Colin Clark

Colin Clark

Contributing Editor (At Large)

Colin Clark, the founding editor of Breaking Defense, is now our Indo-Pacific Bureau Chief, based in Sydney, Australia. In addition to his foundational efforts at Breaking Defense, Colin also started DoDBuzz.com, the world’s first all-online defense news website. He’s covered Congress, intelligence and regulatory affairs for Space News; founded and edited the Washington Aerospace Briefing, a newsletter for the space industry; covered national security issues for Congressional Quarterly; and was editor of Defense News. Colin is an avid fisherman, grill genius and wine drinker, all of which are only part of the reason he relishes the opportunity to live in Australia. cclark@breakingmedia.com

Stories by Colin Clark

DepSecDef Work Invokes ‘Space Control;’ Analysts Fear Space War Escalation

DepSecDef Work Invokes ‘Space Control;’ Analysts Fear Space War Escalation
DepSecDef Work Invokes ‘Space Control;’ Analysts Fear Space War Escalation

COLORADO SPRINGS: Citing “increasing threats” against America’s satellites,  Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said here today that the US military “must be able to respond in an integrated, coordinated fashion” to attacks on US space assets and he used the charged term “space control” in making his argument. “While we rely heavily on space capabilities,…

Vandenberg Launch To Shut For Upgrades In 2016

Vandenberg Launch To Shut For Upgrades In 2016
Vandenberg Launch To Shut For Upgrades In 2016

  COLORADO SPRINGS: Do not ever, ever tell Gen. John Hyten, the head of Air Force Space Command, that your satellite will use a proprietary ground system to receive and telemetry and fly the satellites. Today, Hyten told several hundred people at the annual Space Symposium here that he “was not happy” when a team of…

Chinese ASAT Test Was ‘Successful:’ Lt. Gen. Raymond

Chinese ASAT Test Was ‘Successful:’ Lt. Gen. Raymond
Chinese ASAT Test Was ‘Successful:’ Lt. Gen. Raymond

COLORADO SPRINGS: We’ve known for some time that China conducted an anti-satellite test July 23 last year, but we learned today that that test was “successful” even if it didn’t destroy anything. China has successfully placed low earth orbit satellites at risk, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jay Raymond told an overflow audience at the annual…

A-10 Mess Worsens: ACC Deputy Canned For ‘Treason’ Comments

A-10 Mess Worsens: ACC Deputy Canned For ‘Treason’ Comments
A-10 Mess Worsens: ACC Deputy Canned For ‘Treason’ Comments

WASHINGTON: Want to know how fractious the debate over the retirement of the A-10 has gotten? With an eye clearly on Congress, the canny head of Air Combat Command, Gen. Hawk Carlisle, today canned his deputy who had made dumb comments about the subject. They were especially stupid because Maj. Gen. James Post told the audience at an Air…

Kendall: Companies Will Compete For New Bomber LRSB Upgrades

Kendall: Companies Will Compete For New Bomber LRSB Upgrades
Kendall: Companies Will Compete For New Bomber LRSB Upgrades

PENTAGON: Threats are back in Pentagon acquisition. During the Cold War, the calculus was pretty simple. Russians do X. America responds with Y. Add Offset Strategy to boost US advantage overall. Frank Kendall, defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, has publicly worried about America losing its technological edge for several years. Deputy Defense Secretary Bob…

Should Future Fighter Be Like A Bomber? Groundbreaking CSBA Study

Should Future Fighter Be Like A Bomber? Groundbreaking CSBA Study
Should Future Fighter Be Like A Bomber? Groundbreaking CSBA Study

WASHINGTON: America’s next war plane may look much more like a stealthy long-range bomber than a sleek, fast and maneuverable fighter. That’s the conclusion of a wide-ranging study by the respected Center for Budgetary and Strategic Assessments. Breaking Defense obtained a copy of the report from a source not affiliated with CSBA. Here’s the study’s main finding:…

Time For US Strategy Review; Then Tackle Goldwater-Nichols

Time For US Strategy Review; Then Tackle Goldwater-Nichols
Time For US Strategy Review; Then Tackle Goldwater-Nichols

