Defense & Aerospace Report

Hermeus just became the first company to fly a privately-developed supersonic UAV. But that’s just a milepost on the way to a much bigger goal. Founder and executive chairman A.J. Piplica joins us to illuminate their future. With the week’s airpower headlines. Powered by GE Aerospace!

On today’s Technology Report, Vince Crisler, who was the chief information security officer at the White House during the George W Bush administration who is now the CISO at cyber security firm Celerium and serves as a member of the Pentagon’s Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Information Sharing Environment, joins Defense how the government should assess the security implications of new models as President Trump prepares to sign an executive order that would give the government a month to review models before their release; how to improve cybersecurity across the defense industrial base and flaws with the CMMC approach; and his company’s “DIB CyberDome.”

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, joining Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian are Abigail Hunter, the executive director of the Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, and Joe Quinn, the executive director of the Center for Strategic Industrial Materials, both with the Ambassador Alfred Hoffman, Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy at the industry advocacy group SAFE — Securing America’s Energy Future — to discuss strategies that will secure US access to both critical minerals as well as steel, copper and aluminum for commercial and defense needs.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense energy price impact given disruption to global energy flows and facilities; prospect US industry will get contracts to help rebuild Iran; analysis of the House Armed Services Committee chairman’s markup for the Trump administration’s proposed $1.15 trillion 2027 defense spending request; outlook for passage of the budget, Reconciliation 3.0 and an Iran war supplemental; SpaceX’s initial public offering that’s expected to hit a record valuation of $1.8 trillion; and a look at the week ahead in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense airlines grapple with higher fuel costs and declining traffic as the Department of Homeland Security threatens to pull immigration and customs enforcement officers from major US international airports to punish cities the Trump administration deems insufficiently supportive of its immigration crackdown as analysts warn the move would have a catastrophic impact on business and leisure travel to the United States; a banner week for Saab as Ukraine commits to acquiring up to 150 Gripen jets, Canada opts for four of the company’s GlobalEye radar planes, and the Swedish firm strikes a partnership to mount its LoyalEye radar on General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ MQ-9; analysis of the Pentagon’s plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on buying drones and investing in companies that make them; major Space Force contracts for SpaceX as the company launches history’s largest ever initial public offering valued at $1.8 trillion, including a $4 billion award to develop a space-based air moving target indicator capability by 2028 that would make airborne early warning aircraft obsolete and $4 billion for missile tracking radars for Golden Dome missile defense system; and Elbit and Heico earnings.

On this week’s Defense Israel ramps up strikes on Hezbollah in South Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza; Russia pounds Ukraine, warning foreigners to leave Kyiv lest they be targeted as a Russian drone overshoots Ukraine to hit an apartment building in Romania; Moscow ramping up of threats and intimidation against the Baltics as America shifts its force posture in Europe and reduce capabilities devoted to NATO; Ukraine’s decision to buy Saab’s Gripen fighter as Stockholm opts for French frigates and Canada buys Swedish radar planes; what to expect from the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ 24th annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore; South Korea’s decision to pursue nuclear attack submarines; the Quad — America, Australia, India and Japan — launches its first security organization, the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative; and the latest rift between the Israel and the UN.

Dr. Brendan Mulvaney directs the China Aerospace Studies Institute at National Defense University, which had their big biennial conference last week, and he joins us to discuss the latest in Chinese airpower. Plus the week’s other airpower headlines. Powered by GE Aerospace!

