Paul Lemmo, the vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors unit, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how the company in two years went from contract signing to a successful live exo-atmospheric intercept of a medium-range ballistic missile target for the Aegis Guam System that’s key for the defense of the key Pacific island; the key to delivering capabilities at speed, whether testing new missile defenses or new frigates; his unit’s role in developing radar and combat systems for Australian, Canadian and Spanish warship programs; global growth prospects while navigating trade and security challenges as a new administration takes office; partnering with suppliers to ensure access to systems and components vital to keeping programs on schedule; recruiting and retaining top talent in a competitive market; lessons from the US Army’s Future Vertical Lift program that demanded competitors share development costs; and his company’s unique ability to integrate complex sensor, combat and weapon systems.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the economic and geopolitical implications President-elect Trump’s comments on tariffs as well as the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada; whether the comments will fuel higher inflation that will have to be factored into defense planning; Pentagon budget outlook as the outgoing Biden administration is reported to expected to ask for $1 trillion in 2026; cost of massive California wildfires and other climate-related disasters on federal spending; confirmation outlook for Trump’s nominees including Pete Hegseth as defense secretary as Senate hearings begin; takeaways from Israel’s Nagel Report that identifies Turkey as a threat and urges Jerusalem to reduce reliance on US as a security partner after a second Trump administration; BWXT’s acquisition of Kinectrics; what to expect at the Surface Navy Association’s conference and tradeshow; and a look at the week ahead.

On today’s program, sponsored by Lockheed Martin, Mark Montgomery, a retired US Navy rear admiral who is now the senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the executive director of the Cyber Solarium 2.0 project, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian discuss China’s recent hack of the US Treasury Department on heels of Beijing’s penetration of major US telecommunications companies, what the Flax, Volt and Salt Typhoon attacks mean, what the attacks mean as China becomes increasingly risk tolerant in the nature and scope of its cyber operations, what has to happen to stop the attacks and reestablish deterrence, Beijing’s increasingly aggressive behavior as Russia adopts increasingly hybrid warfare techniques against the United States and Western nations, how to counter such hybrid tactics like destroying undersea infrastructure, jeopardizing air cargo carriers and targeted assassinations, the global implications of the incoming Trump administration’s approach to the Ukraine war and Taiwan, and what to expect at next week’s Surface Navy Association’s national symposium.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss newsflow during the holidays, prospect that nations forced to spend more on defense by Donald Trump will spend the increase at home rather than on US weapons, whether the world is a more dangerous place, the notion that we are in a defense spending “super cycle,” US defense spending outlook and prospect for reapportionment of resources among the military services, the Financial Times report that Anduril, Palantir, SpaceX and other defense tech firms are considering forming a consortium to better compete for DoD business, ensuring fairness in competitions between heritage and new defense firms, the big issues of 2025, and a look at the week ahead.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, our editorial strategist and Cavas Ships podcast co-host Chris Servello looks back at the key events of 2024 as we look ahead to 2025; and Matt Warnick, the CEO of American Rheinmetall Vehicles, and Jason Atkinson, the CEO of Loc Performance, discuss the armored vehicle maker’s nearly $1 billion acquisition of the Michigan-based specialty company with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss political, market and international surprises in 2024 that will be consequential in the coming year; a look at the National Defense Authorization Act and appropriations expectations; the IISS’ global outlook; the Washington International Trade Association’s take on Trump and tariffs; the Defense Innovation Unit and the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft; HII’s shipyard acquisition; and a look at the week ahead.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim and emeritus National Defense Industrial Association Chairman Arnold Punaro discuss key takeaways from the 11th Reagan National Defense forum; Building the Base podcast hosts former Navy Acquisition chief Hondo Geurts and Beacon Global Strategies’ Lauren Bedula discuss defense industrial themes at Reagan; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses defense implications of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and what’s next for the region, the NDAA, Vivek Ramaswamy’s comments at Aspen next week and what they mean for the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, defense mobilization, and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Anlyses, discusses Russia’s grinding advance on Ukrainian positions in Kursk and Donbas and Luhansk, importance of Germany’s new $700 million pledge and US efforts to surge weapons to Kyiv, Vladimir Putin’s challenges as casualties mount and Russia’s economy falters, statements by leading European officials that Moscow may be behind the deadly crash of a DHL cargo plane over Lithuania, Putin’s call for a new Russian unmanned force, the unmanned air warfare lessons Syrian and other rebel groups have learned from Ukraine; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the “headline risk” that defense and aerospace firms will be subjected to in a second Trump administration whether from the president or his acolytes, impact of possible tariffs on companies in Canada and Mexico that are integral to the US aerospace and defense industrial base, what Trump’s personnel picks may mean, balancing manned and unmanned capability, the good and bad characteristics of the “tech bro” venture capital mindset, an update on the budget and appropriations as Congress returns to DC, and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Dr. Evelyn Farkas, the executive director of MccAin Institute at Arizona State University who helps pick the honoree of the annual John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service awarded each year at the Halifax International Security Forum, discusses takeaways from this year’s gathering, the importance of Ukrainian victory over Russia for democracies worldwide, the two leaders honored with the McCain Prize this year — Vladimir Kara Murza in 2024 for his courage against Vladimir Putin and former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen in 2020 for her stance against an increasingly belligerent China — the best outcome for Ukraine as Donald Trump vows a fast end to the war, the role of American leadership and a look ahead to Halifax organizers HFX’s conference in Taipei Feb. 20-21, 2025; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the latest on the transaction to a second Trump administration including possible deputy defense secretary picks including investor Stephen Fineberg and Anduril co-founder Trae Stevens, Elon Musk’s tweet that F-35 Lighting II fighter maker Lockheed Martin are “idiots” and that more armed drones are needed in the future, how the Department of Government Efficiency will deliver savings, the importance of process reforms over merely cutting workforce, the importance of cutting cycle times in executing big projects whether building the Pentagon or designing the iPod, and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security discusses President Biden’s decision to allow Kyiv to use US supplied weapons against Russia steps up strikes on Ukraine’s power grid and 50,000 Russian and North Korean forces entr the fray, whether the new weapons will change the course of the war that’s expected to end the day Donald Trump returns to the White House, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz’s phone call with Vladimir Putin; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses Trump’s picks for top jobs, the implications of the Department of Government Efficiency and deep cuts to spending as well as the federal workforce, takeaways from the Mitchell Institute’s Airpower Future Forum and the Naval Submarine League’s annual symposium, and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.