Hudson Institute is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.[8][9][10] It was founded in 1961 in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, by futurist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the RAND Corporation.

Kahn was a Cold War icon, often interviewed in magazines, who was purported to have the highest IQ on record and partly inspired the 1964 movie Dr.

[20][21] In 1960, while employed at the RAND Corporation, Kahn had given a series of lectures at Princeton University on scenarios related to nuclear war.

[26] Hudson's initial research projects largely represented Kahn's personal interests, which included the domestic and military use of nuclear power and scenario planning exercises about policy options and their possible outcomes.

[42] Kahn in 1962 predicted the rise of Japan as the world's second-largest economy and developed close ties to politicians and corporate leaders there.

[citation needed] In 1967, Hudson published The Year 2000, a bestselling book commissioned by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

[42] Hudson struggled with funding problems in the 1970s for reasons including increased competition from other think tanks for government grants.

[46] In his 1982 book The Coming Boom, Kahn argued that pro-growth tax and fiscal policies, information technology, and developments by the energy industry would make possible an unprecedented prosperity in the Western world by the early 21st century.

[70] In 2001, President George W. Bush's initiative on charitable choice was based[71] on Hudson's research[72] into social-service programs administered by faith-based organizations.

[citation needed] On June 1, 2004, Hudson relocated its headquarters to Washington, D.C.[14] In 2012, Sarah May Stern became chairman of the board of trustees, and remains so to the present.

[b] [79][5] In 2016, Hudson relocated from its McPherson Square headquarters[80] to a custom-built office space on Pennsylvania Avenue, near the U.S. Capitol and the White House.

In response to the award event, the Foreign Ministry of China imposed sanctions on the institute, its Board of Trustees Chair Sarah May Stern, and its President and CEO John P.

[91] European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke at the Hudson Institute in support of Israel in October 2023 after the Hamas-led attack.

[92] The speech was coordinated with the White House as President Joe Biden urged Congress to approve additional aid to support Ukraine and Israel.

[17] The New York Times suggested Huntington Ingalls Industries had used the Hudson Institute to enhance the company's argument for more nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, at a cost of US$11 billion each.

[15] The institute, which publishes frequent reports concerning China, has received funding from the Taiwanese government as have other prominent think tanks.

According to its website, Hudson "challenges conventional thinking and helps manage strategic transitions through interdisciplinary studies in defense, international relations, economics, energy, technology, culture, and law.

"[112] Led by Michael Doran, the center studies challenges for America and its allies in the middle east in responding to the threats posed by inimical forces such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, and China to promote peace.

[116] It is directed by Miles Yu while Michael Pompeo serves as chair of the advisory board, which consists of Scott Morrison, Paula J. Dobriansky, Morgan Ortagus, and Kyle Bass as of August 2023.

[123][124] The Hudson Institute houses this bipartisan commission which explores economic sectors critical to national security with the purpose of proposing policy recommendations to reduce dependence and advance U.S. leadership in these industries.

In 2016, Hudson's Kleptocracy Initiative issued a report, authored by Ben Judah, sounding the alarm about offshore financial flows, and calling for the end of anonymous shell companies as a US national security priority.

[126][independent source needed] The Hudson Institute received criticism by a member of its Kleptocracy Initiative advisory board when its 2018 awards gala was funded in part by Len Blavatnik, a magnate who had business dealings with Russian oligarchs who were on the United States sanctions list.