Defense Writers Group
14 May 2025
Moderator: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to a very special edition of Defense Writers Group.
One of the highlights of my personal year is that every summer for the past decade, my younger son and I have gone to the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. And one of the highlights of my professional year is our annual meeting with Senator Jack Reed, also of Rhode Island, who’s one of this nation’s most respected voices across military affairs and national security. That’s proven by our group today. This is the largest RSVP list in the four-plus years I’ve been hosting the Defense Writers Group.
The ground rules, as always, this is on the record. You may record for accuracy of quotes but there’s no rebroadcast of audio or video. I got a bunch of questions in advance. We’ll go through those. But if you want to get on the list, if there’s time, drop me a note in direct chat, not group chat, and we’ll get to as many as possible.
As a reporter’s forum we normally go straight to questions, but given the rather significant turbulence in the national security world I want to, as they say in Congress, yield my time as host to Senator Reed for some opening comments just to set the agenda, what’s on his mind, and then we’ll go straight to your questions.
So, Senator Reed, again, sir, we are honored to have you here. The floor is yours.
Senator Reed: Thanks, Thom. I appreciate very much you being at the Newport Festival. That is a great artistic event, so you’ve honored me with that.
