Threats
Space Force scrambles to repair workforce as massive budget increase looms
The service is trying to recruit at a record pace even as Pentagon officials insist civilian departures didn't hurt acquisition.
Policy
Army names its first tiltrotor aircraft: Cheyenne II
Its namesakes are a tribe whose members have served in every major U.S. war—and a cancelled helicopter project.
Defense Systems
How the Army is preparing to bring its first tiltrotor aircraft online
The service wants its MV-75 to bring capabilities other services have had for years—while avoiding the V-22’s fraught reputation.
Defense Systems
‘We’ll go 40%’: Army wants good-enough tech it can reshape for battle
“We don’t want the product to be perfect,” says 4th Infantry Division’s commander.
Policy
CIA overhauls acquisition to get new tech faster
The new framework includes a vendor-vetting system and streamlined IT authorization.
Business
Munitions makers say they've been persuaded to invest more in production capacity
The administration's last-minute request for a funding bump garnered just $2B, but company execs seem to appreciate the effort.
Business
Got an idea for reforming defense acquisition? The Pentagon’s all ears.
“We need radically different ideas,” says assistant defense secretary.
Policy
Army’s noncommittal procurement strategy is creating quandaries for vendors
It's creating tension that the government is likely going to have to solve, one expert says.
Business
USAF consolidates some acquisition program offices into mission-focused groups
But many of the new “portfolio acquisition executives” were already leading multi-mission efforts.
Business
‘Very, very strange time’: After a big 2025, what’s next for the defense industry?
A year of rising profits, rising Pentagon demands, and continued Congressional dysfunction sets the stage for another turbulent year.
Exclusive
Threats
There’s a divide within the Space Force. Congress is forcing the service to address it
The new service was supposed to meld the “tribes” of operators and acquisition specialists. It didn’t happen.
Business
Gargantuan Golden Dome contract vehicle clears 1,000-plus firms to vie for slices of $151 billion
One defense expert said it was one of the largest contract ceilings of all time.
Ideas
The awful arithmetic of our wars
If we don't figure out a way to fight far more cheaply, we won’t be able to afford to win a single battle.
Policy
Most of the Air Force’s biggest programs will now be overseen by a 4-star under the deputy SecDef
The centralization of the ICBM, B-21, F-47, and Air Force One programs appears at odds with the Pentagon’s professed acquisition approach, one expert said.
Policy
Army scraps PEOs in bid to streamline procurement, requirements processes
Big defense contractors have “conned” services into believing they need bespoke systems, the Army secretary said.
Ideas