27
February 2023
Past Event
Where Are the Ships? Fighting a Pacific War without American Sealift

Event will air on this page.

 

Inquiries: mdewitt@hudson.org

Where Are the Ships? Fighting a Pacific War without American Sealift

Past Event
Hudson Institute
February 27, 2023
A shipbuilder walks in the yard, with partial ship assemblies behind him, at Bath Iron Works in Bath on Wednesday, December 10, 2014. (Photo by Carl D. Walsh/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
Caption
A shipbuilder walks in the yard with partial ship assemblies behind him at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, on December 10, 2014. (Carl D. Walsh/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
27
February 2023
Past Event

Event will air on this page.

 

Inquiries: mdewitt@hudson.org

Speakers:
buzby
Rear Admiral Mark Buzby

US Navy, ret.

michael_roberts
Michael Roberts

Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology

Listen to Event Audio

The war in Ukraine has shown that industrial might and logistics remain vitally important in a military confrontation when other modern warfare methods are not immediately decisive. When applying those lessons to a potential conflict in the western Pacific—where maritime logistics would be crucial, and where China’s maritime industry is growing—America faces challenges. For generations, the United States has not treated the American commercial shipping and shipbuilding industries as important components of national power. So today the US maritime industry is too small to contribute as much as it should to America’s military and economic security.

Hudson will host a conversation that examines the current state of the US maritime industry, its potential role in a western Pacific conflict, and the short- and long-term options to restore an American industry that promotes American security.

Rear Admiral Mark Buzby (US Navy, ret.) is the guest speaker. A graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy and US Naval War College, Adm. Buzby served as the commander of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command and head of the Maritime Administration in the US Department of Transportation. No one has done more over the past decade to try to reinvigorate the American maritime industry.

This event is the kickoff for a series sponsored by the Maritime Research Program, a joint project offered by Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology and the Navy League’s Center for Maritime Strategy. Michael Roberts, a senior fellow with both organizations, will host the conversation.

Related Events
02
April 2026
Virtual Event | Online Only
After Maduro: Venezuela Three Months On
Featured Speakers:
Amb. James B. Story
Daniel Batlle
Getty Images
02
April 2026
Virtual Event | Online Only
After Maduro: Venezuela Three Months On

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion with former US Ambassador to Venezuela James Story to examine recent developments in Venezuela and assess the direction of Washington's strategy.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Amb. James B. Story
Daniel Batlle
07
April 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the Future of Trade Policy
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Jamieson Greer
Peter Rough
Getty Images
07
April 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the Future of Trade Policy

Please join Ambassador Greer for a fireside chat with Senior Fellow Peter Rough on the Trump administration’s first year back in office and what’s next for US trade policy.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Jamieson Greer
Peter Rough
09
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
New Evidence of China’s Forced Organ Harvesting and a Proposed US Response
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Congressman Chris Smith
Ethan Gutmann
Getty Images
09
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
New Evidence of China’s Forced Organ Harvesting and a Proposed US Response
Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Congressman Chris Smith
Ethan Gutmann
13
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The US Economic Outlook: A Conversation with Pierre Yared
Featured Speakers:
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Pierre Yared
An American flag is displayed on a desk on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell on July 15, 2025, in New York City. (Getty Images)
13
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The US Economic Outlook: A Conversation with Pierre Yared

Please join Acting Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Pierre Yared for a conversation with Senior Fellow Tom Duesterberg on the first year of the Trump administration’s economic agenda and the key factors shaping the US economy’s outlook.

An American flag is displayed on a desk on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell on July 15, 2025, in New York City. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Pierre Yared