Defense & Aerospace Report

Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Dec 14 ’25 Business 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 a week on Wall Street; the House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act; implications of US efforts to push Ukraine to ceasefire that now appears to include Kyiv giving up on NATO membership in exchange for Western security guarantees; outlook for the SCAF next-generation air program as French, German and Spanish defense ministers meet in advance of meeting next week between President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz; the GCAP consortium’s invitation that Canada join Britain, Italy and Japan in developing a family of next generation air systems; Boeing closes its $8.3 billion acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems as the company’s Air Force One program is delayed another year to mid 2028 and the Federal Aviation Administration reviews the proposed angle of attack alert system for 737 Max 10 jets; SpaceX prepares its IPO the company could be working $800 billion; and JP Morgan Chase hires Berkshire Hathaway’s Todd Combs and recruits veteran advisers including Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, Ford CEO Jim Farley, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and retired Gen. Dave Petreaus to oversee bank’s $1.5 trillion Security and Resilience Initiative investment fund.

Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Dec 12, ’25 Washington Roundtable]

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 passage of the House’s version of the $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act that includes $8 billion more than the administration requested as the Senate decides against extending Obamacare subsidies raising the prospect of another government shutdown in January after the current continuing resolution that ended the last record shutdown expires; Ukraine’s partnership with European allies to blunt US demands that Kyiv meet Moscow’s demands by handling over the whole Donbas to Russia as President Trump steps up his attacks on Europe as “weak” and “decaying” in the wake of his National Security Strategy that made clear Washington sees European allies as a bigger threat than Russia; Germany’s drive to become Europe’s largest army and France’s army chief says the nation must prepare itself to sacrifice its children to defend itself as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Europe is Russia’s next target within five years and nations should prepare for war on a scale not seen since World War II as Britain’s attack subs suffer from low availability; China and Russia work together in air and naval maneuvers aimed at pressuring Japan and the United States as Washington approves the export of NVIDIA’s H200 chips to China; the Lowy Institute’s latest Power Index that finds China, North Korea and Russia have risen in the ranks as America has declined; and the 40th Australia-US Ministerial that says “full speed ahead” on the AUKUS partnership.

Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Dec 11, 25] Season 3 E47: Year of the Snake

This week, it’s China, China, China. How has the pacing threat changed in 2025, and what’s ahead in 2026? We hear from Dr. Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute at National Defense University, about systems, strategy, and more. Plus a bumper crop of #airpower headlines. Powered by GE!

Defense & Aerospace Technology Report [Dec 10, 25] CSIS' Dr. Seth Jones on the Military Tech Nexus

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. Seth Jones, the president of the defense and security department and the Harold Brown chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss his new book — “The American Edge: The Military Tech Nexus and the Sources of Great Power Dominance” — the nature of the threat posed by China to focus modernization efforts; lessons of the past to help America bolster its industrial capacity; importance of leadership and sufficient funding; grading the Trump administration’s effort to accelerate the delivery if needed capabilities at scale; and role of the entire industrial ecosystem including allies and partners in delivering more capabilities, more quickly. To learn more about the Apex conference, sponsorship and attendance opportunities please visit apexdefense.org

DEFAERO Daily Pod [Dec 09, 25]Putting the Industrial Base on a Wartime Footing w/ Dr Jerry McGinn

On today’s program, sponsored by Elbit America, Dr. Jerry McGinn, a former deputy industrial base chief who is now with the director of the Center for the Industrial Base at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the new paper he coauthored with his colleague Cynthia Cook — “Putting the Industrial Base on a Wartime Footing” — including past spending cycles, survey of defense spending by US allies and adversaries, and what Washington must do if it’s rhetoric is to turn into reality.