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.
The threat of a biological catastrophe remains a concern for the U.S., and industry is not properly “incentivized” to tackle the problem, says the former vice chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Like cyber attacks, “bio is a 21st century threat and has an attribute of anonymity that other things like nuclear weapons did not have in the 20th century,” retired Marine Gen. James Cartwright recently told a small group of reporters.
Exactly how Congress will navigate the fiscal minefield it laid for itself between now and the end of the year is a mystery even to lawmakers. But that does not stop anyone in Washington from trying to influence the process or play it for political advantage. Last August, lawmakers passed the Budget Control Act, which required the government to reduce the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion over a decade. Without a new congressional agreement, the government will face an across-the-board budget cut of about $1 trillion on Jan. 2, 2013.
Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee are leaning on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to push for an agreement to avoid a potential $55 billion reduction in defense spending early next year.
