Guam defense tops INDOPACOM’s unfunded priorities, NORTHCOM wants more IT
US Indo-Pacific Command’s $11 billion unfunded priority list includes 44 programs, from missiles to maritime mines.
US defense modernization gets a ‘D’ grade in new report as tech roadblocks persist
“We're still looking for the ability to translate and transition those innovation priorities into capabilities, into programs of record, into budget priorities,” said Rachel Hoff, Reagan Institute’s policy director and one of the authors of a new scorecard evaluating progress in defense innovation.
Breaking Defense announces Breaking Defense Europe, a new, distinct, European edition
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.
Pentagon operations ‘potentially jeopardized’ without $105B supplemental: SASC chair
Sen. Jack Reed told reporters that should the bill fail, he would look to busting the price cap on next year's defense authorization legislation.
Pentagon finally approves F-35 for full rate production after 5-year delay
The "Milestone C" decision is a crucial moment signifying the department's confidence in the performance of the F-35 and maturity of Lockheed Martin's production system, though the plane has been in service for years.
White House unveils $300 million Ukrainian weapon package, thanks to found savings
"Ukraine is not running out of courage and tenacity: They're running out of ammunition, and we're running out of time to help them," said CIA director William Burns.
New Pentagon weapons tester pledges to eschew defense contractor jobs after departure
“I share your commitment to maintaining the public’s trust in the Department of Defense,” Douglas Schmidt, the new director of operational test and evaluation, said in the letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Modernizing defense enterprise IT without disrupting the mission
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
Lawmakers press Army aviation leadership on FARA cancelation
UH-60M Blackhawks from Lockheed Martin Sikorsky and CH-47F Block II Chinooks from Boeing would have ended production in 2030 if the Army kept FARA going, a top service official testified.
Pentagon’s budget process needs ‘fundamental restructuring,’ panel says
The almost 400-page PPBE report draws on two years of research and more than 400 interviews, and resulted in 28 recommendations, half of which are denoted as key changes.
Inside the special F-16 the Air Force is using to test out AI
With AI still a nascent technology, VISTA's ability to churn through flight tests could be critical for the Air Force as it looks to start a Collaborative Combat Aircraft program as early as fiscal 2024.
Air Force looks to take flight on 7 imperatives: 2023 Preview
"I think I'm pretty comfortable with where we are on the [fiscal 2024] budget. I think we'll have a good story to tell,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Breaking Defense in a recent interview.
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Answering the demand signal to move faster, field sooner, iterate continuously
As threats rapidly evolve, digital engineering, manufacturing capacity and robust supply chains are critical to meeting challenges.
After years of KC-46 vision system troubles, Boeing thinks its finally cracked the code
RVS 2.0 provides a “quantum leap” in camera technology, said Lt. Col. Joshua Renfro of the Air Force’s KC-46 cross functional team. “We're very confident in the product. We like where it's going, and we really like what this is going to deliver to us down the road."
The Pentagon with one eye on Ukraine and the other on China: 2022 in Review
The war in Ukraine (and subsequent delivery of billions of dollars in air defense equipment, munitions, drones, guns and other weaponry) also prompted a major realization: The Pentagon and defense industry’s ability to rapidly mobilize to produce munitions at the pace that would be needed during a full-scale war has atrophied.
From an Afghan pilot’s ordeal to an ejection seat conundrum: 5 stories from 2022
Beyond actual aviation news, I will continue to mention Taylor Swift in these lists until my editors force me to stop. [Editor's Note: Fine.]
Drones, sats and rockets: As Sweden looks to boost spending, it’s taking lessons from Ukraine
“I think what became crystal clear on the 24th of February this year was that Russia is willing to take bigger political and military risks ... and the threshold for the use of military force is very low," Swedish defense minister Pål Jonson told Breaking Defense.