Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy walked through activities to flesh out former space acquisition czar Frank Calvelli’s “nine space acquisition tenets” that showcased how the Space Force is positioned to meet expected guidance from new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for accelerating weapons system development.
By Theresa Hitchens![The Weekly Break Out Ep. 4: Contracting chaos and congressional dollars [VIDEO]](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/02/Ep-4-Play-Button-225x150.jpg)
![The Weekly Break Out Ep. 4: Contracting chaos and congressional dollars [VIDEO]](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/02/Ep-4-Play-Button.jpg)
Congressional and Industry Reporter Valerie Insinna joins Aaron Mehta to discuss the latest, including the state of defense contracting after some uncertainty.
By Breaking Defense Video
In a new executive order, President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to move forward on missile defense, though the details are still thin.
By Ashley Roque
With Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy set to co-lead a commission that could recommend cuts to the Pentagon, many previously unthinkable options may be on the table for the US Air Force as the second Trump administration takes over Washington.
By Michael Marrow
The NDAA corresponds to a $895 billion topline for defense spending, adhering to the budgetary limits set in last year’s Fiscal Responsibility Act.
By Valerie Insinna
Lawmakers have been skeptical of the Navy’s unmanned programs since 2019, but seem to be warming up to some more than others.
By Justin Katz
Rep. Mike Waltz, a Florida congressman, has been a strong advocate for increasing shipbuilding, a sign that the Navy’s budget could see a boost in the coming Trump administration.
By Aaron Mehta
How L3Harris is empowering the U.S. Space Force to stay ahead
How cutting-edge technology from L3Harris is enabling rapid data processing—and faster, more informed decisions in space defense operations.
Perhaps no company has bet so much on the Air Force’s NGAD sixth-gen fighter effort as Boeing — and now the service could be dramatically reinventing the program.
By Valerie Insinna and Michael Marrow
Sen. Roger Wicker said the plan would “enable the United States to fix our failing defense infrastructure, field a new generation of equipment, and maintain American technological leadership.”
By Valerie Insinna
“What I’ve asked my team to do is look at this and do an assessment to make sure that we get it right, and we understand the operational and cost issues associated with this,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told senators.
By Ashley Roque
“Between now and the time that a vote is held on your nomination, I think you’ve got some work to do to regain the confidence of a lot of the members on this committee,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.
By Michael Marrow
The Australian government said a Chinese ship “was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water.”
By Colin Clark
The new warhead variant is needed to provide “additional options against certain harder and large-area military targets,” according to the Pentagon.
By Aaron Mehta
With both versions of the NDAA complete, congressional leadership must now pick conferees for each chamber to sort out two vastly different defense policy bills.
By Justin Katz
