Defense news

• The Pentagon chooses learning over losing

  12-11-2025 22:12 via defenseone.com
  The acquisition reforms announced last week by Secretary Pete Hegseth reflect a revolutionary shift in mindset: after decades of aspiring to remain the world’s most advanced force, the U.S. military has finally recognized that adaptability trumps performance.Better late than never. The last few years of war in Ukraine, the Red Sea, and Israel have been screaming the lesson that better kit doesn’t guarantee success. In fact, “better” means something different than it did e
  
  Read more

• International air and space leaders will push unity at conference after prickly NATO summit

  14-07-2026 22:57 via defenseone.com
  
  Following a bumpy NATO conference, air and space military leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, and 50 other countries will gather in London this week to discuss future military strategy as President Trump continues his push for allies to spend more on defense.Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the U.S. Air Force chief of staff; Gen. Chance Saltzman, the U.S. Space Force’s top uniformed leader; and top U.K. military and government leaders are the scheduled keynote speakers at the Global Air
  
  Read more

• How a former Marine is rewriting the future of battlefield AI

  14-07-2026 22:11 via defenseone.com
  
  One stubborn former Marine is changing how the Pentagon moves data to farflung troops—a change intended to enable them to use advanced AI tools, and one that just might reshape how lightweight models are developed.Some of these new workflows have already been used during the U.S. war on Iran.“If you look at what's happened with Operation Epic Fury, in particular, we were able to incorporate dozens of new feeds in real time that allow us to not only serve up that data in the right for
  
  Read more

• AI can now power every stage of a cyberattack

  14-07-2026 03:00 via defenseone.com
  
  Just two years ago, hackers were tapping into generative artificial intelligence to probe targets, translate technical material and troubleshoot malicious code. The technology sped up some key parts of a cyber operation, but other stages remained solely in human hands.That line is now beginning to blur. In a range of cyberattacks observed over the past year, AI systems generated commands, tested vulnerabilities, and helped hackers move through victim networks, sometimes carrying out thousands of
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Pentagon halts Phase 2 of cybersecurity certification program, launches 60-day ‘reform’ review

  13-07-2026 22:51 via defenseone.com
  
  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 requires third-party certifications.DOD is also launching a review of CMMC to make sure it aligns with
  
  Read more

• DHS network intrusion was twice ruled a false positive before breach confirmed

  13-07-2026 17:24 via defenseone.com
  
  Department of Homeland Security personnel twice dismissed signs of cyber intruders inside the agency’s Homeland Security Information Network as harmless activity, allowing hackers to remain undetected inside for weeks and eventually steal credential files, according to an internal incident readout viewed by Nextgov/FCW.HSIN was breached about two months ago, Nextgov/FCW first reported in late June. The network houses sensitive, unclassified data that’s shared between federal, state,
  
  Read more

• Marines eye cloudless networks to keep AI tools running when the cloud goes down

  13-07-2026 12:00 via defenseone.com
  
  The cloud connectivity that makes big AI models work is also the reason they won’t work in war. As the Marine Corps explores ways to bring AI tools to the battlefield, it is looking at one software company’s proposal to keep troops computing when broader access gets cut off.Ditto will announce Monday that the Marines’ Project Dynamis will evaluate their technology for turning radios, cell phones, even drones, into a local network that can keep data flowing and AI tools running
  
  Read more

• Sen. Lindsey Graham dies, leaving Senate seat vacant

  12-07-2026 18:37 via defenseone.com
  
  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 of the Senate Budget Committee. In June, he defeated five Republican challengers in the Senate prima
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Two more rocket-makers join Pentagon's list of launch options

  09-07-2026 22:18 via defenseone.com
  
  Space Force officials have tapped two startup companies to compete for future national security launch missions, expanding the service’s growing list of providers as the military’s demand for orbital capabilities skyrockets. California-based firms Impulse Space and Relativity Federal have been added to the Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract, reserved for its more accessible and lower-risk missions. Both companies will receive a $5 million
  
  Read more

• Space Force adds two startups to military’s growing list of national security launch providers

  09-07-2026 22:18 via defenseone.com
  
  Space Force officials have tapped two startup companies to compete for future national security launch missions, expanding the service’s growing list of providers as the military’s demand for orbital capabilities skyrockets. California-based firms Impulse Space and Relativity Federal have both been added to the Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract, reserved for its more accessible and lower-risk missions. Both companies will receive a $5 mil
  
