On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored by L3Harris, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, former DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of 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 the Trump administration’s obligation of $142 billion in spending before the funding expired, US bond yields hit nearly 5.3 percent, the highest since 2002; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid out his vision for the force to junior leaders, including a panel to study of the future of war, a new drone combatant command and a giant new base to house American troops returning to the United States; Russia threatens NATO with nuclear weapons as the alliance grapples with how to respond to Moscow’s increasing hybrid provocations; President Trump turns down a deal with Iran; Abu Dhabi and Riyadh work to reconcile differences as Syria and Hezbollah meet in Turkey; Israel’s prime minister visits the UAE; Xi Jinping marks China’s national day after returning from his summit with President Trump; Beijing’s second military base in the Indo-Pacific; and Seoul approves the first major investment in the United States since President Lee Jae Myung made his pledge last year to spend $350 billion in America.
