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.
To save money in the near term, the U.S. Air Force plans to phase in testing of its next-generation bomber’s nuclear capabilities. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz told lawmakers Nov. 2 that the new bomber will be designed to perform both nuclear and conventional long-range strike missions. But the bomber won’t be certified for the nuclear missions at the start.
The size of potential budget reductions facing the Pentagon may put the U.S. Navy’s decision to move a nuclear aircraft carrier from Virginia to Florida back on the table, according to the chief of naval operations. In a letter to Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), Adm. Jonathan Greenert says moving the carrier from Norfolk, Va., to Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla., remains a “sound” strategic decision. But that may not be enough.
While much of Washington is consumed with a glass-half-empty debate about impending reductions to defense spending, a new report takes the optimist’s approach: detailing the $1 trillion spent on military modernization during the last decade. “It is clear the military successfully modernized its capabilities, especially in building on existing systems and incorporating those not even anticipated,” says Russell Rumbaugh in the report, “What We Bought: Defense Procurement from FY01 to FY10.”
