Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson talked with national security expert Steven Bucci to break down two major defense headlines making waves in Washington: Boeing’s selection to build the next-generation F-47 fighter jet and the ongoing legal fight between the Pentagon and the courts over the Trump administration’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.
Bucci, a former Pentagon official and Heritage Foundation fellow, brings years of experience to the table as he walks us through what the Boeing contract means for America’s military capabilities and the broader defense industry. He explains why Boeing was chosen over its competitors, what the F-47 is expected to bring to the battlefield, and how this decision could impact U.S. air dominance in the coming decades.
But that’s not the only front where the Department of Defense is facing scrutiny. We also dig into the heated legal and constitutional debate over the Trump-era policy banning transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces. While the Pentagon has defended the ban as a matter of military readiness and unit cohesion, multiple court rulings have challenged its legality, setting up a rare showdown between military leadership and the federal judiciary.
Bucci provides his take on where this standoff could lead and what it means for civil-military relations in the U.S. He also offers insight into how service members—both transgender and otherwise—are navigating the uncertainty as the legal battle continues.
These are two high-stakes issues that will shape the future of U.S. defense policy, and Steven Bucci helps us make sense of both.