Hudson Institute Events Podcast

Drones’ prominent role in the Russia-Ukraine War and air strikes across the Middle East have demonstrated that the future of warfare will be automated. Despite being the first to field robotic systems, the United States military has been slow to embrace autonomous capabilities at scale or take operators out of the decision-making loop. The Department of Defense’s hesitance is due, in part, to legitimate concerns about the reliability of automated capabilities. But adversaries like China or Russia may not share these concerns and are likely to deploy fully autonomous systems in future confrontations.Senior Fellow Bryan Clark will sit down for a fireside chat with AeroVironment Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer Wahid Nawabi about how the US military can realize these opportunities in autonomous systems. Then a panel of experts from the DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) and the defense industry will discuss the way forward for autonomy in US command and control systems, weapons, and vehicles as well as the role of data in achieving these goals.

The next four years will be critical for American industrial policy as Washington seeks to strengthen its position in global semiconductor fabrication. Building on the Trump administration’s efforts to reshore semiconductor design and manufacturing, policymakers and industry professionals will need to collaborate on a comprehensive plan to foster a robust semiconductor ecosystem in the United States.Senior Fellow Jason Hsu will moderate a discussion with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) Senior Vice President Peter Cleveland, ASML Head of US Government Affairs Jonathan Hoganson, Tokyo Electron Director of Government Affairs Paul Treadgold, and MediaTek Vice President of Government Relations Patrick Wilson. They will examine potential policy changes, structural challenges, and opportunities for the United States to leverage its partnerships and build a more sustainable domestic semiconductor ecosystem.

The integration of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) with Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines is transforming undersea warfare. This breakthrough enhances autonomous launch and recovery, extends stealth and survivability, and strengthens electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations in even the most complex undersea environments.Join Hudson Institute’s Bryan Clark for a panel discussion on how crewed-uncrewed teaming and advanced electronic warfare integration are redefining undersea dominance. The conversation will explore the next generation of autonomous maritime defense, where stealth, surveillance, and strike capabilities promise to reach new heights.

The United States Department of Defense is unlikely to get the sustained funding required to achieve its desired scale and capabilities. Therefore, maintaining costs will be a central challenge for the department. Norm Augustine warned several decades ago about the punishing increases in platform costs, and operating costs have continued to climb. What capital and operational strategies should the department consider? To what extent should the DoD be concerned about deferred costs like veterans’ benefits? And how might the Pentagon address political and cultural obstacles to change?

The Indo-Pacific appears to be a key area of focus for the Trump administration. Members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue—which is known as the Quad and includes the United States, Australia, Japan, and India—have received particular attention. The Japanese and Indian prime ministers were among the first foreign leaders to meet with President Donald Trump. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first major diplomatic engagement was a foreign ministers’ summit with his Japanese, Indian, and Australian counterparts. But much like Washington’s longtime allies in Europe, American partners in the Indo-Pacific are concerned about the future of the US-led alliance network.Join Hudson for a conversation with Representative Ami Bera, MD (D-CA) on how bipartisan foreign policy cooperation can reinforce America’s longstanding commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Ukrainian Member of Parliament Oleksii Goncharenko joins Hudson’s Luke Coffey for a conversation on the current state of United States–Ukraine relations, ongoing peace negotiations, and why Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty matters to both the US and Europe. Goncharenko will discuss the war, the many risks and opportunities of peace talks with Russia, and how continued Western support is vital to ensuring a just and lasting peace in Europe’s most consequential conflict since World War II.

As democracies with open media ecosystems, the United States and Japan face the constant challenge of information uncertainty. Bad actors, including those associated with nation-states, constantly seek to undermine the two nations’ civil societies by spreading disinformation on social media, as well as traditional media and other outlets.Join Hudson for an expert discussion on how the US and Japan approach the threat of information uncertainty and foreign influence.

The Middle East is undergoing a dramatic shift. The Assad regime in Syria has fallen, Iran’s proxies are vanishing, and Turkey is expanding its regional influence. Meanwhile, the Trump administration may withdraw United States forces from the region. Washington’s next move will be critical.Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Can Kasapoğlu will discuss the evolving situation, what is next for Syria, and the future of US foreign policy in the region with Research Fellow Zineb Riboua.

Ecuador, once among the most peaceful countries in Latin America, faces an existential threat from an array of criminal groups. These organizations have committed unprecedented violence, infiltrated political structures, and challenged the government’s authority. Meanwhile, the country is going through an economic contraction and an energy crisis triggered by severe drought.In a repeat of snap presidential elections held in 2023, Ecuadorians will vote on April 13 in a runoff pitting incumbent Daniel Noboa against Luisa Gonzalez, a protégé of former leftist president Rafael Correa.  Former United States Ambassador to Ecuador Mike Fitzpatrick, Atlantic Council scholar Isabel Chiriboga, and US Naval Academy Professor John Polga-Hecimovich will join Hudson’s Daniel Batlle to examine Ecuador’s fight against organized crime and how the election results will shape the country’s security strategy.

When President Donald Trump hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, the two leaders committed to doubling bilateral trade, deepening their defense partnership, and furthering their cooperation in critical technologies. With shared democratic principles and deeply rooted people-to-people ties, the United States and India are committed to advancing global prosperity and security in the twenty-first century.Please join Hudson’s Dr. Aparna Pande and Dr. Ashley Tellis, Tata Chair on Strategic Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, for a conversation on US-India relations under the second Trump administration and the road ahead.This event is part of the Motwani Jadeja US-India Dialogue Series funded by the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation.