Defense & Aerospace Report

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss Wall Street ended the week slightly down as a protracted US government shutdown looms; President Trump reversed course saying that with European help he now thinks Ukraine can win back its territory, suggesting America won’t block assistance to Kyiv as Moscow ramps up its attacks; France latest debt downgrade as the French, German, Spanish and Belgian effort to develop a new generation of combat aircraft hits its latest snag — as an increasingly frustrated Germany reconsiders its participation, Dassault’s CEO Eric Trappier again makes clear Berlin is welcome to leave the program, a stance that Hensoldt CEO Oliver Dörre said he found “bizarre,” but added that the sophisticated avionics his company and Spain’s Indra are developing for the SCAF program would find other buyers; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s proposal to revamp the US H-1B visa process that allows skilled foreign talent to work in America would cost $100,000 — up from a few thousand — and whether it will achieve the aim of deterring skilled immigrants from coming to the United States and if so, where they talent will flow; Boeing and its unionized St Louis workers will meet next week to discuss ending the nearly two month strike; and news from the Air Force Association’s otherwise quiet Air Space and Cyber conference and tradeshow including Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney’s small jet engines for unmanned collaborative combat aircraft, the acceleration of Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider bomber program, and Air Force interest in a stealthy next generation tanker, if the service can find the money to develop and buy it in the wake of pressing ahead with the F-47 fighter program led by Boeing.

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, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the near certainty of a government shutdown on Sept 30 after President Trump cancelled a planned meeting with the Senate and House monitory leaders; the president’s about face on Ukraine at the UN, saying he now thinks Kyiv can take back all its territory from Russia; European leaders made clear that any future Russian incursions into their airspace will be met with force as Russia’s ambassador to France threatens Europe with war if Russian planes are attacked; German officials said two of their military satellites were tracked by Russia; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gives US US military commanders 96 hours to convene in Virginia for a meeting in part to discuss the administration’s upcoming National Security and National Defense Strategies; four Japanese fighter planes arrive in Europe to support NATO on the first ever deployment of its kind; Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese to visit Washington Oct 20; the implications of Britain, France and nation’s worldwide recognizing a Palestinian state as Israel presses ahead with its operation in Gaza.

The Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference is where airpower headlines come from. We get into the future of air mobility with Lockheed Martin, counter-UAS details with Honeywell, and more. Powered by GE!

Dr. Jim Lewis, a distinguished fellow with the Tech Policy Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, and Mark Montgomery, a retired US Navy rear admiral who is now the senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as well as a Cyberspace Solarium Commission senior adviser, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Russia’s recent cyber attacks on European airports as well as drone attacks and fighter incursions on NATO members; how allies must respond; outlook for TikTok in the United States; and reauthorization of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the new report the co-authored with Kate Johnston and Greg Weaver — Understanding Russia’s Calculus on Opportunistic Aggression in Europe — including the core role of opportunism in Vladimir Putin’s strategic approach to undermine Russia’s adversaries; the reality that NATO nations may be forced to defend the alliance without help from the United States should a crisis in the Indo-Pacific force Washington to shift focus from Europe to Asia; capability areas where the alliance’s European members rate well and where more work is required; how Europe can step up capabilities indigenously especially if America decided against selling weapons to bolster its own depleted stocks; how NATO must respond to Russia’s mounting provocations and how it can respond when US support is now conditional; roles China, Iran and North Korea can play to advance Russia’s interests in Europe; and need to support Ukraine and critical role Kyiv can play in bolstering European capabilities.

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 the latest headlines and looks 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, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss another record setting week on Wall Street as the Federal Reserve cut borrowing rates as expected over worries about the US jobs market; a Financial Times report that a week after British, Italian and Japanese officials hinted that there could be room for Germany and Spain in the British-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Program, Germany is considering dropping out of the SCAF program to develop a new family of air systems over frustrations with France and its leading contractor Dassault Aviation; a report in The Atlantic that Denmark decided to pick Europe’s SAMP-T air and missile defense system over the US Patriot system in part because Washington lost interest in the deal to bolster its own depleted weapons stocks; Rheinmetall’s acquisition of the military arm of shipbuilder Lürssen; Ankara’s interest in US fighter aircraft as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepares to visit the White House on Sept. 25; the vote by Boeing’s unionized machinists in St Louis to approve a contract proposed by the union that the company already rejected; and the legacy of aviation legend Sergei Sikorsky, son of helicopter inventor Igor Sikorsky, who passed away on Sept. 18 at age100.

