On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are Dov Zakheim, PhD, former DoD comptroller, now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute, Jim Townsend, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO who is now with the Center for a New American Security and Michael Herson of American Defense International.

Topics:

— Congress moves on appropriations, omnibus, NDAA while also grappling with legislation in same sex marriage and to avoid economically damaging rail strike

— Hopes dim that debt ceiling increase will happen during lame duck session, setting the stage for acrimonious budget battle

— Democrats unite behind New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as new leader as California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy faces challenges

— Whether US and Europe are pressuring Ukraine to negotiate an end to war as Washington and allies continue military and economic support

— The need to provide Ukraine with even more hardware during the winter to improve its capabilities in 2023

— Importance of President Biden’s first state visit hosting French President Emmanuel Macron as the two oldest allies nations work together on global security challenges from Ukraine to European security and China

— As US and Australian officials prepare to meet next week, assessing options for advancing drive by the Australia-US-UK pact to produce nuclear submarines for the Royal Australian Navy and whether Japan and France have a role to play

— Implications of unprecedented nationwide demonstrations across China protesting the government’s covid lockdowns and increasingly repressive nature

— Pentagon’s annual assessment of Chinese military capabilities

— Binyamin Netanyahu continues to shape his incoming government

— What’s next as demonstrations continue to roil Iran