On this Land Warfare episode, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Dr. Gian Gentile, a retired US Army colonel who is now a senior historian at the Rand Corporation think tank’s Arroyo Center, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest on the Ukraine war including on the role of unmanned ground vehicles, lessons from the conflict, how armies learn lessons and whether the US Army is inculcating those lessons in its $252 billion 2027 spending request, how the need for more powerful electromagnetic and air defense capabilities as well as drones for surveillance will shape future vehicles, his new Korea Regional Review article “Ukraine War Ground Combat and its Implications for a Possible Future War Along the Korean DMZ,” the threat posed by Russia as Moscow continues to fight in Ukraine and increasingly provoke NATO’s Baltic nations, priorities for Europe as nations rebuild their ground combat capabilities, and the role of land forces in the IndoPacific.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense the prospect of a US credibility gap and what it means; Washington’s plans for Cuba and why they’re immaterial; GOP senators rebel against President Trump’s compensation fund for allies and White House ballroom plans, jeopardizing reconciliation funding for the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon; themes from last week’s congressional hearings; and a look at the week ahead in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense energy prices drop as Washington and Tehran again are on the verge of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as nations led by Britain and France prepare to participation in an international mission to help reopen the critical waterway; the prospect of ongoing operations prompts the US Air Force to cancel the RAF Benevolent Fund’s annual Royal International Air Tattoo, the weekend before the Farnborough International Airshow in July; after President Trump’s visit to Beijing, China said it would order 200 Boeing jetliners and GE Aerospace engines; GOP senators rebel over Trump’s $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies and $1 billion White House ballroom, blocking a reconciliation package to bolster Pentagon spending; after cutting 5,000 US troops from Germany and canceling the rotational deployment of 4,000 soldiers to Poland, Trump says 5,000 American troops will be permanently based in Poland to reward right-wing President Karol Nawrocki as Washington reconsiders capabilities it will make available to NATO; Sweden picks Naval Group’s Amiral Rona’ch-class FDI frigate over Babcock’s Type 31 for four-ship, $4 billion contract; mounting pressure for British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to resign; Airbus production delays as a French court holds the company and Air France accountable for a 2009 crash that killed 228; and a Seattle jury found Boeing not guilty of wrongdoing in a suit brought by Poland’s LOT airlines after the company’s 737 Max jetliners were grounded in the wake of two deadly crashes that killed 346.

On this week’s Defense prospect of a deal between Washington and Tehran as Iran continues efforts to formalize its control over the Strait of Hormuz; Vladimir Putin’s escalating provocations against the Baltics as Washington reconsiders its obligations to NATO and shifts troops in Europe; reverberations of Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping as the Chinese leader hosted Putin; Washington’s move to shift more operational control to South Korea as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Taikichi hold a landmark meeting; Seoul and New Delhi strike a security agreement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Rome to ink another security deal; and Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would evict Palestinian Bedouins from a West Bank village in retaliation for an ICC warrant seeking his arrest.

The US Air Force has ambitious plans, which even the proposed budget increases for fiscal 27 might not cover. Former Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter joins us with the analysis, including looks ahead at how CCAs, a new heavy bomber, and a future airlifter might not be what we think. Plus the week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE Aerospace!

Dr. Sampriti Bhattacharyya, the founder and CEO of Navier — an innovative company that’s developed scalable, hybrid-electric hydrofoil technologies to for faster and more efficient commercial or military vessels — joins Defense the importance of hybrid-electric propulsion especially to stealthy applications; learning lessons from past programs to craft better future solutions; access to capital in a competitive innovation market; doing business with the Pentagon as it seeks to change what it buys and how; and how best to create an innovative national technological ecosystem.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Nigel Inkster, a former director of operations and intelligence at Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service who is now a senior adviser for Cyber Security and China at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, joins Defense the implications of Trump executing his “grand bargain” that trades Taiwan for stability in the Indo-Pacific; whether Washington’s mixed messages and depleted arsenal increases the prospect of conflict; the lessons Beijing has taken from US actions in Venezuela and Iran; how Beijing is capitalizing on the Washington’s focused efforts to shatter the rules-based order created in the wake of World War II to prevent another global conflict; the dissolution of that rules-based order and whether Beijing has the will use its vast resources to enact a new order that supplants the United States; and the impact of AI on cybersecurity.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense US defense budget outlook as Senate and House conduct hearings as lawmakers plot a third reconciliation package to bolster spending; bipartisan skepticism about the cost of the Iran war and future impact on operations and maintenance in the wake of the conflict; a look at the Defense Autonomous Working Group fund; President Trump shifts on Taiwan in the wake of summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing during which the Chinese leader made clear his focus on absorbing the island democracy and the US leader sees an opportunity to realize his “grand bargain” between the world’s leading economies and military powers; and a look at the week ahead in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense Washington-Tehran talks continue as Strait of Hormuz traffic remains stalled; President Trump’s summit in Beijing with Xi Jinping that yielded few deals and Taiwan as the central bargaining chip in the relationship; the US defense budget outlook as lawmakers float the prospect a “3.0” version of reconciliation; Vladimir Putin suggests that the Ukraine war is coming to an end as he continues to pound Ukrainian cities; the Pentagon’s abrupt cancellation of the deployment of 4,000 troops after the first elements of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team had already arrived in Poland to help deter Russian aggression; UK political update as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces a leadership challenge; Babcock’s warning of higher costs on its Type 31 frigate for the Royal Navy and export customers; and Lorenzo Mariani replaces Dr Roberto Cingolani at Leonardo’s helm.

