Breaking Defense

Networks & Digital Warfare

Air Force pushing contractors to purge Anthropic by Sept. 1: Memo

By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

Congress

The state of play with the defense budget’s various moving parts

Here's what we're watching for after Congress comes back in July.

By Breaking Defense Video

Naval Warfare

DIU, Navy launch containerized payload competition

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle has been on a “containerized capability campaign."

By Diana Stancy

All Domain

Six takeaways from the 2026 NATO Summit

From deep strike funding to a relatively tame Trump, what emerged from the event will have largely pleased most of the 32 allies.

By Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo and Tim Martin

Latest News

Land Warfare

Pentagon picks Lockheed, nLIGHT for laser defense project

Separately, MBDA and Rheinmetall were selected to develop a laser weapon system for the German Navy.

By Michael Marrow

Air Warfare, Pentagon

The autonomous CCA wingmen of 2030 may look nothing like today’s assumptions

While services test teaming with Collaborative Combat Aircraft, industry faces hard questions.

By Barry Rosenberg

In this episode:

The US military added a new drone chief while the UK, Italy and Japan advance plans for a new fighter jet.

Networks & Digital Warfare

TechNet Cyber 2026 eBook: Cyber defense in an AI era

How the Pentagon is shaping its next cyber strategy

Drawing on Breaking Defense's TechNet Cyber 2026 coverage, this eBook examines how the Pentagon is advancing AI, cybersecurity, and cyber strategy to strengthen the future force.

By Breaking Defense

Pentagon

New drone czar’s success hinges on personalities, Pentagon politics: Experts

Depending on who’s named to head the new drone-buying office, and how they handle the inevitable friction, said a former Pentagon AI chief, “it may turn out to be a master stroke ... [or] it could end up looking like the F-35.”

By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

Air Warfare, Pentagon

Pentagon seeks to shift $4.3B to pay for increasing operation and personnel costs

In a 47-page omnibus reprogramming notification, the Pentagon outlines an array of weapon and tech programs it wants to strip dollars from to pay for “unforeseen military requirements" which are "determined to be necessary in the national interests."

By Ashley Roque and Valerie Insinna

Opinion

The AI disinformation gap the Pentagon may be missing

"The Pentagon is building a better mousetrap while the mice are rewriting the blueprint for the house," argues this analyst.

By Mark Ginsberg

Air Warfare

European coalition pledges $50 billion to modernize deep precision strike capabilities

In a joint statement, the 12-member coalition linked the move to America's shifting stance in European defense.

By Tim Martin

Networks & Digital Warfare

Safeguarding federally funded innovation: navigating the new era of research security

On-demand webinar: Research security in an era of global competition

Watch experts discuss foreign influence risks, evolving DoD policy, and strategies for balancing security with scientific collaboration.

By Breaking Defense

Land Warfare

Army selects four companies for new autonomous breaching program

The program aims to minimize troops' exposure to danger and ensure safe passage of follow-on forces, according to the Army.

By Carley Welch

Global

Defying Trump, Italy’s Meloni ‘maintaining’ hard line against Iran war help

At the start of the NATO Summit, the American president lambasted allied nations that refused to aid in US strikes against Tehran, including Italy.

By Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo

Space

Why DoD, Silicon Valley now are betting on solar power beaming sats

"Space Operational Energy is a growing focus for us. We hope to host industry days and create avenues for collaboration with industry partners in the near future," an Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense.

By Theresa Hitchens

Land Warfare

There’s promise — and peril — in the Army’s low-cost interceptor plan, experts say

Two analysts and a former defense official praised the Army's new LCI program, while also pointing to concerns over production bottlenecks, budget constraints and testing procedures.

By Carley Welch

Global