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.
EXPORTING RAPTORS: Though Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the decision to kill the F-22 two years ago, lawmakers are still second-guessing the call. Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), co-chairman of the House China Caucus, says he wonders whether it is smart to stop production of the Lockheed Martin-made Raptor when the Chinese are developing the J-20 and the Russians have stepped up production of their own fighter aircraft.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden assured senators on April 11 that the James Webb Space Telescope is receiving top-level oversight and making technological progress. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), chair of the Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies subcommittee, pressed Bolden on the telescope’s price tag, which has soared $1.5 billion over budget, according to an independent report commissioned by the senator.
The government may have avoided a shutdown last week, but the FAA didn’t escape cuts. Congress on Friday passed a final one-week spending bill that clipped another $2 billion out of the federal budget, and the FAA gave up $8.7 million from its facilities and equipment accounts, of which $3.5 million came from its research and development budget, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
