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.
In the U.S., debate over the federal deficit has put the military-industrial complex on high alert. The White House refers to the debt ceiling deal signed into law last week as the “trigger,” and Republican senators deride it as a politically driven “gun to [our] heads.” There is no mistaking the fact that in order to extract concessions on tax matters, Democrats are taking the Pentagon prisoner.
Which missile defense system will cost more over 20 years—Raytheon’s Patriot or Lockheed Martin’s Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads), a New York congresswoman is asking a government watchdog.
Now that the U.S. Senate has agreed to put thousands of FAA and construction workers back on the job, the Internal Revenue Service is scrambling to deal with the issue of excise taxes. Airline passengers who paid excise taxes before the FAA shutdown on July 23 and traveled after that date will not get a refund, and taxes will start being charged again on Aug. 8.
