Defense & Aerospace Report

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored in part by Hanwha Defense USA, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Donald Trump’s election to another term, what the trouncing of Vice President Kamala Harris means for the Democratic Party, whether Trump’s second term will be more disciplined than his first, the outlook for defense spending with the Senate and House in GOP hands, allies brace for turmoil starting with Ukraine, whether Washington will force Kyiv to immediately end the war or adopt a longer-term lend-lease approach to support Ukraine, outlook for US leadership in the Indo-Pacific, and Bibi Netanyahu’s even freer hand in the region as he fires his defense minister Yoav Gallant.

In this special program, the Defense and Aerospace Report team look at the effect of a new Trump presidency on defense, and point out some areas that could benefit from focus in the new administration. Powered by GE Aerospace!

Michael Bayer, a former chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association, and Arnold Punaro, another former NDIA chairman and Senate Armed Services Committee staff director, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how to ensure a smooth transition from the Biden administration to a second Trump administration, how to get the mechanics right, budget process to keep government running, how Elon Musk could play an instrumental role in revamping government contracting processes to better and more quickly deliver needed capabilities at scale, and the prospect the incoming president may choose to sack senior military leaders and replace them with new ones better suited to executing the new administration’s agenda.

Sam Caucci, the CEO and founder of 1Huddle — an innovative workforce performance and training software — joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how work is changing in the wake of the covid pandemic, employers’ demand that their workforce returns full time to the office, employees desire for greater flexibility to work remotely, using AI and other technologies as a training tool for civilians and military members, and the fundraising environment for new tech companies including New Jersey’s support for innovative firms.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine as Moscow celebrates its day of national unity, Russian battlefield gains as Ukraine increasingly struggles not to lose, whether Vladimir Putin will be satisfied retaking Donbas and Luhansk or will drive to Kyiv, Ukraine’s ability to stop Russia if a breakthrough happens, and how the outcome of the US presidential election will shape the Ukraine war; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses defense implications of the US presidential election, a review of his November “scorecard,” takeaways from last week’s earnings reports and what to expect from companies disclosing results next week, and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss Wall Street’s bumpy week; investor questions on neck-and-neck US election and former President Trump as consensus winner; machinist union leaders back the latest offer from Boeing as the company raises $23.5 billion; AerCap, Airbus, Crane, and Leonardo DRS report earnings as HII announces $11 billion in new mission support contracts but lower than expected performance in its shipbuilding that combined with a fire at BAE System’s submarine yard at Barrow-in-Furness raises questions about plan to equip Australia with nuclear powered attack submarines; whether difficulties obtaining new subs could drive Australia to become first export customer for Northrop Grumman’s B-21 bomber as US Air Force considers buying more than 100 of the twin-engine jets; Canberra’s $14 billion plan to bolster domestic missile production; and market perceptions of startups like Shield AI.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored in part by Hanwha Defense USA, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the neck-and-neck US presidential race with days to go until the election; growing concern that Russia has turned the tables on Ukraine with 8,000 North Korea soldiers to help push Ukrainian forces from Kursk as the West runs out of weapons and interest in the war; Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s snap election backfires as the LDP loses ground; China’s publicly announces its first ICBM test in four decades as message to Washington that Beijing can reach US soil with its new DF-41 missile; North Korea also tested a long-range missile; Australia says it will improve its missile defenses; Israel attacks Iran’s air defenses and strikes its missile and drone industries as the war continues; and the LA Dodgers rout the NY Yankees in five games to win their eight World Series.

Since Gen. Mike Holmes retired as Air Combat Command chief, the Air Force has embarked on a broad re-optimization to better compete with other great powers, paused the main effort of its Next Generation Air Dominance project, and engaged in real shooting operations. We’ll get his views on the service today and its way ahead. Plus the week’s headlines in airpower. All powered by GE!

