Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Sep 04, ’26 Washington Roundtable]

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.