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, hosted a Captains of Industry series 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 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.
Speakers
Heather Armentrout
President and General Manager,
Kongsberg US
Eric Hilmer
Vice President for Growth,
Helsing Inc.
Michael Coulter
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Hanwha Defense USA
Moderated by
Steven Grundman
Senior Fellow, Forward Defense,
Atlantic Council
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