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Dr. Darrell Bricker, the CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs who also advises on the agenda at the annual Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia every November, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how pollsters are calculating support for the candidates in the US presidential race, counting those that are hard to count like young voters or those who aren’t candid with pollsters, what’s driving the disconnect between the reality of a roaring US economy and the perception that it’s bad, voter sentiment worldwide as trends mirror those in the United States and more.

On this innovation conversation to highlight key topics in the countdown to the Apex technology and innovation conference next year in Washington, sponsored by Clarion Defence, Dr. Alexander Miller, the US Army’s chief technology officer and senior adviser for science and technology for Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the changes needed to better take advantage of rapidly changing innovation cycles, the future technologies that will have the biggest impact on warfighting, fielding what the Army needs more rapidly and in large quantities, how to the Army can benefit from commercial innovation and better harness car and industrial product makers to satisfy military needs at speed and scale, a more nuanced Ukraine lessons that are applicable beyond the context of the current conflict, whether the big problems posed by Chinese and Russian militaries have been framed to better guide innovation efforts to solve specific challenges, role of allied and partner S&T as well as industrial capabilities to equip US forces, and more. To learn more about the Apex conference, sponsorship and attendance opportunities please visit apexdefense.org

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Mark Montgomery, a retired US Navy rear admiral now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the executive director of the Cyber Solarium 2.0 project, discusses President Biden’s National Security Memorandum on AI; role of Russia, China and Iran in cyber and misinformation operations to shape the outcome of next week’s US elections; takeaways from his recent visit to Ukraine; outlook for both allied and US support for Kyiv, especially depending on who wins the White House; and the outlook for spending; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the impact Israel’s strike on Iran will have on defense sentiment; North Korea’s role in Ukraine; analysis of key themes from US and European earnings reports last week; and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss the end of Wall Street’s winning streak; Boeing’s union rejects the deal brokered by the company and labor leadership, prolonging the strike that’s crippled production as the jetmaker also says it’s considering selling part of its storied space business; Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, CACI, GE Aerospace, General Dynamics, L3 Harris, Lockheed Martin, MTU, Northrop Grumman, RTX, Saab, Safran, Teledyne, Textron and Thales report earnings; eVTOL company Lillium runs out of cash Volocopter, Vertical, and Overair also struggle; a version of Lockheed Martin’s C-130 — dubbed the E-130J — will replace the Navy’s Boeing 707-based E-6 Mercury nuclear command and control jets; declining US Air Force fighter availability rates including for the F-35 that’s ready a hair under 52 percent; Saab notes delays with the T-7 Red Tail trainer it’s jointly producing with Boeing; a recap of the National Business Aviation Association tradeshow in Las Vegas; and European security views as the US presidential election approaches.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored in part by Hanwha Defense USA, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Cavas Ships podcast co-host Chris Servello, and Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the US presidential race as it enters its last week, the world awaits Israel’s strike on Iran as Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes his 11th trip to the Middle East to broker a ceasefire, the White House issues new national security AI guidance, Europe worries about North Korea troops fighting on Russia’s behalf against Ukraine, a progress report on Germany’s Zeitenwender and whether Europe can support Ukraine if America under a second Trump term withdraws support for Kyiv, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet for the first time since the bloody 2019 clash between the nations in the Himalayas after Canada again accused India of targeting and killing Canadian nationals critical of the New Delhi government — a charge endorsed by Washington — Japanese elections over the weekend, and the decision by the Washington Post and the LA Times against endorsing a presidential candidate over reprisal fears.

In February, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Allvin gave us the details on the service’s re-optimization plans in an exclusive interview. This week, the Chief released a letter to the entire service detailing progress toward that goal. Vago and J.J. review where the service is and how much lies ahead. Plus the week’s headlines in airpower. All powered by GE!

