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.
CAPITOL HILL: The vice-chiefs of the Army and Marine Corps warned legislators today that sequestration would force the military and the nation to break enlistment contracts with up to 225,000 troops who would have to be precipitately discharged to save money. “We would absolutely not be able to keep faith with our people,” said Gen.…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
HASC votes to restrict Administration’s ability to negotiate international "space code of conduct" — explained here: http://bit.ly/JfscX1 SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
WASHINGTON [updated at 3:10 pm with comment from Heritage Foundation’s Steven Groves] : The Defense Department made a big push to break three decades of stalemate on the Law of the Sea, with Secretary Leon Panetta and Chief of Joint Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey staging a rare joint appearance today to urge the Senate to…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Shipboard laser program launched @ONR (http://bit.ly/K02uoi) – for why the Navy needs lasers, see http://bit.ly/JKmni0 SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
PENTAGON: There are a lot of questions about the Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ships, high-tech vessels that are smaller, faster, more flexible, and more vulnerable to damage than traditional frigates or destroyers. In an exclusive interview with Breaking Defense, the Navy’s top surface-warships expert frankly acknowledged that they’re still working on the answers. Everything…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Panetta & Dempsey to push "Law of the Sea" ratification tomorrow @ACUS (http://bit.ly/K8Nl7O) — pros & cons of LOS @ http://bit.ly/IHWF2v SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
WASHINGTON: Congress orders up innumerable reports, and the Pentagon routinely delivers them months late, but the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan is one report that actually matters. That’s why Rep. Todd Akin, seapower chairman on the House Armed Services Committee, will offer an amendment to the defense authorization bill at Wednesday’s mark-up session that will demand…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The Air Force will choose a winner in its troubled Light Air Support competition without actually flying the two contending planes, the Embraer Super Tucano and the Hawker-Beechcraft AT-6, and it will even disregard what it has data from the limited “flight demonstration” it conducted last year. That’s a disturbing departure from best practice in…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
31 military & vets’ groups of Military Coalition (http://bit.ly/JKN4Ci) write Congress saying "stop sequestration" – http://1.usa.gov/JKMsfV SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
CSBA talks #lasers @WSJ: http://on.wsj.com/KwEokm. For hoi poloi who can’t get WSJ, we talked to CSBA on this 2 weeks ago: http://bit.ly/JKmni0 SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
PRATT & WHITNEY ENGINE PLANT, MIDDLETOWN, CONN.: [updated 9:05 am Wednesday with comment from Pratt & Whitney President David Hess] This factory builds jet engines for high-performance fighters — an engine a week for the F-35 alone — but the armed forces might want to take a look at an innovation on Pratt & Whitney’s…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
WASHINGTON: State governors are complaining to Congress about Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s offer to give the Air National Guard two dozen C-130 aircraft and add back almost 1,200 jobs, saying it isn’t enough. The president’s budget originally proposed cutting 5,100 Air Guard jobs; last week, Panetta offered to restore 1,179 (by the governors’ count) and…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
CAPITOL HILL: After you count up all the cuts and additions in the House Armed Services Committee’s mark-up of the Pentagon budget, the bill appears to authorize $554 billion for national defense (budget function 050). At a time when the Pentagon faces the prospect of mandatory spending cuts of another $53 billion if sequestration happens…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
CAPITOL HILL: The odds keep getting better that the Navy will get two Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines in 2014 instead of one, with senators of both parties chiming in this morning to support yesterday’s pro-sub action by the House, and the Navy’s top acquisition official pointedly did not say no. Congress never liked the plan…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
CAPITOL HILL: The vice-chiefs of the Army and Marine Corps warned legislators today that sequestration would force the military and the nation to break enlistment contracts with up to 225,000 troops who would have to be precipitately discharged to save money. “We would absolutely not be able to keep faith with our people,” said Gen.…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.HASC votes to restrict Administration’s ability to negotiate international "space code of conduct" — explained here: http://bit.ly/JfscX1 SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON [updated at 3:10 pm with comment from Heritage Foundation’s Steven Groves] : The Defense Department made a big push to break three decades of stalemate on the Law of the Sea, with Secretary Leon Panetta and Chief of Joint Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey staging a rare joint appearance today to urge the Senate to…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.Shipboard laser program launched @ONR (http://bit.ly/K02uoi) – for why the Navy needs lasers, see http://bit.ly/JKmni0 SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.PENTAGON: There are a lot of questions about the Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ships, high-tech vessels that are smaller, faster, more flexible, and more vulnerable to damage than traditional frigates or destroyers. In an exclusive interview with Breaking Defense, the Navy’s top surface-warships expert frankly acknowledged that they’re still working on the answers. Everything…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.Panetta & Dempsey to push "Law of the Sea" ratification tomorrow @ACUS (http://bit.ly/K8Nl7O) — pros & cons of LOS @ http://bit.ly/IHWF2v SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON: Congress orders up innumerable reports, and the Pentagon routinely delivers them months late, but the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan is one report that actually matters. That’s why Rep. Todd Akin, seapower chairman on the House Armed Services Committee, will offer an amendment to the defense authorization bill at Wednesday’s mark-up session that will demand…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.The Air Force will choose a winner in its troubled Light Air Support competition without actually flying the two contending planes, the Embraer Super Tucano and the Hawker-Beechcraft AT-6, and it will even disregard what it has data from the limited “flight demonstration” it conducted last year. That’s a disturbing departure from best practice in…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.31 military & vets’ groups of Military Coalition (http://bit.ly/JKN4Ci) write Congress saying "stop sequestration" – http://1.usa.gov/JKMsfV SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.CSBA talks #lasers @WSJ: http://on.wsj.com/KwEokm. For hoi poloi who can’t get WSJ, we talked to CSBA on this 2 weeks ago: http://bit.ly/JKmni0 SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.PRATT & WHITNEY ENGINE PLANT, MIDDLETOWN, CONN.: [updated 9:05 am Wednesday with comment from Pratt & Whitney President David Hess] This factory builds jet engines for high-performance fighters — an engine a week for the F-35 alone — but the armed forces might want to take a look at an innovation on Pratt & Whitney’s…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON: State governors are complaining to Congress about Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s offer to give the Air National Guard two dozen C-130 aircraft and add back almost 1,200 jobs, saying it isn’t enough. The president’s budget originally proposed cutting 5,100 Air Guard jobs; last week, Panetta offered to restore 1,179 (by the governors’ count) and…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.CAPITOL HILL: After you count up all the cuts and additions in the House Armed Services Committee’s mark-up of the Pentagon budget, the bill appears to authorize $554 billion for national defense (budget function 050). At a time when the Pentagon faces the prospect of mandatory spending cuts of another $53 billion if sequestration happens…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.CAPITOL HILL: The odds keep getting better that the Navy will get two Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines in 2014 instead of one, with senators of both parties chiming in this morning to support yesterday’s pro-sub action by the House, and the Navy’s top acquisition official pointedly did not say no. Congress never liked the plan…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
