Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative

heinrichs

At A Glance:

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs is a senior fellow and director of the Keystone Defense Initiative. She specializes in US national defense policy with a focus on strategic deterrence.

Biography

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative. She specializes in US national defense policy with a focus on strategic deterrence.

Dr. Heinrichs served as a commissioner on the bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission, which was created in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. She also serves on the US Strategic Command Advisory Group and the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness.

She is an adjunct professor at the Institute of World Politics, where she teaches nuclear deterrence theory, and is also a contributing editor of Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy.

Dr. Heinrichs earned her doctorate in defense and strategic studies from Missouri State University, where she graduated with distinction. She received her MA in national security and strategic studies from the US Naval War College and graduated with highest distinction from its College of Naval Command and Staff, receiving the Director’s Award for academic excellence. She earned her BA in history and political science from Ashland University in Ohio, was an Ashbrook Scholar, and currently serves as a member of the University's Board of Trustees.

She lives in Virginia with her husband and their five children.

Events
17
February 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw on the End of the New START Treaty
Featured Speakers:
Christopher Yeaw
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher in Moscow on May 9, 2025. (Getty Images)
17
February 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw on the End of the New START Treaty

Join Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Nonproliferation Dr. Christopher Yeaw for a discussion on strategic deterrence.

A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher in Moscow on May 9, 2025. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Christopher Yeaw
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
11
February 2026
Past Event
The National and Economic Security Implications of Fusion Energy
Featured Speakers:
Jimmy Goodrich
Keith LeChien
Jackie Siebens
Caleb Barnes
Trent Bauserman
Daniel B. Sinars
Shaun Walsh
Moderators:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Nadia Schadlow
Getty Images
11
February 2026
Past Event
The National and Economic Security Implications of Fusion Energy

To examine the future of fusion and its geopolitical implications, Hudson will host a two-part event.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Jimmy Goodrich
Keith LeChien
Jackie Siebens
Caleb Barnes
Trent Bauserman
Daniel B. Sinars
Shaun Walsh
Moderators:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Nadia Schadlow
10
February 2026
Past Event
Gen. Pierre Schill on France’s Strategic Vision and Adapting Land Forces for High-Intensity Conflict
Featured Speakers:
General Pierre Schill
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Getty Images
10
February 2026
Past Event
Gen. Pierre Schill on France’s Strategic Vision and Adapting Land Forces for High-Intensity Conflict

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.

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Featured Speakers:
General Pierre Schill
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
10
February 2026
Past Event
Year One of Trump’s Foreign Policy: A Discussion with Congressman Pat Fallon
Featured Speakers:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Congressman Pat Fallon
Getty Images
10
February 2026
Past Event
Year One of Trump’s Foreign Policy: A Discussion with Congressman Pat Fallon

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.

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Featured Speakers:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Congressman Pat Fallon