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 reconciliation being punted to the lame duck session as work on appropriations and the National Defense Authorization Act conference accelerate; new Russia sanctions head to the White House for President Trump’s signature as the Pentagon reportedly prepares to withdraw tens of thousands of US troops from NATO; US and Iranian forces trade fire as the Pentagon says war costs top $33 billion; with control of the Bab al Mandab, Tehran-backed Houthi rebels advance on oil-rich Marib province and strike Saudi oil facilities as Trump rebuffed Saudi calls for help, striking his own deal with the Houthis for safe passage of US and Israeli ships; China’s effort to avoid the Bab al Mandab and Suez Canal by sailing the first commercial ship via a northern route from China to Europe via the Russian Arctic Coast; Trump approves F-35 fighters for Saudi Arabia despite intelligence community concerns the stealth jet’s technology could leak to China; Gulf states question US reliability as American forces pull back from regional bases meant to deter Iranian attack; Washington’s approval of a $2.8 billion in arms package for Israel including 2,000-pound bombs blocked by the Biden administration as the White House again blocks a visa for Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to visit the UN; as Washington woos Russia to peace in Ukraine with lucrative deals, Moscow ramps up attacks on Europe, with one of its warships firing flares at a Danish helicopter, Dutch rail lines sabotaged and a second Bulgarian ammunition depot since August that caught fire and exploded; Finland becomes the 10th nation to joins France’s nuclear deterrence initiative; as the US-Canada trade war continues, Prime Minister Mark Carney sought a trillion dollars in investment and the European Union offered the country associate member status that Trump said could be “a hostile act” and threatened to block trade with Europe; speculation about Xi Jinping’s health; South Korean President Lee Jae Myung rules out combat forces for the Gulf; and former Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl dies at age 84.

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 where defense legislation stands as both the House and Senate adjourn and November elections loom; President Trump’s promise that voters receive $5,000 payments if GOP retains House and Senate; US and Iran continue to exchange fire as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis take the strategic ports from which to better control the Bab al Mandeb, striking a Saudi Aramco refinery in Jizan sending oil prices soaring; Ha’aretz report that the UAE warned Israel about the Hamas attack as Israeli forces destroyed Hezbollah’s underground facilities in South Lebanon; decision by a dozen nations to sanction trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank; Washington’s continuing efforts to broker Ukraine peace deal while seeking to normalize relations with Moscow even as Russia continues to wage hybrid operations against NATO including an April test of a system to attack European undersea infrastructure that was thwarted by UK, Norwegian and US forces; Canada and Germany step up to help Ukraine with air defense weapons; analysis of AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt elections; the new bridge between Russia and North Korea; the Philippine defense minister’s viral video pushing back on China’s South China Sea provocations; big decisions for the US-South Korea alliance; what to expect from the BRICS summit this weekend in New Dehli; and lessons as America commemorates the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that killed some 3,000 that changed global security as well as American politics.

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 House passage of a continuing resolution to keep government open until December as the National Defense Authorization Act stalls and the reconciliation outlook remains unclear; Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned as the administration named Adam Telle as acting secretary and nominated Hung Cao as Navy secretary; US and Iranian forces trade fire as President Trump is reported to want to resume high-intensity combat operations after the election; Israel steps up attacks on Palestinians as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu maneuvers to remain in office; Germany says Russia was behind an unsuccessful explosive drone attack on Leipzig last month as Washington invited Russia’s finance minister to attend the G20 meeting in Asheville to the consternation of allies that complained that the Trump administration’s tariffs and Iran war have undermined their economies; the president’s assertion that Canada is a bigger adversary than China or Russia, and that Washington might back Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands, which London maintains is sovereign territory; Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles’ first visit to the United States this year; Xi Jinping’s ramped up diplomatic offensive ahead of his summit with Trump later this month as his warships sail ever closer to Japan.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, 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 impact of rising inflation on the Trump administration’s budget request; CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow; NATO’s moves to counter Russia’s mounting provocations in the Baltic and across Europe; Pentagon policy chief Bridge Colby’s meeting with allies as he oversees the review that will reduce US troops from Europe; Washington’s new Iran sanctions to collapse the theocratic regime as Beijing vows to retaliate if its banks or businesses are targeted; the trade war with Canada; Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s claim Iran tried to kill one of his son’s in Florida; retired Israeli Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter new extreme right-wing party; Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s effort to bring militias under control; Washington cancels an amphibious exercise with South Korea, but will press ahead with the trilateral Freedom Edge exercise next month with Korea and Japan; Japan, Australia, and Indonesia launch defense talks; and Beijing’s tightening comprehensive encirclement of Taiwan.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, 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 implications of US debt passing $40 trillion as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent intervened in bond markets to cut yields, backfiring by alarming markets that reacted negatively to the move; President Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz as American territory, threatening Iran with an economic “D-Day” and Oman with strikes as the UAE, a financial gateway for Tehran, also imposed sanctions; Israel and Hamas rebuffed Jared Kushner as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared Turkey a threat, striking a facility in Syria where Turkish troops were based; France, Germany and the UN condemned Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir for calling on the execution of 30 to 40 Gazans a day; Ukrainian civilian casualties mount as Moscow concludes Ukraine can no longer defend against large-scale ballistic missile barrages; another corruption scandal involving a close aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has opposition figures calling for elections; a suspected Russian drone is downed by a NATO fighter jet over Latvia as Moscow threatens London for supplying strike drones to Ukraine; the administration’s questionnaire asking allies to detail how nations are exhibiting loyalty to the US president and his policies; Trump’s order the Pentagon abruptly end annual military exercises with South Korea six days early to punish Seoul for not support the Iran War and saying North Korea is a nonthreatening state, which Pyongyang rebuffed with its largest missile tests in months; the impact economic warfare on Iran will have on China; and Taiwan’s defense spending increase that Washington demanded just as some in Washington debate the US pivoting away from Asia.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, 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 what’s next for the Iran war as Tehran taps a new top security leader — Mohsen Rezaee — and holds firm on its demands, striking shipping as President Trump says America can maintain and “indefinite” blockade of the Strait of Hormuz; USS Abraham Lincoln becomes emblematic of the war’s burden on the US military; more details on the Turkey-Pakistan-Saudi Arabia pact; Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu defies Trump on Gaza as his government continues to push Palestinians from the West Bank; how Europe should respond to Moscow’s increasingly kinetic moves as Germany investigates the suspected Aug 4 Russian drone attack on Leipzig’s airport; US efforts to gain control of Greenland as a US company, Greenland Energy, lands oil exploration equipment on the world’s largest island without necessary approvals; Europe’s elections as heat waves spark wildfires and dry up rivers, undermining growth; Russia uses North Korean ballistic missiles target Ukrainian civilians as well as Odesa and its grain supplies; Vladimir Putin visited Iturup on the Kuril Islands claimed by Japan and threatened to seize European ships if nations escalate efforts to combat Moscow’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet; former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongi’s legacy; Taiwan’s pledge to increase defense spending and anti-blockade drills; North Korea’s missile test; and the Trump administration touts its deterrence by denial and slams China’s tariff evasion.

