Aaron Mehta is editor in chief of Breaking Defense. He previously served as deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, as well as a staff writer for the non-profit Center for Public Integrity. Over his career, Mehta has interviewed dozens of defense leaders from around the globe, covering the intersection of policy, industry and technology at the highest national security levels.
Mehta has a particular interest in nuclear issues, foreign weapon sales and NATO issues. Originally from outside Boston, Mass., he now lives in the Washington, D.C. area.
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Jon Tester, the Montana Democrat who chairs the subcommittee, and Susan Collins, the ranking Republican from Maine, stated that they are in lockstep that the military needs more money, despite a budget cap imposed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
“We are assessing. We have not made any final decisions on this yet,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said about a shipment of Boeing-made weapons to Israel. “But yes, there are some things we are taking a closer look at.”
“Right now, you and I can go to a Cabela’s, we can buy a radio, we can go to a trade show, put it out on a table, and we can say it’s a form of resilient communication, because there’s no standard,” Samir Mehta said. “It’s time that we have a standard.”
“We now have a significant number of ATACMS coming off their production line and entering US stocks,” Jake Sullivan said today. “And as a result, we can move forward with providing the ATACMS while also sustaining the readiness of the US armed forces.”
Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s Chief of Defense, talks to Breaking Defense about his plans for spending on new frigates and subs, the challenges of upgrading Norway’s “digital backbone” and refilling the military’s stocks.
“I have more sense of urgency in 2024 than I had in 2023” about how quickly Russia can rearm its military, Norway’s Chief of Defense, Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen, told Breaking Defense.
“The strength we think we bring is that [the Navy is] going to go from contract to actually starting to turn out students much quicker than any other competitors,” a Textron executive told Breaking Defense.
“We need to increase spending in simple systems that we need a huge volume of that can, basically, counter very low-tech drones that could pose a threat,” Norway’s top officer told Breaking Defense, “so we don’t end up using the most sophisticated missile systems against something that is very cheap to buy.”
![The sights of Modern Day Marine 2024 [Photos]](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/IMG_6150-scaled-e1714658466694.jpg)
![The sights of Modern Day Marine 2024 [Photos]](https://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/IMG_6150-scaled-e1714658466694-225x150.jpg)
