George Awiszus, GE Marine's marketing and business development director, on the attributes of gas turbines for naval propulsion and power for current and future warships with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Navy League's 2019 Sea Air Space conference and tradeshow near Washington where our coverage was sponsored by GE Marine, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Leonardo DRS.

Mike Petters, the president and CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries, discusses the company's recent acquisitions of cyber and IT companies G2 and Fulcrum, addressing the US Navy's unmanned systems needs, learning lessons to reduce Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine development and construction costs, saving time and money on building the second Ford-class carrier -- John F. Kennedy -- harnessing data and the role of automation with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Navy League's 2019 Sea Air Space conference and tradeshow near Washington where our coverage was sponsored by GE Marine, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Leonardo DRS.

Col. James "Hondo" Guerts, USAF Ret., the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, discusses acquisition agility, manned and unmanned systems, supporting a larger fleet and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Navy League's 2019 Sea Air Space conference and tradeshow outside Washington where our coverage was sponsored by GE Marine, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Leonardo DRS.

Rear Adm. Christian "Boris" Becker, USN, the commander of the US Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, discusses the integration of the service's information warfare capabilities, harnessing the power of data and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Navy League's 2019 Sea Air Space conference and tradeshow outside Washington where our coverage was sponsored by GE Marine, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Leonardo DRS.

Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, USN Ret., the administrator of the US Maritime Administration, discusses the need to build a bigger US merchant marine fleet to support global operations at a time of great power competition and support American trade and military operations in peace and wartime with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Navy League's 2019 Sea Air Space conference and tradeshow near Washington, where our coverage was sponsored by GE Marine, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Leonardo DRS.

Mike Sousa, productive development manager at GE Aviation, discusses the company's new T901 helicopter engines to replace the company's T700 powerplants on UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Army Aviation Association of America's 2019 conference and tradeshow in Nashville, Tenn., where our coverage was sponsored by Bell and Leonardo DRS.

Lt. Gen. Christian Badia, German Air Force, the director general for planning at Germany’s defense ministry, discusses Berlin’s military spending increases, improving standardization to rapidly improve European capabilities, deterring Russia, and changing culture with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Atlantic Council think tank’s Washington headquarters.

Michael Chertoff, the former secretary of homeland security who is now the executive chairman of the Chertoff Group consultancy and co-chair of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity discusses how to counter Russian disinformation and election meddling against the United States and its allies with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Center for Strategic and International Studies after Chertof adressed a conference marking the launch of a new report, "Russia's Attacks on Democratic Justice Systems," by Suzanne Spaulding, Devi Nair and Arthur Nelson. Chertoff and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen -- the co-founders of the transatlantic election integrity commission -- drafted a commentary that was posted on CNN's website on April 30, 2019, asking candidates to pledge that they won't accept help from malign foreign powers.

Gen. James Jones, USMC Ret., executive chairman emeritus of the Atlantic Council and former national security adviser, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander and US Marine Corps commandant, discusses the importance of winning the 5G technology competition with China, engaging allies and tensions with Turkey with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the think tank's annual International Conference on Cyber Engagement at George Washington University.

Andrei Sannikov, chairman of the European Belarus Foundation, discusses Russia's interference in the country's affairs, countering Moscow and the role of the West in promoting freedom in former Soviet republics with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted after a luncheon discussion on Capitol Hill sponsored by the Free Russia Foundation.

Brig. Gen. Jean Bouillaud, French Army, the commander of the French Army's Aviation School, discusses strategy, operational lessons, emerging threats and modernization with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Army Aviation Association of America's 2019 conference and tradeshow in Nashville, Tenn., where our coverage was sponsored by Bell and Leonardo DRS.

Lt. Gen. Ted Martin, US Army, the deputy commanding general of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Eustis, Va., discusses rebuilding high-end warfighting skills, lessons from the Cold War, capabilities as well as recruiting and retention with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Army Aviation Association of America's 2019 conference and tradeshow in Nashville., Tenn., where our coverage was sponsored by Bell and Leonardo DRS.

Mitch Snyder, the president and CEO of Bell, a Textron company, discusses the company's V-280 Valor tiltrotor development program, US Army Aviation requirements for future scout and long-range lift aircraft, and efforts to reinvent personal aerial mobility with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Army Aviation Association of America's 2019 conference and tradeshow in Nashville, Tenn., where our coverage was sponsored by Bell and Leonardo DRS. Bell also sponsors our weekly Defense & Aerospace Report podcasts.

