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 defense industry and some members of the U.S. Congress have been united in their push against the potential for nearly $1 trillion in reductions to the U.S. military budget. But as budget deliberations in Washington intensify, divisions among denizens of on Capitol Hill are emerging. Lawmakers are making specific pleas to save certain weapons programs. House Republicans are urging the Pentagon to avoid changes to military benefits. And partisan divisions related to spending and taxes are widening.
The new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff cast doubt on the future of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter during testimony to lawmakers Oct. 13. During a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) asked the new chairman, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, to commit to making certain the Pentagon moves forward with the Marine Corps’ JSF variant, the F-35B. But Dempsey did not provide any such assurance.
A trio of lawmakers wants to rein in reimbursements for payment of government-hired private contractors who can charge nearly $700,000 for the salaries of their top five employees, a figure that has nearly doubled since 1998. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y) are asking the deficit-reduction-seeking super committee to limit those top five salaries to $200,000, a proposal supported by President Obama, as a way to save up to $3 billion over 10 years.
