Based in Washington, Jen managed Aviation Week’s worldwide defense, space and security coverage from 2013 to January 2024.
Prior to taking on the Executive Editor 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 a moment of desperation, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters recently he is ready to support “whatever the hell deal” Congress can make to avoid a nearly $1 trillion reduction in government spending, half of which could hit the Pentagon in January. But after more than a year of warnings about the devastation the budget penalty known as sequestration could wreak on the U.S. economy, it is still uncertain whether the results of the presidential election will allow for a delay to pass through Congress in the lame-duck session.
CYBER ACTION: Despite near-unanimous agreement about the need to shore up U.S. cyber defenses, Congress has not been able to agree on the details of cybersecurity legislation. Now Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, is among the lawmakers calling on President Barack Obama to address the issue through his executive authority.