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, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Senate’s decision to put consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act on hold as the House Appropriations Committee developed a seven-week stopgap funding measure to avert a government shutdown that is looking increasingly likely; the House’s new committee to investigate those who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection; the Senate’s “nuclear option” to confirm 48 of President Trump’s nominees; the president becomes the first elected official ever to be hosted twice by a British monarch, reaffirming the special relationship plus economic deals, but little progress on Ukraine; as the administration refines its National Security Strategy to prioritize homeland defense and reduce US forces in Europe, Washington continues to stall NATO action against Russia after its drone attacks on the alliance as Japan deploys fighter planes to support NATO; while in London, the president also said that he wants the United States to take back Bagram Air Base in Kabul; expectations as Trump spoke with Xi Jinping on Friday morning after the White House blocked $400 million in military aid to Taiwan and members of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board met with Taiwan’s defacto ambassador to the United States, Alexander Yui; Beijing’s annual Xiangshan Forum as China warns Papua-New Guinea against signing a security pact with Australia; ongoing US Navy operations against drug runners in the Caribbean; America’s decision to back away from Syrian Kurds as Israel backs Syria’s Druze community; the mutual defense agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia; and Israel’s operations in Gaza as well as in the West Bank as a Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu seeks autarky in defense equipment.

What will USAF leadership say at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference? What won’t they? And just what is going on in the Air Force, anyway? We preview this year’s show with Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute and Air and Space Forces magazine’s John Tirpak. Plus this week’s airpower headlines. Powered by GE!

Luke Savoie, the president and CEO of Elbit America, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how the Pentagon is moving to accelerate the delivery of capabilities; the keys to agility and speed; the prospect that the US government will acquire stakes in contractors if they accept Pentagon development funding; the company’s top markets; the future of border control systems and technologies; how to integrate border control technologies with the administration’s top priority Golden Dome air and missile defense system; merger and acquisition outlook; and what to expect at both the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber tradeshow and the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss details of Russia’s drone attacks on Poland, Romania and Moldova — the first and largest such attack against the alliance; how the alliance can respond given President Trump’s conditioning of US support on all alliance members agreeing to halting energy purchases from Russia and imposing penalties on China; the changing nature of Russia’s ever larger attacks on Ukraine; the joint Russian-Belorussian Zapad 2025 exercises and how Moscow and Minsk are working to improve capabilities; whether the exercise is cover for potential future action against NATO given how Russia used past Zapad exercises to pre-position forces and equipment for the 2022 attack on Ukraine; the implications of US military observers at Zapad; and whether Washington’s engagement with Minsk will change Belarus’ alignment with Russia.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners and Chris Servello, the co-host of our Cavas Ships podcast joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest headlines and looks 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, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss Wall Street gains ground on expectations the Federal Reserve will cut borrowing rates next week on a shaky jobs market; Denmark picked Europe’s SAMP-T air and missile defense system over the US Patriot system as part of a wider air and missile defense upgrade worth $9 billion; Boeing’s unionized machinists in St Louis rejection of the company’s latest offer to end a month long strike; low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines order for 50 Embraer E195-E2 jetliners in a $4.4 billion deal . . . the arrival of two Northrop Grumman B-21 bombers at Edwards Air Force Base for flight testing; and takeaways from the world’s biggest defense show, the DSEI exhibition in London; including how US companies are increasing cooperation with global partners like cooperative venture between Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works and BAE Systems’ Falcon Works to develop innovative new unmanned systems, and Global Combat Air Program led by Britain with Italy and Japan suggests there would be room for Germany and Spain on the program to develop a new sixth generation air system should the countries — already frustrated with France’s hold on the SCAF program — what to jump ship and be part of a more collaborative effort.

