Breaking Defense

Breaking Defense is heading to scenic National Harbor, Maryland for this year’s Sea Air Space conference. Naval warfare reporter Diana Stancy joins Aaron Mehta to discuss what she’s expecting from Adm. Daryl Caudle’s first Sea Air Space as Chief of Naval Operations. Some of the major themes of this year’s show are expected to be the military-wide acquisition reform, along with the Navy’s role in the ongoing conflict in Iran.

MELBOURNE — Australia has outlined plans to boost its defense spending to three percent of its Gross Domestic Product in the coming years, while reaffirming that the US remains its closest ally and principal strategic partner. The country’s defense department released itsNational Defence Strategy (NDS) and Integrated Investment Plan (IIP)earlier today, outlining a plan to get defense spending to $96.6 billion AUD, or three percent of GDP, by 2033.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, center, arrives with Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, right, during a confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The Senate Budget Committee will have to approve Vought's nomination before he receives a full Senate confirmation vote, after the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 8-7 to advance Vought's nomination on Monday.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s historic $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027 is necessary to allow the military to make “paradigm-shifting investments,” with the money slated to bankroll multiyear contracts, the head of the Office of Management and Budget said today.

Acquisition reform at the Pentagon is about to meet a new challenge: the drone gold rush. Already a popular talking point in the building, drones featured prominently in the fiscal 2027 budget. Look no further than the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG), which reportedly has a $54 billion budget for the next five years — up from just $226 million in FY26. Managing major growth in unmanned systems won’t be easy, and will require different thinking.

Lieutenant General Susan Coyle (Photo credit: Australian Defence Force) SINGAPORE — Australia this week announced three major shifts in military leadership, appointing a new Chief of Defence Force, as well as new leaders of the navy and army. Vice Adm, Mark Hammond, the current navy chief, will take over as Australia’s top military officer. Rear Adm. Matthew Buckley will replace him as the navy boss. And, in the news that has gotten the most headlines Down Under, Lt. Gen.

Elbit America asserts that the value of its SIGMA Mobile Tactical Cannon extends beyond lessons drawn from Ukraine’s trench-driven fight. Instead, the company points to a broader shift toward dispersed, fast-moving operations where survival depends on generating 360-degree effects downrange while avoiding static, predictable positions. SIGMA was intentionally designed to be “American” in more than name.

The global surge in demand for munitions is nowhere more evident than in the Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 defense budget request. On The Break Out, Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Senior Pentagon Reporter Ashley Roque break it down. Then Aaron recaps the highlights of a face-to-face interview he had with Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson, including his call for Europe to end a historical “addiction.”

Deterrence today is enabled by advanced capabilities, operational reach, and the capacity to adapt faster than adversaries. Rolls-Royce enables this objective through its work on the MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program, among many others.

The Rheinmetall stand at the official opening of Bedex (Brussels European Defence Exhibition), Thursday 12 March 2026, in Brussels. (Photo by BENOIT DOPPAGNE / BELGA MAG / Belga / AFP via Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Germany’s Rheinmetall and the Netherlands’ Destinus today announced plans to form a joint venture between the two to focus on advanced missile systems, including cruise missiles and ballistic rocket artillery.