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.
While much of Washington is consumed with a glass-half-empty debate about impending reductions to defense spending, a new report takes the optimist’s approach: detailing the $1 trillion spent on military modernization during the last decade. “It is clear the military successfully modernized its capabilities, especially in building on existing systems and incorporating those not even anticipated,” says Russell Rumbaugh in the report, “What We Bought: Defense Procurement from FY01 to FY10.”
The top Democrat on the House International Relations Committee plans to introduce a bill Oct. 31 that would allow the president to remove satellites and their components from the U.S. munitions list, according to congressional aides. The export of satellites and their components have been restricted since 1998, in response to concerns about the transfer of sensitive technology to China.
The congressional leadership of commercial aviation is changing again, as another Democratic lawmaker has announced he will not run for re-election. Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.), the chairman of the House Appropriations panel in charge of FAA funding, is retiring at the end of this term. He has been in office since 1991. Olver’s announcement follows closely on the heels of one made by Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure aviation subcommittee.
