Hypersonic Weapons Could Tilt War in Favor of Russia, China 

A Navy Phoenix missile. (U.S. Navy Photo)

China's recent test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile has raised concerns that the U.S. is falling behind in the competition for military preeminence. In a prescient piece for The Hill, Seth Cropsey warned that the failure to integrate hypersonic missiles into America’s combat forces could tilt the strategic balance in favor of Russia and China. Hypersonic missiles allow military forces to strike with shorter warning times, hit targets regardless of air defenses, and coordinate strikes across a much greater width and depth. If the Biden administration is unwilling to increase the military budget to compete with China, it must prioritize capabilities that can make the U.S. more competitive.  

Virtual Event | Lethality and the Future of U.S. Military Strategy

An Army soldier fires his M4 carbine 5.56 mm during a small arms range conducted near the Bemowo Piskie Training Area. (U.S. Army Photo)

The advent of sophisticated surveillance systems, artificial intelligence-enabled unmanned vehicles, and electromagnetic, information, and cyber weapons has introduced methods of countering aggressors in ways that reduce a military’s reliance on destruction and killing. Chinese and Russian forces are already exploiting these trends in their gray-zone operations, while U.S. tactics continue to create collateral casualties that undermine its strategic goals. Is America prepared to adapt to a non-lethal approach to its military strategy? Watch Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Bryan Clark, leadership expert and technology entrepreneur David Roberts, and military expert and author Lt. Col. David Grossman discuss this shift away from attrition and lethality as the primary paths to success in military operations.

Energy Crisis Hobbles Biden's Green Agenda

Gas prices approaching $5 a gallon are displayed in front of a Shell gas station on October 05, 2021, in San Rafael, California. (Getty Images)

As energy prices soar worldwide, the fundamental assumption behind President Biden’s foreign policy faces a severe test. That assumption is that aggressively backing the transition from fossil fuels to renewables will strengthen the administration’s hand at home and abroad. As voters contemplate high gas prices and heating bills this winter, the Biden administration will have to think harder about developing a climate agenda that meshes with rather than undercuts American foreign policy as a whole, writes Walter Russell Mead in The Wall Street Journal. 

Virtual Event | China's War on Religion

Chinese Hui Muslims pray during Eid al-Fitr prayers marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the historic Niujie Mosque in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)

The genocide of the Uyghurs has brought global attention to the persecution of religious minorities—Muslims, Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and Tibetan Buddhists—by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). How can the U.S. and other democracies promote greater religious freedom and human rights inside China? Nina Shea, director of Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, Senior Fellow Nury Turkel, and experts Xiaoxu Sean Lin and Robert A. Destro examined the challenges facing China’s religious minorities and prospects for international assistance.  

🎙Counterbalance | Ep. 29: Great Power Competition in the Indo-Pacific

On episode 29 of Counterbalance, Elbridge Colby, author of "The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict," joined Marshall Kosloff to discuss how great power competition in the Indo-Pacific will reconfigure America’s approach to China, Taiwan, defense spending, and economic policy.

BEFORE YOU GO...

Last night, Hudson honored Linden S. Blue, a long-time trustee, and his brother Neal Blue at the 2021 Herman Kahn Award Gala on the deck of the historic aircraft carrier USS Midway in the San Diego harbor. The Blue brothers run General Atomics and have supported Hudson for decades. They were recognized with Hudson’s highest honor for their work advancing the mission of the Institute to promote American leadership for a secure, free, and prosperous future. Distinguished Fellow Secretary Michael R. Pompeo delivered remarks and the evening ended with a spectacular fireworks display off the flight deck. Congratulations to Linden and Neal. We are so grateful to them and to all our supporters for making our work possible.