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Hey, everybody, it's Anna Palmer from The Daily Punch.

Welcome to our first special edition podcast as part of our future of defense aviation project.

Over the next four weeks, we're going to lay out the state of play, the legislative landscape, talk to key players, and more as we dive deeper into the future of defense aviation.

A big thank you to RTX for making this podcast and product possible. You can check out the full project at punchable.

Today, I'm going to be joined by Andrew Desiderio, senior congressional reporter for Punchball News, who is kicking off the state of play when it comes to defense aviation in Washington.

Andrew, thanks for joining me.

Hey, thanks, Anna.

All right, let's get right to it. The risk of global conflicts is rising and changing the way

the U.S. approaches its aerodefense capabilities.

A robust and up-to-date stockpile of defense aviation equipment is key for the country

to save off potential attacks from its foes and keep allies assured that they can count on the U.S.

All of that, however, depends on how fast and efficiently Congress can work to deliver the funds needed to keep the defense sector up to date with the U.S. All of that, however, depends on how fast and efficiently Congress can work to

deliver the funds needed to keep the defense sector up to date with the latest technology and

the rising demand. Andrew, let's talk about the current state of play when it comes to U.S.

AeroDefense equipment, and why that matters for kind of more largely how America is perceived around the world.

Yeah, look, it's critically important and it's been a topic that's been in the news so much

lately, even if the words defense aviation and aero defense have not been the key buzzwords

...