How allies are investing in the US defense industrial base

  • Tue, September 29, 2026 • 4:00 pm ET
  • Atlantic Council Headquarters
  • 1400 L Street NW • Floor 11
  • Washington, DC 20005

Experts discuss how foreign-based companies are investing in the US defense industrial base, and what these investments mean for the industry going forward.

On Tuesday, September 29 at 4:00 p.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Forward Defense program, part of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, will host a panel discussion on how foreign investment in the US is expanding and strengthening the defense industrial base.

Allied investment in the defense industrial base has become an explicit pillar of US policy. The 2026 National Defense Strategy called for “supercharging” domestic production in part by “leveraging allied and partner production,” and the White House’s July 2026 NATO Summit fact sheet touted a new wave of allied deals and joint ventures. In response, the companies of several allies are undertaking major investments in the US.

Leaders from South Korea’s Hanwha, Norway’s Kongsberg, and Germany’s Helsing will discuss their companies’ investments in manufacturing from Arkansas to Virginia, as well as the corporate strategy, technology transfer, and industrial strategy questions raised by this approach.

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Speakers

Heather Armentrout
President and General Manager,
Kongsberg US

Eric Hilmer
Vice President of Growth,
Helsing

Michael Coulter
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Hanwha Defense

Moderated by

Steven Grundman

Steven Grundman
Senior Fellow, Forward Defense,
Atlantic Council

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Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.

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