Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Washington Roundtable Feb 14, ’25]

Feb 14, 2025

Guest

Michael Herson

Guest

Michael Herson, a lobbyist at American Defense International, joins Jim Townsend, former Pentagon Europe chief, Dov Zakheim, ex-Pentagon comptroller, and Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific Security expert. They dive into Trump's proposals to cut Pentagon waste while aiming for a $100 billion defense spending increase. The discussion touches on shifting U.S. military strategies, alliances in a multipolar world, and the impact of geopolitical tensions on global security. Highlights include fears over American credibility and historical parallels in current national security policies.

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Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 4min

Congressional Reconciliation and Defense Dynamics

03:32 • 13min

The Trump Doctrine and Global Defense Dynamics

16:50 • 22min

Geopolitical Echoes: Security and Strategy

38:46 • 18min

Diplomatic Tensions Over Gaza: Responses and Strategies

56:37 • 3min

Saudi Arabia's Role in Global Negotiations and Military Exercises

59:49 • 2min

Geopolitical Influence and Domestic Challenges

01:01:19 • 3min

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 efforts to raise defense spending by $100 billion; President Trump’s claim that billions in waste can be cut from the Pentagon as Elon Musk and the Muskovites set their sights on DoD; Trump proposed talks with China and Russia to allow Pentagon spending to be halved; Trump alarms America’s closest allies after disclosing a 90-minute call with Vladimir Putin as the two negotiate ending the Ukraine war, rejecting NATO membership for Kyiv, pledging reciprocal visits and calling for Russia to return to the G7; Vice President Vance rips into allies at the Munich Security Conference; allies see Europe shielding Ukraine as Washington helps Putin get off the hook for a war he started that’s caused more than 1 million casualties and displaced millions more; a day after getting out of jail free, Putin strikes the sarcophagus containing the reactor at Chernobyl that exploded in 1986; US allies in Europe and Pacific consider new alliances of like-minded democracies to better defend themselves and preserve free trade; president says US businesses shouldn’t be constrained by laws against bribing foreign officials; King Abdullah visits the White House where he’s put in a tough spot by the President’s insistence that America would annex Gaza and force Jordan and Egypt to accept 2 million Palestinians who now live there; Bibi Netanyahu threatens to end the ceasefire and resume military operations; and America’s indo-pacific commander warns that Chinese war games around taiwan are now so incessant they could serve as a fig leaf for a military invocation of the island.