Lt. Gen. Bill Phillips, US Army Ret., the vice president for Army programs at Boeing Defense, Space and Security, discusses the giant's US Army programs, the services decision to cut funding to the Block II version of the venerable heavy-life CH-47 Chinook helicopter, working with the new Futures Command and his advice to program managers with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Association of the United States Army's recent Global Force Symposium and Exhibition in Huntsville, Ala., where our coverage was sponsored by L3 Technologies and Leonardo DRS.

Cmdr. Bryan McGrath, USN Ret., the founder of the Ferrybridge Group consultancy, discusses improving US Navy surface forces, need for more strategic planning to deliver better warfighting capabilities and integrating air, surface and undersea unmanned vehicles with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Navy League's 2019 Sea Air Space conference and tradeshow near Washington where our coverage was sponsored by GE Marine, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Leonardo DRS.

Scott Tumpak, vice president of military programs at Airbus Helicopters, discusses the company's UH-72A Lakota helicopter -- 400 of which have been delivered to the US Army -- proposed upgrades to the aircraft and Army Aviation needs with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Army Aviation Association of America's 2019 conference and tradeshow in Nashville, Tenn., where our coverage was sponsored by Bell and Leonardo DRS.

Luke Savoie, president of L3 Technologies Surveillance and Strike Systems, discusses the company's partnership with AVX and the merits of the aircraft the two have developed to pursue the US Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program, otherwise known as the Capability Set 1 of the service's Future Vertical Lift effort with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Army Aviation Association of America's annual conference and tradeshow in Nashville, Tenn., where our coverage was sponsored by Bell and Leonardo DRS.

Keith Flail, the vice president for advanced vertical lift systems at Bell, a Textron company, discusses development of the V-280 Valor tiltrotor demonstrator and the US Army's requirements for the Capability Set 3 of the Future Vertical Lift program with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Army Aviation Association of America's 2019 conference and tradeshow in Nashville, Tenn., where our coverage was sponsored by Bell and Leonardo DRS.

Heidi Hardt, PhD, assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine, discusses her new book -- "NATO's Lessons in Crisis: Institutional Memory in International Organizations" -- and how large institutions remember lessons learned with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

Janne Kuusela, the policy director at Finland's defense ministry, discusses closer cooperation with Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Norway, understanding Russia, countering disinformation, better cyber security and the country's competition for a new fighter aircraft with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview, conducted at the residence of Sweden’s ambassador to the United States, followed an Atlantic Council event in Washington marking 10th anniversary of the Nordic Defense Cooperation agreement to improve collaboration among Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Col. Randy Rotte, US Army Ret., the director of global‎ sales and marketing for cargo helicopters and future vertical lift at Boeing Defense, Space & Security, discusses the first flight of the Defiant aircraft developed cooperatively by the company and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, the attributes of the co-axial, compound design and suitability for the US Army’s Capability Set 1, and the service's decision to cut funding for the Block II version of the CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopter with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Army Aviation Association of America's 2019 conference and trade show in Nashville, Tenn., where our coverage was sponsored by Bell and Leonardo DRS.

Lt. Col. Tom Carlisle, US Army Ret., the senior director for Army solutions at Elbit Systems of America, discusses the company's Iron Vision real-time, ground-vehicle situational awareness system with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Association of the United States Army's 2019 Global Force Symposium and Exhibition in Huntsville, Ala., where our coverage was sponsored by L3 Technologies and Leonardo DRS.

Dan Verwiel, the vice president and general manager of the integrated air and missile defense division at Northrop Grumman Information Systems, discusses the company's missile defense portfolio, the recent successful multi-salvo national missile defense test, layered defenses and countering hypersonic threats with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Association of the United States Army's 2019 Global Force Symposium and Exhibition in Huntsville, Ala., where our coverage was sponsored by L3 Technologies and Leonardo DRS.

Stephen Flanagan, PhD, senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation think tank, discusses the challenges facing NATO on its 70th anniversary, challenges, as well as Turkey and the alliance with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian at the NATO Engages: The Alliance at 70 event sponsored by the Atlantic Council, the German Marshall Fund, the Munich Security Conference and other think tanks and organizations to mark NATO’s founding with the signing of the Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. From those 12 founding nations, 29 nations are now members.

Kasper Høeg-Jensen, the head of the security policy and operations department of Denmark's ministry of defense, discusses closer Nordic cooperation, NATO, Greenland, China, climate change and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview, conducted at the residence of Sweden’s ambassador to the United States, followed an Atlantic Council event in Washington marking 10th anniversary of the Nordic Defense Cooperation agreement to improve collaboration among Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Col. Robert Kelley, US Army Ret., director of integrated air and missile defense business development and strategy at Raytheon, discusses improvements to the company's Patriot air and missile defense system with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Association of the United States Army's 2019 Global Force Symposium and Exhibition in Huntsville, Ala., where our coverage was sponsored by L3 Technologies and Leonardo DRS.

John Bryant, president of Oshkosh Defense, discusses the new ambulance version of the company's Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, cuts requested by the US Army in its 2020 budget request that would stretch out the program, the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the Association of the United States Army's annual Global Force Symposium and Exhibition in Huntsville, Ala., where our coverage was sponsored by L3 Technologies and Leonardo DRS.

Gaylia Campbell, the vice president for precision fires and combat maneuver systems at Lockheed Martin, discusses the company's portfolio of precision fire systems programs, efforts to increase range and supportability with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The Interview was conducted at the Association of the United States Army's annual Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Ala., where our coverage was sponsored by L3 Technologies and Leonardo DRS.

The Trump Administration's 2020 Budget Request Could Be, But OCO, F-15X, Carrier, Amphib, Space Force Raise Doubts

Now that President Trump has declared a national emergency to build his border wall, all eyes are on what will be cut to free the additional $7.5 billion he wants as a down payment for the project. Rather than the wall, that money would be better spend on buying new systems and capabilities the United States desperately needs as it faces rising global powers.

You can’t be a real airplane lover and take satisfaction in seeing the end of a flagship aviation program. That said, Airbus’ decision last week to halt production of the A380 by 2021 will bring an end to a polarizing program. It was neither sleek nor particularly attractive, but it was an astonishing aeronautical achievement that was ultimately too big to succeed.

Qualifications, however, will be secondary to personal loyalty when Trump makes a choice that will have major implications for national and international security for many years to come.

In its recent report, "Artificial Intelligence and National Security: The Importance of the AI Ecosystem," the Center for Strategic and International Studies writes that "AI has profound potential to affect the balance of power in both the global economy and in military competition. While AI has a long history, AI has begun to deliver results within the last decade, particularly with the recent rapid progress in machine learning and the increased availability of data and computing power. As impactful as the recent progress has been, AI remains highly problem-specific and context-dependent. It has proven extremely challenging to translate the progress in some fields to others, even those that are closely related. Enthusiasm in both the public and private sectors has obscured the importance of building the robust supporting capabilities for AI—an AI ecosystem—that are crucial to successful AI adoption." The report was sponsored in part by Thales USA.

In "Trump's 2019 Missile Defense Budget: Choosing Capacity over Capability," a February 28, 2018, installment of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' CSIS Briefs series, Tom Karako, PhD, director of CSIS' Missile Defense Project and a senior fellow in its International Security Program, and Wes Rumbaugh, an research assistant with the ISP, analyze the missile-defense side of the Trump administration's FY19 budget request, identify its priorities and shortfalls, lend historical context and deem the proposed budget "inadequate" to combat "the threat for both ballistic and nonballistic missile attack."

"The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation," a February 2018 joint report from the Center for a New American Security, the Future of Humanity Institute, the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, the University of Cambridge, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and OpenAI, looks at the potential for artificial intelligence to be weaponized in the digital, physical and political security domains, predicts the future AI threat landscape and offers preventative recommendations for policymakers to combat the risk of misused AI. "This report surveys the landscape of potential security threats from malicious uses of artificial intelligence technologies, and proposes ways to better forecast, prevent, and mitigate these threats," the report reads. "We analyze, but do not conclusively resolve, the question of what the long-term equilibrium between attackers and defenders will be. We focus instead on what sorts of attacks we are likely to see soon if adequate defenses are not developed.

In "Overview of the 2019 President's Budget Request for Defense," a Feb. 15, 2018, report from the Center for a New American Security, authors Susanna Blume, a CNAS Defense Strategies and Assessment Program fellow, and Lauren Fish, a research associate with the program, provide a bird's-eye look at what the White House's FY19 defense-budget request means for readiness, procurement, research, development, test and evaluation, the Missile Defense Agency, US Army, US Navy, US Marine Corps and US Air Force, and the US Defense Department, as a whole. "Even in these times of increasing budgets, DoD must still make tough decisions about what to prioritize and where to accept risk," they write.