Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Feb 13, ’26 Washington Roundtable]

Feb 13, 2026

Guest

Michael Herson

Guest

Dr. Dov Zakheim, Pentagon comptroller and budget expert; Dr. Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security scholar; Jim Townsend, former DoD Europe chief and NATO specialist; Michael Herson, defense policy and appropriations analyst. They debate a DHS funding standoff and its practical impacts. They unpack NATO’s changing command, Europe’s push for strategic autonomy, China’s regional moves, Japan’s election, and Middle East and Gulf security shifts.

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INSIGHT

DHS Shutdown Driven By ICE Reform Standoff

The DHS funding fight stems from deep disagreement over ICE and CBP reforms and legislative text, not just money.
Michael Herson says the standoff will likely force partial funding approaches and delay full-year solutions.

ADVICE

Prepare For Delayed Operational Impacts

Expect tangible service impacts like missed TSA paychecks and longer airport lines about a month into a DHS partial shutdown.
Plan events and travel around potential disruptions, since Secret Service-funded duties (e.g., State of the Union) could be rescheduled.

INSIGHT

Reconciliation 2.0 Loses Political Momentum

The president's public dismissal of a new reconciliation package undermined congressional momentum for a big defense boost.
Herson says without reconciliation, options narrow to an unlikely huge budget or controversial supplementals.

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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 DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss impact of a looming shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security as Democrats block funding; prospects for another defense reconciliation package; House passage of federalized elections and measure to halt Trump’s Canada tariffs; what’s next after a federal judge blocks the Pentagon’s efforts to punish retired US Navy captain and current Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly for participating in a video advising troops to not follow illegal orders; a Munich Security Conference where French President Emmanuel Macron make the case for a more globally competitive Europe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will underscore a new era in international relations; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth skipped the NATO defense ministerial where Pentagon policy chief Bridge Colby framed his Washington’s vision for the alliance as NATO adopted a new command structure and Arctic strategy; the White House imposes a firm deadline on Ukraine to end the war and hold elections by June or lose all US support; Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi‘s landslide victory; China sentences Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison; Taiwan’s Lai Ching Te’s warning that if China invades his country, an empowered Beijing will seek other territories it claims; the revelation that Chinese warships sailed 100 kilometers off Australia’s coast in December and Japan’s arrest a Chinese fishing boat captain for ignoring calls to stop for an inspection; US forces seize another Venezuelan tanker in the Pacific; Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump as more US forces mass in the Gulf to support a possible Iran attack as Washington and Tehran talks continue; and Israel’s efforts to annex the West Bank.