On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests in segment one are Michael Bayer, the chairman of the Defense Business Board and the president of the Dumbarton Strategies consultancy, and Arnold Punaro, the chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association and CEO of the Punaro Group consultancy to discuss the ongoing presidential transition and how to best accomplish the monumental task of a peaceful transition of power. 

In segment two our guests are Dov Zakheim, PhD, former DoD comptroller, now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Gordon Adams, PhD, Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute, Michael Herson, President and CEO, American Defense International, Christopher Preble, co-director of the Atlantic Council's New American Engagement Initiative and Byron Callan of the independent equity research firm Capital Alpha Partners.

Topics:

— Look at transition efforts as President-elect Joe Biden’s agency review teams for DoD and other departments are named and President Trump refuses to concede election or support change in administration

— Update on National Defense Authorization Act, Senate defense appropriations markup and fourth stimulus package talks

— Political dynamics in Congress including a scant Democratic majority in the House and factionalism in both parties

— US role in the the world in a Biden administration, including beating coronavirus at home

— Keys to a smooth change between administrations

— Addressing ethics concerns associated with attracting top talent to DoD who have industry experience