Defense & Aerospace Business Report

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 fifth down week in a row as Congress avoided a government shutdown, but embraced a full-year continuing resolution; lawmakers work to cut taxes by more than $4 trillion as personnel cuts at the IRS raise concerns that US tax collections will decline by 10 percent; Trump administration budget cuts prompted consulting giant Accenture to issue a profit warning; European nations pledge massive defense spending increases with Germany promising to increase spending by $1 trillion to bolster capabilities; credit agencies worry whether European nations can sustain higher military spending through more debt; from the Oval Office, President Trump announced that the US Air Force picked Boeing over Lockheed Marti

The prime contractors that make airpower possible are built on a foundation of suppliers – and that foundation has been heavily challenged in recent years by shortages of people, unpredictable economics, and unexpected demand. We get a fresh view into the supplier world with Chris Celtruda, CEO of Chromalloy; Mesh Feigenbaum, managing Director of Engineered Metal Tech; and Industry analyst Jerry Lundquist of the Lundquist Group. Plus headlines in airpower. All powered by GE!

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 now with 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 Congress averts a government shutdown and passes a full-year continuing resolution while continuing work on a reconciliation measure; lawmakers complain about the Trump administration’s proposed consolidation of combatant commands including handing NATO’s top military jobs to Europeans, but allow President Trump and Elon Musk to systemically gut government agencies; driven by Washington, Ukraine agrees to a ceasefire as Kyiv strikes Russian bomber base; historically, the first foreign trip by a Canadian prime minister is Washington, but this time, Mark Carney visited Paris and London as a F

Welcome to the CavasShips Podcast with Christopher P. Cavas and Chris Servello…a weekly podcast looking at naval and maritime events and issues of the day – in the US, across the seas and around the world. On this special episode…ship collisions, political shipbuilding machinations in Congress and the White House, and where are the blueprints to repair US Navy ships? We dive into these topics and more with Sal Mercogliano and John Konrad, two of the best-informed commentators on the maritime scene. Please send us feedback by DM’ing @CavasShips or @CSSProvision or you can email chriscavas@gmail.com or cservello@defaeroreport.com.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Dr. Darrell Bricker, the CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how President Trump’s actions are being regarded worldwide and in terms of America’s popularity; how different regions see the United States and whether the decline in popularity will reflect as a decline in influence; how Americans see his breakneck actions and how a large portion of the electorate appreciate that someone in elected office is actually doing what he would said he would do on the campaign trail; why Democrats strategy to leave the field to Trump or quarrel among themselves is a bad strategy; Canadian views on Trump’s drive to break the country’s economy to compel it to become America’s 51st state; and how the US president’ rhetoric has reinvigorated the popularity of Canada’s Liberal Party.

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 Ukraine’s retreat from 450 of the 500 square miles its forces occupied in Russia’s Kursk region; what’s next for the war as Washington pressures Kyiv to a ceasefire; whether Ukraine can survive without US aid and European support; prospect of European troops in Ukraine; whether Vladimir Putin can claim victory in Ukraine;; impact of the war on Russia and Russian support for the conflict; and the Trump administration’s decision gutting the Voice of America as well as Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia.

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 fourth down week in a row as President Trump says a recession may be possible before his politics improve the economy and escalates his trade war against Europe and Canada; Congress avoids a government shutdown. but faces a full-year continuing resolution; Canada’s new prime pinister, Mark Carney, asks his defense minister to reconsider the country’s purchase of 88 F-35 Lighting II fighters; as European nations accelerate efforts to build capabilities, interest in additional US weapons abruptly wanes; Portugal reportedly decides against F-35s and Turkey opts for Eurofighters; former Airbus CEO Tom Enders urges Europe to focus on autonomous drones rather than high end platforms to quickly improve cap

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 now with 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 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s move to avoid a government shutdown as lawmakers continue to wrangle a debt and budget deal; how retirements, firing of probationary employees and a travel freeze will impact DoD programs as the department was already struggling to bring aboard a new generation of talent; the partnership between Trump and Elon Musk as the world’s richest man deposits another $100 million in the PAC the president has used to strong arm lawmakers; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to disband the Pentagon’s long-range strategy and forecasting organization, the Off

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Peter Van Praagh, the president of HFX, the group that organizes two annual security conferences — the Halifax International Security Forum and the new HFX Taipei Forum — joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how President Trump’s will impact US power, global influence and economic prosperity; whether Ukraine can survive against Russia without US help as Washington aligns increasingly with Moscow; how China regards the realignment; takeaways from the recent HFX Taipei Forum; prospect that democracies in Europe, North America and Asia will increasingly come together in a new bloc; whether the international institutions forged by the United States in the unique circumstances after World War II can be reinvigorated if Washington now chooses the undermine them; and why Canada and Canadians are so alarmed and offended by Trump’s rhetoric and actions.

