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.

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 a $1.15 trillion House National Defense Authorization Act that’s in trouble as both the Trump administration’s $88 billion Iran war supplemental and House and Senate appropriations processes stall; under President Trump’s pressure, the House Budget Committee moves to advance the $350 billion Reconciliation 3.0 measure for the Pentagon; US attorney Jay Clayton’s hearing to become the next director of national intelligence is back on; after Iran attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz Trump says the ceasefire with Tehran is over and resumed strikes, again sending energy prices soaring as Iran continues efforts to exert control over the critical waterway; takeaways from the NATO’s Ankara Summit where Trump berated allies for not backing his Iran war and still seeking to acquire Greenland, but also endorsed alliance priorities including defense projects and allowed Ukraine to license produce Patriot missiles; as Russia ramps up attacks on Ukraine, Moscow uses AI to wage a disinformation campaign against American data centers and technology; Russia’s partnership with China; Beijing’s test of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile; Taiwan’s opposition pro-China Kuomintang party stalls President Lai Ching Te’s asymmetric defense strategy; analysis of former US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel’s peace plan for the Middle East; Israel’s declining popularity; Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s plan to visit New York City in September for the United Nations General Assembly meeting as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani vows to make good on his plan to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant on the Israeli leader; and a look at US political drama from Graham Platner’s collapsing campaign against Sen. Susan Collins in Maine to the impact of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s declining health.

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 President Trump’s derailing of the budget process by refusing to sign a bipartisan housing affordability measure until lawmakers pass his SAVE Act that critics maintain is a voter suppression measure; prospects for Reconciliation 3.0 as lawmakers move to tie it to portions of the SAVE measure; House and Senate authorization and appropriations processes move ahead as the administration is expected to request $88 billion to cover Iran war costs; analysis of ongoing US-Iran negotiations — as well as direct contact between American military officials and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — as Tehran fired on a Singaporean tanker for using an unauthorized transit corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, shutting traffic as Iranian officials continue efforts to assert ownership of the key waterway; Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s efforts at the Gulf Cooperation Council to sell the deal to nervous allies as Saudi Arabia opened direct talks with Iran; Israel’s continuing operations fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon; NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s visit to Washington to pave the way for a smooth alliance summit 7-8 July in Ankara as the administration considers deep cuts in US capabilities available to NATO and fires Gen. Chris Donahue, the top US Army commander in Europe; Ukraine turns the tables on Russia and Crimea; China sails its newest aircraft carrier — the Fujian — through the Taiwan Strait and pressures US states and private American firms to cut ties with Taipei; US efforts to modernize alliances across Asia whether through new operational concepts or economic ties; South Korea’s investment in the United States and whether US lawmakers will allow the US Navy to buy foreign-made ships; Japan’s $2.3 trillion industrial plan; Kim Jong Un commission’s North Korea’s largest ever new destroyer on the 76th anniversary of north’s invasion of the south; and reflections as America celebrates its 250th birthday.

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 appropriations process as the Senate Armed Services Committee finishes its version of the National Defense Authorization Act and the outlook for reconciliation and an Iran war supplemental; prospects for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after President Trump directed his nominee to become the next Director of National Intelligence, US attorney Jay Clayton, to skip his confirmation hearing clearing the way for housing chief Bill Pulte to serve in an acting capacity; Washington and Tehran’s 14-point ceasefire memorandum of understanding giving the two sides 60-days to negotiate a lasting deal that reopens the Strait of Hormuz that lawmakers and Israel blast as too generous toward Iran; Vice President Vance’s warning to Jerusalem; G7’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and impose more sanctions on Russia as Britain and France organize nations for a military mission to restore traffic through the strait; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launches another broadside at the alliance as Washington considers withdrawing key withdrawing air and naval capabilities; South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s invitation for Trump to lead a peace talks with North Korea; Beijing’s ability to strike Australia; and the Pentagon’s decision to change the US Indo-Pacific Command back to the US Pacific Command.

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 Senate markup of its version of the National Defense Authorization Act as House appropriators unveil their $1.07 trillion defense spending measure; as lawmakers pass Reconciliation 2.0 that funds President Trump’s immigration efforts, Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, see dim prospects for the $350 billion Reconciliation 3.0 plus up for the Pentagon; how the administration and lawmakers can pack $1.5 trillion in planned spending into a smaller funding package; the future of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; the president’s decision to tap US attorney Jay Clayton as the next Director of National Intelligence; what’s next for the Iran war as Trump declares a deal involving Tehran and Jerusalem is imminent, a stance Iran and Israel deny; as Russia escalates its provocations against Europe, Washington prepares deep cuts to US capabilities for NATO, including cuts to fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, and refueling aircraft as well as a missile sub and warships including an aircraft carrier as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Alex “Grinch” Grynkewich tells a European audience that “Russia is not looking for a conflict;” British Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigned to protest Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s unwillingness to increase defense spending to bolster the country’s flagging military capabilities; Starmer visits Tokyo where officials express frustration that Britain is underfunding the Global Combat Air Program that includes Japan and Italy; Japan and South Korea work increasingly closely with Europe with the Takaichi to expand her tour of Europe during the upcoming G7 meeting; China continues to salami slice in South China Sea and arrests US citizen Min Zin, testing its detente with Washington; and Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang bolstered Kim Jong Un’s nuclear hand.

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 Senate passage of the $70 billion Reconciliation 2.0 package and what it means for the $350 Reconciliation 3.0 measure for the Pentagon; the House Armed Services Committee’s National Defense Authorization Act and chairman’s markup of the administration’s $1.15 trillion 2027 defense spending request; House passage of war powers resolution; outlook for US-Iran talks as two sides trade fire; Trump orders Israel to not strike Beirut to prevent collapse of talks with Iran, prompting Israel and Lebanon to strike new ceasefire; House approval of $8 billion in new Ukraine aid; Kyiv struck St. Petersburg oil facilities as Vladimir Putin convened his annual economic forum where Saudi Arabia was a special guest; Moscow’s $25 billion Iran nuclear deal; Washington’s decision to block Tomahawk cruise missiles for Germany to avoid provoking Moscow as Norway joined France’s European nuclear deterrent initiative; Chinese coercive maritime behavior; Japan’s quasi-alliances with Australia, the Philippines and — perhaps — SouthKorea; undersea warfare and uncrewed technologies become the first AUKUS Pillar II elements; the 17-nation Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges; impact of Trump’s proposal to elevate Federal Housing Finance Agency as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac boss Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence on renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and US politics.