Based in Washington, Jen manages Aviation Week’s worldwide defense, space and security coverage.
Prior to taking on her current role, Jen was Aviation Week's Congressional Editor. Jen came to Aviation Week in March 2011 from Politico, where she covered the intersection of defense and politics. She also worked as a reporter and editor for Defense Daily, Inside the Army, The Other Paper and The Columbus Dispatch.
Jen received a Master’s degree in journalism as a Kiplinger Fellow at the Ohio State University. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in history and journalism from the University of Michigan.
When President Obama declared in the Oct. 22 foreign policy debate that sequestration “will not happen,” he caught the attention of those fighting against the across-the-board federal budget cut. “When he said that, I jumped to my feet,” said Marion Blakey, president of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). “It is very critical to learn that the White House says sequestration will not happen.”
FASTER DECISION: The Pentagon’s Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation is pushing for a faster selection of one Ground Combat Vehicle contractor, according to a defense industry official. A competition is currently under way between a team led by BAE Systems that includes Northrop Grumman, and one led by General Dynamics that includes Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Technology development led by the two teams was anticipated to last until the end of 2013.
With more than half of its sales going outside of U.S. borders, Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems considers itself better positioned than some of its “competimates” to navigate tighter U.S. defense budgets, says Tom Kennedy, the division’s president. For IDS, international sales accounted for 54% of the business this year and 23% of the entire company’s sales. Other defense firms are trying to increase their international portfolios, but their starting point is 5% or 8%. “If you have a 10% cut, then you’ve got a problem,” Kennedy says.
