Events Detail

Hudson Institute will host a one-day conference, sponsored by the global aerospace and defense company Finmeccanica, to examine the implications of legislation (“Buy American” Acts) that limits Pentagon purchases of military equipment from non-U.S. manufacturers, particularly restrictions on military procurement from companies based in allied countries.

The conference will consist of keynote speeches and two panel discussions. The first panel discussion will examine obstacles to cooperation between allies on the research and development of new weapons and systems, while the second panel will focus specifically on technology transfers and export controls. The conference will also address macro issues, such as economic gains and losses from the current system as compared to alternative systems and the growing concern that the armed forces of U.S. allies, especially in Western Europe, are increasingly lagging behind the United States’ technological superiority on the battlefield.




OPENING
8:30–9:00
Registration and continental breakfast

9:00–9:10
Opening remarks
John O'Sullivan, Senior Fellow and Director of European Studies, Hudson Institute

9:10–9:30
General keynote remarks
Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Finmeccanica S.p.A., and Robert J. Stevens, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin


PANEL 1: Obstacles to Effective Defense Trade
9:30–10:00
Keynote speech
Vago Muradian, Editor, Defense News

10:00–11:30
Presentations (15 minutes each)
Moderator
James M. Bodner, Senior Vice President, The Cohen Group
Panelists
Lisa Bronson, Professor, National Defense University
Alberto De Benedictis, Senior Vice President, Finmeccanica
John Douglass, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aerospace Industries Association
Gerald Howarth, Member of U.K. Parliament, House of Commons
Carmine Pollice, Lt. Gen., Vice Secretary General and Vice Director of National Armaments, Italian Ministry of Defense
Robert H. Trice, Senior Vice President, Lockheed Martin

11:30–12:00
Question and answer session


BREAK
12:00–12:15

LUNCH
12:30–12:45
Introduction
Giovanni Castellaneta, Ambassador of Italy to the United States

12:45–1:15
Keynote remarks
Thomas J. Donohue, President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

BREAK
1:15–1:30


PANEL 2: Technology Transfer
1:30–2:00
Keynote speech
William Schneider, Chairman, Defense Science Board, and Adjunct Fellow, Hudson Institute

2:00–3:30
Presentations (15 minutes each)
Moderator:
Pierre Chao, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Panelists:
James R. Asker, Managing Editor, Aviation Week & Space Technology
Stephen Bryen, President, Finmeccanica, Inc.
Pierre Chao, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Thomas Donnelly, Senior Adviser, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Suzanne D. Patrick, Former Deputy Undersecretary, Industrial Policy, U.S. Department of Defense
Alfred G. Volkman, Director, International Cooperation, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, U.S. Department of Defense

3:30–4:00
Question and answer session


CLOSING
4:00–4:15
Closing remarks
Kenneth Weinstein, Chief Executive Officer, Hudson Institute