration and information systems from Arizona State University. n The AFSA Strategic Writing Award recognizes the best essay on strategy or policy from the current cohort of National Defense University graduates.
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