Interview

At DALO Industry Days 2026 in Herning, Denmark, Commodore Claus Andersen, Director of Naval Programs at the Danish Ministry of Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO), provided a status update on the Royal Danish Navy’s fleet renewal.

Contracts are awarded for new mine-laying and environmental protection vessels, with construction started. A 2024 offshore supply vessel, to be delivered in November 2026, will be converted into a drone mothership for protecting critical subsea infrastructure. Unmanned surface vehicle tests are ongoing at a facility in Sealand.

Basic design for new Arctic ships, replacing the Thetis class, is being finalized this autumn, with construction contracts expected in late 2026 or early 2027. The future frigate program, focused on air defense and international cooperation, is set to ramp up under Denmark’s new government. In-service Absalon-class ships will receive Atlas towed-array sonars for anti-submarine warfare, while Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates are slated for weapon and sensor upgrades.

Sources: Naval News (YouTube)

Amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and intensifying geopolitical tensions, policymakers from the United States, Japan, and other countries are increasingly concerned about vulnerabilities related to economic disruptions and resource chokepoints.

On Thursday, September 24, the CSIS Japan Chair and the Japan Economic Foundation will convene leading experts to analyze these challenges and discuss opportunities for the United States and Japan to play a leadership role in addressing them at home and abroad.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)

A CSIS event examines how the Australian Department of Defence can strengthen national preparedness and build industrial resilience across the Indo-Pacific, focusing on its capacity to repair and sustain both domestic and foreign weapon systems. The discussion addresses mitigating supply chain risk and contributing to the joint fight.

The panel features Belinda Templeman, Minister-Counsellor for Defence Materiel at the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and Assistant Secretary for Australia’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group; VADM (Ret.) Dion D. English, former Director for Logistics, U.S. Joint Staff; and Dak Hardwick, Vice President of International Affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association. Cynthia Cook, Senior Fellow in the CSIS Defense and Security Department, moderates.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)

At the Manila Strategy Forum 2026, CSIS experts assessed the Iran crisis. They argued that the US-Israel military campaign weakened Tehran but failed to resolve the nuclear question, and that conditions now favor further escalation.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)

At the Manila Strategy Forum 2026, a CSIS-moderated panel examined how the Philippines can build future industries amid a changing global order. Moderator Edgard Kagan, CSIS Freeman Chair of China Studies, framed the discussion around expanding prosperity in Southeast Asia through new technologies and industries.

Hank Hendrickson, executive director of the U.S.-Philippines Society, presented research on promising sectors: advanced semiconductors and electronics, AI and digital services, critical minerals processing, aerospace and maritime defense, and climate adaptation. He highlighted shipbuilding’s return to Subic Bay, the overseas workforce’s $38 billion in remittances, and the halal food market as key opportunities.

Josephine Romero, ASEAN BAC senior adviser and PCORP president, added a private-sector perspective, drawing on her experience as a former assistant secretary and chief of staff to the secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)

Max Bergman hosts a CSIS podcast discussion on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address, delivered September 16, 2026, in Strasbourg. The conversation covers key takeaways, including the signal about Canada and the EU locking arms, defense proposals, and the EU’s stance on various global issues.

The episode also features an interview with Emily Benson, head of strategy at Minerva Technology Futures and non-resident senior associate with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS, on the state of transatlantic technology relations, including Europe’s AI ambitions, digital sovereignty, and regulatory friction with U.S. tech giants.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)

At the 2026 Manila Strategy Forum, a speaker delivered remarks describing how strategic competition has changed and now spans defense, economics, technology, and information. He introduced the concept of “strategic space compression” — the gradual erosion of a nation’s sovereign choices through persistent, incremental coercion below the threshold of conventional conflict.

He stressed that resilience is key to expanding strategic space, citing the Philippines’ response in the West Philippine Sea, where it documents incidents, releases verifiable evidence, and exposes actions in real time to counter ambiguity and disinformation. He also highlighted the importance of partnerships, including the 75-year U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty and 80 years of diplomatic relations, as well as ASEAN cooperation, in preserving sovereign choice and regional stability.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)

Former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink joins CSIS’s Pekingology to discuss U.S.-China diplomacy ahead of the upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Kritenbrink, who also served as U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, reflects on Xi’s leadership style and China’s increasingly confident approach to the United States. He discusses the role of leader-level diplomacy in managing competition, lessons from preparing for Xi’s 2015 state visit to Washington, and what effective communication between the two capitals looks like behind closed doors.

The conversation also examines expectations for the Trump-Xi summit, the prospects for maintaining what Kritenbrink calls a “fragile truce,” and the economic, technological, and security issues testing the relationship.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)

At the Manila Strategy Forum 2026, a panel examined how regional alliance networks are evolving as partners hedge against doubts about US commitment. The discussion covered the Philippines’ outreach to multiple partners, Japan’s dual-track strategy of strengthening its US alliance while deepening ties with others, and the need for Washington to demonstrate the alliance’s practical value.

Moderator Julio S. Amador III was joined by panelists Zack Cooper, Kristi Govella, Justin Baquisal, and Matteo Piasentini. They addressed Philippine defense posture shifts, Japan’s security policy changes, and the importance of economic and defense-industrial collaboration in the region.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)

The CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security hosts a discussion on Zipline’s drone delivery network for life-saving medical products across key African partner countries, including Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Rwanda. The company’s on-demand supply chain has expanded access to vaccines, emergency blood products, and other treatments, especially in hard-to-reach rural areas.

The discussion reflects on Zipline’s work to expand its delivery network, its partnership with African governments and the U.S. State Department, and lessons learned about emerging technologies for health access. J. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President and Director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, moderates with Caitlin Burton, CEO of Zipline’s International Business.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)