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, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss House’s $892 billion version of the National Defense Authorization Act as the measure heads to the Senate as fights over a continuing resolution and a government shutdown continue to loom; the assassination of far-right influencer Charlie Kirk becomes the latest act of American political violence; Russia launched some two dozen long-range drones at a base in Poland that’s key to supporting Ukraine, Moscow’s first direct attack on the alliance as Warsaw called for Article 4 consultations and Russia stepped up attacks on Ukraine; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth makes his first call with China’s Defense Minister Adm Dong Jun during which he stressed America does not seek conflict in the Indo-Pacific, but will defend its interests; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said America will split profits from Japan’s investment in America 50-50, but after Japan earns back its $550 billion, Washington will get 90 percent of profits and Tokyo just 10 percent; after arresting 475 at a joint Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia, the administration was prepared to release 300 South Korean workers, but said they could stay in the United States if they helped train American workers; and Israel launched an air strike on Hamas’ office in Doha, involved in Gaza negotiations, but despite worldwide ire Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu demanded Qatar either expel or bring to justice Hamas officials otherwise Israel would.

With a new Chief of Staff inbound for the US Air Force, we assembled a team of airpower experts to lay out a day one agenda for getting the service from today to tomorrow. And we’ll have the latest from the world’s largest defense exposition -- along with this week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

On today’s Technology Report podcast, sponsored by Elbit America, Dr Kelvin Hamilton of FlareBright, GOS-free drone navigation firm and Toby Townrow of UK sovereign UAV-maker Drone Evolution join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss what makes the small, innovative companies different from their competitors, scaling to deliver capabilities more quickly, accelerating the process and more from the DSEI 2025 exhibition in London. We are partnered with DSEI’s parent Clarion Defence on the annual Apex innovation conference in Washington Jan. 27-29, 2026.

On this week’s Strategy Series, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, James Hackett, the head of defense and military analysis at the International institute for Strategic Studies, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the updated report he co-edited — “Progress and Shortfalls in Europe’s Defence: An Assessment.”

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, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss a Wall Street rally despite weaker than expected jobs numbers and hiccups with their disclosure; Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s hosts Vladimir Putin and Narenda Modi in Beijing as three decades of US effort to woo India and drive wedges between Beijing and Moscow collapse; Russia’s targeting of EU President Ursula von der Lyen’s plane with GPS jamming signals as French President Emmanuel Macron brought together Ukraine’s allies to craft a plan to support the country; reports of a TNT shortage because of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the global rearmament drive it’s sparked; whether the Fitch ratings agency’s decision to downgrade Poland over fiscal concerns could undermine the country’s role and ambition as a European defense leader; Norway’s decision to pick Britain’s Type 26 frigate by BAE Systems over Fincantieri’s Constellation-class, Naval Group’s Admiral Ronar’c, and Thyssen Krupp’s Type 127 ships, joining Australia and Canada as export customers for the new antisubmarine warship; Babcock Marine’s investor day; the US Navy taps Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics, and Northrop Grumman move head in the service’s program for an autonomous strike aircraft as Lockheed Martin is tapped to develop the command system for the new planes; Government Accountability Office’s latest report criticizing late deliveries of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter; Peru’s interest in Saab’s Gripen fighter and Global Eye radar plane; GE Aerospace’s $300 million investment in electric aircraft-maker Beta Technologies; and what to expect at the 2025 edition of DSEI tradeshow next week in London.

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, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Congress’ return to Washington as government shutdown worries mount; the National Defense Authorization Act moves from the Senate to the House; Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst decision to retire; Texas, California and Missouri redistricting moves; how lawmakers and industry view the prospect the Trump administration will acquire stakes in defense contractors; the administration’s deployment of naval forces to the Caribbean that launched the first of what officials says will be more strikes on drug runners; China hosts leaders from two dozen nations seeking to thwart US power worldwide and the significance of Xi Jinping holding hands with Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi; French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Ukraine’s European allies in Paris to discuss peacekeepers in the country as Russia continues to reject the prospect of troops on Ukrainian soil; and Israel continues its Gaza occupation despite opposition from the country’s top security officials.

