Hudson Institute Events Podcast

Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, leads efforts to rebuild U.S. defense manufacturing. He discusses supply-chain resilience, munitions and battery production, workforce and training shortages, multi-year contracts to stabilize demand, and partnering with allies and industry to scale capacity quickly.

Hudson welcomes French Army Chief of Staff General Pierre Schill, one of Europe’s most senior military leaders, for a discussion on the evolving strategic environment and the French Army’s transformation in a rapidly changing world.General Schill will discuss:How new dynamics are shaping France’s evolving strategic concept and defense postureThe French Army’s role as a global military force, deployed in support of national interests, allied commitments, and international securityHow operational experience feeds directly into force adaptation and readinessThe ongoing transformation of land forces, including the integration of emerging technologies and artificial intelligenceThe human dimensions of military effectiveness—recruitment, training, leadership development, and cohesionAdditionally, drawing on his most recent book Command : Insight from the French Army, General Schill will reflect on the future of land warfare and commanding by intent, with an emphasis on the importance of trust, initiative, and decentralized decision-making in modern warfare.This event will conclude with a Q&A session, offering the audience an opportunity to engage with a European and French perspective on the strategic, operational, and human challenges shaping the future of land warfare.

President Donald Trump has opened his second term with several major foreign policy moves: targeted strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, sweeping trade negotiations and tariff regimes, a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan, and a landmark North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in The Hague. All these underscore the president’s emphasis on proactive diplomacy, peace talks, and conflict resolution—exemplified by his achievement of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire framework.The National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy both outline the administration’s approach of “flexible realism” and prioritize the Western Hemisphere and Indo-Pacific.In January 2026 alone, the Trump administration has continued its rapid pace of foreign policy with the removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, a major trade and investment deal with Taiwan, and renewed focus on the emerging Arctic security competition.Join Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs and Congressman Pat Fallon (R-TX) for a discussion on the Trump administration’s first year of foreign policy and the risks and opportunities ahead.

Transatlantic relations are seemingly going through a period of recalibration following the World Economic Forum in Davos and amid ongoing talks about the future of Greenlandic security. Across North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) capitals, debates are swirling about the future of Europe’s relationship with the United States.Yet it remains as true today as it has for decades that a strong Europe is America’s best partner. Now, steadfast allies like Romania have a chance to chart Europe’s course toward a new economic, diplomatic, and military relationship with the US.To that end, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu will visit Washington to participate in the first critical minerals ministerial, convened by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Please join her as she returns to Hudson for a fireside chat with Center on Europe and Eurasia Director Peter Rough to take stock of the past year and anticipate what might lie ahead.

The Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East will host a conversation with Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the United States special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. With Senior Fellow Michael Doran, the ambassador will discuss the Trump administration’s record in confronting the rise of antisemitism, including key achievements, ongoing priorities, and remaining challenges. Additionally, they will explore the importance of combating antisemitism for American efforts to support democratic resilience and manage the US alliance system.

On December 12, 2025, Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg and representatives from Japan, the State of Israel, Australia, the Republic of Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland signed a declaration to mark the beginning of Pax Silica—a United States–led strategic initiative to build the secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain essential for the future of artificial intelligence (AI). The State of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates joined the initiative as the eighth and ninth Pax Silica signatories, with others expected to follow. Their accession marks a significant milestone in the Trump administration’s economic statecraft strategy and signals a fast-expanding geopolitical consensus that economic security and national security are now inextricable.As AI continues to transform global economics, politics, and security at an unprecedented pace, Under Secretary Helberg inaugurated Pax Silica based on the fundamental premise that the world’s most prosperous and secure countries will be those that prioritize resilient supply chains, trusted technologies, and strategic infrastructure as indispensable aspects of national power and economic growth.Please join Under Secretary Helberg and Hudson Executive Vice President Joel Scanlon for a discussion on the Pax Silica initiative, America’s strategy to win the global AI race, and the new geopolitical imperatives of economic security and technology.

Hudson will host Federal Communications Commissioner Olivia Trusty for an address on the national security importance of America’s communications infrastructure. She will discuss how geopolitical competition and evolving physical and cyber threats are reshaping communications networks into critical strategic assets. She will also outline the FCC’s role in promoting network reliability, resilience, and continuity of service. Finally, she will emphasize cybersecurity as a shared responsibility and highlight priorities for strengthening the United States’ leadership through modernized, secure, and resilient communications systems.

In an increasingly dangerous geopolitical environment, a bipartisan consensus has emerged that the United States needs to reindustrialize. This is a welcome realization, but it raises a major question: What institutions and tools can Washington use to ensure that America can produce components, weapons, and equipment quickly and at scale? To incentivize growth in the defense industrial sector, the Department of War has created the Office of Strategic Capital and begun to identify useful authorities related to the Defense Production Act. It is also exploring other financial tools and modalities that could help restore US industrial independence. Join Senior Fellow Nadia Schadlow and an expert panel for a discussion on the DoW’s financial tools, the extent of the department’s authorities, and the role it will play in the broader American reindustrialization effort.

Since joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alongside Lithuania and Estonia over 20 years ago, Latvia has been a key part of the alliance’s Baltic Sea posture. Riga continues to invest heavily in security, expanding the size of its armed forces, procuring key capabilities like American-made High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and building out a Baltic defense line alongside Estonia and Lithuania. Bordering the Baltic Sea, Russia, and Belarus, Latvia’s geographical importance is obvious. Additionally, Latvia has been a strong supporter of Ukraine in its war for survival. Since 2022, the country’s contributions to Ukraine are the fourth largest relative to gross domestic product. And Latvia will join the United Nations Security Council in January 2026 before taking on the UNSC’s rotational presidency in November. To discuss the future of Latvian foreign policy, Peter Rough will welcome Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže back to Hudson for a fireside chat.

Institutions of higher education in the United States have long benefitted from free and open collaboration with overseas partners. But foreign adversaries like China have exploited this openness to infiltrate American colleges and universities with programs like Confucius Institutes and Chinese Student-Scholars Associations. Beijing also uses generous financial contributions to infuse its propaganda and interests into American campuses. By exploiting America’s education system, the Chinese Communist Party is attacking core American values like free speech and imperiling US national security. Join Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik for a conversation with Sarah McLaughlin, a senior scholar at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, about her recent book on this subject, Authoritarians in the Academy.