Dr. Arun Seraphin, the executive director of the National Defense Industrial Association’s Emerging Technologies Institute, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the defense ecosystem the nation needs to more quickly equip the force; legislation that can help DoD accelerate the fielding capabilities; how to thoughtfully trim government labs and federally funded research and development centers; the importance of open architectures to help ensure a more interoperable force and challenges associated with adopting closed ecosystems; how much of the innovation ecosystem that’s blossomed across DoD in the wake of Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s founding of the Defense Innovation Unit; and the vital importance of robust national investment in education and technology across all disciplines to advancing national security.

The US Air Force convened a very senior panel to review its next generation programs. That panel has reported out in favor of Next Generation Air Dominance, but not Next Generation Aerial Refueling. Former Air Force Chief General John Jumper joins us to explain their work. And, yes, headlines. All powered by GE!

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 worst week since 2022 over tariff and inflation worries; President Trump doubled tariffs on China to 20 percent as he paused 25 percent tariffs on cars from Canada and Mexico; alarmed by Trump’s pro-Russian rhetoric and suspension of aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, European nations agree to surge defense spending to more than $900 billion over the coming four years; the fundamental shift in mindset as NATO members conclude that alliance may be dead as America commits superpower suicide; the Pentagon continues its budget drill to redirect 8 percent of savings annually over the coming five years as senior leaders and executives make their case for programs especially manned aircraft like th

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 growing concern of a year-long continuing resolution; the industrial impact of budget and program uncertainty especially on suppliers still recovering from pandemic impacts; takeaways from President Trump’s address to Congress; defense spending impact of $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, negative impact of economic uncertainty, IRS cuts and Trump’s acknowledgement that his policies likely will cause a recession before growth; administration’s decision to suspend US participation in NATO military exercises and prospect American troops will be withdrawn from Europe; some positives and negatives investors should consider as European defense spending surges; whether Ukraine can survive without US weaponry and intelligence support; and a look at the week ahead.

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 now with 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 lawmakers’ drive to target Medicare and Medicaid for savings as the US government rapidly runs out of money; President Trump takes a victory lap before a joint session of Congress and makes his case for tariffs, his approach to Ukraine and taking Greenland; after intensive counseling by his allies to swallow his pride, Volodymyr Zelenskyy moves to curry favor with Trump; as America cuts aid and intelligence to Kyiv, Britain and France work to shape a peace plan and European nations race to help Ukraine and bolster spending; Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison sells management of the Cristobal and Balb

We hopscotch the Air and Space Forces Association’s warfare symposium, bringing you up to date on the F-35 program with Lockheed’s Chauncey Macintosh and talking CCAs with Dave Alexander of General Atomics. Plus a review of the event with Air and Space Forces magazine editor Tobias Naegele. And, yes, headlines. All powered by GE!

Jeff Bialos, the co-chair of the Aerospace, Defense and Security Group at the Eversheds Sutherland law firm who served as a former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial affairs, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s effort cut 8 percent a year for five years from current spending to pay for new Trump administration priorities; why the cuts are significant and threaten to undermine US capabilities absent additional spending; the reality that 25 to 30 percent more spending may be needed to modernize the force, improve readiness and bolster weapons stocks; industrial strategy recommendations at a time when administration leaders advocate for startups over heritage firms; clarifying the rationale for the defense industry consolidation in the wake of the Cold War; how supply chains became steadily more global; the defense trade impact of Trump and his team’s rhetoric and policies on Ukraine, Europe as well as allies and partners; and implicatio

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 global ramifications of President Trump’s unprecedented meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; whether Kyiv’s European allies will be able to support Ukraine as Washington shuts off aid and demands access to oil, gas and rare earth minerals; the US president’s meetings with French, British and other leaders; Pentagon sends a Stryker brigade combat team to the border and prospect of military operations in Mexico; DoD continues efforts to redirect spending and the impact of the cuts on the heritage defense industrial base; Elon Musk and his team continue cutting government jobs including soon at the Defense Department; prospect that more senior military officers will be fired; update on budget dynamics on Capitol Hill and guidance from the Office of Management and Bu

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Mark Montgomery, a retired US Navy rear admiral who is the senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Cyber Solarium 2.0 executive director, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the best way for the Trump administration to redirect between 6 and 8 percent of finding a year for five years to new priorities; what the administration should be prioritizing and where it can take more risk, for example, in Air Force nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and free-fall weapons; the continued need for manned combat aircraft and adding the Army and Navy to the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program; the wisdom of erecting a “Golden Dome” air and missile defense system over the United States; the problematic nature of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s order that the National Security Agency stop planning and executing offensive cyber

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 another down week on Wall Street despite a rally on Friday as investors try to determine the global economic and market impact of President Trump’s tariffs, policies and upturning US alliances; the military services continue efforts to free funding that the administration can use on its new priorities; uncertainty on Capitol Hill as a shutdown looms without clarity on defense spending; after clashing with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office over whether Vladimir Putin, Trump said “Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved” as officials said Washington would halt aid to Kyiv; Trump’s meetings with British Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron; Aer