Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Contributing Editor, Breaking Defense
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. has written for Breaking Defense since 2011 and served as deputy editor for the site's first decade, covering technology, strategy, and policy with a particular focus on the US Army. He’s now a contributing editor focused on cyber, robotics, AI, and other critical technologies and policies that will shape the future of warfare. Sydney began covering defense at National Journal magazine in 1997 and holds degrees from Harvard, Cambridge, and Georgetown.Stories by Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
RADM Mark Darrah leaves F-35 to take over NAVAIR’s famed Pax River test center http://aol.it/R90KfF. DoD release @ http://1.usa.gov/W2hvh4 SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
[updated 3:45 pm with Todd Harrison’s analysis] CAPITOL HILL: Last month’s congressionally mandated OMB report on the impact of sequestration omitted an obscure provision that would slice another $10.1 billion from Defense Department programs in 2013. Because of that the Pentagon would have to cut $60.6 billion instead of $50.5 billion, a 20 percent increase.…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
[Corrected at 4:50 pm to fix misquotation; see note below] With today’s spectacular but not unanticipated collapse of the mega-merger between Airbus parent company EADS and British armsmaker BAE, what’s next? The conventional wisdom is that BAE, the smaller of the two firms, is now vulnerable. But top analysts tell Breaking Defense that, in many…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
PENTAGON: “It’s perfectly acceptable to say ‘beat Army,’” the Chief of Naval Operations began, and the assembled sailors laughed. Adm. Jonathan Greenert was making a football joke, but there’s a serious strategic point beneath the smiles. At this morning’s celebration of the Navy’s 237th birthday, the service’s normal pride on such occasions was redoubled by…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
This November, the Defense Logistics Agency will require companies selling microcircuits to the military to stamp their products with an unlikely seal of authenticity: plant DNA. It’s an innovative initiative in the fight against counterfeit computer chips, which has been a major concern in the Senate, but it’s only one piece of the answer. DLA…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Tomorrow morning, at Manhattan’s Pier 88, the Navy will commission its newest destroyer, DDG-112. The USS Michael Murphy‘s namesake was uncompromisingly heroic, a Navy SEAL who died earning the Medal of Honor in Afghanistan. The ship itself, however, embodies a series of cost-conscious compromises that will keep the Navy sailing a 1980s design — albeit…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Army just ordered another $346 million of WIN-T Increment 2 network gear from General Dynamics — more @ http://aol.it/OFY79r SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
WASHINGTON: Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House intelligence committee, slammed the administration’s cybersecurity approach today but expressed guarded optimism that his own stalled legislation — which the White House has threatened to veto — might be revived when Congress reconvenes after the election. “There was a very good meeting with some members of the…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
WASHINGTON: NSA director and Cyber Command chief Gen. Keith Alexander stepped into the lion’s den today to address the Chamber of Commerce, which helped kill cybersecurity legislation Alexander had strongly backed. Over and over, Alexander reassured the business-dominated audience at the Chamber’s cybersecurity conference today that the government sought to work together with industry as…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The Navy will christen its newest amphibious warfare ship in Pascagoula, Miss. on Oct. 20th. The boldly-named, $3 billion America is a major departure from past designs — and, quietly, the Navy has decided not to build many more like it in the future. The Chief of Naval Operations himself, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, has said…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
WASHINGTON: If you’ve ever daydreamed of designing your own tank — okay, “infantry fighting vehicle” — then DARPA wants to give you your shot. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has a long history of long shots, including such high-risk, high-reward projects as the first stealth aircraft and the earliest version of what became the…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The Navy’s jet-powered P-8 Poseidon patrol plane boasts plenty of advances over the P-3 Orion turboprops it will replace, but for the sensor operators the favorite feature will be very basic: They won’t throw up as much. The P-3’s notoriously rough ride at low altitudes and the gunpowder-like stench from the launch tube shooting sonar…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Navy launches 2nd Joint High-Speed Vessel: http://1.usa.gov/VoHmPS. Why JHSV matters: http://aol.it/QjaUMO SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Even if Congress somehow averts sequestration, the defense industry is headed for layoffs and, at best, anemic growth, and the much-vaunted surge in foreign military sales won’t turn that around. If the automatic cuts known as sequestration do take effect as currently scheduled in January, the impact would be “a devastating blow.” That’s the bleak…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