On this week’s Defense lawmaker reaction to Pentagon’s claim the Iran war has cost $29 billion; update on talks to end the US-Israel war on Iran as the CIA estimates Tehran has reconstituted much of its capabilities as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed except to shipping Iran allows; news reports that Emirati and Saudi aircraft participated in operations against Iran as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited the UAE where Israeli air defenses troops are stationed; Saudi Arabia proposes a nonaggression pact with Iran; in the first of four planned summits, President Trump flatters Xi Jinping but the Chinese leader warns of Taiwan as a flashpoint in the relationship that could lead to conflict as American eagerness for more business for US firms fails to land deals; Vladimir Putin suggests his Ukraine war is coming to an end even as he continues to bombard the country and Kyiv disrupts Moscow’s Victory Day commemorations; bipartisan lawmakers force a vote on Ukraine aid as the administration continues to punish Europe for not supporting the Iran war by abruptly canceling a planned nine-month deployment to Poland of 4,000 troops from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, some of whom had already arrived in the country to help deter Russian aggression; and an update on redistricting and their impact on November’s elections.

Is a bigger bomb always a better bomb? Tyler Hacker and Luke Widenhouse from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments say no, and make their case in a new study. We’ll break down the details, including how tactical innovations become strategic advantages. Plus the week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE Aerospace!

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Eric Fanning, the president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, joins Defense how more spending gets translated into contracts after contracting officers were culled in the name of reducing DoD headcount and improving efficiency; whether the defense and aerospace industry can absorb so much funding at once; implications of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest broadside against heritage contractors and whether the working relationship is more productive in private; the administration’s commercial approach to development and production and ensuring a level playing field for heritage and new firms; protecting intellectual property as the military services revert to proprietary architectures; right to repair; and the strategy the administration is using to determine where it invests public money in private firms.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Steve Grundman, a former Pentagon industrial base chief now with the Atlantic Council and the Grundman Advisory consultancy, joins Defense the prospect the administration’s ambitious budget and priorities will be supported by lawmakers; the strategy that’s shaping the administration’s defense planning and spending; roles of heritage and new economy defense contractors; whether the administration’s commercial contracting approach will succeed in cutting acquisition costs; the implications of shifting from open architectures to proprietary ones; and the decline in defense stock values.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense what to expect the upcoming summit between President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping; how nations worldwide are realigning defense purchases to reduce their dependence on US suppliers without alarming Washington; US defense budget deliberations as lawmakers return to the Capitol; what happens if Democrats won’t retake the House or Senate; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s video lambasting heritage contractors while touting commercial and fixed-price contract terms as outlined by the president’s recent executive order; first quarter earnings thoughts; and a look at the week ahead in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense air travel outlook as jet fuel prices soar; President Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing, the first of four meetings this year between the leaders as Washington pursues its “grand bargain” with talks that will cover trade, critical minerals, Taiwan and AI; Trump’s threat that European nations face a 25 percent tariffs on cars unless the EU accepts a trade deal by July 4 as the president threatens to withdraw troops from Italy and Spain and reassess its relationship with NATO after members of the defensive alliance refused to participate in the US-Israel offensive war on Iran; Rheinmetall’s new joint venture company with Destinus with plans to start production later this year of a new cruise missile with more than 430 miles of range and the German giant’s proposal to take over Germany’s F126 frigate program from Damen and deliver six ships under a 12 billion euro contract; Turkey’s plans for a new ICBM with a three-ton warhead and range of nearly 4,000 miles; outlook for British defense as Labour lawmakers call for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation after a drubbing in local across England, Scotland and Wales; AirAsia’s decision to order 150 Airbus A220 jetliners; and a look at Embraer, Hensoldt, Howmet, Rheinmetall, RocketLab, and Transdigm earnings.