Mackenzie Eaglen and Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the US defense budget outlook in the near and mid term, investment in weaponry that continues to lag even as stocks are rapidly depleted through American support for Ukraine and Israel, China’s actual defense spending levels what why it should spur more alarm and action, the need for greater innovation and industrial base capacity, how the election outcome could reshape US alliances as well as interest in American weaponry, and whether Congress will approve enough additional funding to cover the costs of modernizing the nation’s antiquated nuclear triad that will otherwise gut investment in conventional capabilities.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Dr. Kathleen McInnis, the director of the Smart Women, Smart Power program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the new report she co-authored with Alexis Day — What Difference Does it Make? — that delves into the role of women in international security decision making.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how different the defense industrial base could look by 2030; takeaways from AeroLambda Group’s Aerospace & Defense Conference and the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting last week; how heritage companies are adapting to better compete against new competitors; what DoD has to do to align its ambitious operational plans with the reality that it’s industrial base lacks the capacity for a prolonged high-intensity conflict whether for new production, munitions or damage repair; Boeing’s outlook at major defense and aerospace firms prepare to report earnings; and a look at the week ahead.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss Wall Street’s sixth straight winning week; Boeing and machinists strike proposed deal that includes a 35 percent pay raise to end 5-week strike as the jetmaker moves to raise $25 billion in debt and stock plus borrow $10 billion; Bell decides to move V-280 Valor aerostructure work in house from Spirit AeroSystems; impact of the move what Boeing would pay for its former subsidiary; Airbus to cut 2,500 jobs from its defense and space business; partnership between L3 Harris and Embraer to jointly market the KC390 ends; L3 protests US Army’s decision to award the HADES contract to Sierra Nevada; another multiyear to Sikorsky carrying UH-60 Blackhawk production through 2032; France bars Israeli companies from the upcoming Euronaval trade show in Paris; takeaways from the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting and The Aerospace Event; and what to expect next week at the National Business Aviation Association tradeshow in Las Vegas.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored in part by Hanwha Defense USA, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, Dr. Kathleen McInnis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Cavas Ships podcast co-host Chris Servello join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the expectation the National Defense Authorization Act, appropriations and disaster relief legislation will move quickly after lawmakers return to Washington after the election; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s “heartburn letter”to the Hill; Israel kills Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar; President Biden deploys America’s premier air and missile defense system to Israel to relieve pressure on US warships guarding Israel while calling on Jerusalem to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza otherwise risk weapons deliveries; the US Navy demonstrates its ability to reload weapons at sea; US aircraft including B-2 stealth bombers strike Houthi missile sites and storage facilities in Yemen; former President Trump calls Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a great salesman who never should have let the war start as the Ukrainian leader says he told the former president that either Kyiv joins NATO or it develops nuclear weapons; South Korean intelligence says North Korea is deploying 12,000 troops to fight for Russia in Ukraine; four Indo-Pacific defense ministers join NATO ministers; and China’s economy sputters as Beijing escalates tensions around Taiwan.

We review The Aerospace Event with two of our fellow presenters there – Richard Aboulafia, who you know from our business report, and Dr. Kevin Michaels, both managing directors at AeroDynamic Advisory. And we have the week’s headlines in airpower. All powered by GE!

