Fixing the machine: Inside the Navy’s race to rebuild its aviator pipeline
An in-depth discussion with the service's chief of Naval Air Training Command.
Why adding the Osprey to the Atlantic Naval Air Force matters
Analyst Robbin Laird writes that the CMV-22B "provides significant help with the challenge of contested logistics — a challenge that is only going to get worse with the Navy focused on distributed operations."
Building logistics networks for contested environments
Explore how software, edge AI and resilient connectivity can strengthen military logistics in contested environments. Join Breaking Defense on Oct. 21 and earn 1 CPE credit.
How to do integrated training, Marine Corps style
In this op-ed from Robbin Laird, he takes a look at the importance of the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One in training and readiness.
The Silent Service no more? Pacific submarine fleet a key part of Pacific deterrence
Rear Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, the Submarine Force, US Pacific Fleet (SUBPAC) commander, talks with author Robbin Laird about his view of pacific deterrence.
A controversial idea: Jets for Ukraine in exchange for treaty talks with Moscow
Giving excess fighter jets to Ukraine now will help ensure its safety in the future - but the NATO nations should have strings attached, write Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake.
Sweden’s massive opportunity to rethink its role in Nordic defense
Sweden "has a significant chance for innovation because it can rebuild its defense forces within a wider context and perspective while relying heavily on domestic defense companies that the country has not yet tapped to its full benefit," writes analyst Robbin Laird.
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In the age of drones, a bigger fence around your facility doesn’t protect you anymore
Traditional thinking about how to protect facilities must adapt to new threats such as drones or downstream attacks.
Norway should be at the center of change in Northern European defense
Being part of the new NATO team of Finland, Sweden and Norway, rather than being the sole Nordic NATO leader in this key region, means changes should come to its defense posture, writes analyst Robbin Laird.
Accelerating capability for the fleet: The case of the CMV-22B
To deal with the logistics challengers of the modern carrier, the Navy should increase its buy of Ospreys, argues analyst Robbin Laird.
Finland, in NATO and with the F-35, forms a powerful challenge to Russia
"Finland never bought into the idea of East-West peace lasting forever following the collapse of the Soviet Union," and now seems prescient in its defense investments, writes Robbin Laird.
Echoes of Spain’s NATO membership in Swedish, Finnish bids
"The coming of Sweden and Finland will not look like the Eastern expansion, but more akin to the Spanish development, whereby older national traditions are re-defined and new defense approaches shaped," writes Robbin Laird.
The Army’s Digital Transformation
AI is reshaping the Army’s approach to cyber, electronic warfare and command and control. At TechNet Augusta 2026, leaders outlined how they’re turning emerging technology into capabilities for the battlefield.
Three questions about ending the war in Ukraine
To avoid an Afghanistan situation of open-ended conflict, the US and its partners need to be thinking about how to end the conflict sooner rather than later, writes Robbin Laird.
Learn from 1983, and be careful with the rhetoric about Moscow
The White House needs to be careful about what signals it is sending to Moscow with its rhetoric about Russia, writes Robbin Laird in a new column.
Time to relearn nuclear escalation management for the 21st century
"The US has spent the last three decades siloing nuclear capabilities off into their own box, and hence we are behind the ball on thinking of how to deal with an increasingly desperate foe who sees nuclear weapons not as a final instrument, but as part of the broader orchestra," writes Robbin Laird.
Two pathways to recovering Russia expertise in the US military
Thanks to the end of the Cold War, the focus on counter-terrorism in the Middle East, and an emphasis on concerns over China, "we simply do not have deep knowledge of Russia," writes Robbin Laird.