U.S. Naval aviation is rebuilding its decks. In a rollicking conversation, former Director of Air Warfare, Nimitz skipper, and current Tailhook Association chairman RAdm Mike “Nasty” Manazir gets into the details on F/A-XX, F-35, MQ-25, and the whole future of Naval aviation. It’s fun and deeply informative. Powered by GE!

On today’s Technology Report podcast, sponsored by Elbit America, Scott Sloan, the president of Stratascorp Technologies, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss his commentary on the AFCEA website — “Data Won’t Solve Everything, But It Will Help: Interdepartmental data-sharing could be a game-changer for the future of the maritime industrial base workforce” — how to leverage data to more thoughtfully address workforce challenges; the importance of structuring data collection systems with sharing in mind; engineering data systems to ensure collaboration across government and industry; roles of artificial intelligence and machine learning in data collection and analysis; how to scale recruiting beyond the maritime industry to also include air, land, space, and cyber fields; opportunities and challenges as the Trump administration implements the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification approach to improve cybersecurity.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s proposal that the government take stakes in defense contractors as it did in chip-maker Intel and why state ownership of US defense contractors would be problematic; the outlook for US-India strategic and industrial cooperation as Prime Minister Narendra Modi literally holds hands with China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in the wake of US tariffs imposed on New Delhi; prospect of US military action against drug cartels in Caribbean and Latin America as American warships increase their regional presence; Norway’s decision to adopt Britain’s Type 26 by BAE Systems as its next surface combatant; the US budget outlook as investors return from summer holidays as Washington prepares to run out of money at the end of the month; takeaways from the National Defense Industrial Association’s annual Emerging Technologies Institute conference in Washington last week; 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, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss Wall Street flat week as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the Pentagon is considering stakes in major defense contractors that he said were “basically an arm of the federal government;”a federal appeals court rejected President Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on nations worldwide as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the ruling would be a dangerous diplomatic embarrassment and the president said returning the $96 billion raised since April would plunge the nation into depression; the administration slaps tariffs on goods of $800 or less; Trump continued his attacks on the Federal Reserve; the prospect that Washington will back Russia’s proposalChinese forces serve as peacekeepers in Ukraine; the French government teeters on the verge of collapse as Safran says it will develop a new fighter engine with India; Rheinmetall considers buying shipbuilder Lürssen; General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ YFQ-42A — the company’s entry into the US Air Force’s competition for its first increment collaborative combat aircraft — made its successful first flight near Edwards Air Force base in California; and Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy for a second time in a year.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s statement that the administration would take stakes in defense and aerospace firms; what’s next for ending the Ukraine war a week after President Trump hosted key meetings; Russia launched its largest attack in a month with a strike just 50 yards from EU and British Council offices in Kyiv as European governments work to increase support for Ukraine; Washington continues to move toward normalizing relations with with Russia as the Wall Street Journal reports energy deals have been discussed including Exxon reentering a cooperative venture with Rosneft; the administration’s drive to fire top intelligence officers specializing in Russia; South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s White House meeting that put shipbuilding at center of US-Korea alliance; China prepares for its 80th anniversary Victory Day celebration with Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Masoud Pezeshkian; Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles visited Washington to schedule a meeting between his boss Anthony Albanese and Trump; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Tokyo as Washington and New Delhi conduct remote 2+2 talks; GOP senators’ Taiwan visit; France, Germany and Britain’s call on the UN to implement “snap back” sanctions on Iran for violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; Israel presses ahead with operations in Gaza including two strikes on a hospital that killed five more journalists and 15 others in an attack that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he regrets and will be investigated.

The Army’s MV-75 tiltrotor has been moving fast -- quietly. Design is almost 90% complete, and a second generation is in the works. And how did they get to skip Milestone A? We take a newsy deep dive into that program with the Army program manager, Col. Jeff Poquette, and Bell vice president Ryan Ehinger. Powered by GE!

