Here is a streamed live discussion that the Hudson Institute held on Friday, June 18, 2021.
This discussion sheds light on the current and long-term challenges associated with the future of the U.S. defense industrial base in regards to great power competition with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other near-peer competitors and/or adversaries. Some of the key points addressed by the seasoned defense practitioners in the panel were the critical need to bring back the U.S. defense manufacturing base into the U.S. mainland to improve and protect both the supply and logistics chain, as well as making better use of smaller established industries already located within the U.S. The big concern is that the existing supply and logistics problems that came to full fruition during the global CoVid-19 lockdowns and growing near-peer tensions in international relations continue to present a national security dilemma in case a conflict with a near-peer competitor were to occur. The discussion for re-manufacturing the defense industrial base also addressed the growing need to emphasize training, education, and creating new jobs in many fields as well as being a part of the ongoing investments in upgrading national infrastructure to meet 21st century needs.
Members of the Panel:
- Bryan Clark – Hudson Institute Senior Fellow
- Arthur Herman – Hudson Institute Senior Fellow
- and author of “Freedom’s Forge” How American Business Produced Victory In World War II
- The Honorable Ellen Lord – Guest
- Former Under-Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, U.S. Department of Defense
- Dr. Jeffrey Nadaner – Guest
- Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, U.S. Department of Defense
Discussion Topic Description:
The United States has experienced dramatic deindustrialization over the past four decades, with serious consequences for the defense industrial base. As globalization shifted much of America’s manufacturing overseas, the capacity to produce ships, airplanes, and the hardware needed for sensors, networks, weapons, and critical infrastructure declined dramatically. Today, the supply chains U.S. armed forces depend on are brittle, and some of the essential components in U.S. military capabilities are produced in China—a key problem given the increasingly adversarial relationship between America and the PRC. A new report by the Honorable Ellen Lord and Dr. Jeffrey Nadaner proposes a strategy for the U.S. and its allies to expand their defense and commercial industrial capacity. Join Hudson Institute for this timely discussion.
Watch the Panel Discussion Here:
53 Minutes Long
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