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 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 Russia’s expanding strikes on Ukraine and Black Sea shipping, sinking a Togo-flagged cargo ship off the Bulgarian coast with all hands missing; how NATO should respond to Moscow’s escalating hybrid operations as well as kinetic actions to deter further aggression; questions about the alliance’s cohesion as Washington continues to warm relations with Moscow, inviting Vladimir Putin to attend the upcoming G20 meeting; Britain and Germany agree to bolster military and economic cooperation; the US Air Force withdraws bombers from Britain over security concerns as Israel says Iran was targeting American bases in Europe; Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s address in Athens; the backlash in the wake of the arrest of a US Marine on Okinawa accused of killing a local woman; the FBI arrest of a Chinese national accused of spying on the Taiwanese leader’s son; the growing US-China AI competition; Pakistan, Syria, and Turkey help Saudi Arabia in its fight against Houthis attacking the kingdom’s energy infrastructure as Washington quietly supports Riyadh despite having inked a deal with the Tehran-backed Yemeni group for safe passage of US and Israel ships through the Bab al-Mandab; Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tries to exploit the heroism of Israeli passengers that thwarted an attempt by the pilot to crash a recent FlyDubai flight, but faces criticism for failing to investigate the background of the pilot to who surveilled Ben Gurion airport before the flight; and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a long-time Israel supporter who now opposes aid.
