The Weekly Break Out

In this week's episode of The Break Out, Editor-in-chief Aaron Mehta and Navy reporter Diana Stancy explain what we know — and don't — about Boeing's win for the Navy's F/A-XX fighter , from its expected role alongside F-35s and F/A-18s to concerns about how Boeing will execute two sixth-generation fighter programs . Then Breaking Defense Europe Editor Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo reports from Lviv, Uk...

In this week's episode of The Break Out, Army reporter Carley Welch discusses what she saw at Falcon Peak in Yuma, Ariz., where the US military and industry partners spent weeks testing equipment designed to spot and counter drone incursions along the southern border. Then Air Warfare Reporter Michael Marrow explains what's happening at the China Aerospace Studies Institute, where civilian positio...

In this week's episode of The Break Out, networks reporter Mark Pomerleau explains a new US Air Force effort to develop a  defensive cyber "campaign plan"  to ward off threats posed by artificial intelligence. Then Breaking Defense Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Deputy Editor Lee Ferran consider nuclear and defense industry  implications  stemming from a recently signed  trilateral defense pact l...

In this week's episode of The Break Out, Army reporter Carly Welch explores the highlights from recent laser-powered counter-drone experiments by the US Army, particularly around the US-Mexico border. Then Carly and Breaking Defense Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta review a fair bit of tumult — including the surprise, but not unexpected, news that the service's top civilian is leaving — among the Army'...

In this week's episode of The Break Out, a  new Defense Department memo  reorients data disclosure guidance for Pentagon contractors, but it also raises several key unanswered questions, as congressional reporter Valerie Insinna tells Deputy Editor Lee Ferran. Then networks reporter Mark Pomerleau unpacks what he learned from top Army officials during the recent  TechNet Augusta  conference in nor...

In this week's episode of The Break Out, Breaking Defense Deputy Editor Lee Ferran and Air Warfare Reporter Michael Marrow discuss a new, wide-ranging national security memo from President Donald Trump aiming to drastically change navy shipbuilding. Then we turn to Breaking Defense Multimedia Editor Daniel Woolfolk, who takes viewers on a tour around the expo floor at this year's Space and Missile...

In this week's episode of The Break Out, Breaking Defense's Multimedia Director Daniel Woolfolk tours the grounds around the Farnborough Airshow. Then we turn to Breaking Defense Middle East Contributing Editor Riad Kahwaji for a glimpse into how the war in Iran is reshaping regional military modernization. Underwritten by Leonardo DRS.

In this week's episode of The Break Out, Breaking Defense Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta brings you an interview from the Farnborough Airshow, located outside of London. At the conference, he talked with Eric Fanning, the former Army Secretary who now leads the Aerospace Industries Association. Fanning discussed a wide range of topics relevant to the US defense industry — all as airshow action was ta...

In this week's episode of The Break Out, Breaking Defense Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Senior Space Reporter Theresa Hitchens discuss the US military's renewed ambition to harness solar power for missions in orbit. Can interest from Silicon Valley and venture capitalists help deliver a new solution? Then Mehta and Deputy Editor Lee Ferran recap top news from the NATO 2026 summit in Ankara befor...

Another week means another executive order — this time with President Donald Trump looking to change how the Foreign Military Sales process works . In the latest edition of The Weekly Break Out, Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Air Warfare Reporter Michael Marrow talk through how this might impact global weapon sales. Then after the break, the two preview the upcoming Munich Security Conference and...

President Donald Trump has again come out swinging in a Truth Social post — this time against the  Canadian aerospace industry  in retaliation for the country's delayed certification of US-made Gulfstream jets for use in Canada. On a new episode of  The Weekly Break Out , Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Deputy Editor Lee Ferran flag how the heated rivalry could affect America's militarized variant...

President Donald Trump used the  World Economic Forum  in Davos to escalate his pressure campaign on the US defense industry to  speed up weapons production . Meanwhile, new reporting reveals the controversial  Qatari Boeing 747 , intended to serve as an interim Air Force One, could fly as soon as this summer, raising fresh questions about security upgrades, contractors and timelines. On a new epi...

What's in a name? Here's who the Air Force has tapped to be program acquisition executives as the Pentagon rebrands its program executive officers. Then,  The Weekly Break Out tours the show floor at the Surface Navy Association's 2026 conference for a peek at an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, a solar-powered maritime drone, a floating combat hospital and more.

It was a Truth Social post that shook the defense industry: President Donald Trump lashed out at big defense contractors over stock buybacks and CEO pay. Get caught up, and then see what there is to "sea" at this week's Surface Navy Association conference.

The United States carried out what may become one of the most consequential military raids in modern history. In this episode of The Weekly Break Out, CSIS defense expert Mark Cancian analyzes the US operation in Venezuela, explaining how American forces penetrated Russian-made S-300 air defense systems, leveraged Cyber Command and Space Command and executed a complex joint mission without America...

This week on The Weekly Break Out, Aaron Mehta and Lee Ferran break down the Trump administration's new National Security Strategy, what it signals for Europe, Russia and homeland defense — and how it aligns with what we heard at the Reagan National Defense Forum. Then after the break, the hosts dig into the compromise 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, including why lawmakers added $8 billi...

The Navy's decision to cancel its Constellation-class frigate program has shifted from quiet speculation to front-page news. In this episode of The Weekly Break Out, Breaking Defense unpacks what might come next for Fincantieri and US sailors. Then the conversation moves west to Simi Valley, where the upcoming Reagan National Defense Forum is set to gather defense officials, lawmakers, generals an...

At the 2025 Dubai Airshow, Breaking Defense breaks down the biggest trends in combat aviation in the Middle East — from a surge in autonomous systems to global competition between the US, Russia, China and more. Agnes Helou and Michael Marrow highlight what's driving demand in the region and what's new on the show floor. Then, we take you on a walkaround tour of an F-35 with a fighter pilot who ex...

US Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) is rethinking its anticipated "2.0" overhaul — but the final plan looks different from what many expected. On this episode of The Weekly Break Out, Breaking Defense's Deputy Editor Lee Ferran and Senior Networks and Information Warfare Reporter Mark Pomerleau walk through what actually changed, what didn't, and why CYBERCOM's update is now more about talent generation a...

The defense industry is standing by with bated breath as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to give a high-profile speech about acquisition on Friday. While no one's sure what exactly he'll say, there's plenty to preview in this episode of The Weekly Break Out. Then, hear what one congressman says is "heartbreaking" about the current state of US Cyber Command. Stories: Draft memo reveals potent...

Something wicked this way comes to Breaking Defense... Our special Halloween episode of The Weekly Break Out brings you spooky tales of military technology programs that have died — and some that could return from beyond the grave.

This week on The Weekly Break Out, the US Coast Guard hopes publicly shaming Chinese ships for sailing too close to the US will avoid a future dispute. Then we look at the future of military command and control.

The Pentagon and industry are coming up with concepts of what space-based interceptors could be. Plus, we dig into the UK plan to avoid drone swarms. 

This week on The Break Out, Congress reporter Valerie Insinna unpacks the Navy's secretive plans for carrier-based Collaborative Combat Aircraft, while air warfare reporter Michael Marrow breaks down the Sentinel ICBM program's latest steps toward replacing America's aging nuclear missile silos.

This week, Pentagon reporter Ashley Roque discusses how the DoD nixed the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System, better known as JCIDS. Plus, an Air National Guard base gets the F-15EX.