Author: Defenceline Webdesk

The most important shift in artificial intelligence (AI) is not that models are becoming more intelligent, but that they are becoming more capable of acting. Much of the first wave of AI safety governance focused on misinformation, bias, deepfakes, privacy violations and harmful content. Those risks remain. But increasingly capable AI agents can plan, write and execute code, use tools, obtain credentials, and interact with external systems. Recent incidents in which OpenAI’s autonomous systems slipped past their constraints show that as agents gain tools and autonomy, the boundary between a model and the outside world becomes harder to enforce. That…

WASHINGTON — After a first year focused on adapting prototype technologies for military use, the Army’s FUZE innovation hub is setting sights on more complex acquisition challenges in fiscal 2027.  “A lot of what we’ll see in FY27 is leveraging mechanisms within the Army FUZE portfolio to address bigger Army acquisition problems, and I think again this demonstrates that the Army recognizes we need to diversify the defense industrial base,” FUZE Director Matt Willis told Breaking Defense in an interview last month.  Established in September 2025 by then-Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, FUZE is the service’s flagship venture-capital innovation engine designed…

On October 5, Moscow hosted the eighth meeting of the special representatives and senior officials from regional countries for the Moscow Format to discuss political and economic relations with Afghanistan and counterterrorism and counter-narcotics cooperation. The Moscow Format includes Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. But the meeting failed to adopt a joint statement because the Pakistani and Afghan delegates disagreed over the language on terrorism. The Taliban objected to the frequent mention of terrorism in reference to Afghanistan.  Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said the Afghan delegates accepted similar language last year.…

WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard is purchasing MQ-9B drones for the first time, ordering four of the high-flying unmanned aerial vehicles for just under $250 million. The aircraft will support the service to oversee offshore waters, conduct search and rescue operations, and help counter drug trafficking operations, among other things, the Coast Guard said in a news release today. They are not expected to carry weapons, a service spokesperson told Breaking Defense. “The MQ-9B long-range unmanned aircraft systems will expand our reach and strengthen our ability to protect the nation,” Anthony Antognoli, the assistant commandant and program executive officer for robotics…

For the Army, the hard part of Zero Trust is increasingly less about defining the concept than applying it across thousands of systems that were never designed for interoperability. The service is working to bring roughly 5,000 information technology systems onto a single Enterprise-Identity, Credential and Access Management (E-ICAM) platform, including legacy systems burdened by years of technical debt. At the same time, Zero Trust requirements are expanding beyond enterprise IT to the tactical edge, operational technology, weapon systems, and now AI agents. That makes Zero Trust less an endpoint than a continuously changing security model. “We can’t just buy…

WASHINGTON — Weeks after the Army tapped Hanwha Defense USA for its wheeled self-propelled howitzer modernization program, the company now plans to enter the service’s new competition for a tracked variant.  “I think it’s a must. I mean, when we had early conversations with the Army, we actually thought the Army might be procuring tracked [variants] first,” Mike Smith, Hanwha USA’s COO and president of Land Systems, told reporters Tuesday.  Hanwha USA is looking at a “menu of options” for the competition — namely either its K9A1 or K9A2 tracked vehicles, Smith said. While he noted that the K9A1 is…

The Army is heading into AUSA 2026 with new leadership and a major question hanging over the service: How much of its modernization agenda will remain intact? Breaking Defense Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Army reporter Carley Welch preview what they expect to hear from acting Army Secretary Adam Telle and acting service chief Gen. Christopher LaNeve. Then they discuss what the Army’s new autonomy command could mean for its growing focus on drones and robots. Make sure to check back each day next week for wrap-up videos, photos from the show floor and comprehensive reporting from the Army’s biggest annual…

WASHINGTON — The small firm Ideal Aerosmith is pivoting to defense, debuting an in-house developed attack drone in a bid to capitalize on surging interest in low-cost munitions. Founded in 1938, North Dakota-based Ideal Aerosmith — not to be confused with the name of your favorite playlist — has undergone a few “instantiations” throughout its decades-long history, David Markert, the company’s senior vice president and general manager of government systems, told Breaking Defense in an Oct. 2 interview. The firm has been “defense adjacent” in more recent years, Markert said, manufacturing test equipment for navigation systems. But about three years…

Whether it’s seaborne reconnaissance platforms such as the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) – now called LYNX – or semi-submersible logistics such as AEVEX Maritime Systems’ NightTrain or high-flying drones providing ISR, autonomous systems are playing a growing role in multi-domain missions, offering longer time on site, greater coverage in contested areas and carrying out missions without putting crew members in harm’s way. Breaking Defense spoke with Craig Anders, SVP of Growth at AEVEX, about the need for autonomy, how the company is building multi-domain solutions and lessons learned from the use of uncrewed systems in Ukraine and Iran. What’s…

WASHINGTON — An updated version of General Dynamics Land Systems’ (GDLS) loitering munitions platform are set to be delivered to the Army by the end of the month, a company executive told Breaking Defense this week.  The platforms are the second iteration of the company’s Precision Effects & Reconnaissance-Canister-Housed, or PERCH system. The kit integrates on Abrams tanks and Stryker vehicles to provide beyond line-of-sight surveillance and is outfitted with AeroVironment’s (AV) Switchblade loitering munitions. Four PERCH 2.0 prototypes will be delivered to Fort Hood’s 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division by the end of October, where soldiers will integrate them…