On this week’s Defense former DoD 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 Washington’s Project Freedom mission to escort ships through the strait; Israel’s continuing strikes on Lebanon; how the energy crisis precipitated by the war shaped the European Political Community summit in Yerevan and the ASEAN meeting in the Philippines; Ukraine gains the upper hand with strikes deep into Russia as Moscow prepares to commemorate Victory Day and Russians grow increasingly frustrated with the war; President Trump threatens European allies with a 25 percent tariff on cars if the EU doesn’t approve a trade pact by July 4; analysis of the administration’s decision to cut 5,000 of 36,000 American troops from Germany and threat to pare back US forces from Italy and Spain as well; what to expect when Trump and Xi Jinping meet in Beijing; Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to Australia and Vietnam as Tokyo considers exporting used warships to the Philippines; and North Korea’s new constitution that drops reuniting with the south as a goal.

Among the many lessons of Ukraine and the Iran war is the role of small, distributed air and missile defenses, whether using -- or defending against -- missiles or drones. Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn, Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, details how effective small weapons can be, whether massed drones could undermine U.S. operational concepts, the implications of using big weapons to counter little ones, and many more insights. Plus the week’s airpower headlines. Powered by GE Aerospace!

Justin Sherman, the founder of Global Cyber Strategies, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, and the author of the book “Navigating Technology and National Security” joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the cyber aspects of the Trump administration’s 2027 federal spending request, changes lawmakers should consider to improve cyber security, impact of new AI models like Anthropic’s Mythos on improving cyber defenses, the administration’s interest in testing AI models before their release and how such tests should be conducted, and growing role of AI in warfare and the government’s oversight over contractors during military operations.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics 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 Ukraine’s ability to strike ever deeper into Russia, bringing the conflict to more Russians in more places; Russia’s continuing ability to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure; shifting battlefield dynamic as Kyiv increasingly uses unmanned ground vehicles to hold Russian forces at bay by inflicting 1,000 casualties a day; impact of continuing war, economic sanctions and harsh domestic political measures on Vladimir Putin’s popularity; speculation that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is involved in a coup plot against Putin; 8th European Political Community Summit that featured Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as featured guests and the message sent by picking Armenia to host the meeting in Yerevan; the defeat of Russian mercenaries in Mali; and the evolving transatlantic security dynamic as Washington withdraws 5,000 troops from Germany.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense the latest rupture between the United States and its European allies after the administration announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, leaving 30,000 in the nation; the Pentagon’s warning to allies in Europe and Asia to expect long delays in filling arms orders as new production is redirected to fill depleted US stocks and decision to “fast track” $8 billion in weapons to Gulf allies including $4 billion in Patriot missiles to Qatar; whether delays in US delivers will give opportunities to other European suppliers, Ukraine and South Korea; the president’s fixed-price contracting executive order; defense budget update as lawmakers express reservations about Reconciliation 2.0; the Pentagon’s $54 billion Defense Autonomous Warfare Group funding block; takeaways from Modern Day Marine; and a look at the week ahead in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense implications of the collapse of Spirit Airlines; Airbus earnings as the European giant as well as Bombardier, Crane, Garmin and L3Harris report; Textron’s plan to separate its aerospace and defense business from its industrials group; business jet outlook; Washington’s warning to allies that delivery of the US weapons they’ve ordered will be long delayed as new production is redirected to refuel depleted American military stocks; the Pentagon’s Friday announcement that 5,000 troops from Germany will be withdrawn over the next six to 12 months, leaving 30,000 US service members in the country, where troop levels were before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; and the outlook for E-7 program as the US Air Force tests two prototypes of the Boeing radar plane with five to be delivered under the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase of the multi-year contract that the Trump administration has worked to stop in favor of space-based airborne warning and control as well as ground-moving target indication missions.

