Colin Clark, the founding editor of Breaking Defense, is now our Indo-Pacific Bureau Chief, based in Sydney, Australia. In addition to his foundational efforts at Breaking Defense, Colin also started DoDBuzz.com, the world’s first all-online defense news website. He’s covered Congress, intelligence and regulatory affairs for Space News; founded and edited the Washington Aerospace Briefing, a newsletter for the space industry; covered national security issues for Congressional Quarterly; and was editor of Defense News. Colin is an avid fisherman, grill genius and wine drinker, all of which are only part of the reason he relishes the opportunity to live in Australia.
Strix is a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft that can be stuffed in a standard shipping container and can carry a range of weapons, including the AGM-114 Hellfire, Brimstone, APKWS II 70mm laser-guided rockets and the AGM-179 JAGM-MR.
The United States is sending a delegation focused on the Indo-Pacific region, including top people from. the Navy and Marines, as well as officials with a broader ambit such as the head of DSCA and the F-35 Joint Program Office.
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.
"I remain an optimist that we're going to be able to work our way through those challenges with respect to ITAR," Adm. Mike Gilday told Breaking Defense during a recent visit to Sydney.
An AUKUS announcement is "imminent," Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said. "We're in conversation with both the UK and the US around the manner in which that is ultimately announced."
"We need to leverage expertise from the United Kingdom and the United States to help us along our optimal pathway – and building capability with them means we are better able to shape, deter and respond within our strategic landscape," Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
Gen. David Berger said his Marines and Australian troops are experimenting with new combinations of weapons and new ways to use existing ones, though he avoided discussing any examples.
Answering the Pentagon’s call to bolster defense industrial base.
Barrett designed and builds versions of the MRAD sniper rifle, used by both the Army and US special operations.
The decision to buy more Black Hawks was particularly interesting as the country is in the midst of a Defense Strategic Review assessing the full panoply of force structure and spending decisions.
Key members of the House Armed Services Committee pushed back at the idea that AUKUS could be a "zero sum game" for nuclear submarines.
A letter from key US lawmakers has raised concerns about the AUKUS plan down under.
South Korea's strategy says the ROK will "nurture a sounder and more mature relationship as we pursue shared interests (with China) based on mutual respect and reciprocity, guided by international norms and rules."
It may be the beginning of a new era in Australian defense, with plans to buy Abrams tanks and hundreds of Infantry Fighting Vehicles scaled back to free money for weapons designed to deter.
While China has rapidly built a much more modern military in a remarkably short time, it also faces enormous economic, demographic and national security challenges that aren't always as apparent in Washington.
From worries about South Korean troops to a bigger footprint for Japan, here are the must-read stories Breaking Defense's man in Sydney.