Breaking Defense

The Mecca pact explained, tankers for Qatar, and CENTCOM’s new drone force

With AI hackers in mind, Air Forces Cyber develops defensive ‘campaign plan’

"When people say, ‘Hey, we're at an inflection point,’ we are absolutely at an inflection point,” 16th Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Thomas Hensley said of AI threats to the network.

By Mark Pomerleau

Congress

The big defense spending priorities awaiting Congress in September

There is a lot of business awaiting the House and Senate when they return to Washington.

By Breaking Defense Video

Land Warfare

Military uses AV directed-energy system to ‘defeat’ drones at the border

The task force did not disclose exactly where the drones were engaged or who was suspected of flying them, but suggested they could have been used for reconnaissance by a drug cartel.

By Carley Welch

Latest News

Air Warfare

Finland and Sweden team up to boost counter-drone defenses

“We trust one another, and together we are stronger,” said Finnish President Alexander Stubb on X, by way of welcoming the expanded, bilateral cooperation.

By Tim Martin

Air Warfare

F-35 lifetime price tag dips beneath $2 trillion even as buying costs rise

The Defense Department anticipates it will spend an additional $51 billion to acquire the stealth fighter, though revised estimates have pulled the program’s total cost beneath $2 trillion, according to a recent Pentagon report.

By Michael Marrow

In this episode:

How a new Pentagon memo 'resets' industry requirements, plus highlights from TechNet

Opinion

Soldiers from A Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment conduct Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M SHORAD) live fire operations during a multi-phase FAMFIRE event at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany,

The president doesn’t need a one-trick Army

In our high-tech, fast-moving world, the US Army should stop optimizing for prediction and start optimizing for uncertainty, argues this retired one-star general.

By John Ferrari

Pentagon

How the Army benefits from diverse interceptors, plus a window into modernization

The chief of the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command shares more from our recent interview in Huntsville, Ala.

By Breaking Defense Video

Naval Warfare

Submarine maintenance delays, ‘idle time’ cost $3.4 billion, GAO says

While the report said the Navy had made progress cutting delays for operational subs, the problem would get worse — and costlier — for those destined for decommissioning.

By Lee Ferran

Networks & Digital Warfare

Air Force seeks more portable C2, comms approach after studying Epic Fury

“We have to be more agile and mobile and we need a case that is carriable by one person and can be run by one or two people," Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips told Breaking Defense.

By Mark Pomerleau

Congress

The fight over the FY27 defense budget is on. Here’s 13 key issues for Congress to resolve.

From the Iran supplemental to the debate over a third reconciliation bill, Congress will have its hands full with a long list of defense funding needs when it returns from recess in September.

By Valerie Insinna

Global

UAE’s EDGE launches cyber defense center with Brazilian army

EDGE said that the center will provide "specialised services" to both the Brazilian army and federal institutions, including for training, cyber incident response, and the "development of advanced cyber defence capabilities and solutions."

By Agnes Helou

Land Warfare

Army taps 5 vendors to move forward with nuclear microreactor prototypes

Up to $2.2 billion could be distributed among the handful of vendors.

By Ashley Roque

Land Warfare

Hegseth stands by LaNeve nomination amid reported lawmaker hesitation

The Pentagon is attempting to "lock in" LaNeve's nomination for the next Army Chief of Staff amid lawmaker concerns and the potential departure of the service's secretary.

By Carley Welch and Ashley Roque

Air Warfare

Boeing nabs whopping $131 billion F-15 deal

The contract covers over a decade of potential work for US and international F-15 fighter jets.

By Michael Marrow

Air Warfare

Air Force awards $766 million for B-52 radar modernization

One contract worth up to $603 million was issued to RTX subsidiary Raytheon, while a second valued at roughly $163 million was issued to B-52 prime contractor Boeing.

By Michael Marrow

Networks & Digital Warfare

‘Shifted our whole mentality’: Army long-range EW system to go into production in 2027

The Army originally envisioned a larger, bespoke capability, but Mark Saxon, deputy project manager for Electromagnetic Warfare & Collection, told Breaking Defense the battlefield has changed.

By Mark Pomerleau

Global

Spain signs off on $6.3 billion budget for joint MRTT buy with Poland

Poland’s minister of national defense said today that “at least” seven aircraft will be purchased, with his country receiving four by 2030.

By Tim Martin

Breaking Defense

Latest News

How a new Pentagon memo 'resets' industry requirements, plus highlights from TechNet

Artificial Intelligence & Autonomy: A New Era in Defense

Pentagon Buzz News Video