Defense news

• US, Israel launch ‘massive and ongoing operation’ inside Iran

  28-02-2026 13:17 via breakingdefense.com
  “We’re going to destroy their missiles and [raze] their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their Navy,” said US President Donald Trump.
  
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• Allies and industry will gather at Farnborough Air Show amid Iran war, spending debates

  16-07-2026 23:15 via defenseone.com
  
  LONDON— Disagreement among allies, uncertainty around the Iran war, and defense spending fluctuations in Europe and the United States will swirl around the Farnborough Air Show in England next week.Other things will also set this year’s edition of the biennial show apart from its predecessors, industry representatives and aviation analysts told Defense One. Typically, the commercial-heavy air expo is preceded by the Royal International Air Tattoo at the United Kingdom’s Royal A
  
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• Can new drones, 3D printers defeat distance’s tyranny? RIMPAC aims to find out

  16-07-2026 22:36 via defenseone.com
  
  SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii—Replacing broken parts and resupplying ships at sea is a challenge anywhere, but in the Pacific theater, that problem is magnified by thousands of miles of sea water. Now, as part of the sprawling Rim of the Pacific, the U.S. military is practicing how it might use tech like self-driving boats and 3D printers that can be thrown out of airplanes to overcome the region’s oft-lamented tyranny of distance.“We are piloting this program during RIMPAC to exp
  
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• China justifies Space Force’s budget, nominee tells lawmakers in smooth confirmation hearing

  16-07-2026 21:43 via defenseone.com
  
  China’s military advancements justify the Space Force’s $71 billion budget request, the White House nominee to lead the service said during a short and uncontentious Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday.“I would say that the $71.1 billion that the president has asked for is exactly what we need,” said Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, who currently serves as the deputy chief of space operations for operations at the Pentagon. He told the Senate Armed Services Committee that it
  
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• A year after State layoffs, ex-feds say US is paying the price in Iran and Ebola crises

  16-07-2026 21:35 via defenseone.com
  
  To Megan Fotheringham, a small, circular plaque represents what the United States lost when the Trump administration shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development last year.The plaque "was given to a USAID foreign service advisor in 1976 after the first recognized Ebola outbreak was contained in Zaire. For me, it represents 50 years of U.S. commitment to stop Ebola at its source before it reaches our shores,” Fotheringham, who served as the deputy directo
  
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• Ukraine will build 5M drones in 2026. NATO must learn how: deputy commander

  16-07-2026 18:50 via defenseone.com
  
  LONDON—Ukraine is making a thousand times more drones now than when Russia invaded four years ago—and NATO must learn how, the alliance’s deputy military commander said Thursday. “In 2022, Ukraine produced 5,000 drones, various. In 2026, they will produce, and I'm afraid I can't give the figure, but let's just say it is going to be well north of 5 million, of all flavors,” Air Chief Marshal Johnny Stringer told attendees at the Global Air and Space Chiefs
  
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• Space Force can’t figure out what personnel it needs for its missions, GAO says

  16-07-2026 18:30 via defenseone.com
  
  One-quarter of the jobs Space Force leaders say they need went unfilled in fiscal 2025, partly because the young service lacks a solid way to track and use troops, civilian workers, and contractors, the Government Accountability Office found.“The Space Force has not established a process or guidance to consistently and accurately determine its personnel needs to accomplish its missions. Relatedly, although it has estimated the number of contractor personnel supporting it, the Space Force d
  
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• Defense Business Brief: Farnborough preview, thoughts + trends; Trade groups balk at NDAA buyback provision; Pennsylvania’s DIB

  16-07-2026 15:00 via defenseone.com
  
  England did not make it to the World Cup final, but London Town will likely still be buzzing next week as the Farnborough International Airshow kicks off Monday. And while last week’s NATO Summit got a bit prickly, there’s an appetite for unity amid increasing global tensions. Dozens of countries, major weapons makers, defense tech companies, and suppliers are expected at the weeklong show. And states’ representatives will be there as well, trying to draw international bus
  
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• Space Force faces budget uncertainty as leader plans exit next month

  15-07-2026 22:50 via defenseone.com
  
  LONDON—The U.S. Space Force’s soon-to-be retired top officer urged support for his service’s programs, the same day as House lawmakers said they would approve only a fraction of the funds the Trump administration requested for major space effortsSpace Force Gen. Chance Saltzman, the chief of space operations, told international military leaders  at the Global Air and Space Chiefs’ Conference here on Tuesday that space is, undoubtedly, a warfighting domain. Invoking A
  
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• Trump’s intelligence pick pressed on 2020 election, defends handling of New York Times subpoenas

  15-07-2026 22:05 via defenseone.com
  
  President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence faced pointed pushback from Senate Democrats Wednesday over his answers about the 2020 election results and broader election security concerns ahead of this year’s midterms.Jay Clayton, who currently serves as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, told lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee that former president Joe Biden was “certified” president in 2020 after the election comme
  
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• Space Development Agency resumes key satellite launches after delays, watchdog criticisms

  15-07-2026 18:00 via defenseone.com
  
  After a nine-month pause, the Space Development Agency is finally scheduled to launch its next batch of satellites for its sprawling military-communication constellation—even as draft legislation weighs dissolving the agency.SDA is scheduled to launch its next 21 Tranche 1 satellites on Thursday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Their payloads will be part of the data-transport layer of the agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a network
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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,
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• '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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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. 
  
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