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An Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III ICBM launches during an operation test on February 23, 2021, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (US Space Force)
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A US nuclear fusion engineer inspects a target chamber at the National Ignition Facility in California, a future test site for light-induced nuclear fusion. (Getty images)
Nuclear fusion has held the secret to nearly limitless clean energy since its discovery almost a century ago. Yet scientists around the world, particularly in the United States and China, are only now getting close to making this method of energy generation a reality. Rising US-China competition has further accelerated research and development in this now-critical economic and security technology.
To examine the future of fusion and its geopolitical implications, Hudson will host a two-part event. The first expert panel will focus on fusion and its relationship to the US nuclear deterrent. The second panel will examine how supply chains and the US industrial base can best facilitate fusion deployment.
Agenda
11:00 a.m. | Panel I: Fusion and the US Nuclear Deterrent
- Jimmy Goodrich, Senior Fellow, University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) and Senior Advisor, RAND
- Keith LeChien, Founder and CTO, Pacific Fusion
Moderator
- Rebeccah Heinrichs, Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative, Hudson Institute
12:15 p.m. | Panel II: Securing the Fusion Supply Chain
- Jackie Siebens, Vice President of Public Affairs, Helion Energy
- Caleb Barnes, Associate Director for Fusion, Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP)
- Trent Bauserman, Head of Federal Affairs, Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Moderator
- Nadia Schadlow, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
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Bugey Nuclear Power Plant is seen in Saint Vulbas, France, on June 22, 2025. (Getty Images)
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(Screenshot via CSPAN)