“[N]obody was watching too closely to see just how far these Chinese components and hardware have infiltrated U.S. businesses,” one telecoms expert says.
By Theresa HitchensSmall UAS: Accelerating situational awareness on every level
There’s a renaissance in small UAS for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, both in the way they’re procured and deployed.
CBO estimates that developing F-35-launched boost-phase interceptors to defend against North Korean ballistic missiles would cost $25 billion to $40 billion to develop, with an additional $10 billion to $20 billion a year to operate.
By Theresa Hitchens
“There are some places that will have some interesting dialogue,” says Shawn Barnes, the Air Force’s point person on working out future space acquisition authorities under the Space Force.
By Theresa Hitchens
CSBA says the US is investing in the wrong jammers to counter Russia and China’s powerful EW forces. There’s another approach that would exploit our adversaries’ weaknesses.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
“The Commission is not glorifying the prospect of AI-enabled warfare, [but] adopting AI for defense and security purposes is an urgent national imperative.”
By Theresa Hitchens
The HASC wants an independent cost estimate on the F-35 and some detail — any detail — on the plan to replace AWACS. It’s also a little curious about robot tanks.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
With members from Congress, the executive branch, and the private sector, the commission plans to issue a final report by year’s end.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Display screens are the eyes for maneuver forces needing to command and control
The Army is upfitting vehicles with big 24 or 32-inch displays that present multiple sources of data for a full operational picture.
WASHINGTON: Unreleased Pentagon documents and Congressional demands for information reveal that Washington has long planned for the day when the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with Russia would be ripped up. The report by the Joint Staff and Strategic Command, exclusively obtained by Breaking Defense, make clear that as far back as 2013 — a…
By Paul McLeary
Space Corps? Space Force? Space Command? Ever since Rep. Mike Rogers put the Space Corps cat amongst the Air Force pigeons in April last year, debate has raged within the Air Force, the wider space enterprise, Congress and across the four services about just what must be done. President Trump glommed onto the idea and…
By Todd Harrison
There’s no timeline, no cost estimate, and no certainty Trump’s proposed Space Force will even happen. Even the interim step of creating a Space Command is being dialed down, a significant policy shift.
By Colin Clark
Of DoD’s proposed reforms, the biggest thing not included in the NDAA is the Space Development Agency, which would appear to strike a blow at the heart of DoD space acquisition: the Air Force-run Space and Missile Systems Center. SMC has long been criticized for its slow pace, bureaucratic stovepipes, and opacity, but praised for its technical brilliance.
By Colin Clark
As big defense firms line up to pitch their fighter planes to India, the government of Narendra Modi is demanding they build in India, something that might be at odds with the Trumpian America First philosophy.
By Paul McLeary
CAPITOL HILL: Defense Secretary James Mattis fired off a new letter to House Armed Services leadership on Tuesday, asking lawmakers again to vote in favor of waivers for certain countries Washington is trying to sway into its orbit, but who continue to do business with Russian defense firms. The letter was delivered to HASC chairman Rep.…
By Paul McLeary
Most coverage of the annual defense policy bill has focused on program changes: more ships (including six icebreakers!), no change to F-35’s, more RDT&E, no JSTARS recap, a growl (but no more) on ZTE, and many more (the bill and report run 2,500 pages). Less discussed, but of more import in the long run, are the…
By Mark Cancian