Industry chaos, congressional clampdowns and secret CCA contracts: 2025 review
I didn't include Taylor Swift song recommendations this time, but if you're asking me my favorite tune off "The Life of A Showgirl," it's "Ruin the Friendship."
Trump nominates Marine general for top SOUTHCOM job
If confirmed, Lt. Gen. Frank Donovan will replace Adm. Alvin Holsey, who announced in October that he would step down as SOUTHCOM's commander by the end of the year.
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GPS: Still the gold standard in global navigation
The GPS network continues to prove its unmatched reliability, and it’s only getting stronger.
Pentagon fails (another) audit, restates 2028 goal to finally pass
Auditors identified a financial misstatement concerning the F-35 program as part of this past year's audit.
Senate confirms Coast Guard’s new top admiral, other key DoD officials
Senators confirmed a new Pentagon comptroller and director of operational test and evaluation, among others.
Senate passes $901B defense authorization bill with major acquisition reform push
The bill forces the Pentagon to adopt a "portfolio acquisition executive model" for managing programs and makes it easier for commercial firms to do business with the department.
House passes defense policy bill
The National Defense Authorization Act authorizes $900.6 billion in defense funds, or about $8 billion more than the White House’s request.
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Keeping sensitive information safe in a new AI era
Why edge and endpoint security can’t be an afterthought.
Key lawmaker blasts Pentagon’s last-minute push for multiyear munitions package for FY26
The timing of the multi-billion-dollar request "reflects a lack of seriousness about the role of Congress in oversight and in funding,” Sen. Chris Coons told reporters.
Trump admin should ‘go farther’ on rewrite of acquisition regulations: Industry org
"This is a really rare opportunity to attack some of those requirements that are most burdensome,” said Margaret Boatner, AIA's vice president for national security policy.
Boeing completes $4.7B Spirit AeroSystems acquisition, reabsorbing key supplier
Spirit Defense, which makes aerostructures for aircraft like the B-21, will be run as a "non-integrated" subsidiary of Boeing’s defense unit.
Hegseth endorses National Security Strategy, outlines military priorities focused on the West
“We will instead put our nation's practical, concrete interests first,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. “We will deter war. We will advance our interests. We will defend our people. Peace is our goal.”
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Turning R&D into reality to meet the challenges of the modern battlefield
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
No decision made on second round of reconciliation for defense: OMB director
Whether another temporary multi-billion-dollar add-on is in the Pentagon's future, Russell Vought attempted to assuage concerns, saying "there will not be a hole" in the defense budget.
Congress eyes $8B boost over Trump’s Pentagon budget in NDAA
Rep. Adam Smith, the House Armed Services Committee's ranking Democrat, said Congress is aiming to release a compromise defense authorization bill in the next 24 hours.
Project Talon: Northrop unveils new loyal wingman drone design
"The idea was to see if we could build an aircraft that had all the same capability of our original offering [for the Air Force's CCA program], and do it faster,” said Tom Jones, Northrop's head of aeronautic systems.
J.P. Morgan eyeing both defense startups and legacy firms for $10B investment push: Execs
Under the bank's new Security and Resilience Initiative, executives told Breaking Defense one key priority is funding nuclear submarine construction.