Jeff Bialos, a former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial policy who now heads the defense practice at the Eversheds Sutherland law firm, Dr. Jerry McGinn who also served in the Pentagon’s Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy office and now leads the Center for the Industrial Base at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Bryan Clark who leads the Center for Defense concepts and Innovation at the Hudson Institute think tank joint Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s that the administration is considering stakes in US defense and aerospace contractors; the Pentagon’s new acquisition approach to more rapidly develop capabilities to address joint force operational problems; and the abrupt resignation of Doug Beck as the head of the Defense Innovation Unit as the Defense Department reorders its innovation ecosystem.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the outlook for peace between Ukraine and Russia in the wake of President Trump’s meetings with Vladimir Putin in Alaska and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as allied leaders in Washington; status of the fighting as Russia continues to creep forward; how Ukraine manages to slow Russian advances as well as stop and push back significant incursions; whether the notion of granting Russia’s demand for all of Donbas will lead to a lasting peace or merely pave the way for a third Russian attack; and what shape a peacekeeping force might take as the president suggests openness to supporting allied troops in Ukraine as well as US air power as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visits Kyiv to discuss a peacekeeping role.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the defense industrial impact of stalled peace talks between Ukraine and Russia; the outlook for European defense despite capitulation on tariffs and former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s pessimism about Europe as a global power; civil-military relations as armed National Guardsmen are deployed to US cities; scaling drone production; 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, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss another record week on Wall Street as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says an interest rate cut might be needed as the jobs market slows in the wake of the Trump administration’s economic policies; President Trump continues his battle against the Fed demanding that governor Lisa Cook resign, driving the dollar down and gold up; Canada’s drops 25 percent reciprocal tariffs on US goods to curry favor with Washington that continues to impose high trades taxes on its northern neighbor; the EU signs a tariff deal with Washington as former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi argues the capitulation marks the end of the EU’s vision of itself as a global power; Switzerland’s decision to reconsider its acquisition of F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft in the wake of 39 percent US tariffs; the Congressional Budget Office’s conclusion that higher trade taxes could cut the national debt by $4 trillion over the coming decade; the administration’s 10 percent ownership stake in Intel and a cut of profits from Nvidia’s AI chip sales to China; the Pentagon’s decision to revamp how it creates requirements and oversees programs to accelerate the fielding of needed joint force capabilities even as some worry this might vest the ability to create requirements with industry; Britain’s air defense missile order from MBDA; striking Boeing St Louis machinists remain decision to resume negotiations on Monday.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Cavas Ships co-host Chris Servello join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the implications of the Trump administration’s increasingly muscular intimidation moves including the FBI raid on former National Security Adviser Dr. John Bolton’s home and the National Guard deployment to Washington; the civil-military implications of the moves; the Pentagon’s forced retirement of US Air Force chief Gen. Dave Allvin; what’s next for Russia’s war on Ukraine after President Trump’s meetings with Vladimir Putin as well as Volodymyr Zelenskyy and allied leaders; outlook for peace and security guarantees for Ukraine; how China is viewing Trump’s Ukraine negotiations and rhetoric; Beijing’s increasingly aggressive intimidation efforts against Manila; in the wake of US tariffs and sanctions New Delhi moves to warm relations with Beijing; despite mounting international mounting pressure, Israel moves to occupy Gaza City as it seeks to relocate Gazans to South Sudan as a massive new settlement is authorized to split West Bank in two to prevent the future creation of a Palestinian state.

As the US Air Force gets ready for a new Chief of Staff, the Mitchell Institute is about to publish what they’re calling the Mother of All Reports, laying out ways ahead for the service’s readiness, operations, force mix, and more. It’s author, retired colonel JV Venable, explains it all. And, yes, airpower headlines. All powered by GE!

