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.
Just as the Pentagon has asked for authority to put five programs into contracts that will run for up to four years, budget turmoil on Capitol Hill threatens to throw a wrench in the Defense Department’s plan to save money and add stability to the industrial base on those and other long-term agreements.
The deadline for the FAA to start a pilot project to build six UAV test sites around the U.S. has passed, putting bidders around the country on hold. That includes places like Ohio, which is investing $1.5 million in hopes of capitalizing on the military and industrial resources of the state’s southwest corner. The Ohio Aircraft Systems Center and Test Complex will use a “military operating area” managed by the Air National Guard. The site is close to Wright Patterson AFB, where the Air Force Research Lab and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center are located.
