Breaking Defense

Golden Dome, out-years and lots of missiles: Details of Trump’s $1.5T defense budget request

By Ashley Roque, Valerie Insinna, Theresa Hitchens, Michael Marrow, Diana Stancy and Carley Welch

Space

EXCLUSIVE: SDA’s Sandhoo likely to lead Space Force Missile Warning & Tracking portfolio

It is unclear whether Gurpartap "GP" Sandhoo will keep his role as SDA acting director under a double-hat, but one industry source said that is the most likely solution at least in the near term.

By Theresa Hitchens

Global

Villagers in South Lebanon hang on to hope and their homes as war continues

“My house is my only shelter, and I don’t want to leave it,” one villager told Breaking Defense.

By Agnes Helou

Air Warfare

US F-15E fighter jet downed by Iran, rescue operations underway

The loss of an American fighter jet over Iran would appear to be the first manned American aircraft downed over Iran during Operation Epic Fury.

By Michael Marrow and Ashley Roque

Latest News

Air Warfare

EXCLUSIVE: Air Force to approve T-7 trainer production within days

"We're confident in the design of the aircraft that we have," Air Force Program Executive Officer for Training Rodney Stevens told Breaking Defense. “We're ready to start proving that we can produce the aircraft at rate.”

By Michael Marrow

Opinion

When it comes to drones, the Pentagon should mind the experience gap

An executive from Textron argues that while new entrants can help the Pentagon, the department needs to remember that experience matters.

By Sara Willett

In this episode:

What NATO wants most, and how Breaking Defense is expanding in Europe

Modernizing defense enterprise IT without disrupting the mission

Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.

By Breaking Defense

Global

Austal secures second Australian Landing Craft Heavy contract

"This contract reflects the growing strength and success of Austal’s Australian operations — and Australian industry — within the national shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise,” Austal Limited CEO Paddy Gregg said in the company announcement.

By Mike Yeo

Pentagon

Forthcoming US arm sales changes leave unanswered questions

As Trump administration officials work through a laundry list of possible changes, Canada is retreating from its dependence on US weapons.

By Ashley Roque

Air Warfare

As Dems push for briefing on El Paso incident, experts warn it could be the ‘tip of the iceberg’

“I think coordination has been lacking, and you're seeing a lot more sort of cowboy behavior, which could be problematic,” Stacie Pettyjohn, a senior fellow and director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, said in an interview with Breaking Defense.

By Michael Marrow and Valerie Insinna

Air Warfare

Northrop, Brazil’s Embraer partner on KC-390 to pitch US, others

Under a memorandum of understanding, Northrop will explore options to develop an autonomous boom refueling system for Embraer’s KC-390, hoping to attract US and international customers.

By Michael Marrow

Naval Warfare

Austal USA president to retire in June

“We are deeply grateful for Michelle’s vision, commitment, and the lasting impact that she has made on our organization,” Chris Chadwick, chairman of Austal USA’s board of managers, said in a statement announcing the change.

By Diana Stancy

Space

SatVu, GMV latest space firms to benefit from Europe’s new milspace focus

A recent study co-sponsored by NATO's Innovation Fund found that investment in European "Defence, Security and Resilience" startups increases by 55 percent in 2025.

By Theresa Hitchens

Networks & Digital Warfare

Pentagon CTO says it’s ‘not democratic’ for Anthropic to limit military use of Claude AI

"What we're not going to do is let any one company dictate a new set of policies above and beyond what Congress has passed," Under Secretary Emil Michael said of the ongoing impasse between the Pentagon and Anthropic.

By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

Opinion

Any action against Iran needs to account for the proxies

Proxies, such as the Houthis, should be heavily considered by the US while measures are taken against Iran.

By Thomas Bergeson, Karen Gibson and Sam Mundy

Naval Warfare

China’s nuclear submarine production rate surpasses that of US: Report

IISS research found that China launched 10 submarines with an estimated displacement of 79,000 tonnes between 2021 and 2025.

By Mike Yeo

Pentagon

Northrop not seeking direct DoD investment for solid rocket motors, but suppliers might: CEO

“There's just a lot of strategic synergy in those parts of our portfolio that we want to maintain ownership structure of,” said Northrop CEO Kathy Warden.

By Valerie Insinna

Naval Warfare

Navy weighs creating robotic autonomous systems commander amid unmanned push

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said a robotic autonomous systems commander would coordinate across domains.

By Diana Stancy

Space

DIU wants commercially developed imagery satellites for on-orbit spying

Under the new GHOST-R effort, the Defense Innovation Unit hopes to have a high-resolution bird operating on orbit within 24 months.

By Theresa Hitchens

Featured:

Golden Dome, out-years and lots of missiles: Details of Trump’s $1.5T defense budget request

EXCLUSIVE: SDA’s Sandhoo likely to lead Space Force Missile Warning & Tracking portfolio

Villagers in South Lebanon hang on to hope and their homes as war continues

US F-15E fighter jet downed by Iran, rescue operations underway

Latest News

EXCLUSIVE: Air Force to approve T-7 trainer production within days

When it comes to drones, the Pentagon should mind the experience gap

What NATO wants most, and how Breaking Defense is expanding in Europe

Modernizing defense enterprise IT without disrupting the mission

Austal secures second Australian Landing Craft Heavy contract

Forthcoming US arm sales changes leave unanswered questions

As Dems push for briefing on El Paso incident, experts warn it could be the ‘tip of the iceberg’

Artificial Intelligence & Autonomy: A New Era in Defense

First set of defensive cyber kits to be delivered to CYBERCOM units

Judge grants Anthropic preliminary injunction but Pentagon CTO says ban still stands

Companies to enter negotiations to build commercial data centers on Army installations

Swiss Destinus, Shield AI wrap European drone autonomy test campaign

Trump admin’s comments could undermine case against Anthropic in court: Experts

Pentagon CTO ‘pretty confident’ about life after Anthropic

Baykar unveils K2 Kamikaze drone with AI, swarming capabilities

Anthropic CEO says Pentagon ban less harsh than Hegseth had threatened

Pentagon’s new chief data officer to push ‘AI capabilities to warfighters’

AI giant Anthropic says it ‘cannot in good conscience’ agree to Pentagon demands

Northrop, Brazil’s Embraer partner on KC-390 to pitch US, others

Austal USA president to retire in June

SatVu, GMV latest space firms to benefit from Europe’s new milspace focus

Pentagon CTO says it’s ‘not democratic’ for Anthropic to limit military use of Claude AI

Any action against Iran needs to account for the proxies

Pentagon Buzz News Video

Will the Pentagon have to cut exercises to pay for the Iran war?

Pentagon comptroller says a ‘generational investment’ is coming, but when?

The Pentagon wants to buy 30,000 new drones. Here are the key questions.

Watch Pentagon Buzz, Breaking Defense’s new show on DoD policies, personalities and power

China’s nuclear submarine production rate surpasses that of US: Report

Northrop not seeking direct DoD investment for solid rocket motors, but suppliers might: CEO

Navy weighs creating robotic autonomous systems commander amid unmanned push

DIU wants commercially developed imagery satellites for on-orbit spying