The recently released United States defense budget suggests that the US military is reaching its capability and capacity limits. The US force—which consists almost entirely of crewed multimission ships, aircraft, and vehicles—is too expensive to grow within realistic fiscal constraints but too small to meet America’s growing national security needs. To fund next-generation crewed platforms and sustain those already in the force, the Pentagon now must retire more ships and aircraft each year than it buys.
The Department of Defense could escape this force structure death spiral by incorporating uncrewed systems as an integral part of the US military, rather than as extensions of the crewed force that handle only “dirty, dull, and dangerous” missions. As demonstrated by ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Red Sea, uncrewed systems could contribute to each link in US kill chains, improving the adaptability and resilience of US forces and achieving scale at much lower costs compared to crewed systems.
Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Dan Patt for a discussion with David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, about the growing role of uncrewed systems in warfare, how the US could exploit uncrewed technology in “hedge forces” like those the Pentagon is pursuing through its Replicator initiative, and how the US military can improve its ability to integrate uncrewed technology into the force.
Join Senior Fellow Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) for a fireside discussion on how Congress can guide American strategy, the need to modernize the defense industrial base, and the vital role of allies and partners in an unstable international environment.
Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Robert McDowell for a discussion of the book and communications law with the authors, Harold Furchtgott-Roth, Kirk Arner, and Arielle Roth.
Please join Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Senior Fellow Ken Moriyasu for a discussion on Central Asia’s economic and strategic significance and why updating US trade policy is key to unlocking the region’s potential in an era of renewed great power competition.
