Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the new budgeting tool developed by AEI and the Center for Strategic and International Studies to illustrate tradeoffs needed to achieve Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s demand that the military services redirect 8 percent of their annual spending to new priorities over the coming five years; partners on the initiative; whether defense spending will increase or whether the military services will have to make difficult tradeoffs; Hegseth’s demand that combatant commands and military services headquarters be streamlined; some ideas for Space Force headquarters consolidation that could be applied elsewhere; how to make thoughtful decisions in a zero sum budget environment; whether future efforts at reform will be harder to achieve if this administration’s drive for change fail; more thoughtful potential approaches to driving major change; and costs that might be imposed on the system by wholesale personnel cuts, retirements and other changes.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners and Chris Servello, the co-host of our Cavas Ships podcast joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to budget and fiscal prospects as the Congressional Budget Office warns America will run out of money by September if not far sooner — depending on tax receipts; how the Trump administration’s intelligence assessment that puts transnational criminal organizations and terrorist at the top of the threat list could shape defense spending; impact of tariffs and calls for tariff relief from farmers that are leading exporters as well as other businesses hurt by crackdown on immigration; whether higher US tariffs will spark the American economic and jobs renaissance that the administration hopes; how allies and partners perceive this Trump administration from the last one; takeaways from last week’s shipbuilding hearing and whether Boeing or Northrop Grumman will win the US Navy’s FA-XX next generation fighter; Signalgate aftermath; and a look at the week ahead.

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 implications that US tax revenue might drop by 10 percent or $500 billion this year in the wake of job cuts at the Internal Revenue Service; the difference between the absence of war and peace as US officials continue to negotiate an end of the Ukraine war; while US officials take Vladimir Putin at his word that he doesn’t want to take “all” of Europe, European nations move rapidly to bolster their sovereign capabilities; investment across Asia as nations worry they will be next to be abandoned by the United States was Washington pursues a “grand bargain” with China; Hanwha sells stock and buys a nearly 10 percent stake in Austal; the US Air Force’s decision to award the manned combat aircraft element of the Next Generation Air Dominance program to Boeing over Lockheed Martin; what the decision means for Lockheed Martin’s outlook after decades as the world’s premiere maker of combat aircraft; and a look at the week ahead.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the latest headlines and looks at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

Dr. Arun Seraphin, the executive director of the National Defense Industrial Association’s Emerging Technologies Institute, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the defense ecosystem the nation needs to more quickly equip the force; legislation that can help DoD accelerate the fielding capabilities; how to thoughtfully trim government labs and federally funded research and development centers; the importance of open architectures to help ensure a more interoperable force and challenges associated with adopting closed ecosystems; how much of the innovation ecosystem that’s blossomed across DoD in the wake of Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s founding of the Defense Innovation Unit; and the vital importance of robust national investment in education and technology across all disciplines to advancing national security.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners and Chris Servello, the co-host of our Cavas Ships podcast joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss growing concern of a year-long continuing resolution; the industrial impact of budget and program uncertainty especially on suppliers still recovering from pandemic impacts; takeaways from President Trump’s address to Congress; defense spending impact of $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, negative impact of economic uncertainty, IRS cuts and Trump’s acknowledgement that his policies likely will cause a recession before growth; administration’s decision to suspend US participation in NATO military exercises and prospect American troops will be withdrawn from Europe; some positives and negatives investors should consider as European defense spending surges; whether Ukraine can survive without US weaponry and intelligence support; and a look at the week ahead.

Jeff Bialos, the co-chair of the Aerospace, Defense and Security Group at the Eversheds Sutherland law firm who served as a former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial affairs, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s effort cut 8 percent a year for five years from current spending to pay for new Trump administration priorities; why the cuts are significant and threaten to undermine US capabilities absent additional spending; the reality that 25 to 30 percent more spending may be needed to modernize the force, improve readiness and bolster weapons stocks; industrial strategy recommendations at a time when administration leaders advocate for startups over heritage firms; clarifying the rationale for the defense industry consolidation in the wake of the Cold War; how supply chains became steadily more global; the defense trade impact of Trump and his team’s rhetoric and policies on Ukraine, Europe as well as allies and partners; and  implications of tariffs and wholesale job cuts on program performance and costs.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners and Chris Servello, the co-host of our Cavas Ships podcast joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to global ramifications of President Trump’s unprecedented meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; whether Kyiv’s European allies will be able to support Ukraine as Washington shuts off aid and demands access to oil, gas and rare earth minerals; the US president’s meetings with French, British and other leaders; Pentagon sends a Stryker brigade combat team to the border and prospect of military operations in Mexico; DoD continues efforts to redirect spending and the impact of the cuts on the heritage defense industrial base; Elon Musk and his team continue cutting government jobs including soon at the Defense Department; prospect that more senior military officers will be fired; update on budget dynamics on Capitol Hill and guidance from the Office of Management and Budget; and a look at the week ahead.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners and Chris Servello, the co-host of our Cavas Ships podcast joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the firings of top US military officers including the the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Air Force’s vice chief as well as three judge advocate generals; how the moves will impact the force as well as recruiting and retention; what to expect from retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as the nation’s 22nd chairman given his diverse background that includes service in the Air National Guard, as a fighter pilot, role in the counter-ISIS mission, the intelligence community as well as private industry and venture capital; industrial impact of the administration’s plan to redirect between 6 and 8 percent of spending each year for the coming five years to new priorities; how the administration’s betrayal of Ukraine and anti-Europe rhetoric will shape how allies and partners respond to Washington as nations work to establish a more than 700 billion fund for new weapons purchases and Germany privates considers the need for nuclear weapons; whether the White House’s purge of the civil service will distract intelligence and law enforcement personnel charged with keeping the nation safe from terrorist and other threats, precipitating a future tragedy; and a look at the week ahead.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners and Chris Servello, the co-host of our Cavas Ships podcast joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss a week that sent allies and partners scrambling as President Trump moves to end the Ukraine war, rehabilitate Vladimir Putin, support Kyiv only if it hands over right to half its rare earth mineral deposits, and his team encourages hard right parties in Europe; Trump’s suggestion that a deal with Russia and China would allow defense spending to be cut by 50 percent; 25 percent tariffs on aluminum and steel; after a few strong messaging weeks, the administration’s game slips; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s drive to reallocate 8 percent of the Pentagon budget for new priorities contained in his 2026 budget planning guidance to the military services that would protect border, strategic deterrent programs, nuclear submarine and unmanned efforts, but would target the F-35 Lightning II fighter and other manned platforms as well as Army programs to pay for the “Iron Dome” air and missile defense system; Callan’s four scenarios to consider in light of the current chaos; an update on the collision between USS Harry S. Truman and a the merchant bulk carrier Besiktas-M on the entry to the Suez Canal; and a look at the week ahead.