On this Land Warfare episode, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Dan Roper, a retired US army colonel who’s the director of national security studies at the Association of the United States Army reviews the key takes from this week's AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition; and Stephanie Meyer, a PHD candidate who’s helping lead Auburn university’s entry into Indy autonomous challenge — a 12-team unmanned racing circuit that is developing cutting edge technologies that can improve future unmanned air and ground vehicles with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On this Land Warfare episode, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Dr. John Nagl, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel who is now a professor of Warfighting Studies in the Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations at the Army War College, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the work he co-authored with Katie Crombe — A Call to Action: Lessons from Ukraine for the Future Force — the strategic, operational and tactical lessons of the war; lessons that are applicable to Europe, the Indo-Pacific and universally; the notion of transparency on the battlefield and its implications for operations; harnessing rapid innovation cycles and fielding capabilities at speed and scale; role of the Army in Europe and the Indo-Pacific; and how the Ukraine war ends.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the latest headlines and looks at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss Wall Street’s new highs on stronger than expected bank and financial earnings; Boeing pre-reports third quarter earnings including a $3 billion charge, 17,000 layoffs, the end of 767 freighter production, and delayed 777X deliveries as the company accuses the International Association of Machinists of negotiating in bad faith, a charge the union makes about the jetmaker; Airbus blames CFM and Spirit AeroSystems for its woes; France announces the new F5 version of the Dassault Aviation’s Rafale and the a combat unmanned vehicle; the Justice Department accuses Saab of corruption in Brazil; and what to expect at the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference and tradeshow as well as The Aerospace Event.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored in part by Hanwha Defense USA, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Venter for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss President Biden’s call for Congress to approve emergency aid in the wake of two devastating and deadly hurricanes; electoral impact of historic amounts of disinformation that have hampered rescue and recovery efforts; update on Russia’s war on Ukraine as as Moscow makes incremental progress as Russian casualties top 600,000; Ukraine’s efforts to stockpile ammunition and protect itself from US election outcome next month; Laos hosts ASEAN; Beijing overreacts despite a measured address by Lai Ching-te on Taiwan’s National Day; Vice President Harris names Iran as a leading threat; Israel Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu calls on Lebanon to rid itself of Hezbollah as Israel continues operations in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, as Jerusalem considers retaliation against Iran’s recent missile attack that’s expected to target the country’s oil infrastructure.

As the People’s Republic of China celebrates 75 years as a nation, its military capability and territorial ambitions continue to expand. Dr. Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute at National Defense University, updates us on what that means for their challenge to US air capabilities. And we have a bumper crop of airpower headlines, including about the SR-71. All powered by GE!

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Dr. Jerry McGinn, the director of the Baroni Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss his new report — “Before the Balloon Goes Up: Mobilizing the Defense Industrial Base now to Prepare for Future Conflict” — why he believes the United States isn’t prepared for prolonged future conflicts; industrial lessons from World War II, MRAP vehicles, Covid-19, and the Ukraine war; the importance of senior leadership in driving change; why 2024 is different than 1938; what America has to do to step up its production capacity; how to harness commercial industry for the challenge ahead; role of allies and partners; and an update on the Biden administration’s first ever National Defense Industrial Strategy.

On this Land Warfare episode, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Gen. Randy George, the US Army’s 41st chief of staff, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the biggest lessons from Russia’s war on Ukraine; the problems that Russia, China and other adversaries are posing that must be solved; whether different armies are needed to fight in Europe and Asia, and what’s common between them; preparing the force intellectually, operationally, doctrinally and culturally for the highly kinetic nature of a possible future fight; how to move faster to field needed capabilities at scale; modernizing on a flat budget; his “Transforming in Contact” initiative and how much of the Army has to change to transform the force; the changing nature of advantage and building a culture that can adapt rapidly to maintain advantage despite changing threats; what the Army needs from industry; tradeoffs that can be made among the military services to better coordinate roles, missions and capabilities; recruiting and training the right personnel; and a look ahead to the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference and tradeshow Oct. 14-16, 2024.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses discusses Ukraine’s withdrawal from Vuledhar and the implications of the latest Russian advance in Donbas, the latest on the war including the capture of one of Russia’s few Okhotnik combat drones, how weather will change the fight, topics for discussion at the Association of the United States Army’s conference and tradeshow next week, and lessons from analytical failures associated with the Russo-Ukrainian war; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses defense implications of the conflict between Israel and Iran one the first anniversary of Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel that precipitated a broader regional war, defense and industrials scenarios to consider as US elections approach, Army issues to consider at AUSA, the impact of deadly hurricanes on public perceptions of defense spending, and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian Wall Street ends on a high on stronger than expected US jobs growth, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron tells US financiers how grave the country’s financial situation is, Xi Jinping announces a major government stimulus plan as the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 75th anniversary, Boeing’s strike continues as the company’s management considers the scope of an equity raise and questions arise about the valuation of the planned acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, and as Iran strikes Israel with history’s largest ballistic missile attack, some thoughts on the economics of air and missile defense.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored in part by Hanwha Defense USA, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Cavas Ships co-host Chris Servello, and Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the US presidential race enters its last month as a devastating hurricane and growing unrest in the Middle East could decide who ends up in the White House, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran retaliates with a massive ballistic missile barrage, Jerusalem vows retaliation and President Biden confirms strikes on Iran’s energy facilities have been discussed in a move that sends oil prices soaring, former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte succeeds Jens Stoltenberg as NATO’s new secretary general, Ukraine retreats from Vuledhar as Russia’s strategy of throwing of men and weapons into fight helps gain ground in Donbas, the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 75th anniversary by dialing up coercion in the South China Sea, and Shigeru Ishiba succeed Fumio Kishida as Japan’s 65th prime minister.

