Defense & Aerospace Report

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 another bull-market high on Wall Street; President Trump’s demand the EU accept 15-20 percent minimum tariffs by Aug. 1 as Brussels prepares to retaliate with higher taxes on American aircraft, bourbon and cars; the US administration says it’s netted $64 billion in tariff revenue since the start of the year; Embraer’s warning that new taxes would increase regional aircraft unit costs for aircraft sold in America by $9 million; despite economic worries, Delta and United announce soaring profits and reinstate their bullish air travel guidance; GE Aerospace and Saab earnings as defense and aerospace firms prepare to follow suit; British Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; and President Trump says he will sell weapons to NATO nations for shipment to Ukraine.

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 of the Center for a New American Security, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Senate Republicans’ move to rescind $9 billion in approved funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting; the House Armed Services Committee’s NDAA markup as the Senate Armed Services Committee filed their version of the bill; President Trump’s decision to sell arms to NATO members that would pass the weapons to Ukraine and 50-day deadline to make a peace deal otherwise Moscow would face stiff primary and secondary sanctions; the meeting between British Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; France’s new national security strategy; the de-escalating US-China trade war as a possible summit looms; Japan’s Defense White Paper ahead of important Upper House election Sunday; China-Australia trade ties as war games and defense pressures mount; Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s eroding coalition; Israel’s strikes on Syria to prompt the country’s interim leader to protect the country’s Druze minority; and the rising death toll in Gaza rises as a Hamas deal remains elusive.

Join Brigadier General Pierre Gaudilliere, Chief of the French Air Force's Fighter Force, as he dives into the intricacies of the French Air and Space Force's global operations with a fleet of 160 fighters. He discusses the modernization of military strategies in light of escalating threats, particularly from Russia. Insights on the role of air power in contemporary conflicts and the integration of cutting-edge technologies like the Saab Global Eye system show how France plans to maintain air superiority. Get ready for an engaging exploration of aerospace strategy!

On today’s Technology Report, sponsored by Elbit America, Michael Greenman, the senior manager for cloud solutions at enterprise software firm Deltek, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss what’s next as Pentagon prepares to implement the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification process to bolster US defense industrial base cyber security.

Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest on the Ukraine war as President Trump agrees to sell weapons to NATO nations to better support Kyiv and warns Moscow that severe sanctions will be imposed by the United States in 50 days unless a peace deal is struck; the evolving nature of the drone war between Ukrainian and Russian forces that include using fishing nets to block small air vehicles; how Ukraine is using UAVs to intercept other UAVs; and analysis of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new “drone dominance” strategy.

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 President Trump’s abrupt threat of against higher tariffs on the EU, Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and others unless they accept his trade terms by Aug. 1 and its impact on the Defnese and aerospace ecosystem; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “drone dominance” guidance and whether it will accelerate the fielding of novel unmanned capabilities; what the unfounded priorities lists submitted by the US military services to Congress say about the administration’s budget; what to expect this week from appropriations hearings; second quarter outlays; what it will take to quadruple production of PAC-3 air and missile defense weapons; and a look at the week ahead.

Join Dr. Ron Epstein, a financial guru from Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa, a savvy analyst from Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia, an aviation expert from AeroDynamic consultancy. They delve into Wall Street's reaction to Nvidia's soaring success and the geopolitical ripple effects of potential U.S. tariffs. Discussions highlight a historic nuclear agreement between Britain and France, the evolving landscape of fighter aircraft procurement with Peru's Gripen deal, and the EU’s strategic responses to trade challenges. A lively insight into the future of defense and aerospace!

Michael Herson, a lobbyist for American Defense International, joins Dov Zakheim, former Pentagon comptroller, and Patrick Cronin, Asia Pacific Security Chair at the Hudson Institute, along with Jim Townsend, ex-Pentagon Europe Chief. They discuss the legislative consequences of a tax-cut bill affecting defense funding and military readiness. The guests analyze rising geopolitical tensions, including U.S. tariffs and a newly forged UK-France nuclear pact, while also addressing escalating conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

It’s a pretty sure bet that the future of airpower is increasingly uninhabited. Dr. Caitlin Lee of the RAND Corporation has six propositions to consider when trying to understand where we are with UAVs, and we’ll go through them in detail. And a lot going on in this week’s airpower headlines. Powered by GE!