Caption
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping enter the hall during a signing ceremony on May 20, 2026, in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)
Caption
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt transits the Philippine Sea on April 5, 2024. (DVIDS)
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?
Related Events
26
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Mecca Pact vs. IMEC: Competing Visions for the New Middle East
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Chaim Martin
Aslı Aydıntaşbaş
Soner Cagaptay
Ken Moriyasu
26
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Mecca Pact vs. IMEC: Competing Visions for the New Middle East
Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Ken Moriyasu for a panel with Chaim Martin, Israel’s minister of economic affairs to the United States; Aslı Aydıntaşbaş of the Brookings Institution; Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute; and Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Michael Doran as they examine the logic behind each framework and what their rivalry means for US policy.
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Chaim Martin
Aslı Aydıntaşbaş
Soner Cagaptay
Ken Moriyasu
27
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Chemistry of Combat: Rebuilding America’s Energetics Base
Featured Speakers:
Madeline Hart
Chris Michienzi
Michael Brown
Sean Hunt
Marcus Jones
Alex Woods
Nadia Schadlow
Kristy Klein
27
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Chemistry of Combat: Rebuilding America’s Energetics Base
Join Hudson Institute for a discussion of how the US can build a more resilient and flexible energetics base—one that can meet sustained demand while accelerating the development and fielding of new capabilities.
Featured Speakers:
Madeline Hart
Chris Michienzi
Michael Brown
Sean Hunt
Marcus Jones
Alex Woods
Nadia Schadlow
Kristy Klein
23
October 2026
Past Event
The Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture
Featured Speakers:
Karel Řehka
Daniel Kochis
Luke Coffey
23
October 2026
Past Event
The Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture
Hudson welcomes Karel Řehka, former chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, to discuss the changing security environment in Europe and its implications for the Czech Republic, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the transatlantic alliance.
Featured Speakers:
Karel Řehka
Daniel Kochis
Luke Coffey
Related Research
Caption
Shipping containers are seen in the Port of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, on August 23, 2026. (Getty Images)
Caption
US President Barack Obama signs the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act alongside members of Congress and the administration in Washington, DC, on July 21, 2010. (Getty Images)
Caption
Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers, and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. (Getty Images)
