A production line of the Glide, a high-altitude glider that delivers munitions across thousands of miles, is seen at the defense tech startup Mach Industries in Huntington Beach, California, on September 11, 2025. (Getty Images)
A Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter lands on June 29, 2023, on Mavulis Island, which is the Philippines’ northernmost island and is roughly 88 miles from Taiwan. (Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Trailers with launchers for guided missiles of a German Patriot air defense system stand on a snow-covered field in southeastern Poland on April 3, 2023. (Getty Images)
A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force mid-range multi-purpose missile is fired during a live-fire exercise at the East Fuji Maneuver Area on June 7, 2026, in Gotemba, Japan. (Getty Images)
Wilson Shirley was a media fellow with Hudson Institute's China Center.
Biography
Wilson Shirley was a media fellow with Hudson Institute's China Center.
Previously, Mr. Shirley served as a speechwriter for Secretary Michael R. Pompeo at the US Department of State, where he was based in the Office of Policy Planning. He was also the speechwriter for US Senator Roger Wicker and prior to that experience held multiple positions at the American Enterprise Institute.
Mr. Shirley writes regularly on issues of politics and policy. He serves on the board of the Afghan Future Fund and is a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Enterprise Club.
Mr. Shirley is a graduate of Northwestern University. He is from Lexington, Kentucky.