Bryan Clark

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology

bryan_clark

At A Glance:

Bryan Clark is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He is an expert in naval operations, electronic warfare, autonomous systems, military competitions, and wargaming.

Biography

Bryan Clark is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute. He is an expert in naval operations, electronic warfare, autonomous systems, military competitions, and wargaming.

From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Clark was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), where he led studies for the Office of Net Assessment, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on new technologies and the future of warfare.

Prior to joining CSBA in 2013, Mr. Clark was special assistant to the chief of naval operations and director of his Commander’s Action Group, where he led development of Navy strategy and implemented new initiatives in electromagnetic spectrum operations, undersea warfare, expeditionary operations, and personnel and readiness management.

Mr. Clark served in the Navy headquarters staff from 2004 to 2011, leading studies in the Assessment Division and participating in the 2006 and 2010 Quadrennial Defense Reviews. His areas of emphasis were modeling and simulation, strategic planning, and institutional reform and governance. Prior to retiring from the Navy in 2008, Mr. Clark was an enlisted and officer submariner, serving in afloat and ashore submarine operational and training assignments including tours as chief engineer and operations officer at the Navy’s nuclear power training unit.

Mr. Clark is the recipient of the Department of the Navy Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. He received his MS in national security studies from the National War College and BS in chemistry and philosophy from the University of Idaho.

Events
24
September 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Ending Self-Imposed Scarcity: Expanding Defense Production with New Technology and Techniques
Featured Speakers:
Jeff Frankston
Andy Magliochetti
Rolf Ziesing
Bryan Clark
Nadia Schadlow
Jai Malik
drone
24
September 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Ending Self-Imposed Scarcity: Expanding Defense Production with New Technology and Techniques

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion of how the DoW and industry are changing defense manufacturing for twenty-first century deterrence and combat.

drone
Featured Speakers:
Jeff Frankston
Andy Magliochetti
Rolf Ziesing
Bryan Clark
Nadia Schadlow
Jai Malik
16
September 2026
Past Event
Fixing Shipping and Shipbuilding: Plotting the Course Ahead
Featured Speakers:
Senator Todd Young
Senator Mark Kelly
Michael Roberts
Bleu Hilburn
Ben Cipperly
Larry Ryder
Chris McVicker
Todd Tucker
David Sullivan
Ian Bennitt
Brent Sadler
Joe Russell
Bryan Clark
boats
16
September 2026
Past Event
Fixing Shipping and Shipbuilding: Plotting the Course Ahead

Join Senator Young as he returns to Hudson to discuss the bill’s prospects during this Congress’s homestretch. After the senator’s remarks, two expert panels will discuss how the maritime industry is preparing to respond.

boats
Featured Speakers:
Senator Todd Young
Senator Mark Kelly
Michael Roberts
Bleu Hilburn
Ben Cipperly
Larry Ryder
Chris McVicker
Todd Tucker
David Sullivan
Ian Bennitt
Brent Sadler
Joe Russell
Bryan Clark
15
June 2026
Past Event
How to Transform the Japan Self-Defense Force for Twenty-First-Century Deterrence
Featured Speakers:
David Byrd
Bryan Clark
Moderator:
Masashi Murano
A member of the Philippine Navy looks out at as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Takanami during a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on June 14, 2025. (Getty Images)
15
June 2026
Past Event
How to Transform the Japan Self-Defense Force for Twenty-First-Century Deterrence

Join report authors Bryan Clark and David Byrd, in conversation with Masashi Murano, for a discussion of the report's principal findings and their implications for how Japan should design and resource its future defense force.

A member of the Philippine Navy looks out at as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Takanami during a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on June 14, 2025. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
David Byrd
Bryan Clark
Moderator:
Masashi Murano
27 - 28
January 2026
Past Event
Apex Defense Conference 2026
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Nadia Schadlow
Timothy A. Walton
(US Army photo)
27 - 28
January 2026
Past Event
Apex Defense Conference 2026

Apex Defense, in collaboration with Hudson Institute, will host a dynamic defense technology event that unites warfighters, acquisition professionals, startups, small and medium businesses, investors and industry leaders to tackle operational challenges from the seabed to space.

(US Army photo)
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Nadia Schadlow
Timothy A. Walton
The United Kingdom’s carrier strike group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force led by Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Ise conduct multiple carrier strike group operations with US Navy carrier strike groups led by flagships USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson in the Philippine Sea on October 3, 2021. (DVIDS)
Caption
The United Kingdom’s carrier strike group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force led by Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Ise conduct multiple carrier strike group operations with US Navy carrier strike groups led by flagships USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson in the Philippine Sea on October 3, 2021. (DVIDS)
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Commentary
Long Read
 Marines detonate a timber charge during a demolition and explosive training exercise at the ETA-7 engineer demolition training range on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on January 11, 2018. (US Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Ginnie Lee)
Caption
Marines detonate a timber charge during a demolition and explosive training exercise at the ETA-7 engineer demolition training range on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on January 11, 2018. (US Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Ginnie Lee)
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Podcast
Sea hunter
Caption
The medium-displacement unmanned surface vessel Sea Hunter sits pierside at Naval Base San Diego during the Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One Establishment ceremony on May 13, 2022, in San Diego, California. (US Navy photo by Kevin C. Leitner)
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Commentary
4 Min Read