On this week’s Defense former DoD 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 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine testify before Congress as Hegseth lambasts members over the Iran war, arguing the ceasefire effectively stppped the 60-day War Powers Resolution clock; GOP lawmakers move to secure public funding President Trump’s top priority White House ballroom after the attack on the White House Correspondents Association dinner that prompted the evacuation of the president and top officials; continuing talks continue to end the US-Israel war on Iran as the United Arab Emirates dropped out of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries; Trump engaged Vladimir Putin to renew efforts to force Ukraine to accept a ceasefire as Russia continues to take a beating at Ukrainian hands as its mercenaries are trounced in Mali and its “no limits” partnership with Beijing shows cracks; NATO nations consider scrapping their upcoming summit to avoid a clash with Trump; Germany’s drives ahead to become Europe’s defense leader; nuclear signaling by China and both Koreas as the Nonproliferation Treaty conference convenes in New York; defying Beijing, Paraguay’s President Santiago Pena to visit Taiwan in May as China again warned Japan about its commitment to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific; and takeaways from King Charles’ state visit and his historic address to a joint session of Congress on America’s 250th birthday.

The US Air Force is providing the bulk of firepower for Operation Epic Fury. Does their new budget request provide the Air Force the nation needs? We asked that and more of our guest, retired Major General Mark Mitchum. Plus the week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE Aerospace!

The Defense & Aerospace Report Team — Laura Winter of The DownLink, Cavas Ships Podcast cohosts Chris Cavas and Chris Servello, and Air Power Podcast co-host JJ Gertler join Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the air, land, sea and space elements of the Trump administration’s defense budget request across its $1.15 trillion base budget, $350 billion “Reconciliation 2.0” plan, and as-yet-undisclosed Iran war supplemental.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, 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 his commentary on the Breaking Defense website — “Multi-sourcing, MOSA, and producibility form next-level defense acquisition reform.”

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense diminishing US offensive and defensive precision weapons stocks and how they might shape American deterrence in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere; economic factors that could drive even rich nations to redirect spending from military programs; the continuing global defense realignment as nations work to forge new partnerships to reduce reliance on the United States; takeaways from the Trump administration’s 2027 base budget request and prospects for Reconciliation 2.0; a look earnings as Boeing, CACI, GE Aerospace, Hexcel, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, Saab, Teledyne and Thales all report; market impact in the wake of the latest instance of American political violence as a shooter tries to break into the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington; and a look at the week ahead in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense how rising jet fuel prices are impacting airlines and the commercial aviation industrial ecosystem; President Trump’s suggestion that the US government use Defense Production Act authorities to acquire Spirit Airlines for $500 million; the Trump administration submits its $1.15 trillion 2027 defense budget request to Congress as key lawmakers push back on a $350 billion reconciliation package to fund programs, $17 billion to for the president’s top priority Golden Dome air and missile defense system with only $400 million in funding included in the base budget request; how lingering Iran war costs to repair damaged civilian and energy infrastructure could complicate efforts by Gulf nations to increase defense spending; the Pentagon’s reported efforts to punish NATO members for not participating in the US-Israel war on Iran, including suspending Spain’s membership in the alliance and backing Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands as King Charles begins his state visit to the United States; Germany’s first-ever security strategy to be Europe’s defense leader by 2039; NATO’s decision to buy Saab’s GlobalEye to replace its aging fleet of Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control aircraft; and a look at first quarter earnings reported by Boeing, GE Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, Thales, and Teledyne.

