Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative

heinrichs

At A Glance:

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs is a senior fellow and director of the Keystone Defense Initiative. She specializes in US national defense policy with a focus on strategic deterrence.

Research Associate
Samantha DeCosta

Biography

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative. She specializes in US national defense policy with a focus on strategic deterrence.

Dr. Heinrichs served as a commissioner on the bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission, which was created in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. She also serves on the US Strategic Command Advisory Group and the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness.

She is an adjunct professor at the Institute of World Politics, where she teaches nuclear deterrence theory, and is also a contributing editor of Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy.

Dr. Heinrichs earned her doctorate in defense and strategic studies from Missouri State University, where she graduated with distinction. She received her MA in national security and strategic studies from the US Naval War College and graduated with highest distinction from its College of Naval Command and Staff, receiving the Director’s Award for academic excellence. She earned her BA in history and political science from Ashland University in Ohio, was an Ashbrook Scholar, and currently serves as a member of the University's Board of Trustees.

She lives in Virginia with her husband and their five children.

Events
18
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Deterring Russia and China: Securing America’s Nuclear Future
Featured Speakers:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Brandon Williams
Getty Images
18
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Deterring Russia and China: Securing America’s Nuclear Future

Join Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Brandon Williams for a discussion on the administration's priorities in strengthening the US nuclear enterprise.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Brandon Williams
10
June 2026
Past Event
Helping Ukraine Defend Europe’s Skies: The Urgent Need for PAC-3 Interceptors
Featured Speakers:
George Barros
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Can Kasapoğlu
Moderator:
Luke Coffey
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi stands in front of the first General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon received by Ukraine as he congratulates Ukrainian military on the Day of Ukrainian Air Force on August 4, 2024 in Unspecified, Ukraine. At the event for the Day of Ukrainian Air Force with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the first General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons received by Ukraine were demonstrated. (Photo by Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
10
June 2026
Past Event
Helping Ukraine Defend Europe’s Skies: The Urgent Need for PAC-3 Interceptors

What can the United States and its European partners do to help Ukraine mitigate the threat of Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles, especially before winter begins?

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi stands in front of the first General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon received by Ukraine as he congratulates Ukrainian military on the Day of Ukrainian Air Force on August 4, 2024 in Unspecified, Ukraine. At the event for the Day of Ukrainian Air Force with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the first General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons received by Ukraine were demonstrated. (Photo by Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
George Barros
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Can Kasapoğlu
Moderator:
Luke Coffey
24
March 2026
Past Event
Operation Epic Fury: Strategy, State of Play, and Theories of Victory
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
David Albright
Can Kasapoğlu
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Ray Takeyh
Nadav Samin
Ilan Berman
Zineb Riboua
H.E. Yechiel Leiter
Joel Scanlon
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Getty Images
24
March 2026
Past Event
Operation Epic Fury: Strategy, State of Play, and Theories of Victory

This conference convenes leading experts and policymakers to examine why the conflict began, assess the current state of play, and explore competing theories of victory.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
David Albright
Can Kasapoğlu
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Ray Takeyh
Nadav Samin
Ilan Berman
Zineb Riboua
H.E. Yechiel Leiter
Joel Scanlon
Mariam Memarsadeghi
17
February 2026
Past Event
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw on the End of the New START Treaty
Featured Speakers:
Christopher Yeaw
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher in Moscow on May 9, 2025. (Getty Images)
17
February 2026
Past Event
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw on the End of the New START Treaty

Join Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Nonproliferation Dr. Christopher Yeaw for a discussion on strategic deterrence.

A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher in Moscow on May 9, 2025. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Christopher Yeaw
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs