On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored by L3Harris, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Cavas Ships podcast cohost Chris Servello, and 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 two-week Pakistan-brokered ceasefire to allow for negotiations to end the US-Israel war on Iran; what’s at stake as Vice President JD Vance leads a Us delegation to Islamabad for direct talks with Iran; US and European pressure on Israel over its Lebanon strategy; NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s Oval Office meeting as President Trump continued to criticize the alliance; Vladimir Putin’s proposed Ukraine ceasefire for the duration of the Orthodox Easter; Vance’s rush to Budapest to boost the election prospects of Hungarian President Viktor Orban who’s lagging in the polls before Sunday’s election; two key polls show major shifts in the Indo Pacific sentiment towards the United States and nuclear weapons; a month before Xi Jinping’s Beijing meeting with Trump, the Chinese premiere hosted Taiwan’s KMT opposition leader Cheng Li-wun as China declared an exclusion zone near Taiwan Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pyongyang; wear and tear of the Iran mission on US forces; the administration’s communications strategy; and Britain monitors Russian activity near its critical seabed infrastructure.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, and former DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian discuss President Trump’s stance that the US-Israel war on Iran would continue another two to three weeks irrespective of a peace deal with Iran and will leave it other nations to restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz; statements by the president and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that America would reconsider its membership in NATO after alliance members declined to participate in a Hormuz mission until after the shooting stops; views of Trump’s Wednesday address from Europe and the Indo-Pacific that sent energy prices soaring and markets falling; Britain convenes 40 nations to discuss “joint action” to reopen the strait that included Canada, France, Germany, India, and the United Arab Emirates; Trump sacked Pam Bondi as attorney general as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George; lawmakers grapple to fund the Department of Homeland Security and map Reconciliation 2.0 as they also await the administration’s $1.5 trillion 2027 budget and Iran war supplemental requests; European allies continue to call on Washington to support Ukraine as the key to stability in the Indo-Pacific as Washington works to reset relations with Moscow; and Japanese combat troops will return to the Philippines for the first time since World War II as part of the annual Balitakan exercise involving the so-called “Squad” nations — Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored by L3Harris, 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 Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian discuss the US-Israel war on Iran as President Trump touts talks to end the conflict that has roiled world markets and sent energy prices soaring, driving up inflation; whether lawmakers will vote to constrain the administration’s war powers as GOP members worry that the economic turmoil in the wake of the conflict will hurt the party’s political prospects in November as Democrats made gains in Florida elections this week; outlook for wartime supplemental, reconciliation and base budget spending as lawmakers work to restore Department of Homeland Security funding; European nations jolted by soaring energy prices are under pressure from their citizens to find ways to both return normal traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and mollify a mercurial US president, with capitals suggesting they’re willing to help in an international mission after the shooting stops; whether Europe has an opportunity to supplant Washington as a Middle East and Indo-Pacific partner; Washington races to normalize relations with Russia despite Moscow’s intelligence and weapons support for Iran; US pressure on Ukraine to give up Donbas in exchange for security guarantees as the Pentagon considers shifting defensive weapons bound for Ukraine to the Middle East as Russia continues to pound the country; Asian governments scramble to triage energy to mitigate economic shocks; the White House says the president’s postponed summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing will be 14-15 May; Kim Jong Un uses the Iran war to justify his nuclear arsenal; and Israel’s campaign in South Lebanon.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored by L3Harris, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, Cavas Ships podcast co-host Chris Servello, former DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the US-Israel war on Iran as the conflict enters its third week as energy markets are shaken by strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure and a backup of ships unwilling to brave the Strait of Hormuz; administration prepares to ask Congress for a $200 billion supplemental to cover war costs as it also plans to request $1.5 trillion in 2027 spending; rift between Washington and Jerusalem after President Trump said Israel was responsible for the attack on Iran’s energy facilities prompting Tehran to strike Gulf plans including Qatar’s massive Ras Laffan facility that’s lost 17 percent of its production capacity, driving a spike in gas prices; Israeli jets strike Iran reportedly from Azerbaijan; administration starts multistep process to escort tankers through the Strait as Europe, Japan and other allies consider participation in a mission to restore traffic; a week after Washington lifted sanctions on Russian oil, European leaders say it’s time to resume energy trade with Moscow; how rising energy prices and lifted sanctions will replenishing Moscow’s coffers as the rate of US and Israeli weapons use has raised concerns in Kyiv and across the alliance; Israel’s Lebanon campaign against Hezbollah that’s displaced 1 million; Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takeuchi’s White House visit and US intelligence testimony on Iran, China and Taiwan; and the Iran war prompts Trump to postponed his planned meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing in April.