On today’s Technology Podcast, sponsored by Elbit America, Justin Sherman, the founder of Global Cyber Strategies advisory firm and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss his new report for the Center for Naval Analyses — “Hacking and Firewalls Under Siege: Russia’s Cyber Industry During the War on Ukraine (https://www.cna.org/reports/2025/08/Hacking-and-Firewalls-Under-Seige.pdf)” — the nature of the cyber war between Russia and Ukraine; the role of Russian state, corporate and general public actors in advancing Moscow’s tactical and strategic aims from offensive cyber actions to hacking and information operations; the government’s role in controlling these actors; how many have been sanctioned; the impact of Kaspersky’s role in support of the Russian government and how that’s impacting the company’s global business; analysis of Russia’s “Secret Blizzard” operation against foreign embassies by exploiting a Microsoft vulnerability; cyber lessons from Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia; and happens to efforts to counter Russian in cyberspace when Washington normalizes relations with Moscow.

On this month’s innovation conversation to highlight key topics in the countdown to the Apex technology and innovation conference January 27-28, 2026, in Washington, sponsored by Clarion Defence, Bryan Clark, the director of the Center for Defense Concepts & Technology at the Hudson Institute, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss agenda for the second edition of Apex conference seeks to find solutions to the eight hard operational problems the United States and its allies face by bringing together senior military, government, industry and thought leaders. To learn more about the Apex conference, sponsorship and attendance opportunities please visit apexdefense.org

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, joining Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian are Dr Eugene Rumer of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to discuss what’s next after President Trump aligned with Russia’s Vladimir Putin after their summit in Alaska and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders arrive in Washington to discuss ending the war; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses summit takeaways on defense sentiment; up and downside budget and policy risks for contractors; analysis of the Pentagon’s program acquisition costs and budget details released last week; trade and tariffs; 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, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss a flat week on Wall Street as inflation continues to rise as higher baseline tariffs are passed along to consumers; the Trump administration gives China another 90 days to strike a deal; President Trump hosted Vladimir Putin in Alaska, siding with the Russian leader’s call for peace talks rather than a swift ceasefire to allow Russia’s forces to claw back territory from Ukrainian territory as the president again calls on Kyiv give up territory for peace; furious with Trump’s tariffs, sanctions and courting of Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revived calls for domestic manufacturing of everything from computer chips to aerospace and defense goods; Washington’s 39 percent trade tax on Switzerland impact the country’s aerospace sector and jeopardizes Geneva’s decision to buy F-35 Lightning II fighters; Poland’s decision to upgrade its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters; Boeing workers at the company’s St Louis operation remain on strike; a strike grounds Air Canada flights; worries that Spirit Airlines and other low cost carriers are doomed; Spike Aerospace move to refine its S-512 supersonic business jet; and Airbus’ A320 is poised to surpass Boeing’s 737 as the world’s most produced passenger jetliner.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss another up week on Wall Street even as President Trump escalated his trade war leveraging America’s economic power to force nations that haven’t yet agreed to baseline tariffs to do so, including on Switzerland impacting the gold market; after Washington slapped heavy tariffs on India to sanction New Delhi for buying Russian oil — as part of a drive to pressure Moscow to end the Ukraine war — India’s defense minister cancelled his visit to Washington as news reports suggested US arms purchases may be in jeopardy; the claim by India’s air chief, Air Chief Marshall AP Singh, that the country’s Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missiles downed five Pakistani fighters and a large aircraft that was downed at a range of 300 kilometers; how long it will take to resolve the strike by Boeing’s St Louis machinists a week after rejecting the company’s contract offer; Spain’s decision for more Eurofighters rather than the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the F-35 Lighting II to replace aging Harrier jump jets for its carriers; the partnership by L3Harris and Joby Aviation to develop autonomous hybrid vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for military applications; and what to expect from the meeting between Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects the American president’s suggestion Kyiv cede territory for peace.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, 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 Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the geopolitical implications of President Trump’s tariff war escalation on trading partners; use of US economic might to force Russia to make a peace deal ending the Ukraine war; prospect of talks between Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin and what to expect if the two leaders meet; Washington’s heavy sanctions on New Delhi with a heavy sanctions for violating US and EU sanctions on Russian oil as furious Indian leaders consider ending US weapons purchases; Ukraine’s long-range attacks on Russia’s refineries as existing sanctions continue to weaken the Russian economy; Australia’s decision to pick Japan’s Mogami-class frigate as its next major surface warship in a $6.5 billion deal that would be the biggest Japanese export contract since World War II; Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders agree to a US-brokered deal that gives Baku the transit corridor through southern tip of Armenia it has long sought but with 99-year US economic development zone in Armenia’s Zangezur region; developments in Lebanon and Iran; and analysis of Israel’s plan to occupy all of Gaza starting with Gaza City to defeat Hamas before handing it to Arab forces and Germany’s decision to block export of German arms to Israel that could be used in Gaza.

