Vandenberg Flash Focus

Chinese entities have infiltrated American industry across the country by masquerading as Western companies. A new report from America First Policy Institute dissects the case of Syngenta, a seed and crop protection company which claims Swiss ownership despite deep ties to Beijing. Joining us to delve into it all is the report’s author, Adam Savit, AFPI’s Director of China Policy. We discuss how Syngenta established a foothold in the American agriculture industry and how we should address this threat to protect American farming.

(1:48) Elevator Pitch

(3:46) What is Syngenta?

(7:57) How the American Government Reviews Foreign Investment on its Soil

(12:46) Defining Biotechnology

(15:24) The Case of the Robot Dog

(19:07) Federal and State Solutions

America First Policy Institute | “Chokepoints: How to Counter China’s State Control of American Agriculture” (Adam Savit)

The Washington Times | “Treat China-Owned Syngenta as a National Security Problem” (Adam Savit)

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

A death in a Siberian anti-plague laboratory and the ensuing quarantine of two hundred people have sparked widespread concern over Russia’s biological weapons program. In typical Russian fashion, the Kremlin has not been particularly forthcoming with details despite calls for transparency, leaving many wondering what they may be trying to cover up. Marshall Billingslea, a Hudson Institute senior fellow and former Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control, joins Vandenberg Director of Government Affairs Anne Lord to shed light on the incident and discuss the Russian biowarfare threat.

(0:06) Overview

(1:08) Russian Response to Lab Incident

(3:06) Lab Worker’s Death

(4:49) Origins of Russian Bioweapons Program

(7:42) Current Russian Bioweapons Research

(9:34) Russian Approach to Warfare

(10:29) Recent Growth in Russia’s Bioweapons Program & Defector Allegations

(12:23) Chinese and Russian Relations & Chinese Bioweapons Research

(14:28) Recommendations for American Response

(17:23) World Health Organization & Parallels between COVID and Russian Lab Incident

(19:27) Hopes for December Biological Weapons Convention Meeting

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

The current rise in antisemitism in the United States is extremely alarming and revealing. Beyond historical animus and general stereotypes, contemporary antisemitism is connected to the broader threats facing the United States, including the skepticism about American institutions, U.S. power abroad, and Western Civilization itself. With U.S. adversaries playing an important role stoking the flames of antisemitism to fuel division and animosity, antisemitism today is a serious national security threat to the United States. Ludovic Hood, Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to discuss the intersection of antisemitism and anti-Americanism.

(1:16) Background

(3:05) Defining Antisemitism

(8:37) Judaism and Western Civilization

(13:08) Antisemitism and Anti-Westernism

(15:26) Why Our Adversaries Stoke Antisemitism

(19:46) U.S. National Security and Antisemitism Initiative

(26:05) How Can We Ameliorate Contemporary Antisemitism?

A Weapon Against the West: Antisemitism and its Anti-American Objectives: https://youtu.be/qRceAsRt0HU

U.S. National Security and Antisemitism Initiative: https://www.hudson.org/policy-centers/us-national-security-antisemitism-initiative

US National Security and Antisemitism, Issue 1 | Ceuta, Anti-Japanese Propaganda, and Defense Industrial Attacks: https://www.hudson.org/foreign-policy/us-national-security-antisemitism-issue-1-ceuta-anti-japanese-propaganda-defense

China’s Net Zero Advantage: https://www.hudson.org/environment/chinas-net-zero-advantage-michael-doran

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

The current rise in antisemitism in the United States is extremely alarming and revealing. Beyond historical animus and general stereotypes, contemporary antisemitism is connected to the broader threats facing the United States, including the skepticism about American institutions, U.S. power abroad, and Western Civilization itself. With U.S. adversaries playing an important role stoking the flames of antisemitism to fuel division and animosity, antisemitism today is a serious national security threat to the United States. Ludovic Hood, Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to discuss the intersection of antisemitism and anti-Americanism.

(1:16) Background

(3:05) Defining Antisemitism

(8:37) Judaism and Western Civilization

(13:08) Antisemitism and Anti-Westernism

(15:26) Why Our Adversaries Stoke Antisemitism

(19:46) U.S. National Security and Antisemitism Initiative

(26:05) How Can We Ameliorate Contemporary Antisemitism?

A Weapon Against the West: Antisemitism and its Anti-American Objectives: https://youtu.be/qRceAsRt0HU

U.S. National Security and Antisemitism Initiative: https://www.hudson.org/policy-centers/us-national-security-antisemitism-initiative

US National Security and Antisemitism, Issue 1 | Ceuta, Anti-Japanese Propaganda, and Defense Industrial Attacks: https://www.hudson.org/foreign-policy/us-national-security-antisemitism-issue-1-ceuta-anti-japanese-propaganda-defense

China’s Net Zero Advantage: https://www.hudson.org/environment/chinas-net-zero-advantage-michael-doran

The United Nations General Assembly High Level Week came and went, leaving in its wake no shortage of fiery speeches, secretive bilateral meetings, and clogged New York streets. But did the scores of diplomats and officials who descended on New York City achieve any substantive outcomes? Most importantly, how should the United States be engaging with the UN moving forward in order to safeguard American interests? Vandenberg Advisory Board member Morgan Viña joins Senior Policy Director Corban Teague to help decipher the assembly’s proceedings and discuss the future of American engagement at the UN.