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 former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the future of reconciliation, a continuing resolution and appropriations as well as the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general; President Trump reportedly blasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the acute shortage of weapons that are said to have curtailed US options against Iran; US intelligence warns Russia might test NATO through a limited incursion into alliance territory as Washington frays relations with its European allies and faces depleted magazines; Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg’s Aug 5 memo to defense executives giving them 21 days to develop concrete plans to accelerate production of sensors, platforms and electronic warfare, munitions, and space systems; Democratic senators accuse Feinberg of steering contracts to firms involving the president’s sons; Iran and Oman continue to negotiate an agreement to jointly manage the strait of Hormuz including a transit corridor for traffic; Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan’s mutual security pact; Trump’s deal between Israel and Hamas, Jerusalem struck Hamas in Gaza as Hamas said it won’t give up its weapons, just lock them up; Russia is suspected of using explosive drones on Leipzig’s airport in the vicinity of Ukrainian cargo planes; China tightens its grip on the Scarborough Shoal as Beijing acknowledges two Chinese sailors were killed last year when one of its destroyers collided with one of its coast guard cutters while chasing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel; Japan’s new defense white paper — “Preparing for a New Era of Warfare;” Taiwan’s“Han Kuang” exercise to test wartime readiness; and why Pentagon policy chief Bridge Colby wants to go to China.

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 the national security headlines of the week.

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 intensifying US and Iran military operations; Washington and Riyadh strike a nuclear pact; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee; update on the NDAA; Russia pounds Ukraine clouding the critically important Ukrainian port in Odessa; a week firing former Defense Minister Mykhailo Federov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired his chief of defense staff, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi; Russia conducts live fire exercises 46miles, off Britain’s key Portsmouth naval base as Andy Burnham becomes the UK’s new prime minister with John Healy at the Treasury; the People’s Liberation Army Daily blasts Tokyo and it’s drone capabilities as China and Russia step up military exercises off the Japanese coast that included a Chinese live fire drill; Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares for Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping as he meets his Quad counterparts in Manila at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting; Beijing and Manila spar over Second Thomas Shoal Incident and racist video posted by China Daily; the region braces for new US tariffs as the continuing Iran war drives energy prices up again; and the White House accused China of stealing American technology to improve its AI program.

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 renewed US-Iran hostilities; a bewildering bewildering week in Congress as the NDAA and appropriations stalled in the Senate, the Iran supplemental and reconciliation; how Sen. Mitch McConnell’s illness and Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death impact legislation; Pentagon policy chief Bridge Colby’s dismissal of “middle power” strategies; Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest cabinet reshuffle that ousted Yulia Svyrydenko and his popular defense minister Mykylo Federov; after dismissing the Knesset and calling October elections, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to visit Washington for Graham’s funeral; Israel and Lebanon advance peace talks and Hamas asks Iran for help; more than 100 Democratic lawmakersand one Republican vote against military support for Israel; Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi met with Trump at the White House; Xi Jinping continues to purge the part of top leaders accused of corruption, expelling Politburo member Ma Xingrui, the former governor of Xinjiang province who once headed the country’s space program; North Korea accuses Pak Hui-chol, deputy director of the Organization Department of the Korean People’s Army General Political Bureau, of abuse of power and corruption; and the US Coast Guard will base a squadron of its cutters to the Western Pacific.