Defense & Aerospace Report

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 comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the continuing US government shutdown as Democrats make their case why closing was the right thing to do to protect health care for millions of Americans; Russia continues its provocations against Europe and NATO as the Ukraine war grinds on; details about the administration’s National Defense Strategy surface during John Noh’s confirmation as the deputy assistant secretary of defense of IndoPacific affairs; Washington and Beijing close in on a trade deal as China clamps down on rare earths exports; Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States conduct exercises as China and Malaysia conduct theirs; the hard line LDP President Sanae Takaichi is poised to become Japan’s first female prime minister; and the deal brokered by President Trump to end the Gaza war on its second anniversary moves ahead with a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas hostages and prisoners to be exchanged over the coming days as the president suggests he might go to the Middle East.

Church Hutton, Chief Growth Officer at AV, brings a wealth of experience from Capitol Hill to defense business development. He shares insights on AV's rebranding and its focus on small UAS and loitering munitions. Church discusses lessons learned from Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of rapid feedback loops and adapting to shorter combat timescales. He highlights the shift towards cost-effective systems and the role of software-defined capabilities in future innovations. Hutton also addresses the impact of budget uncertainty on defense strategies.

On today’s program, sponsored by Elbit America, Bill Alderman of Alderman & Company, a boutique firm specializing in aerospace and defense mergers and acquisitions, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the impact of the US government shutdown on small companies across the sector and how soon before the closure becomes painful; how personnel cuts impact the contracting and regulatory oversight ecosystems; growth areas in the budget; what thoughtful supply chain management means as the Pentagon seeks to accelerate production of weapons large and small; the new administration’s approach to merger and acquisition approvals; and the implications of the US government taking ownership stakes in companies that accept Pentagon investment funding.

Dan Roper, a retired U.S. Army colonel and national security studies director at AUSA's Land Warfare Institute, shares insights on military modernization and lessons from recent conflicts. He discusses crucial Army messages for the upcoming annual meeting, emphasizing the need for flexible funding and swift updates in the wake of the Ukraine war. Roper highlights the importance of precision, strong leadership, and adaptable strategies to counter agile adversaries. He also addresses the impact of toxic leadership on morale and the importance of partnerships and readiness in rapidly evolving battlefields.

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 government shutdown and how long it will last; how this showdown might be different than earlier ones; why Wall Street’s reaction is muted; interesting the latest government data; how messaging the meeting President Trump Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could impact on programs and allied cooperation; takeaways from AeroVironment’s investor day; developing a drone supply chain that’s free of Chinese components; KBR’s spin; 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’s rally to new highs even as US jobs growth continues to slow and Washington shuts down for what could be a protracted closure; German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ comments that Berlin will play a bigger state role in the nation’s defense industries; Poland’s planned record bond sales to address mounting debt; Russia’s continued provocations including closing Munich airport twice in 24 hours; the CA-1 Europa unmanned combat aircraft by Germany’s Helsing; what a transition to full-rate production mans for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lighting II fighter; Thailand order for Airbus A330 Multirole Tanker and Transport Aircraft and Indonesia’s purchase of T-50 aircraft from Korean Aerospace; the drop in Palantir stock after a Reuters report that the Army command and control system the company is developing with Anduril has security flaws; GE Aerospace’s share price drop after labor deal as investors wait for the terms that will end the nine-week strike by Boeing machinists in St Louis; the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to return some certification duties to Boeing that were taken away from the company in 2019 after the crash of two Max jetliners as the company admits the 777x jetliner will be delayed until 2027; and Play Airlines becomes the second Low-cost Icelandic carrier to fold in six years.

This roundtable features Michael Herson, a defense lobbyist; Dr. Dov Zakheim, a former Pentagon comptroller; Dr. Patrick Cronin, an Asia-Pacific security expert; and Jim Townsend, a transatlantic security consultant. They discuss the implications of the U.S. government shutdown on defense funding and military confirmations. The guests analyze Secretary Hegseth's controversial meeting on military culture, Russia's drone threats in Europe, and China's gray-zone warfare tactics, highlighting the complex dynamics shaping modern defense strategies.

We’ve heard the case for making the US Air Force bigger. But a couple of defense thinkers have a new report on how it can operate better. Do the ideas hold up? What gets cut? The Hudson Institute’s Bryan Clark joins us to explain. And we’ll have this week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

On this month’s innovation conversation to highlight key topics in the countdown to the Apex technology and innovation conference  Jan 27-28, 2026, in Washington, sponsored by Clarion Defence, Dr Keith Dear, the founder and CEO of British AI firm Cassi, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the speed with which AI is evolving; how society and militaries need to prepare for an artificial general intelligence age; the importance of sovereign AI capability; role in military operations; importance of human control over autonomous weapons; and more. To learn more about the Apex conference, sponsorship and attendance opportunities please visit apexdefense.org

On today’s Land Warfare Series program, sponsored American Rheinmetall, Maj. Gen. Tom Feltey, the commander of the US Army’s 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Ukraine war lessons that are helping shape the future of ground combat and his force; how to fight on an increasingly transparent and highly contested battlefield; the transition from a brigade- to a division-centric force; capabilities needed to fight in Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific; the importance of modernized version of existing platforms like the M1 tank to a new generation of capabilities like the MV-75 tilt rotor and MX30 combat vehicle; role of small, medium and large unmanned vehicles in the air and on the ground; the importance of better coordinating firepower of greater precision, mass and layered range; and the logistical approach needed to sustain US and allied forces under fire.