Time to kick back and review where US airpower stands, especially the US Air Force. And it’s air show season, so the perfect guest for both is Doug Birkey, Executive Director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, also a Collings Foundation insider and just back from Oshkosh. Plus headlines in airpower. All powered by GE!

Mark Montgomery, a retired US Navy rear admiral who is now the senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the executive director of the Cyber Solarium 2.0 project, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how to improve defense cooperation with Taiwan to prepare for the kind of embargo and blockade scenarios Beijing has been practicing; whether the Trump administration will continue its support for Taipei given Washington last week blocked Taiwanese President Lai Ching Te from transiting the United States to visit Paraguay; how to address gaps and seams in the US-Japan alliance; worries across Asia in the wake of the Trump administration’s rhetoric toward Europe; what to expect from the upcoming National Security Strategy and Force Posture Review; the impact of personnel cuts on US cybersecurity; and look at recent congressional budget moves and their impact on naval power.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Richard Danzig, the 71st Secretary of the US Navy and Rand Corporation trustee; joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss his new report for the think tank — “Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and National Security: The Fierce Urgency of Now;” how to think about AI; the nature of the competition between America and China; importance of speed in developing AI and operationalizing it; applications for which AI is best suited; role of AI in improving cybersecurity across the defense enterprise; the importance of AI talent in government and how the technology can compensate for not enough skilled people; the role of humans in overseeing AI; concerns that AI is oversold and that a bubble is building on capital markets that might burst; and notion of ethical use of AI among great powers.

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 a down market on tariff concerns and sharply reduced US new July jobs numbers — as well as downgraded May and June figures — revised to reflect the impact of President Trump’s trade policies; the implications of the president’s decision to fire Dr Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics charged with generating objective labor data; the tariff outlook as Washington and Beijing continue to negotiate a trade deal and Trump announced South Korea accepted a 15 percent tariff and gave Mexico 90 more days to make a deal, but hit Canada with a 35 percent trade tax, Switzerland with 39 percent, and Brazil with a 50 percent trade tax to punish the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsenaro who launched an insurrection to try to remain in power; European leadership criticism of the EU’s decision to accept a 15 percent tax on its goods sold in America; the president’s decision to hit India with secondary sanctions for buying Russian oil in violation of US and international sanctions as he increases pressure on Moscow to end the Ukraine war; a look at earnings as AerCap, Airbus, Boeing, Hensoldt, HII, L3Harris, Leonardo — and Leonardo DRS — Rolls-Royce, Safran, Teledyne, and Textron; and the outlook as Boeing machinists at the company’s St Louis operation consider their next labor contract. The program was recorded before unionized St Louis machinists rejected Boeing’s contract offer and voted to strike.

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, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian the Senate remains in session to markup the defense appropriations bill; moves to block members from trading stock but exempts President Trump and Vice President Vance; twice rejected Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., proposals to restrict arms sales to Israel; confirmed political appointees but Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan briefly blocked Adm. Darryl Caudle from becoming the next chief of naval operations demanding the long-closed Adak Naval Air Station be reopened; South Korea accepted 15 percent tariffs ahead of Trump’s Aug. 1 deadline as the president slapped higher tariffs on nations worldwide including 35 percent on Canada, 39 percent on Switzerland, and 50 percent on Brazil to punish the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsenaro who launched an insurrection to remain in power; Mexico’s 90-day extension to make a deal; France and Germany frustration with EU for failing to fight a 15 percent tariffs; Trump’s demand Russia and Ukraine strike a peace deal in 25 days and imposition of secondary sanctions on India for buying Russian oil; the proposal by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, for $54.6 billion in aid for Ukraine; with the Talisman Saber military exercise underway in Australia and Singapore, Washington blocked Taiwanese President Lai Ching Te from transiting the United States enroute to Paraguay to avoid disrupting trade talks with Beijing; and growing international pressure on Israel over growing starvation in Gaza as the Arab League pressures Hamas.

