Can Kasapoğlu

Senior Fellow (Nonresident)

Defense Strategy
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute

At A Glance:

Can Kasapoğlu is a nonresident senior fellow at Hudson Institute. His work at Hudson focuses on political-military affairs in the Middle East, North Africa, and former Soviet regions.

Follow:

Contact:

Biography

Can Kasapoğlu is a nonresident senior fellow at Hudson Institute. His work at Hudson focuses on political-military affairs in the Middle East, North Africa, and former Soviet regions. He specializes in open-source defense intelligence, geopolitical assessments, international weapons market trends, as well as emerging defense technologies and related concepts of operations.

Dr. Kasapoğlu was previously an Eisenhower fellow at the NATO Defense College in Italy and a visiting scholar at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Estonia. He has held research posts at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, the Jamestown Foundation, the Foundation for Strategic Research, and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

Dr. Kasapoğlu received his PhD from the Turkish War College and his MSci from the Turkish Military Academy.

Events
View All
04
August 2026
Past Event
Taiwan’s Ever-Changing Security Environment
Featured Speakers:
Riley Walters
Dr. Michael Hunzeker
Dr. Liang-chih Evans Chen
Can Kasapoğlu
Getty Images
04
August 2026
Past Event
Taiwan’s Ever-Changing Security Environment

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion on Taiwan’s rapidly changing security and defense industry. 

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Riley Walters
Dr. Michael Hunzeker
Dr. Liang-chih Evans Chen
Can Kasapoğlu
Learn More
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
Learn More
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
Learn More
13
March 2026
Past Event
The Military Balance with Iran: A Strategic Assessment
Featured Speakers:
Can Kasapoğlu
Michael Doran
Getty Images
13
March 2026
Past Event
The Military Balance with Iran: A Strategic Assessment

Join us for a timely military briefing on one of the most consequential crises shaping the future of the Middle East.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Can Kasapoğlu
Michael Doran
Learn More
Sort by:
Missiles and UAVs are shown with Israeli and American flags in Tehran, Iran, on February 11, 2024. (Photo by Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Missiles and UAVs are shown with Israeli and American flags in Tehran, Iran, on February 11, 2024. (Photo by Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Three Things about the Israel-Hamas War | February 13, 2024
michael_doran
michael_doran
Michael Doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute
Can Kasapoğlu
Senior Fellow (Nonresident)
jonathan_schachter
jonathan_schachter
Jonathan Schachter
Senior Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Michael Doran, Can Kasapoğlu & Jonathan Schachter
Commentary
6 Min Read
Yemenis lift a Palestinian flag and placards depicting Houthi group leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi and Abu Obaida, the spokesperson of Hamas' armed wing, on January 24, 2024, in Sana'a, Yemen. (Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
Yemenis lift a Palestinian flag and placards depicting Houthi group leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi and Abu Obaida, the spokesperson of Hamas' armed wing, on January 24, 2024, in Sana'a, Yemen. (Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
Three Things about the Israel-Hamas War | February 7, 2024
michael_doran
michael_doran
Michael Doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute
Can Kasapoğlu
Senior Fellow (Nonresident)
jonathan_schachter
jonathan_schachter
Jonathan Schachter
Senior Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Michael Doran, Can Kasapoğlu & Jonathan Schachter
Commentary
6 Min Read
This aerial photograph taken on February 1, 2024, shows residential buildings destroyed by shelling in Izyum, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Roman PILIPEY / AFP) (Photo by ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images)
Residential buildings destroyed by shelling in Izyum, Kharkiv, on February 1, 2024. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)
Resource Guide: US National Security and Aid to Ukraine
mike_pompeo
mike_pompeo
Michael R. Pompeo
Former Distinguished Fellow
heinrichs
heinrichs
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative
nadia_schadlow
nadia_schadlow
Nadia Schadlow
Senior Fellow
5+
coffey
Luke Coffey
Senior Fellow, Center on Europe and Eurasia
Peter Rough Hudson Institute
Peter Rough
Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Europe and Eurasia
walter_russell_mead
Walter Russell Mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
bryan_clark
Bryan Clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute
Can Kasapoğlu
Senior Fellow (Nonresident)
Michael R. Pompeo, Rebeccah L. Heinrichs & Nadia Schadlow More…
Reports
6 Min Read
Armed rebels of the Iran-backed Houthi militia ride a pick-up truck during a demonstration against the USA and Israel amid growing tensions between the USA and the Houthis following the latter's several operations in the Red Sea on January 29, 2024, in Sanaa, Yemen. (Osamah Yahya via Getty Images)
Armed rebels of the Iran-backed Houthi militia ride a pick-up truck during a demonstration against the United States and Israel on January 29, 2024, in Sanaa, Yemen. (Osamah Yahya via Getty Images)
Three Things about the Israel-Hamas War | January 31, 2024
michael_doran
michael_doran
Michael Doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
jonathan_schachter
jonathan_schachter
Jonathan Schachter
Senior Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute
Can Kasapoğlu
Senior Fellow (Nonresident)
zineb_riboua
zineb_riboua
Zineb Riboua
Research Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Michael Doran, Jonathan Schachter, Can Kasapoğlu & Zineb Riboua
Commentary
5 Min Read
An Israeli artillery unit moves along the border with the Gaza Strip on January 19, 2024, in southern Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
An Israeli artillery unit moves along the border with the Gaza Strip on January 19, 2024, in southern Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
Three Things about the Israel-Hamas War | January 25, 2024
michael_doran
michael_doran
Michael Doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute
Can Kasapoglu Hudson Institute
Can Kasapoğlu
Senior Fellow (Nonresident)
jonathan_schachter
jonathan_schachter
Jonathan Schachter
Senior Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Michael Doran, Can Kasapoğlu & Jonathan Schachter
Commentary
6 Min Read