26
March 2024
Past Event
Integrating Uncrewed Systems to Hedge against Aggression

Event will also air live on this page.

 

Inquiries: mdewitt@hudson.org

Integrating Uncrewed Systems to Hedge against Aggression

Past Event
Hudson Institute
March 26, 2024
A US Marine Corps MQ-9A taxis the flight line on Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, on June 20, 2023. (US Marine Corps photo)
Caption
A US Marine Corps MQ-9A taxis the flight line on Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, on June 20, 2023. (US Marine Corps photo)
26
March 2024
Past Event

Event will also air live on this page.

 

Inquiries: mdewitt@hudson.org

Speakers:
CEO, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
David Alexander

President, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

bryan_clark
Bryan Clark

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology

dan_patt
Dan Patt

Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology

Listen to Event Audio

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.

Related Events
14
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Next Steps in US-China Great Power Competition with the House Republican Policy Committee
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Kevin Hern
Congressman Troy Downing
Congressman Joe Wilson
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik
Getty Images
14
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Next Steps in US-China Great Power Competition with the House Republican Policy Committee

Join Hudson Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik for a panel discussion with key members of the House Republican Policy Committee.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Kevin Hern
Congressman Troy Downing
Congressman Joe Wilson
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik
15
July 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
The Iranian Regime Under Pressure: What’s Next?
Featured Speakers:
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Dr. Ladan Boroumand
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
Getty Images
15
July 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
The Iranian Regime Under Pressure: What’s Next?

Join Zineb Riboua, research fellow and program manager at Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a conversation with Mariam Memarsadeghi, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and Dr. Ladan Boroumand, cofounder of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Dr. Ladan Boroumand
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
15
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Drone Warfare and Securing America’s Military Against Emerging Threats with Senator John Boozman
Featured Speakers:
Senator John Boozman
Thomas H. Shugart
Timothy A. Walton
DVIDS
15
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Drone Warfare and Securing America’s Military Against Emerging Threats with Senator John Boozman

Senator John Boozman (R-AR), chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, will join Senior Fellow Timothy A. Walton for a conversation on how the US can mitigate these risks and accelerate the fielding of forces and infrastructure to retain US advantage.

DVIDS
Featured Speakers:
Senator John Boozman
Thomas H. Shugart
Timothy A. Walton
15
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Countering Communist Cyborgs: China’s Dystopian AI Ambitions and the Robotics Race
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Bill Huizenga
Martijn Rasser
Divyansh Kaushik
Bill Drexel
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik
Getty Images
15
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Countering Communist Cyborgs: China’s Dystopian AI Ambitions and the Robotics Race

Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik will host an event to introduce his new white paper featuring policy recommendations for the Trump administration and Capitol Hill to help secure America’s innovation advantage.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Bill Huizenga
Martijn Rasser
Divyansh Kaushik
Bill Drexel
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik