On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss Wall Street’s rebound despite inflation hitting its highest mark since 2022 propelled in part by SpaceX’s Initial public offering; President Trump’s claim to a ceasefire deal to immediately open the Strait of Hormuz as Iran says more time is needed and Israel says it’s not party to any agreement; president’s planned meeting next week at the White House to meet with top US defense executives accelerate weapons production refill stocks depleted by continuous military operations and support for Ukraine and Israel; the House Armed Services Committee moves to back the Trump administration’s 2027 budget request at $1.15 trillion, but House appropriators mark the measure at $1.07 trillion as consensus grows that reconciliation measure to add $350 billion to the Pentagon budget is unlikely, setting up the prospect of jamming $1.15 trillion of spending into $1.15 trillion in available funding; implications of planned US cuts to forces available to NATO including fighter, reconnaissance and tanker aircraft, bombers, a ballistic missile submarine and warships including an aircraft carrier as alliance members remain unable to unite to compensate for Washington’s pull back; the unraveling of the Franco-German SCAF next generation combat air systems effort with Spain and Belgium at the Berlin Air Show; Germany is now said to be eying participation in the Global Combat Air Program led by Britain and including Italy and Japan as reports suggest London’s funding for marquee effort is shaky; the resignations of British Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns to protest Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s inability to bolster defense spending as Japanese officials reportedly expressed frustration at Britain’s funding levels for the program; and more tensions between France and Germany at the Eurosatory ground warfare exhibition in Paris next week.
