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.

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.