If it goes up in the air and especially if it goes fast, former Director of Defense Research and Engineering and Air Force chief scientist Dr. Mark Lewis has been deep in the details. He joins us to update the latest technologies on and coming to the battlefield, including a great primer on hypersonics. And we have this week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

Mike Smith, the president and CEO of Hanwha Defense USA, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the company’s sweep of products, approach to expanding in the US market, it’s investment strategy for growth including $100 million acquisition of a Philadelphia shipyard, key to driving innovation the innovation and capacity gains the Pentagon seeks, lessons from his tenure at BAE Systems on growing a US subsidiary of a foreign company in the United States, where he expects from the company in 10 years and at the Association of the United States Army’s upcoming conference and tradeshow.

Dan Tenney, the vice president for strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss lessons from the Ukraine war that are shaping his $16 billion enterprise; the capabilities the US Army needs to counter China, Russia and other threats; the keys to scaling hardware and software; supporting to nations increasingly seeking sovereign capabilities; competing in a market where the Pentagon is increasingly rewarding innovative firms that invest to more economically develop products that address military needs; and whether DoD clearly understands the big problems it needs to solve.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies discusses what’s next now that Israel has killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other of the Lebanese Shia militia’s top commanders as well as truck Houthi targets in Yemen; how the moves could help deter Tehran from further provocations; and challenges associated with impending Israeli ground operations in Southern Lebanon; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the broader investment implications of continuing unrest in the Middle East; broader geoeconomic and geopolitical takeaways from the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Forum in New York last week, including Russia’s improving if more expensive defense capabilities and that the US-China relationship is “stabilizing,” and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian discuss Wall Street sets another record on sinking inflation and more Fed rate cuts; Boeing’s strike continues as questions aspire about CEO Kelly Ortberg’s leadership; the National Transportation Safety Board recommends action on Boeing 737 jetliners after a recent rudder incident on a United Airlines flight; HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding discovered and reported to the Navy that one of its workers had “knowingly” made defective welds in submarines and aircraft carriers, although not in critical areas; suddenly blended-wing-body aircraft have become all the rage as the COP29 climate summit prepares to convene Nov. 11-22 in Azerbaijan; President Biden’s denial of permission for Western nations to allow Ukraine to use donated weapons against Russia; budget challenges across Europe; and a far right win in Austria.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored in part by Hanwha Defense USA, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian discuss House Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisan approach to securing a stopgap spending measure to keep the government funded until after the election; what’s on the lame duck agenda; despite pressure from closest allies and Ukraine’s leader President Biden continues to block use of Western weapons against Russia after Vladimir Putin’s latest nuclear threats; the message other nuclear-armed states are learning when Washington is so easily deterred by nuclear saber-rattling; China tests an ICBM as its first in class nuclear attack submarine sinks pierside; AUKUS Pillar 2; Israel expands its offensive against Hezbollah and Lebanon while also increasing operations in the West Bank; and analysis of a close US presidential race five weeks before Election Day.

