Policy

Lawmakers rip into defense secretary over flat Pentagon budget

The Pentagon is counting on one-time funds from a reconciliation bill to fund investments in shipbuilding and missile defense.

  • Meghann Myers
Policy

USAF slashes F-35 buy, boosts next-gen fighter in unconventional 2026 budget proposal

The Pentagon’s spending request includes not just the usual appropriations, but also the still-under-debate reconciliation bill.

  • Audrey Decker
Threats

The D Brief: ARRW is back; Amphib budgets; Putin’s AI plan; Europe’s aid to Ukraine; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: Hegseth’s no-show; Ukraine’s lesson to the world; Space Force budget cut?; Border-mission mystery; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Policy

Despite Golden Dome, Space Force budget would shrink again under 2026 spending plan

The White House appears to be pinning its hopes on the one-time reconciliation bill.

  • Audrey Decker
Threats

The D Brief: DOD civilians, on the move; Ukraine-strike details; Trump’s nuke offer to Iran; Syria’s jihadis, in uniform?; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

Today’s D Brief: Dramatic strikes hit Russian airbases; WH’s 2026 budget; Army’s drone training; INDOPACOM’s AI; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston and Jennifer Hlad
Threats

The D Brief: Cuts to DOT&E; Uncrewed F-35?; Qatari jet’s a mess; Border gets barracks funding; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: Why Yemen strikes ended; Gitmo flights, tallied; Spectrum battle; Turkey’s PKK disbands; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: Budget ‘gimmicks’; Drones down fighter jets; China’s counter-drone efforts; Army’s network experiment; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
Policy

‘Gimmicks’: GOP lawmakers slam Trump’s ‘trillion-dollar’ defense-spending proposal

White House claims of a 13% increase rest on unusual budgetary maneuvers, not a higher DOD topline.

  • Lauren C. Williams
Threats

The D Brief: Budget-proposal reveal; Yemen-strike stats; Army’s to-do list; Marines’ top goal; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: Jet falls off carrier; Yemen-bombing stats; Global defense-spending spike; Amazon’s first satellites; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Policy

State of the Air Force 2025

The unveiling of a new, sixth-gen fighter jet bodes well for more airpower investment, but readiness problems and funding questions persist.

  • Audrey Decker
Policy

State of the Army 2025

The entire service is trying to transform “in contact.”

  • Meghann Myers
Policy

State of the Navy 2025

Could a new, more productive era in shipbuilding be on the horizon?

  • Bradley Peniston
Policy

State of the Marine Corps 2025

“Everything is in danger of slipping,” commandant says of Marine modernization.

  • Meghann Myers
Threats

The D Brief: Hegseth softens Panama talk; Trump’s budget flip-flop; Arms in space; EUCOM’s plea; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: $1T defense budget?; Another female admiral fired; Industrial-base reports; Sea-Air-Space news; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston, Ben Watson and Lauren C. Williams
Ideas

We tried ‘fighting China’ with lower budgets. It didn’t go well.

Tabletop exercises hosted by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments offer one big lesson for the fiscal 2026 spending plan.

  • Travis Sharp, Casey Nicastro and Evan Braden Montgomery
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