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The war in Ukraine and the United States’ operation to defend shipping against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea highlight how weapons inventories can make the difference between deterring aggression and losing a war. But the US military’s munitions portfolio is weighted toward sophisticated missiles whose tightly integrated designs and bespoke supply chains cannot be produced—or modified—at the pace modern conflict demands. As a result, current operations are depleting the magazines US forces will need in a potential confrontation against China.
But today’s conflicts also demonstrate that a new generation of less-sophisticated missiles and drone/missile hybrids is increasingly effective on the modern battlefield. The proliferation of advanced software and commercial microelectronics has helped enable Houthi rebels and Ukraine’s defenders to stress or overcome more capable adversaries. The US military could exploit these same innovations to field a new family of munitions that can provide scale and adaptability and complement the lethality and reach of its most capable weapons.
Join Hudson Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Nadia Schadlow for a discussion of the opportunities and challenges in establishing a new weapons design and development approach with leaders from the US Air Force, Defense Innovation Unit, and US defense industry.
Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, and many other inventors were enabled by the United States’ patent system, which has created wealth, spurred commercial and industrial progress, and improved the American standard of living for well over a century. But since then, policy changes have weakened this system, creating a wedge between creativity and ownership. In his new book To Invent Is Divine: Creativity and Ownership, James Edwards discusses how the intellectual property (IP) system designed by the American Founders became the world’s “gold standard.” He explains how patents—and IP generally—combine creative ability with ownership incentives, democratizing invention and securing the fruits of inventive labors with property rights.
Join Adam Mossoff for a conversation with the author about why IP protections are essential for fostering human flourishing, how the American system has been degraded, and steps policymakers can take to restore the system that has benefited the US and the world.
As the Trump administration reevaluates the United States’ approach to foreign assistance and global health programs, the People’s Republic of China is sending a message throughout the Global South: America cannot be trusted. As the PRC seeks to supplant the US as the world’s preeminent power, America’s commitment to continue leading in global health—specifically in the fight against malaria—is more critical than ever.
Experts and policymakers will join Hudson’s Michael Sobolik to discuss how leadership in the fight against malaria matters to US-China competition.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, a leading voice in support of increasing Europe’s role in the transatlantic alliance, will join Hudson for a fireside chat.
Croatia has long been a bastion of stability in southeastern Europe and a strong friend and ally of the United States. Facing an increasingly dangerous security environment, Zagreb is answering the call to boost Europe’s defenses. In April, the nation announced it would increase its defense spending from 2 to 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product by 2027, with a plan to reach 3 percent by 2030.
A strong supporter of Ukraine, Prime Minister Plenković stated in February that any future peace “must be just and principled.” Since 2022, Croatia has donated aid equivalent to over 0.5 percent of its GDP, rivaling America’s relative total support.
Croatia is also important to Europe’s energy and economic security. It has nearly doubled its GDP under Prime Minister Plenković and is now the European Union’s second-fastest-growing economy, with record low unemployment and rapidly declining public debt. Croatia has successfully positioned itself as a regional energy hub thanks to its liquefied natural gas and oil terminals on the island of Krk.
At Hudson, Prime Minister Plenković will discuss the future of the EU-US relationship and why strong alliances are important for meeting today’s challenges.
Governor Mike Dunleavy of Alaska will join Japan Chair Ken Weinstein for a fireside chat at Hudson Institute. They will explore the evolving landscape of American energy security and examine Alaskan energy’s importance to strengthening the United States’ relationships with key allies, promoting economic development at home and abroad, and reinforcing national security.
China’s commercial maritime dominance is unprecedented in modern history. Its shipbuilding industry is more than 200 times larger than that of the United States. Last year, it won three-quarters of the world’s shipbuilding orders and delivered three ships to the Chinese navy for each ship American shipbuilders completed for the US Navy. China’s commercial fleet is about 10 times larger than that of the US, and China has ownership interests in more than 100 ports outside of China, including at every maritime chokepoint. This maritime dominance gives China extraordinary power to manipulate vital supply chains.
Jennifer Carpenter, president of the American Waterways Operators and the American Maritime Partnership, will join Senior Fellow Michael Roberts to discuss how America’s maritime industry can help counter China’s shipping and shipbuilding dominance.
Despite economic reforms and anti-corruption initiatives pursued by Fidel Castro’s successors, the kleptocracy established in the country’s 1959 communist revolution persists. Front companies controlled by the military and security services continue to dominate the Cuban economy. Although the regime blames US sanctions for the island’s ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis, recent reporting suggests that these regime-connected entities have illicitly hoarded billions of dollars.
While the secretive nature of Cuba’s regime means that the inner workings of its kleptocracy are not widely understood, the costs of corruption are fully apparent to Cuba’s population. Nationwide protests in recent years suggest that the regime’s kleptocracy, once a tool for entrenching its power, now undermines its legitimacy and has become a major vulnerability.
As the Trump administration indicates a “tough” new approach toward Havana, join Hudson for an expert discussion on how kleptocracy operates in Cuba and its implications for American policy.
China’s control of commercial shipping and shipbuilding gives it a potentially decisive military advantage over the United States. The Chinese navy can build and repair its fleet for a fraction of the cost the US would incur. If competition ever turns into conflict, China could use its maritime dominance to choke the American economy and scale up its fleets at an extraordinary pace.
Hudson will welcome Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Todd Young (R-IN) to discuss their proposal to restore America’s shipping and shipbuilding industries to help deter Chinese aggression.
Japan’s first minority government in three decades faces dynamic domestic and international challenges. For Tokyo to navigate these major security, diplomatic, and economic issues, policymakers will need to understand perspectives from across the Japanese political spectrum.
Japan Chair Kenneth R. Weinstein will moderate a bipartisan panel featuring Japanese Diet members: Itsunori Onodera, Shinijiro Koizumi, and Kimi Onoda of the Liberal Democratic Party; and Koichiro Gemba of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. They will discuss how the Japanese government should approach domestic political questions, its partnership with America, and Japan’s role in the world.
Boualem Sansal, a French Algerian author arbitrarily detained in Algeria, has long criticized political Islam and state-sponsored antisemitism in the country. For years, the Algerian regime harassed him for his activism, including a courageous visit to Israel. Since his November 2024 arrest, which has drawn widespread international condemnation, Sansal’s situation has worsened. He has been held in inhumane conditions and fallen gravely ill.
François Zimeray, an international human rights lawyer and former French ambassador for human rights, is Sansal’s legal counsel. But Algeria has repeatedly denied Ambassador Zimeray entry into the country and targeted him in an antisemitic smear campaign.
With Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, Ambassador Zimeray will examine the legal, political, and strategic implications of Sansal’s detention and what it reveals about freedom of expression under authoritarian regimes.
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