  Read more

• Navy teases next step in key drone boat program

  09-07-2026 22:05 via defenseone.com
  
  The Navy plans to launch the next phase of its marketplace for high-capacity, medium-sized drone boats on August 1, according to a contract notice. The medium unmanned surface vessel, or MUSV, program “uses modular design principles to create adaptable and resilient solutions that can effectively counter evolving threats,” the July 7 notice states. “Interested parties with expertise in vessel construction, autonomy, perception systems and complex maritime problem solving e
  
  Read more

• Unions sue to restore Pentagon workers' collective-bargaining rights

  09-07-2026 18:00 via defenseone.com
  
  A pair of federal employee unions last week sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his April directive that the department terminate most of its collective bargaining agreements, alleging he violated the Administrative Procedure Act and exceeded his statutory authority when he sought to implement President Trump’s anti-union executive order.In March 2025, Trump signed an executive order citing a seldom-used provision of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act to strip roughly two-thirds o
  
  Read more

• Defense Business Brief: Rocket engine startup eyes production; NATO Summit Day 1; Anduril’s first NATO contract

  09-07-2026 04:44 via defenseone.com
  
  Rocket engine startup Venus Aerospace only has one major test flight under its belt, but the company just raised $91 million from investors ready to bet on future production demands.The Series B funding round was led by the venture capital firm Mercury Fund and with participation from other investors, including Lockheed Martin Ventures, which noted  the company’s rapid development of its rotating detonation rocket engine—which uses continuous supersonic detonation waves to gener
  
  Read more

• How Ukraine won the first great robot war

  08-07-2026 23:02 via defenseone.com
  In the spring and summer of 2026, the story about Russia's war in Ukraine changed. The defenders are combining air and ground drones, autonomy, and swarming to re-capture territory with robots while risking fewer humans—increasing casualties for Russia while decreasing them for their own forces. Some four and a half years after confidently launching his invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dwindling military options.In this short documentary, analysts, entrepreneurs, Europea
  
  Read more

• 'Shifting gears away from being just a policy shop': Q&A with the Pentagon CIO

  08-07-2026 19:24 via defenseone.com
  
  Pentagon CIO Kirsten Davies recently spoke with Nextgov/FCW about her efforts to update IT acquisition and move beyond policy to operational effectiveness, warfighter readiness, and more. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Nextgov/FCW: What are some of your office’s priorities under the current administration?Kirsten Davies: President Donald Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth have given us a tremendous opportunity with a mandate for change. What you're seeing out of
  
  Read more

• NATO snubs Boeing, picks Saab to build alliance’s next radar plane

  08-07-2026 03:21 via defenseone.com
  
  NATO allies plan to buy 10 of Saab’s GlobalEye aircraft as the alliance’s next-generation radar plane, snubbing Boeing and its E-7 Wedgetail offering, officials announced on Tuesday.The alliance would replace its Boeing E-3 Airborne Warning and Control aircraft with the Swedish company’s offering, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during the alliance’s Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, Turkey. “For decades, NATO has relied on a fleet of E3 Airborne Warning
  
  Read more

• House committee wants details on DHS network hack

  07-07-2026 23:53 via defenseone.com
  
  House Homeland Security Committee staff are requesting a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security on the breach of the agency’s Homeland Security Information Network, according to a committee aide with knowledge of the matter.Staffers are hoping to be briefed on the intrusion—first reported by Nextgov/FCW last week—by Friday, said the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter is sensitive. Hackers are believed to have penetrated HSIN sometim
  
  Read more

• Trump wants to scrap a key framework for federal-employee discipline

  07-07-2026 23:46 via defenseone.com
  
  The Trump administration last week proposed new regulations that would nullify a decades-old legal framework agencies use to mete out and justify federal employee discipline in favor of what critics say will be a vaguer and less fair standard.In a proposed rule published in the Federal Register, the Office of Personnel Management and Merit Systems Protection Board jointly called for “retiring” the Douglas factors, a list of 12 criteria agencies are expected to employ when they consid
  
  Read more

• Iran War supplemental deepens FY27 budget uncertainty

  06-07-2026 03:27 via defenseone.com
  
  A recent $87.6 billion supplemental funding request from the White House to pay for the Iran war and other expenses complicates an already tense budget process in Washington. The supplemental follows the release of a record $1.5 trillion defense budget request in April, putting additional pressure on Congress to sort out what has become a complex three-part defense budget comprising a $1.1 trillion base budget request, a $350 billion reconciliation request, and the new supplemental request.Most
  
  Read more

• These light-weight power cells run on nuclear waste and could power next-gen drones

  03-07-2026 14:00 via defenseone.com
  
  How many missions could a drone or satellite fly with a battery pack that can last decades? And what if that battery could be fueled by nuclear waste?That’s the future scientists are working toward in DARPA’s “Rads to Watts” program, which aims to create lightweight batteries with a high energy density. And a recent $3.37 million contract award aims to fund a viable proof-of-concept device that can produce more than 10 watts per kilogram with a yearslong shelf life. 
  
