Northrop hopeful for AUKUS sub maintenance business in Australia

Northrop hopeful for AUKUS sub maintenance business in Australia
Northrop hopeful for AUKUS sub maintenance business in Australia

“So that’s one thing I would encourage the [Australian] government to do, is be transparent as possible on what the plans ahead are so industry can can respond and be ready,” Northrop Grumman executive Tom Wears said.

New Zealand in AUKUS ‘no guarantee,’ but discussions active: Defense minister

New Zealand in AUKUS ‘no guarantee,’ but discussions active: Defense minister
New Zealand in AUKUS ‘no guarantee,’ but discussions active: Defense minister

Judith Collins, New Zealand’s Minister of Defence, tells Breaking Defense that no matter what happens with AUKUS, her government is “looking at as much interoperability” as possible with Australia.

Philippines, Japan near long-range missile milestones as they arm up for China

Philippines, Japan near long-range missile milestones as they arm up for China
Philippines, Japan near long-range missile milestones as they arm up for China

By the end of March, the Philippines expects to have its first BrahMos anti-ship cruise missiles, and Japan plans to begin training its personnel to operate Tomahawk missiles.

Rocket Cargo is go! Air Force’s experimental resupply program moves closer to the launch pad

Rocket Cargo is go! Air Force’s experimental resupply program moves closer to the launch pad
Rocket Cargo is go! Air Force’s experimental resupply program moves closer to the launch pad

The investment in transitioning Rocket Cargo “is focused on utilizing vehicles that traverse from or through space to transport DoD materiel anywhere around the world within tactically responsive timelines,” the Space Force’s FY25 budget request says.

AUKUS critics jump on Virginia-class sub budget plan, but Canberra sanguine

AUKUS critics jump on Virginia-class sub budget plan, but Canberra sanguine
AUKUS critics jump on Virginia-class sub budget plan, but Canberra sanguine

“The reality is the Americans are not going to make their submarine deficit worse than it is already by giving or selling submarines to Australia and the AUKUS legislation actually sets that out quite specifically,” former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

Army 4-star eyes new opportunities, exercises focused on sustainment, logistics in Indo-Pacific

Army 4-star eyes new opportunities, exercises focused on sustainment, logistics in Indo-Pacific
Army 4-star eyes new opportunities, exercises focused on sustainment, logistics in Indo-Pacific

“There’s no way we go into a large-scale fight without relying on allies and partners for supply chain airfields [and ports]. We’ve identified [those], you know, down to every airfield and port there is,” said Army Materiel Command head Gen. Charles Hamilton. “Have we done the same thing here in the United States?”

Pentagon clears V-22 Ospreys to fly again, but gives few details about fatal November crash

Pentagon clears V-22 Ospreys to fly again, but gives few details about fatal November crash
Pentagon clears V-22 Ospreys to fly again, but gives few details about fatal November crash

Pentagon officials say they have “high confidence” that they can return the V-22 Ospreys to flight safely, but are tight lipped on what they learned about the cause of a crash in Japan that killed eight airmen.

NGA looking for commercial data to update intel on North Korea

NGA looking for commercial data to update intel on North Korea
NGA looking for commercial data to update intel on North Korea

“Approximately 90 [percent] of our foundational data is unclassified, which helps us share products more broadly with partners and allies across the globe,” a spokesperson for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency told Breaking Defense.

‘Generational change’: New Aussie export regime to deliver $600M in benefits, DepSecDef claims

‘Generational change’: New Aussie export regime to deliver $600M in benefits, DepSecDef claims
‘Generational change’: New Aussie export regime to deliver $600M in benefits, DepSecDef claims

“The reforms will deliver, in our judgment…a net decrease in regulatory compliance costs, and actually expand the amount of research that can occur internationally without a permit,” Hugh Jeffrey, Australia’s deputy secretary of strategy, policy, and industry, said today.

Russia-North Korea ‘partnership’ could have long-lasting repercussions, NSC official warns

Russia-North Korea ‘partnership’ could have long-lasting repercussions, NSC official warns
Russia-North Korea ‘partnership’ could have long-lasting repercussions, NSC official warns

Pyongyang seeks “direct military assistance from Russia to include fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles and ballistic missile production equipment,” said Mira Rapp Hooper, the White House’s top advisor on the Korean peninsula,

Singapore downplays defense spending hike, though with warning of instability

Singapore downplays defense spending hike, though with warning of instability
Singapore downplays defense spending hike, though with warning of instability

COVID-19 stalled defense programs, so money moves from last year to this, giving Singapore defense spending a single year bump of over 12 percent.

4 solutions for addressing the Air Force’s distance anxiety

4 solutions for addressing the Air Force’s distance anxiety
4 solutions for addressing the Air Force’s distance anxiety

In this op-ed, Timothy Walton and Mark Gunzinger discuss solutions to extend the reach of the US Air Force for a China scenario.

Anduril, Hanwha team for Army’s S-MET robot transport competition

Anduril, Hanwha team for Army’s S-MET robot transport competition
Anduril, Hanwha team for Army’s S-MET robot transport competition

Anduril will “serve as the prime contractor to deliver a modified, autonomy-ready Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (UGV) based on Hanwha’s proven Arion-SMET platform,” according to an announcement.

SLCM-N and the deterrence value of ambiguity

SLCM-N and the deterrence value of ambiguity
SLCM-N and the deterrence value of ambiguity

In this op-ed, Kyle Balzer argues that developing a new nuclear sea-launched cruise missile is imperative to deterring China and Russia.