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:

— Update on National Defense Authorization Act and debt ceiling increase during the “lame duck” session after the election next week and the new Congress in January

— Support for Ukraine on Capitol Hill as 30 progressives propose then rescind letter calling for talks with Russia

— Gauging whether Republicans retake both House and Senate or just the House

— How Washington and NATO counter Moscow should Russian officials make good on their threats to target US commercial spacecraft supporting Ukraine

— Why Vladimir Putin appears to be easing off his nuclear rhetoric and whether he will be removed from power over the coming months

— Takeaways from Chinese Communist Party’s congress as Xi Jinping and a phalanx of hardliners take power, humiliating moderates including former premier Hu Jintao by physically removing him from the Great Hall during the closing ceremony, but also from the Standing Committee and Politburo

— Implications of US Air Force’s proposal to retire it’s last two active duty F-15C fighter squadrons from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa and replace it with a rotational force

— Demonstrations grow more violent in Iran as analysts debate longevity of the Islamic Republic

— Analysis of the Biden administration’s new National Defense Strategy as well as nuclear posture and missile defense reviews

— Remembering the life and extraordinary legacy of the nation’s 25th defense secretary, Dr. Ash Carter, who passed away of a heart attack at age 68