Why It Matters
AE Industrial Partners LP reported lobbying on "NDAA and other defense-related matters" in its third-quarter 2026 filing.
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL-4) spoke at a ribbon-cutting for a $2.4 billion public-private defense industrial facility in Cherokee, Alabama, which his office described as part of an effort to strengthen the U.S. maritime industrial base, and thanked AE Industrial Partners for believing in the vision.
By the Numbers
BGR Government Affairs LLC (BGR) reported $120,000 for the third quarter of 2026 on behalf of AE Industrial Partners. That fee is unchanged from the first and second quarters of 2026, and down $20,000 from the $140,000 BGR reported for the third quarter of 2025.
AE Industrial Partners also filed an in-house report for the third quarter of 2026, listing $270,000 and lobbyist Jennifer Lowe. The combined total across both registrants for the third quarter of 2026 is $390,000, down $40,000 from the $430,000 combined total in the third quarter of 2025.
The BGR filing lists three lobbyists:
- Erskine Wells III, president, with prior service in the offices of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), and as chief of staff to Rep. Steven M. Palazzo (R-MS-4)
- Alex Gallo, vice president, who served as a professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee across the 112th through 115th Congresses
- Tristan Whitaker, director, with no congressional staff experience on record
Compared with the third quarter of 2025, BGR dropped Pete Landrum and Dan Greenwood from the AE Industrial Partners team.
Broader Context
The Senate Armed Services Committee reported S. 4784, sponsored by Sen. Wicker, and placed it on the Senate calendar on June 15; Congress.gov lists no cosponsors. The House version, H.R. 8800, sponsored by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), advanced through the House Armed Services Committee.
Section 815 of S. 4784 has drawn a sharp public debate. Seven labor unions, including the United Auto Workers, United Steelworkers, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters, support Section 815, arguing it would direct contractor profits toward production, jobs, and investment; their October 2026 letter cited a Transition Security Project report finding that defense-contractor employment fell from 3.2 million to 1.1 million while defense spending rose 22% from 1985 to 2020.
A coalition led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, including the Aerospace Industries Association, National Association of Manufacturers, and Business Roundtable, opposes Section 815, arguing it could harm investors and discourage defense-industry participation; the coalition cited a Chamber study estimating retail investors saved up to $4.2 billion over 17 years from share buybacks.
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith voted against H.R. 8800, citing its $1.6 trillion price tag, the national deficit, and what he described as partisan amendments that targeted LGBTQ+ people and preempted state and local laws.
Rep. Aderholt's March 2026 press release credited the One Big Beautiful Bill with helping make the Cherokee facility possible and thanked Sen. Wicker and Chairman Rogers by name.
The Bottom Line
The Senate's tentative schedule targets adjournment on Dec. 18, about two months after Oct. 20, while S. 4784, the Senate's FY2027 NDAA measure, sits on the Senate calendar after committee reporting. Across complete quarters, BGR's fee has held flat for three consecutive quarters while the team shrank by two lobbyists compared with a year earlier.
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