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.
Budget politics could threaten the safety of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and leave the nation vulnerable to nuclear terrorists, the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee says in a letter to House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan. Republicans pledged not to touch security spending in 2011, but the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) was part of across-the-board spending cuts, says subcommittee chairman Michael Turner (R-Ohio) in the March 23 letter to Ryan.
Congress is back with two more weeks to pass a spending bill that will keep the government running. But don’t expect a deal before the April 8 deadline; along with the spending debate, the early part of this week will be consumed by the cost of operations in Libya. Even so, and in addition to visits on Capitol Hill Wednesday by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, House aides say the FAA reauthorization bill (H.R.658) will still reach the House floor for debate either Wednesday or Thursday.
New guidelines from the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) provide a step-by-step guide to ensure that members continue to play a role in saying how taxpayer dollars are spent on military gear despite bans on earmarks. HASC Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) issued the how-to as part of the committee’s procedure for developing the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill. It shows members how to file a budgetary legislative proposal.