We’ve been talking a lot about the USAF recently, so it’s time for some naval contemplation. Longtime F-14 RIO Cdr. Ward Carroll joins us to talk Naval Aviation, including its future and current air and missile defense ops. Dr. Tom Karako of CSIS brings us up to date on other air and missile defense news. And we have headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

On this week’s Technology Report, John Cofrancesco, the founder of the new artificial intelligence firm Applied AI Company, discusses takeaways from the congressional hearing with CrowdStrike executives on the recent software update error from the cyber security firm that precipitated global disruptions, the role of AI to make to avert such mistakes in the future, how the Pentagon’s AI ecosystem is evolving and the key to driving innovation, supply chain lessons in the wake of Israel’s use of global supply chains to produce exploding pagers and walkie talkies, countering spoofing of critical control systems including on commercial aircraft, and helping foster a new generation of more cyber and AI savvy legislators and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Amb. John Herbst, a former US ambassador to both Uzbekistan and Ukraine who is now the senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington to convince President Biden to allow Western weapons to be used against targets in Russia, the Biden administration’s logic in blocking the use of weapons against sites used by Moscow to attack Ukraine, why US forbearance is merely emboldening Vladimir Putin, why it’s vital Ukraine wins the war and what’s needed to achieve that aim, how America and its allies need to do to better deter Russia, the need for a strategy to counter Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, whether Europe can support Ukraine if US leaders decide against further assistance, and how much longer the conflict is likely to continue.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses discusses Ukraine’s long-range attack on Russia’s ammunition depot at Toropets destroying months worth of artillery shells and other weapons; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington to ask President Biden to reconsider his opposition to the use of Western weapons against Russia; and how both sides are rapidly adapting unmanned systems and defenses; Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the budget outlook as House Speaker Mike Johnson seeks to fund the government beyond Sept. 30; takeaways from the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air Space Cyber conference and tradeshow last week; the outlook for the Air Force’s flagship manned fighter element of the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems that is being reconsidered by the service’s leadership; changing industrial and threat dynamics; and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian discuss another big week on Wall Street after a larger than expected Federal Reserve rate cut; the industrial impact of President Biden’s decision to use US arms export regulations to veto Britain and France’s desire to allow Ukraine to use their weapons against Russia; with Boeing machinists on strike, CEO Kelly Ortberg initiates a furlough plan suggesting a longer work stoppage; news report that Ted Colbert will be replaced by Steve Parker at Boeing Defense Space and Security; China Development Bank’s order 80 Airbus A320 and 50 Boeing Max jets; duration of strike by workers at Textron’s Cessna and Hawker; the US Army picks Anduril’s Ghost X and Performance Drone Works’ C-100 as the service’s company-level “attritable” drone; Rob Dewar, father of the Bombardier C series, joins JetZero; outlook for the penetrating counter air element of the US Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance family of programs in the wake of the Air and Space Forces Association’s annual Air Space Cyber conference last week and possible substitutes for the high-end manned fighter; what a new USAF plan means for the UK-Italy-Japan Global Combat Aircraft Program or the SCAP effort involving France, Germany and Spain; the USAF’s request for information for a next-generation tanker; the credit rating implications of a lengthy Boeing strike; and the Boeing-Embraer agreement after the American company called off its union with the Brazilian firm.

On this week's Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim join host Vago Muradian discuss Congress' failure to pass a measure to keep government open after 30 Sept., Ukraine continues to call for Western arms to be cleared for use against Russia as President Biden stalls approvals as Russian forces push back in Kursk and threaten to make significant gains in Donbas, the leaders of the Quad prepare to convene in Delaware as China expands its offensive operations to Australia and Japan, the White House prepares to block Nippon Steel's offer to buy US Steel, AUKUS celebrates its second birthday, and Israel uses exploding pagers and walkie-talkies to stymie Hezbollah's command and control as the Lebanese militia and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vow retaliation.

