The Space Force faces growing pains. Here’s how the next chief can help.
Doubling the service from roughly 10,000 to 20,000 military members by 2030 is not a trivial matter. Here are a few options the next service chief should consider.
Category: Defense
Army well short of 155mm ammo production goal, Texas facility in the spotlight
GD-OTS told Breaking Defense it has now reached an agreement with the Army on the way ahead for the troubled Mesquite facility and will invest its own dollars to complete the work.
Pentagon pursues space-based solar power
Then we talk about what happened at the NATO summit and what’s to come at the Farnborough air show.
The US Navy is eyeing next-gen carrier-based drones. Here’s what they might do.
The U.S. Navy is looking for a family of carrier-based drones that can fulfill a variety of missions, according to a July 14 Request for Information.The sea service “is exploring the industrial base’s capacity to deliver highly capable, autonomous platforms optimized for operations from Ford-class and Nimitz-class Nuclear Aircraft Carriers,” according to the RFI. The…
Ukraine agrees on plan to acquire 16 Rafale jets, France’s Macron says
PARIS — Ukraine has agreed on a plan to acquire 16 Rafale fighter jets from France together with the accompanying weapon systems, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference here late Monday following a meeting of the group of countries that have pledged support to Ukraine.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Macron agreed on…
Europe’s defense build-up is delivering for NATO — and America
When the European Union announced its unprecedented defense investment agenda last year, many in America questioned whether Europe would deliver. Some argued we were too slow to rearm, too fragmented to strengthen our defense industry, or too accustomed to relying on U.S. military power. One year later, Europe’s answer is not a press release or…
Manufacturing woes hamper US 155-mm ammo production
Manufacturing problems are dashing the U.S. Army’s plans to boost production of urgently needed 155-mm howitzer shells, a Pentagon watchdog warned. Despite a goal of 100,000 rounds per month by October 2025, the Army had only managed to produce 36,000 rounds per month as of March 2026, according to a report published this month by…
Navy awards TOTE $2.2 billion to manage Medium Landing Ships project
The Navy this week awarded a $2.2 billion Vessel Construction Management contract to the Jacksonville, Florida-based TOTE Services LLC for the service’s new Medium Landing Ships.The Marine Corps commissioned the new Medium Landing Ships, or LSMs, with an eye toward potential conflicts with China in the Indo-Pacific. Measuring around 100 meters, the smaller, more agile…
Pentagon halts Phase 2 of cybersecurity certification program, launches 60-day ‘reform’ review
The Defense Department has essentially ended the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program by suspending its second phase requirements. The Pentagon will keep in place Phase 1, which requires self-assessments for how companies protect controlled unclassified information in their systems. But the department said Monday it is suspending Phase 2, which was to begin on Nov. 10 and…
Sen. Lindsey Graham dies, leaving Senate seat vacant
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died on Saturday night of a “brief and sudden illness,” his office announced early Sunday. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement added. Graham, who had just turned 71 on Thursday, was a close ally of President Donald Trump and chairman…