  Read more

• Lightweight cells powered by nuclear waste could drive tomorrow's drones

  03-07-2026 14:00 via defenseone.com
  
  How many missions could a drone or satellite fly with a battery pack that can last decades? And what if that battery could be fueled by nuclear waste?That’s the future scientists are working toward in DARPA’s “Rads to Watts” program, which aims to create lightweight batteries with a high energy density. And a recent $3.37 million contract award aims to fund a viable proof-of-concept device that can produce more than 10 watts per kilogram with a yearslong shelf life. 
  
  Read more

• Pentagon continues to ‘struggle’ with key weapons development timelines: GAO

  02-07-2026 20:43 via breakingdefense.com
  The watchdog’s annual weapons systems assessment revealed new details about high-profile programs, from Air Force One to Army missiles.
  
  Read more

• Australia announces defense industry policy and acquisitions reforms

  02-07-2026 19:42 via breakingdefense.com
  Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the reforms seek to build “a more agile, disciplined and strategically focused Defence organisation.”
  
  Read more

• Does Space Force have enough lawyers for tomorrow’s wars? Senators want to know

  02-07-2026 18:45 via defenseone.com
  
  As Space Force leaders push for more orbital warfighting capabilities and even potential moon operations, senators want to make sure they have enough space-focused military lawyers for future conflicts.The Defense Department would be required to assess its “space law requirements” to face rising threats and examine “options for establishing a dedicated legal organization within the Air Force, Space Force, or Space Command,” under the  Senate Armed Service Committee&r
  
  Read more

• Why the Pentagon is in a hurry to spend $152 billion

  02-07-2026 17:21 via breakingdefense.com
  The department has already issued guidance to its program offices on how to spend the money before the deadline hits.
  
  Read more

• Iran was the most successful failure in US airpower history

  02-07-2026 16:32 via breakingdefense.com
  The US entered the conflict with a detailed plan for a war of destruction, but no serious plan for Iran’s war of disruption.
  
  Read more

• Trump says Pulte can declassify ‘whatever’ he wants, sparking fears of exposing intelligence secrets

  02-07-2026 16:00 via defenseone.com
  
  President Donald Trump said Wednesday that acting spy chief Bill Pulte can declassify “whatever” records he wants and can declassify “almost everything,” a sweeping green light that has alarmed former intelligence officials, who warn that careless releases could expose sensitive intelligence capabilities and sidestep standard review processes with other spy agencies.Trump said Wednesday that acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte would only serve in the job f
  
  Read more

• European tank-maker KNDS postpones IPO due to ‘market volatility’

  02-07-2026 15:42 via breakingdefense.com
  “KNDS and its shareholders will continue to monitor the capital markets conditions closely and stand ready to resume the IPO process as soon as market conditions allow,” said the European firm.
  
  Read more

• GenAI.mil records almost 1.7M users, plans new model additions

  02-07-2026 15:00 via defenseone.com
  
  The Department of Defense plans to bring new models onto its internal, department-wide artificial intelligence marketplace and deploy them at higher classification levels, part of its updated procurement policy that aims for “commercial-first” in its deliverables. Cameron Stanley, the chief digital and artificial intelligence officer at DOD told attendees at the AWS Summit in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday that as GenAI.mil reached a record 1.7 million users—along with the cr
  
  Read more

• Under new management: the Pentagon’s autonomous systems get new oversight

  02-07-2026 03:10 via defenseone.com
  
  All of the Pentagon’s drone and counterdrone efforts for air, land, and sea will now fall under a new organization and director who will report to the deputy defense secretary, according to a memo released Wednesday.“Unmanned and autonomous systems are a strategic priority” and “essential to maintaining decisive military advantage,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a memo dated June 29 that was released Wednesday.The new czar, called the direct reporting port
  
  Read more

Follow @Defense_news_us on Twitter!