Building a Flexible Force: Modular Weapons and the Future of Defense

The Pentagon, defense companies, and think tanks all conclude that the United States’ weapons inventories are woefully inadequate for a war with China. But manufacturers cannot surge production of today’s exquisite munitions because these weapons depend on specialized components and techniques. Yet contrary to this popular wisdom, Ukrainian forces have found that weapons stockpiled in large numbers are often rendered obsolete by enemy countermeasures before the stockpile is depleted.

A recent Hudson report suggested that the US Department of Defense should address this contradiction by adopting a new family of modular weapons that emphasize adaptability and scale. In this approach, most components—including radios, computers, servomotors, and sensors—would come from commercial sources. Weapons-specific components like structures, warheads, and propulsion would be manufacturable at scale and on demand.

At Hudson, Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Nadia Schadlow will host military and industry experts to discuss this new approach to weapon development and the DoD’s progress in fielding adaptable, scalable weapons systems.