Defense & Aerospace Report

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discuss Ukraine’s offensive into Russia’s Kursk region; whether the risks of the operations are worth the rewards; how Moscow will respond; and what to expect from the Army 2024 arms show; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses takeaways from the National Defense Industrial Association’s Emerging Technologies conference last week; Anduril’s move to raise $1.5 billion for a giant new production facility for large-scale unmanned systems production; prospects for a wider regional war as Iran considering attacking Israel after Jerusalem assassinated key Hezbollah and Hamas leaders; Ukraine’s attack into Russia; polling in US presidential race and Vice President Harris’ national security stance; and a look 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 discuss world markets rocked by Japan’s biggest stock plunge since 1987; Boeing’s new CEO Kelly Ortberg tells employees he and his team will be walking factory floors — and does so on Day One at the company’s helm; NASA suggests that two astronauts launched on Boeing’s StarLiner spacecraft in June might have to be recovered by SpaceX next February; Rheinmetall posts record-breaking sales; Anduril raises $1.5 billion to “rebuild the arsenal of democracy” by “hyperscale” hiring, investment and facilities for new weapons production; a Voepass airlines ATR 72 regional turboprop crashed outside Sao Paolo killing all 62 aboard; British Airways and Virgin have both suspended flights to China; and Joby Aviation claims it will start commercial air taxi services in Dubai next year.

In this discussion, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute, Michael Herson from American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim tackle a variety of pressing topics. They analyze Vice President Harris' choice of Tim Walz as a running mate and its electoral implications. The conversation shifts to Ukraine's offensive against Russia, U.S. partnerships in the Pacific, and ongoing calls for ceasefire efforts in Gaza. The experts also delve into the strategic military goals of the U.S. amid rising global tensions.

It’s been a very busy few weeks in airpower, with a new blue-ribbon panel to reconsider NGAD and NGAS, FLRAA going into full scale development, F-16s arriving in Ukraine, and much more. Aviation Week defense editor Steve Trimble helps make sense of it all, including the top headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

Justin Sherman, the founder of Global Cyber Strategies advisory firm and nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, discusses the new report he authored — “Russia’s Digital Tech Isolationism: Domestic Innovation, Digital Fragmentation, and the Kremlin’s Push to Replace Western Digital Technology” — how Moscow uses its digital technology for global advantage, impact of sanctions that have driven a rise in domestic capability and greater partnership and reliance on China, the global market for Russian and Chinese digital technologies among nations that want to operate outside US and Western sanctions, how to counter Russian dis and misinformation, and outlook for social media regulation in Washington with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Dmitri Alperovich, the chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator think tank who co-founded the cyber security giant CrowdStrike , discusses the new book he coauthored with Garrett Graff — “World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century.” — similarities and lessons from the West’s Cold War competition with the Soviet Union, why China is more vulnerable than the Soviet Union and how the West can win the contest, how best to cooperate with Beijing, and a report card on US efforts to improve cyber security with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discuss last week’s deal that saw Russia exchange innocent Americans and Russian activists for Russian assassins, spies and hackers, and whether the deal will prompt Moscow to take more hostages in the future; update on the Ukraine war and growing worries that Kyiv is losing the conflict and if so, what Western nations can do to change the battlefield dynamic; a new Duma law that prohibits soldiers from using their personal electronic devices on the front; and how Vice President Harris and those around her regard Russia, Ukraine and NATO; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the sharp market drop on Aug. 5, 2024, and how global worries impacted defense and aerospace equities; a look at Boeing’s results last week and news that Kelly Ortberg will succeed Dave Calhoun as the giant’s CEO; defense budget prospects as Senate appropriators cleared 11 of 12 spending bills before leaving town for August; prospect of a wider Middle East war war as Iran vows retaliation after Israel assassinated top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, including one in Tehran; and a look 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 discuss Wall Street meltdown on a sharper than expected drop in new jobs even as the Federal Reserve said rate cuts are imminent; Boeing taps one of the industry host highly regarded retirees — former Collins CEO Kelly Ortberg — as its new chief executive as the company also reports dismal earnings and needs to raise capital; Airbus, BAE Systems, MTU, and Rolls-Royce also report earnings; and the Air Force says still going to develop a new, six-generation manned fighter even as it rethinks the penetrating counter air portion of the Next-Generation Air Dominance program.

Dr. Patrick Cronin, a defense expert, joins Michael Herson from American Defense International, former Pentagon chief Jim Townsend, and ex-Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim to discuss pressing global issues. They delve into a complex hostage exchange with Russia and escalating Middle East tensions following Israel's actions against Hamas and Hezbollah. The group also analyzes rising military expenditures, the U.S. response to China's hacking, and potential candidates for Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate in the upcoming elections.

The US Air Force has sunk a Navy ship -- with a new anti-ship weapon launched from a B-2. We’ll get into the implications with the Sagamore Institute’s Dr. Jerry Hendrix, a retired US Navy captain, naval aviator and strategist. And CSIS’s Dr. Tom Karako comes by to update us on the latest in air and missile defense around the world. Plus the top headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!