Lessons from the World War II Arsenal of Democracy

To defend Ukraine against Russia and deter China from invading Taiwan, the United States needs to rapidly increase weapons production and enhance its arms. Tapping American innovation and rebuilding the US defense industrial base will be crucial. The mobilization effort during World War II offers a range of lessons for policymakers today on how to stimulate innovation, collaboration, and growth to rebuild the “arsenal of democracy.”

Senior Fellow and Director of the China Center Miles Yu will introduce this session. Distinguished Fellow Lewis Libby will moderate a panel with three leading historians on this topic: Professor Larrie D. Ferreiro, Professor Mark Wilson, and Hudson Senior Fellow Arthur Herman.

About the Speakers

Lewis Libby is a distinguished fellow at Hudson Institute. He served as chief of staff and national security advisor for Vice President Dick Cheney from 2001 to 2005 and principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy from 1989 to 1993. 

Larrie D. Ferreiro is a naval architect, historian, and author of Churchill’s American Arsenal: The Partnership Behind the Innovations That Won World War II. His book Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for History. He teaches history and engineering at George Mason University in Virginia and the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.

Mark Wilson is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and author of Destructive Creation: American Business and Winning of World II, winner of the Hagley Prize for best book in business history, and co-winner of the Ralph Gomory Prize, which honors historical work on the effects of business enterprises on the economic conditions of the countries in which they operate. He teaches courses on the history of democracy, capitalism, the US military, and the military-industrial complex.

Arthur Herman is a senior fellow and director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative at Hudson Institute. His research programs analyze defense, energy, and technology issues. Dr. Herman is the author of nine books, including Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II, How the Scots Invented the Modern World, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Gandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age.