(0:56) Overview

(1:42) Behind the Scenes at UNGA Week: Attendees’ Experience

(5:37) United Nations’ Failure to Stop War

(9:03) Trump’s Speech and Focus on Iran

(12:00) Trump-Xi Meeting

(15:15) United States should play Robust Role in United Nations

(16:36) China’s Success Within the United Nations

(18:04) Adversary Influence Within the United Nations

(20:26) Trump’s Future Foreign Policy Concerns

You can watch this podcast as a video on YouTube.

America is not confronting its adversaries one at a time: the United States faces a group of nations working collectively to weaken American power at home and abroad. In their new book Axis of Aggressors: Countering the Cooperation of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, authors Bradley Bowman, Elaine Dezenski, and Mark Montgomery outline exactly how America’s foremost adversaries cooperate across military, economic, and technological domains to advance their malign interests and anti-American agenda. Bradley Bowman and Mark Montgomery, both members of The Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board, join Flash Focus to discuss their new book and offer recommendations for confronting the Axis.

(1:03) Overview

(6:20) The Axis in Ukraine vs. Iran

(13:14) The Axis in Cyber & Technology

(21:05) What Does Success Mean?

(24:53) China’s Centrality in the Axis

(28:28) An Appropriate U.S. Military Posture

(31:58) Addressing Resource Constraints

(38:41) Educating the American People

Order the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Axis-Aggressors-Countering-Cooperation-Russia/dp/1968919554/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/08/18/china-russia-are-fueling-irans-war-machine/

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

Last week, President Trump welcomed Chairman Xi Jinping to Washington for their second of four meetings this calendar year. It was heavy on pageantry but low on substance, leaving significant questions about the future of the U.S.-China rivalry, especially regarding technological competition, China’s malign influence operations, and Americans currently being detained by the Chinese Communist Party. Sunny Cheung, Fellow for China Studies at The Jamestown Foundation, joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to recap the summit and its implications.

(1:09) Summit Takeaways

(4:08) Who Looks Stronger, America or China?

(6:24) America vs. China on AI

(9:28) Tech CEOs at the Summit

(12:54) The Trump Administration’s Taiwan Approach

(16:52) Pro-Democracy Movement in China

(20:47) China’s Arbitrary Detention of U.S. Citizens

(23:32) Xi’s Offer To Take American Students

(27:09) Championing Western Principles Against China

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

China’s activities in Latin America have evolved from just economic engagements dating back to the late 2000s to encompass larger strategic goals across various sectors today. In a new book, Dragon in the Americas: China’s Power, Presence, and Regional Influence, Leland Lazarus provides a comprehensive overview on how exactly China is deploying economic coercion against the region, why Beijing is pursuing these policies, and how China’s efforts to deepen its presence in Latin America and the Caribbean threatens U.S. national security. Leland Lazarus, Founder and CEO of Lazarus Consulting and Research Fellow at the Wilson Center, joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to outline China’s activities in Latin America.

https://www.routledge.com/Dragon-in-the-Americas-Chinas-Power-Presence-and-Regional-Influence/Lazarus/p/book/9781041347293

(1:01) Overview of the Book

(2:20) Correcting Narratives of China’s Western Hemisphere Presence

(4:28) China’s Relationships in the Region

(7:30) China’s Current Activity

(11:27) Why Is China Involved in the Western Hemisphere?

(13:28) Does Taiwan Factor Into China’s Strategy?

(16:38) Latin America’s Perception of China

(19:27) China’s Role in Illicit Networks

(21:37) Other Sectors of Interest

(24:28) National Security Implications

(29:24) Latin American Reactions to Donroe

(32:36) Addressing Hedging in the Region

(35:54) Lessons From the Book

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

The U.S. alliance system has been a frequent topic of debate over the years- who our allies should be, what they should bring to the table, and whether they are actually helping advance American security, economic, and ideological interests. But in recent years, the intensity of this debate has ratcheted up significantly, as has the consequences of what happens if we get it wrong. To help us analyze how we got here and where we should go, Vandenberg Advisory Board Member Colin Dueck, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a professor at George Mason University, joins us to discuss his new report, “Reassessing the U.S. Alliance System.”

1:07: The Inspiration Behind the Report

2:51: “The Three Waves of U.S. Liberal Internationalism”

6:37: Is the Pursuit of Stability the Right Approach?

12:40: The Contours of the Next Global Order

16:04: How President Trump’s Approach is Different

22:34: The Path Forward on Countering China

26:25: How to Work with Our Allies on China

32:07: Countries to Watch Over the Next 30 Years

Watch on YouTube.

Before launching Operation Epic Fury against Iran, the focus of many within the national security world was whether President Trump would take action against the regime in Cuba. Months later, Cuba remains a dictatorship 90 miles from our shores that partners with our adversaries to harm Americans. John Suarez, Executive Director of the Center for a Free Cuba, joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to unpack the long-standing threat Cuba poses to Americans and policy options for confronting it.

(1:15) A Career Surrounding Cuba

(4:25) Cuba’s Recent Economic Reforms

(6:25) Ramiro Valdés Menéndez

(8:22) Other Notorious Regime Players

(12:10) No Meaningful Progress on Political Freedoms

(13:33) Conditions for Political Prisoners

(14:45) Humanitarian Conditions in Cuba

(18:12) How the Cuba Regime Amplifies Adversarial Influence

(27:06) Absolute Resolve’s Impact on Cuba

(28:46) Why Is Cuba Politicized in America?

(30:37) Why Does Cuban Freedom Matter for America?

(34:16) Assuaging American Skepticism

(38:34) Will the Regime Fall?

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.