On this week’s Defense former DoD 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 President Trump — citing a request from Pakistan — again extended the ceasefire with Iran to negotiate a deal as both US and Iranian forces seize ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and announced a three-week ceasefire extension to allow Jerusalem and Beirut to negotiate a deal over Hezbollah in South Lebanon; the Pentagon reportedly seeks to punish NATO allies for not supporting the Iran war, including “suspending” Spain’s membership and siding with Argentina against Britain’s sovereignty over the Falklands as the White House prepares to host King Charles for a state visit to celebrate America’s 250th birthday; Berlin plans to become Europe’s leading military by 2039 as the EU approved a 90 billion loan to Ukraine; top US Indo-Pacific commanders testify before the Senate as Washington tells Taipei to pass a defense budget in exchange for military assistance; Japan participates in US-Philippine exercises as Tokyo says it will allow arms sales to allies and partners, prompting protests from Beijing that sailed warships through Yokoate waterway; Trump fired his Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sacked Navy Secretary John Phelan; Democratic Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned; and Virginia voters approved the latest gerrymandering plan that could give Democrats an edge in November elections.

Army Aviation just came away from its biggest conference of the year, but does the new budget give them reason to celebrate? Army aviation legend retired Major General Jeff Schloesser looks at that plus operations, MV-75 updates, and lots more. And the week’s headlines, including a deep dive on the FY27 airpower budget. Powered by GE Aerospace!

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the defense and security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins Defense ” whether low US inventories will weaken deterrence and warfighting capacity especially in the Indo-Pacific; the Trump administration’s 2027 defense budget request; how long it will take to replenish depleted stocks of precision air defense as well as strike weapons; the kind of weapons America needs; and the role of allies and partners in increasing production capacity.

Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute joins Defense what will be included in the Reconciliation 2.0 measure that will boost 2027 military spending to $1.5 trillion; what would be included in a supplemental funding measure for Iran war costs; and analysis of Navy, Air Force and Army department budgets.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense whether higher government spending to offset higher energy and other societal costs in the wake of the conflict will reduce resources for defense; what to expect as the Trump administration prepares to submit its 2027 defense spending request to Congress; thoughts on drone and counter-drone warfare; tradeoffs nations are making among drones, novel capabilities and legacy systems; what to expect at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space conference and tradeshow next week; and a look at the week ahead in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense President Trump’s threat to resume strikes unless a deal is reached; impact of jet fuel prices on air carriers cut flights; implications of a merger between United and American air lines and whether regulators would approve the creation of the world’s largest air carrier that would also control half of domestic air travel; takeaways from the National Space Symposium; look ahead to the administration’s 2027 defense budget submission to Congress on Wednesday; Peter Magyar’s election as Hungary’s next prime minister; former NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson’s stark warning about the perilous state of Britain’s defenses; Italy’s decision to suspend defense cooperation with Israel; and the US Army’s decision to name Bell’s new MV-75 the Cheyenne II.

On this week’s Defense former DoD 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 whether a resumption of hostilities in South Lebanon will trigger a response from Iran; impact of Iranian statement that the Strait of Hormuz will be open through the current ceasefire; efforts by lawmakers to curb Trump’s war powers as well as renew FISA; Britain and France’s maritime coalition meeting in Paris; Xi Jinping’s criticism that the world can’t afford to revert to the law of the jungle a month before meeting with the American president in Beijing; what to expect as the administration prepares to submit its full 2027 defense spending request to Congress next week as Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought refuses to tell lawmakers how much money the Pentagon will need to cover Iran war costs; implications of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s loss to Peter Magyar as the new leader pledges to fight corruption, warm relations with the EU including dropping Budapest’s opposition to a 90 billion euro loan package to Ukraine, sack Orban cronies and restore press freedoms; former NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson’s warning that Britain is in peril after underfunding defense; prospect Russia will make a move against Europe this year; Australia’s new defense strategy that would increase military spending to 3 percent of GDP; North Korea’s vow to increase nuclear enrichment; and Trump’s feud with Pope Leo.