Electra is a fascinating company that straddles the line between traditional aviation and advanced air mobility. Their hybrid, quiet, ultra-short-takeoff aircraft are finding interest from the US military. We learn more from Donn Yates, their head of government markets. Powered by GE!

On today’s Land Warfare Series program, sponsored American Rheinmetall, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest on the Ukraine war, how both sides are advancing drone technology, tactics Russia is using to claw back territory despite high casualties, prospects for peace as President Trump gives both sides 25 days to make a deal, whether US will sanction Russia and whether sanctions will drive a change in Moscow’s strategy, growing US interest in adopting Ukrainian drones shaped by wartime experience, role of autonomy and swarming technologies on the battlefield, the wider international and domestic implications of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s unpopular effort to shift now-independent anti-corruption authorities to his control, how NATO can deter a country that has absorbed 1 million casualties and keep fighting, how high casualties are shaping the political dynamic in Moscow, threat of new secondary sanctions on India for trading with Russia, and Ukrainian public sentiment on continuing the war.

On today’s Technology Report podcast, Dr. Jim Lewis, a distinguished fellow with the Tech Policy Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss President Trump’s new strategy to maintain America’s artificial intelligence lead against rising competitors; status of the Stargate Project AI effort launched by the administration in January; whether cuts to technology investment accounts impacting US government, academic and industry research will undermine efforts to preserve America’s technological leadership; data rights in an AI age; quantum computing and communications as the US Air Force prepares to launch Boeing’s X-37B spaceplane on it’s eight mission to test laser communication and quantum positioning technologies that are jam proof; China’s hack of Microsoft’s SharePoint servers that hold top secret US data including from the National Nuclear Security Administration that oversees America’s nuclear weapons; the administration’s cybersecurity strategy and how cuts across government will impact security; and an analysis of the latest version of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification that will soon be adopted by the Pentagon to improve industrial base cybersecurity.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Washington’s trade deals with Japan and the European Union that would see an increase of baseline tariffs increase to 15 percent; President Trump’s assertion that European nations would buy “hundreds of billions of dollars in US defense products;” analysis of US and European second quarter 2025 earnings; takeaways from House Armed Services Committee’s acquisition reform hearing; some thoughts on drones, counter drone and affordable strike as well as AI; upcoming analytical projects; 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 new records on Wall Street as Washington strikes a tariff deal with Japan that raises baseline tariffs to 15 percent as a similar trade deal with the EU looms; the trade deal between Britain and India Booz Allen Hamilton, Dassault, Hexcel, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, MTU, Northrop Grumman, RTX, Textron, and Thales report second quarter 2025 earrings; Southwest CEO Bob Jordan’s statement that he expects the company’s 737 Max jets to be certified later than expected sometime next year as Boeing prepares to report earnings next week; the German government considers buying a stake in vehicle maker KNDS; Turkey’s decision to acquire up to 40 Eurofighter jets; the Trump administration’s 10-year, $151 billion “Golden Dome” missile defense program — now officially known as SHIELD or Scaleable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense — and the cause of the growing number of near misses between US commercial and military aircraft.

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, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the furore over whether to release convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s records again upended Congress as the Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., abruptly adjourned the house as appropriations, another continuing resolution, rescissions, reconciliation, the NDAA and the prospect of a government shutdown looming; President Trump announces a tariff deal with Japan and as talks with China and the EU move ahead that likely will result in higher baseline trade taxes; as allies work to support Ukraine, tensions in the country rise over President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s move against anti corruption authorities as Russia presses an offensive that continues to advance; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth orders department leaders to stop engaging with think tanks; and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen as starvation spreads and the president’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff breaks off talks in Qatar saying Hamas isn’t interested in a deal and an Israeli cabinet minister says the campaign is an effort to empty Gaza of Gazans.