Caption
A man walks near the headquarters of the Russian Central Bank in Moscow on February 13, 2026. (Getty Images)
20
March 2023
Past Event
Forty Years after President Reagan Unveiled the Strategic Defense Initiative
Forty Years after President Reagan Unveiled the Strategic Defense Initiative
Past Event
Online Only
March 20, 2023
Share:
Caption
President Ronald Reagan giving a speech on SDI (Wikimedia Commons)
20
March 2023
Past Event
Speakers:
Forty years ago, on March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan addressed the American people to unveil “a vision of the future which offers hope,” namely, a program to counter the Soviet missile threat through defensive measures. Thus, the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), the missile defense system that ultimately helped the United States prevail over the Soviet Union, was born. SDI was born from Reagan’s disdain for mutual assured destruction, and to instead encourage advances in defenses.
Hudson Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs is joined by Will Inboden to discuss his new book, The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink. They will also reflect on President Reagan’s visionary leadership for SDI as well as lessons for today’s major powers rivalry with the Chinese Communist Party.
Related Events
08
July 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
America’s Competitive Edge: Why Antitrust, Standards, and Intellectual Property Matter
Featured Speakers:
Urška Petrovčič
Dina Kallay
08
July 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
America’s Competitive Edge: Why Antitrust, Standards, and Intellectual Property Matter
Join us for an exclusive luncheon conversation with Dina Kallay—deputy assistant attorney general for international, policy, and appellate at the United States Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division—and Urška Petrovčič.
Featured Speakers:
Urška Petrovčič
Dina Kallay
10
July 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Taiwan’s Institutional Defense: Countering CCP Infiltration and Transnational Repression
Featured Speakers:
KaiChieh (KJ) Hsu
Miles Yu
10
July 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Taiwan’s Institutional Defense: Countering CCP Infiltration and Transnational Repression
Join Hudson Institute’s China Center as Miles Yu hosts a panel examining Taiwan’s experience in handling national security cases, foreign interference, technology theft, election influence, proxy networks, and gray-zone legal warfare.
Featured Speakers:
KaiChieh (KJ) Hsu
Miles Yu
15
July 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Future of US Foreign Policy in the Middle East with Representative Mike Lawler
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Mike Lawler
Joel Rayburn
15
July 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Future of US Foreign Policy in the Middle East with Representative Mike Lawler
Join Representative Mike Lawler (NY-17), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, for a conversation with Senior Fellow Joel Rayburn on the emerging Middle East security order and the future of American strategy in the region.
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Mike Lawler
Joel Rayburn
21
July 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
The US-Israel Economic Partnership: A Farewell Conversation with Minister Noach Hacker
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Noach Hacker
21
July 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
The US-Israel Economic Partnership: A Farewell Conversation with Minister Noach Hacker
As the region enters a new strategic phase, Hudson is honored to host Minister Hacker for what promises to be a candid farewell discussion.
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Noach Hacker
Related Research
Caption
An EA-37B Compass Call takes its first official flight at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona on August 28, 2024. (US Air Force)
Caption
USS Mount Whitney and German Navy FGS Hamburg sail together in the Baltic Sea, June 22, 2026. (US Navy)
Caption
A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force mid-range multi-purpose missile is fired during a live-fire exercise at the East Fuji Maneuver Area on June 7, 2026, in Gotemba, Japan. (Getty Images)
