Keeping A Cold War Chilled: Mobilizing the Modern Defense Industrial Base

A recent AI analysis conducted by a team of Hoover fellows finds the US at greater risk of great-power hostilities with China than in recent decades, thus necessitating that America to step up its deterrence capabilities. That includes the interaction between the Pentagon and venture capitalists who finance defense-related start-ups and ventures, the topic of a Hoover Institution briefing entitled Mobilize the Modern Defense Industrial Base. Co-authored by Hoover distinguished research fellow Dan Berkenstock, the briefing concludes that the US government needs to learn how to “talk the language of capital markets” and better connect America’s venture-backed industrial concerns with broader US goals in hopes of avoiding a hot war with devastating consequences at home and abroad. Also discussed: Berkenstock’s background in space-imaging, the “1491 moment in outer space featuring a new race to the moon by the decade’s end, and the significance of China’s “SpaceSail” satellite-constellation alternative to Starlink.

RELATED SOURCES

Cast

Bill Whalen

Bill Whalen

Dan Berkenstock

Dan Berkenstock

Related

Videos

Scott Atlas Says Open Debate Is How To Rebuild Trust In Health Officials

Hoover Institution fellow Dr. Scott Atlas discusses his Wall Street Journal article he co-authored with Hoover Institution fellow Steven Koonin, "Covid, Climate and the ‘Consensus Trap’".

October 8, 2026

Event

The Distributed Space Age

How are autonomous satellites and artificial intelligence transforming space exploration, and what challenges must engineers overcome to ensure a sustainable future in orbit?

May 1, 2026

Videos

The US-China AI Race: Competing Models, Global Stakes

Elizabeth Economy and Martin Chorzempa discuss the US-China AI race and what’s at stake.

October 9, 2026