The US/Israeli action against Iran has gained attention for its use of advanced offensive weapons and platforms. But defenses have also been busy, and burning through munitions at a brisk rate. Dr. Tom Karako, Director of the Air and Missile Defense program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins us to dive deep on defenses. Plus the week’s airpower headlines. Powered by GE Aerospace!

Cavas Ships co-hosts Chris Cavas and Chris Servello join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss what they expect to hear from US Navy leaders at the Sea-Air-Space conference and tradeshow next week. Cavas Ships will produce daily content and our coverage is sponsored by RTX.

On today’s Technology Report program, Dr. Jim Lewis of the Center for European Policy Analysis and Mark Montgomery of the Defense of Democracies and a Cyberspace Solarium Commission senior adviser join Defense how personnel and budget cuts to the government cyber workforce and a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security make it harder to defend against attack; how Iranian capabilities compare to those of Russia and China, and why they don’t collaborate; how Anthropic’s Mythos and Palantir’s Maven are changing US military operations; the US government’s push to blacklist Anthropic and President Trump’s pro-Palantir tweet; what to expect from the administration’s upcoming cyber budget request; what it will take to implement the president’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz; and whether high operational tempo and depleting weapons stocks will undermine US deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners and Cavas Ships Podcast co-host Chris Servello join Defense what’s next in the US-Israel war on Iran; how the focus of US capabilities in the Middle East will impact America’s ability to deter conflict in the Indo-Pacific; what’s next for the conflict; outlook for the Iran war supplemental the Trump administration will seek; expectations as companies prepare to report earnings; and a look at the week ahead in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense the administration’s stance — right after the ceasefire — that it would reduce its supplemental request from 240 billion to $100 billion; Trump’s renewed criticism of NATO during a meeting with Secretary General Mark Rutte; France’s decision to withdraw the last 129 tons of gold from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as part of an 18-month strategy to reduce reliance on the dollar; Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s decision to replace Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani with the company’s former chief commercial officer, Lorenzo Mariani; Trump’s Palantir tweet; and NASA’s successful Artemis II mission to the moon.

On this week’s Defense what’s at stake as Vice President JD Vance leads a Us delegation to Islamabad for direct talks with Iran; US and European pressure on Israel over its Lebanon strategy; NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s Oval Office meeting as President Trump continued to criticize the alliance; Vladimir Putin’s proposed Ukraine ceasefire for the duration of the Orthodox Easter; Vance’s rush to Budapest to boost the election prospects of Hungarian President Viktor Orban who’s lagging in the polls before Sunday’s election; two key polls show major shifts in the Indo Pacific sentiment towards the United States and nuclear weapons; a month before Xi Jinping’s Beijing meeting with Trump, the Chinese premiere hosted Taiwan’s KMT opposition leader Cheng Li-wun as China declared an exclusion zone near Taiwan Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pyongyang; wear and tear of the Iran mission on US forces; the administration’s communications strategy; and Britain monitors Russian activity near its critical seabed infrastructure.

With all the airpower involved in Iran, we haven’t heard a lot about Naval air.  Vice Admiral John “Fozzie” Miller, former commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet, brings us up to date on naval action in Epic Fury and Naval aviation’s future. Plus a busy week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE Aerospace!

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, John Gutierrez, a retired United States Marine Corps colonel who is now the executive director of the Michigan Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the new bipartisan five-year plan to position Michigan as the arsenal of democracy for the 21st century that was unveiled by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer during the Munich Security Conference in February.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense the questions the war raises for the defense ecosystem; defense and aerospace stock performance in the wake of the conflict; the administration’s $1.5 budget request — $1.15 billion for the base budget and the rest through “Reconciliation 2.0” — plus an upcoming request for another $240 billion to cover war costs; and a look ahead to the major events of the coming week in Washington and beyond.