WASHINGTON: One of America’s most respected strategists is calling for a comprehensive review of the military’s roles and missions to prepare the way for revision of the basic law undergirding the modern force, Goldwater-Nichols. The combination of an excellent quartet of lawmakers leading the armed services committees; the markedly complex and global set of threats…

Tough Choices For DoD On Long Range Strike Bomber

Tough Choices For DoD On Long Range Strike Bomber
Tough Choices For DoD On Long Range Strike Bomber

UPDATED: AFCoS Gen. Welsh On Stealth Industrial Base; A PIlot Comments WASHINGTON: When the Pentagon picks the winner of the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRSB) contest in the next few months, it faces an interesting choice. It could give Lockheed Martin — which is doing the design work for the Boeing-Lockheed team — almost all of…

McCain Launches Goldwater-Nichols Review; How Far Will He Go?

McCain Launches Goldwater-Nichols Review; How Far Will He Go?
McCain Launches Goldwater-Nichols Review; How Far Will He Go?

UPDATED: With Thornberry Comment Supporting Reform WASHINGTON: Sen. John McCain plans a long-term review of the law underpinning the modern American military, the Goldwater-Nichols legislation that created the current chain of command from president to defense secretary to combatant commanders. “The Committee will be conducting a preliminary examination of the structure, roles, and missions of civilian…

‘I Am Not A Salesman For F-35:’ Lt. Gen. Bogdan, F-35 PEO; 2B Software Delayed

‘I Am Not A Salesman For F-35:’ Lt. Gen. Bogdan, F-35 PEO; 2B Software Delayed
‘I Am Not A Salesman For F-35:’ Lt. Gen. Bogdan, F-35 PEO; 2B Software Delayed

Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, head of the F-35 program, shut up a room full of reporters yesterday. That’s right. None of us said a word for about 15 minutes yesterday while Bogdan told us he wanted to see us get our facts right about the F-35 program. But what really got our attention was his…

McCain To Carter: Make UCLASS A Long-Range Strike Drone

McCain To Carter: Make UCLASS A Long-Range Strike Drone
McCain To Carter: Make UCLASS A Long-Range Strike Drone

WASHINGTON: Former Navy pilot Sen. John McCain wants the Navy to build its first carrier-based drone with the ability to carry two tons of weapons in a stealthy platform able to fly into harm’s way and not primarily as a reconnaissance aircraft. And McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Serves Committee, went straight to Defense…

EXCLUSIVE Air Force Weapons Schedule Woes Worsen; Costs Dip $229M

EXCLUSIVE Air Force Weapons Schedule Woes Worsen; Costs Dip $229M
EXCLUSIVE Air Force Weapons Schedule Woes Worsen; Costs Dip $229M

  PENTAGON: For the third year in a row, Air Force weapon programs have busted their schedules, taking longer to field, this time adding another 112 months to the 29 major weapons programs that the service monitors. It’s a pattern. In 2012, schedule performance “continues to remain problematic and shows no signs of improvement.” In 2013,…

US Should ‘Slow’ Or ‘Stop’ China’s Island Building: SASC, Foreign Relations Leaders

US Should ‘Slow’ Or ‘Stop’ China’s Island Building: SASC, Foreign Relations Leaders
US Should ‘Slow’ Or ‘Stop’ China’s Island Building: SASC, Foreign Relations Leaders

WASHINGTON: In a strikingly vigorous and bipartisan letter 03-19-15_Joint letter to Kerry and Carter to President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Ash Carter, the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees says China actions violate regional agreements and pose a threat to both US, allied and broad international interests. The letter…

DoD Acquisition Starting To Turn Corner? F-35 Costs Down 2%

DoD Acquisition Starting To Turn Corner? F-35 Costs Down 2%
DoD Acquisition Starting To Turn Corner? F-35 Costs Down 2%

  UPDATED: JSF JPO Details Each Variant Costs; Provides Other Details PENTAGON: The simple lead for this story would be: F-35 costs dropped almost 2 percent over the last year. But the real lead should be: after decades of botched programs, bloated budgets, technical screwups and long delays we may be seeing what Winston Churchill might…

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