25
July 2023
Past Event
Lessons from the World War II Arsenal of Democracy

Event will also stream live on this page.

Lessons from the World War II Arsenal of Democracy

Past Event
Hudson Institute
July 25, 2023
.
Caption
Douglas Aircraft Company assembly line in California in 1943. (Daily Herald Archive/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL via Getty Images)
25
July 2023
Past Event

Event will also stream live on this page.

Speakers:
miles_yu
Miles Yu

Senior Fellow and Director, China Center

arthur_herman
Arthur Herman

Senior Fellow

.
Dr. Mark Wilson

Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

.
Dr. Larrie Ferriero

Professor, George Mason University

Moderator:
lewis-libby
Lewis Libby

Former Senior Vice President

Listen to Event Audio

To defend Ukraine against Russia and deter China from invading Taiwan, the United States needs to rapidly increase weapons production and enhance its arms. Tapping American innovation and rebuilding the US defense industrial base will be crucial. The mobilization effort during World War II offers a range of lessons for policymakers today on how to stimulate innovation, collaboration, and growth to rebuild the “arsenal of democracy.”

Senior Fellow and Director of the China Center Miles Yu will introduce this session. Distinguished Fellow Lewis Libby will moderate a panel with three leading historians on this topic: Professor Larrie D. Ferreiro, Professor Mark Wilson, and Hudson Senior Fellow Arthur Herman.

About the Speakers

Lewis Libby is a distinguished fellow at Hudson Institute. He served as chief of staff and national security advisor for Vice President Dick Cheney from 2001 to 2005 and principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy from 1989 to 1993. 

Larrie D. Ferreiro is a naval architect, historian, and author of Churchill’s American Arsenal: The Partnership Behind the Innovations That Won World War II. His book Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for History. He teaches history and engineering at George Mason University in Virginia and the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.

Mark Wilson is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and author of Destructive Creation: American Business and Winning of World II, winner of the Hagley Prize for best book in business history, and co-winner of the Ralph Gomory Prize, which honors historical work on the effects of business enterprises on the economic conditions of the countries in which they operate. He teaches courses on the history of democracy, capitalism, the US military, and the military-industrial complex.

Arthur Herman is a senior fellow and director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative at Hudson Institute. His research programs analyze defense, energy, and technology issues. Dr. Herman is the author of nine books, including Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II, How the Scots Invented the Modern World, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Gandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age.

Related Events
21
April 2025
Past Event
The Situation in Afghanistan and America’s Interests in the Region
Featured Speakers:
Gen. John M. Keane
Ali Nazary
Lisa Curtis
Luke Coffey
Moderator:
Jeremy Hunt
Getty Images
21
April 2025
Past Event
The Situation in Afghanistan and America’s Interests in the Region

A panel of experts will discuss the future of Afghanistan and US interests in South and Central Asia.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Gen. John M. Keane
Ali Nazary
Lisa Curtis
Luke Coffey
Moderator:
Jeremy Hunt
23
April 2025
Virtual Event | Invite Only
Central and Eastern Europe Strategy Summit 2025
Featured Speakers:
Nikki R. Haley
Dr. Lars-Hendrik Röller
Maria Luís Albuquerque
Dr. Olga Zykova
Barna Tánczos
Amb. Tomáš Pojar
Nikolina Prah
Dr. Jorgovanka Tabaković
Dr. Anca Dragu
Dr. Yurii Heletiy
Jan Růžička
Joel Scanlon
Dr. Bogdan Ivan
Moderators:
Peter Rough
Daniel Kochis
Jamie Fly
Matthew Boyse
Luke Coffey
CEE
23
April 2025
Virtual Event | Invite Only
Central and Eastern Europe Strategy Summit 2025

Hudson Institute’s Center on Europe and Eurasia will host its third Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Strategy Summit. 

CEE
Featured Speakers:
Nikki R. Haley
Dr. Lars-Hendrik Röller
Maria Luís Albuquerque
Dr. Olga Zykova
Barna Tánczos
Amb. Tomáš Pojar
Nikolina Prah
Dr. Jorgovanka Tabaković
Dr. Anca Dragu
Dr. Yurii Heletiy
Jan Růžička
Joel Scanlon
Dr. Bogdan Ivan
Moderators:
Peter Rough
Daniel Kochis
Jamie Fly
Matthew Boyse
Luke Coffey
28
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Domestic Politics, the US-Japan Alliance, and Tokyo’s Global Role: Bipartisan Views from the Diet
Featured Speakers:
Koichiro Gemba
Itsunori Onodera
Shinjiro Koizumi
Kimi Onoda
Moderator:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Getty Images
28
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Domestic Politics, the US-Japan Alliance, and Tokyo’s Global Role: Bipartisan Views from the Diet

A panel of experts will discuss how the Japanese government should approach domestic political questions, its partnership with America, and Japan’s role in the world.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Koichiro Gemba
Itsunori Onodera
Shinjiro Koizumi
Kimi Onoda
Moderator:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
29
April 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
India’s Role in the Global Economy
Featured Speakers:
Nirmala Sitharaman
Walter Russell Mead
Getty Images
29
April 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
India’s Role in the Global Economy

Join Hudson for a conversation between Indian Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman and Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Nirmala Sitharaman
Walter Russell Mead