It’s Time to Realign
Dear friends,
As a follow-up to my recent newsletter on the strategic importance of magnets, the rare earth elements needed to produce them, and China’s dominant role in their supply, it’s clear that ensuring secure and reliable sourcing is now a strategic imperative for the West.
I’m excited to announce the launch of Realign 2025, the first in a new series of private summits hosted by Dunne Insights. These gatherings are designed to bring together leaders from government, industry, and capital for candid, off-the-record conversations about the future of advanced manufacturing, critical materials, and national competitiveness.
Our first summit will take place October 14–17, 2025 at the Fairmont Mayakoba in Mexico. This will be a small, confidential gathering focused on building practical strategies for industrial resilience and supply chain leadership. We’ve already confirmed several major voices from government and C-level executives from across the automotive and strategic manufacturing sectors. A full list of speakers will be announced soon.
If you’re interested in attending, speaking, or exploring sponsorship opportunities, please contact me directly.
Best regards,
Michael Dunne
A New Kind of Sputnik Moment
We’re living through a new Sputnik moment, but this time, there’s no single rocket launch to jolt us awake. Instead, it’s been a slow, steady shift over decades. The U.S. and its allies have gradually handed over control of critical materials, manufacturing, and innovation to China. This erosion now threatens not only supply chain stability but our national security, economic sovereignty, manufacturing capability, and our ability to lead in the technologies that define the future.
Consider what we've surrendered. China now processes more than 90 percent of the world’s rare earths, dominates lithium-ion battery production, and has become the global hub for semiconductors, solar panels, and advanced manufacturing tools. Nowhere is this clearer than in the auto industry. Once the pride of American manufacturing, it now runs on Chinese batteries, electronics, and raw materials. Meanwhile, China has become the largest car exporter in the world and leads outright in EV production. When one country controls the materials that power defense systems, renewable energy, and AI infrastructure, those supply chains are not just vulnerable. They become geopolitical weapons.
Unlike the 1957 Sputnik wake-up call, this moment comes without clear direction, only a growing sense that we’ve drifted too far. The. The question is not only what went wrong but also what we do next. How do we bring back the manufacturing capacity we spent decades offshoring? How do we rebuild our innovation base and deepen our talent pool? The window is still open, but it is closing fast. Every day we wait, the transition gets harder, and the price of inaction grows.
Realign 2025 exists to meet this moment with urgency, strategy, and clarity. This summit represents a call to action for leaders who understand that the next few years will determine whether democratic nations maintain their technological and economic leadership or cede it permanently. At Realign 2025, we gather to chart a course toward solutions that can restore the industrial foundations upon which our prosperity and security depend.
About the Summit
Realign 2025 is the first in a series of closed-door summits we’re creating that is aimed at rewiring global supply chains and eliminating strategic dependencies on China. Taking place October 14–17 at the Fairmont Mayakoba in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, this event will convene approximately 60 senior leaders from across:
Automotive and industrial manufacturing
Battery, materials, and technology sectors
Venture capital and private equity
U.S. and allied government agencies
Universities and research institutions
This summit brings together the world’s sharpest minds to design a resilient, secure, and globally competitive future, anchored on:
Speed of execution
Removing policy roadblocks
Cultivating engineering and manufacturing talent
Mobilizing capital
Scaling China-free advanced manufacturing and refining capacity
Closed doors with friends, no press. Where real conversations about rebuilding happen.