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US sailors conduct routine maintenance on a jet blast deflector on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz on July 9, 2025. (US Navy)
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US soldiers disassemble a Quantum Systems reconnaissance drone near Hohenfels, Germany, on August 26, 2026. (Getty Images)
The Department of War is pushing the most ambitious modernization agenda since the Cold War. Facing threats from Iran to China, the Pentagon is increasing its budgets and changing how it buys and builds to deepen the US military’s weapons and autonomous systems.
The United States defense industry has struggled to transition from producing small numbers of exquisite manned systems to delivering adaptable munitions and autonomous systems at scale. But innovations in commercial manufacturing and new technologies can enable the DoW to ramp up production and tap available capacity outside the traditional defense industrial base.
Join Hudson Institute for a discussion of how the DoW and industry are changing defense manufacturing for twenty-first century deterrence and combat.
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Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers, and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. (Getty Images)
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(Screenshot via YouTube)
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EU flags fly in front of the Berlaymont, the EU Commission headquarter, on February 17, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium. (Getty Images)