We spent three days at the Air and Space Forces Association conference. What did we learn? We review the biggest airpower event of the year with John Tirpak of Air and Space Forces magazine and Dean David Deptula of the Mitchell Institute. Plus we catch up on CCAs and the F-35 with Matt Milas, President of Defense and Space at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. And airpower headlines beyond AFA. Powered by GE!

On this innovation conversation to highlight key topics in the countdown to the Apex technology and innovation conference next January in Washington, sponsored by Clarion Defence, Raj Shah, the former director of the Defense Innovation Unit who is a cofounder of Shield Capital, and Dr. Chris Kirchhoff, the former director of strategic planning at the National Security Council during the Obama administration who founded the Pentagon’s Silicon Valley office, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss their new book — Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of War — their concern the United States isn’t ready for a new era of warfare, the most important lessons from the Ukraine war, whether the Pentagon has identified the big problems it needs to solve to prevail in wars against China and Russia, the importance of presidential leadership in driving change across DoD, progress since DIU was founded, the venture capital environment, and role of allies and partners. To learn more about the Apex conference, sponsorship and attendance opportunities please visit apexdefense.org

Adm. Mike Rogers, USN Ret., a former director of the National Security Agency and commander of US Cyber Command who is now the chairman of the advisory board of cybersecurity firm Claroty, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the recent revelation that Chinese hackers have for the first time taken the provocative step of installing malware in key US infrastructure; how Washington must respond to restore deterrence, the range of actions the Biden administration should consider including a targeted cyber operations to damage the Chinese economy; actions Congress should take to curb Chinese access to US technology and networks; countering the growing coordination among China, Russia, Iran and North Korea; increasingly sophisticated Russian efforts to undermine US elections; and why creating an independent cyber force is a bad idea.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the potential impact of the “Future of European Competitiveness” report drafted by former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank President Dr. Mario Draghi on behalf of the European Union; takeaways from the Chamber of Commerce’s Aerospace Summit, the Future of Defense event by New America and Arizona State University, and Morgan Stanley’s Laguna conference including analysis of Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden’s comments that the company could reenter the stealthy fighter element of the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance effort if the service makes requirements changes; what to expect at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air Space Cyber conference and tradeshow Sept. 16-18; and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian discuss Wall Street’s best week of the year as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell announces roadmap to cut short-term borrowing rates; Boeing’s International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers overwhelmingly vote to strike; analysis of the market prospects for the innovative RISE engine developed by GE and Safran through their CFM partnership that just celebrated its 50th anniversary; Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden says that the company is willing reenter the Air Force’s Penetrating Counter-Air program as service leaders reconsider the requirements for the key element of the Next Generation Air Dominance effort; Netherlands is buying six more F-35 fighters; the dual between Lockheed Martin’s C-130 and Embraer’s KC-390 transports; and what to expect at the Air and Space Forces’ Association’s annual Air Space Cyber conference next week.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored in part by Hanwha Defense USA, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss congressional madness as lawmakers return to Washington, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville delays promotion of new US Army Pacific commander, the national security implications of the fiery presidential debate between vice president Kamala Harris and former President Trump, President Biden to allow Ukraine to use US weapons against Russian territory as Vladimir Putin again threatens the alliance, Asia’s focus on US-China shadowboxing amid the US election as Kim Jung Un reveals his top secret uranium enrichment plant and calls for accelerating nuclear weapons production, and the controversy over Israel’s killing of an American peace protestor and more UN humanitarian workers.

The US Air Force is conducting simultaneous, ambitious programs to build aircraft, missiles, and other systems, all while reoptimizing for great power competition. The head of Air Force Materiel Command, General Duke Richardson, gets into the details, including Sentinel news. And the week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!