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PARTICIPANTS: Jason Fields, Matthew Gault, Andrea Shalal

This week on War College, we’re diving into the weeds on how weapons systems come into existence, from the officer who first sees the need to the bureaucrat who gets it done.

Andrea Shalal, Reuters’ longtime aerospace correspondent, takes us through the steps. She also gives a counterpoint to the show’s very first episode, which focused on the flaws of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter plane and program. In a discussion that may surprise to some listeners, she describes a program that’s back on track, despite its possible trillion-dollar price tag.

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