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored by L3Harris, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, Cavas Ships podcast co-host Chris Servello, former DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss prospects for a supplemental and reconciliation 2.0 spending packages as the US-Israel war on Iran spans into its third week; confusion about the nature of the mission after conflicting statements from senior administration officials; as energy prices soar in the wake of the war despite the release of an unprecedented 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, Washington lifts sanction on Russian energy for 30-days; implications of lifting sanctions on Moscow as Russia continues its war on Ukraine; what it will take to ensure to normalize traffic through the Strait of Hormuz; France’s naval deployment to the Middle East where 400,000 of its citizens live; US shifts air and missile defenses from Australia and South Korea to the Gulf; new alignment between European nations and China over energy concerns; China’s 15th five-year plan as Xi Jinping prepares to meet with Trump in Beijing; Israel has steps up strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon with more than 700,000 evacuating after being warned to leave their homes.

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 Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the US-Israel war on Iran and the Trump administration’s supplemental funding request to cover mounting operations costs as well as growing weapons needs as the stocks of precision air defense and strike weapons diminishes in the wake of campaigns over the past year; the administration’s shifting goals for the Iran war from the president’s call for regime change — and now unconditional surrender — to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s goal of destroying Tehran’s military and nuclear capabilities; analysis of the administration and its alies’ stance that the Venezuela and Iran operations are about pressuring China and curbing Beijing’s global influence; the failure of Senate and House war powers resolutions; European reaction to the war and impact on India after a US submarine sinks an Iranian ship invited by New Delhi to participate in naval exercises; France’s plan to increase nuclear weapons stocks and field a new ballistic missile submarine by 2036 and discussions with Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden join Paris’ new forward deterrent strategy; impact of Iran war on Ukraine as Kiev deploys air defense specialists to help counter Iranian attacks; Trump’s decision to replace Kristie Noem as Homeland Security secretary with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.; and Beijing’s decision to pare its economic growth target to 5 percent or below for the first time in decades, but boost defense spending by 7 percent to counter a “grave and complex security environment.”

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 Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss President Trump’s new tariffs after the Supreme Court’s ruling last week and Republican efforts to adopt new tariff legislation; takeaways from the president’s longest ever state of the union address; efforts to restore full Department of Homeland Security funding and update on Reconciliation 2.0; whether the president will get the $1.5 trillion defense budget he wants for 2027 as consensus settles on a more modest boost of around $1.1 trillion to $1.2 trillion; US-Iran talks continue in Geneva as Washington masses more forces in the region and prepares to evacuate US personnel from Israel to press Tehran into a nuclear deal; tensions between the president and military leadership as Trump says his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, thinks a war with Iran would be easy as news reports indicate military leaders are concerned about the impact of a protracted and unpredictable conflict on weapons stocks, equipment and personnel; Ukraine’s allies shape another 106 billion euro aid package that Hungary has threatened to derail; as former US Army Europe chief retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges tells reporters his train was attacked, one of five suspected Russian attacks on Europe that day; the Pentagon’s threat to seize Anthropic’s Claude AI model and blacklist the company unless it allows its technology to be used for autonomous weapons and mass surveillance; after two months as Joint Staff Director Vice Adm. Fred Kacher will leave his job and return to the Navy; Beijing again cuts rare earth shipments to Japan; Kim Jong Un teases a summit with Trump amid US-Korea strategy strains; an escalating conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel; and Washington’s decision to open a pop-up consulate for Israeli settlers in the West Bank town of Efrat.