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. Evelyn Farkas, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia who is now the president of Farkas Global Strategies, Peter Van Praagh, the president of the Halifax International Security Forum and Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute.

Topics:

— Implications of Chinese Premier Xi Jinping’s new elevated status and climate deal between Washington and Beijing

— Russia’s buildup of troops on the Ukraine border and Belarus’ threats against energy flows to Europe

— How Europe and America can deter Moscow and Minsk

— Look ahead to the Halifax International Security Form that starts next week

— HISF’s forum in Taipei next year as China ratchets up pressure on Taiwan

— Countering authoritarianism worldwide

— Trump administration’s rationale for firing then Defense Secretary Mark Esper

— Politicization of coverage of DoD as Pentagon moves to address both China and Climate

— Update on Iran nuclear negotiations and US delegations to Israel

— A case for bigger US Navy budget for more ships and capabilities

— Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed’s concerns with industrial consolidation