Breaking Defense

Five companies win DoD’s Drone Dominance small drone ‘Lethality Prize Challenge’

The new Indo-Pacific security architecture: From hub-and-spoke to allied security web

This is the latest in a series of semi-regular columns by Robbin Laird, where he will tackle current defense issues through the lens of more than 45 years of defense expertise in both the US and abroad. The goal of these columns: to look back at how questions and perspectives of the past should inform decisions being made today.

By Robbin Laird

Congress

Multiyear buys for F-35, F-15EX? Sen. Budd hopeful airpower bills added to NDAA

The North Carolina lawmaker has sponsored a trio of bills aimed at boosting fighter jet inventory and retaining pilots.

By Valerie Insinna and Michael Marrow

Land Warfare

Pentagon informed Army ‘just a couple of days ago’ on decision to halt Poland deployment

“This was all relatively recent, and we worked back and forth on what those recommendations would be, and the order came down,” Acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve said.

By Carley Welch

Latest News

Air Warfare

AIRO’s ‘slowed rotor’ hybrid-electric VTOL drone aims to solve resupply issues

Company executives told Breaking Defense the dual-use design targets a logistics gap between rear-operational hubs and forward units.

By Barry Rosenberg

Air Warfare

UK picks 4 companies for Apache drone wingman demonstrator project

Britain's BAE Systems, as well as the British arms of US-based Anduril, Portugal’s Tekever and French manufacturer Thales, have been chosen for the concept demonstrator effort, dubbed Project NYX.

By Tim Martin

In this episode:

We explore the US military's newest tranche of declassified Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena before visiting a tank training facility in northern Europe.

The AFCEA DC Small Business Breakfast Program is coming up next Wednesday 5/20.

The event explores how AFCEA DC is accelerating delivery of next-gen capabilities to the US Navy and the Navy's transformation of small business programs. Secure your spot today!

By AFCEA DC

Land Warfare

Army’s autonomy office looks beyond drone, robot platforms to ‘packages of capability’

CPE Mission Autonomy will focus first on combat engineering, fires, and logistics, the office’s leader said.

By Barry Rosenberg

Global

From destroyers to drones, how a Europe-led coalition aims to open the Strait of Hormuz

The initiative, led by the UK and France, would only begin once a ceasefire has been declared but could involve 40 nations.

By Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo

Land Warfare

Here’s how the Army plans to spend nearly $1 billion in procuring small counter drone tech

The FY27 budget request sets aside $994 million in total for small c-UAS, with all of that sum coming from discretionary funding.

By Carley Welch

Pentagon

Satellites at the center: Inside the Pentagon’s next-gen space architecture

From emerging data networks to missile tracking and cyber resilience, Breaking Defense’s latest eBook brings together essential reporting on the evolving role of satellites in national security.

By Breaking Defense

Pentagon

The Pentagon wants 10,000 small cruise missiles. Here’s who is making them.

Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta explains the newest Pentagon munitions push.

By Breaking Defense Video

Naval Warfare

Gerald R. Ford to return from historic deployment on Saturday: CNO

Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 8 embarked on the Ford returned to their home naval air stations on Monday.

By Diana Stancy

Global, Naval Warfare

Iran’s Navy won’t rebuild for 5 to 10 years, country unable to support proxies: CENTCOM

"Today, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis are all cut off from Iran's weapons supply and support,” Adm. Brad Cooper, told SASC members.

By Carley Welch

Air Warfare

B-52 modernization ‘stabilized’ after cost spikes, schedule delays, Air Force official says

“It’s a lot of money. Some of us watch that money very carefully,” said Rep. Clay Higgins.

By Michael Marrow

Pentagon

CBO’s $1.2 trillion Golden Dome estimate based on bad data: Guetlein

Gen. Michael Guetlein, who previously said the project would cost $185 billion, insisted DoD would be able to deploy an "operational system" to defend the entire US homeland by 2028.

By Theresa Hitchens

Opinion

The case for a $24 Billion Special Operations budget

SOCOM's budget has been flat since FY2019, but demand for SOF capabilities has risen 300 percent in the past five years, argue former acting SecDef Chris Miller and Phil Anderson of SOF Action.

By Christopher Miller and Phil Anderson

Naval Warfare