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.
The new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff cast doubt on the future of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter during testimony to lawmakers Oct. 13. During a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) asked the new chairman, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, to commit to making certain the Pentagon moves forward with the Marine Corps’ JSF variant, the F-35B. But Dempsey did not provide any such assurance.
A trio of lawmakers wants to rein in reimbursements for payment of government-hired private contractors who can charge nearly $700,000 for the salaries of their top five employees, a figure that has nearly doubled since 1998. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y) are asking the deficit-reduction-seeking super committee to limit those top five salaries to $200,000, a proposal supported by President Obama, as a way to save up to $3 billion over 10 years.
Ten years ago, the notion of transformation meant chasing new technological capabilities. But today, change for the military generally means preparing for cutbacks. On the verge of recommending more than $400 billion in budget reductions to the Pentagon over the next 10 years, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta tells the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington that he sees a smaller military in the future, facing a nontraditional battlespace.
