The Secrets of Statecraft Anduril’s Chris Brose on Fighting The Next War | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
Apr 21, 2026
Christian Brose, Anduril president and author of The Kill Chain, brings defense procurement and autonomous-systems expertise. He discusses why high budgets left munitions thin, how procurement choices produced expensive, non‑scalable weapons, and the need for mass, low‑cost and autonomous capabilities. He contrasts U.S. and Chinese industrial models and explores AI’s cautious but growing role in future warfare.
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Short War Mindset Left Munitions Shortage
- The U.S. military optimized for short, high-tech wars left munitions and production unprepared for prolonged attrition.
- Decades of buying expensive, hard-to-produce weapons meant stockpiles are thin and reconstitution is slow.
Higher Budgets Didn’t Raise Production
- Procurement spending rose without proportional production because weapons are bespoke and manufacturing remains artisanal.
- Doubling procurement on JASSM yielded only a 14% production increase while R&D costs borne by taxpayers further raise per-round costs.
Adopt A High-Low Weapon Mix
- Adopt a high-low mix: keep scarce high-end weapons and massively produce simple, low-cost weapons for sustained attrition.
- Use inexpensive, mass-produced salvoes paired with precision strikes to be more effective and affordable.