RADM Mark Darrah leaves F-35 to take over NAVAIR’s famed Pax River test center http://aol.it/R90KfF. DoD release @ http://1.usa.gov/W2hvh4 SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.[updated 3:45 pm with Todd Harrison’s analysis] CAPITOL HILL: Last month’s congressionally mandated OMB report on the impact of sequestration omitted an obscure provision that would slice another $10.1 billion from Defense Department programs in 2013. Because of that the Pentagon would have to cut $60.6 billion instead of $50.5 billion, a 20 percent increase.…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.[Corrected at 4:50 pm to fix misquotation; see note below] With today’s spectacular but not unanticipated collapse of the mega-merger between Airbus parent company EADS and British armsmaker BAE, what’s next? The conventional wisdom is that BAE, the smaller of the two firms, is now vulnerable. But top analysts tell Breaking Defense that, in many…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.PENTAGON: “It’s perfectly acceptable to say ‘beat Army,’” the Chief of Naval Operations began, and the assembled sailors laughed. Adm. Jonathan Greenert was making a football joke, but there’s a serious strategic point beneath the smiles. At this morning’s celebration of the Navy’s 237th birthday, the service’s normal pride on such occasions was redoubled by…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.This November, the Defense Logistics Agency will require companies selling microcircuits to the military to stamp their products with an unlikely seal of authenticity: plant DNA. It’s an innovative initiative in the fight against counterfeit computer chips, which has been a major concern in the Senate, but it’s only one piece of the answer. DLA…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.Tomorrow morning, at Manhattan’s Pier 88, the Navy will commission its newest destroyer, DDG-112. The USS Michael Murphy‘s namesake was uncompromisingly heroic, a Navy SEAL who died earning the Medal of Honor in Afghanistan. The ship itself, however, embodies a series of cost-conscious compromises that will keep the Navy sailing a 1980s design — albeit…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.Army just ordered another $346 million of WIN-T Increment 2 network gear from General Dynamics — more @ http://aol.it/OFY79r SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON: Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House intelligence committee, slammed the administration’s cybersecurity approach today but expressed guarded optimism that his own stalled legislation — which the White House has threatened to veto — might be revived when Congress reconvenes after the election. “There was a very good meeting with some members of the…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON: NSA director and Cyber Command chief Gen. Keith Alexander stepped into the lion’s den today to address the Chamber of Commerce, which helped kill cybersecurity legislation Alexander had strongly backed. Over and over, Alexander reassured the business-dominated audience at the Chamber’s cybersecurity conference today that the government sought to work together with industry as…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.The Navy will christen its newest amphibious warfare ship in Pascagoula, Miss. on Oct. 20th. The boldly-named, $3 billion America is a major departure from past designs — and, quietly, the Navy has decided not to build many more like it in the future. The Chief of Naval Operations himself, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, has said…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON: If you’ve ever daydreamed of designing your own tank — okay, “infantry fighting vehicle” — then DARPA wants to give you your shot. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has a long history of long shots, including such high-risk, high-reward projects as the first stealth aircraft and the earliest version of what became the…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.The Navy’s jet-powered P-8 Poseidon patrol plane boasts plenty of advances over the P-3 Orion turboprops it will replace, but for the sensor operators the favorite feature will be very basic: They won’t throw up as much. The P-3’s notoriously rough ride at low altitudes and the gunpowder-like stench from the launch tube shooting sonar…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.Navy launches 2nd Joint High-Speed Vessel: http://1.usa.gov/VoHmPS. Why JHSV matters: http://aol.it/QjaUMO SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.Even if Congress somehow averts sequestration, the defense industry is headed for layoffs and, at best, anemic growth, and the much-vaunted surge in foreign military sales won’t turn that around. If the automatic cuts known as sequestration do take effect as currently scheduled in January, the impact would be “a devastating blow.” That’s the bleak…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
