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leeferran.bsky.social
@leeferran.bsky.social
300 followers 170 following 14 posts
Managing Ed. Breaking Defense, fmr ABC News
Posts Replies Media Videos
leeferran.bsky.social
For fans of Le Bureau and the American remake The Agency, I had not realized that the two leads literally faced off in Soderbergh's 2011 spy flick Haywire
April 4, 2025 at 1:39 AM
leeferran.bsky.social
A couple days late posting but, new(ish) from me: breakingdefense.com/2025/04/join...
Joint Chiefs nominee Caine denies MAGA hat story, pledges candor - Breaking Defense
Retired Lt. Gen. John Caine pledged to "provide the president with the best military advice, even when the president may have different feelings about it. That is exactly what the nation pays me to do...
breakingdefense.com
April 3, 2025 at 11:23 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
New from me: State Department administrative officials have previously said they were not empowered to ban the use of Signal, so instead its use is generally "permitted but discouraged." breakingdefense.com/2025/03/befo...
Before Trump admin's Signal controversy, US diplomats in Kyiv scolded for using app - Breaking Defense
State Department administrative officials have previously said they were not empowered to ban the use of Signal, so instead its use is generally "permitted but discouraged."
breakingdefense.com
March 25, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted
breakingdefense.com
Will the FY25 budget pass in March? Breaking Defense Editors @aaronmehta.bsky.social and @leeferran.bsky.social discuss this and more in The Weekly Break Out.

Check out the full video here: vimeo.com/1048396359

#FY2025Budget #TheWeeklyBreakOut #DefenseNews
January 24, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted
breakingdefense.com
This week on The Weekly Break Out Aaron and Lee talk budget, exit interviews from Pentagon officials, and a letter from @l3harristech.bsky.social to DOGE.

*Video coverage is underwritten by #LeonardoDRS

#BidenAdmin #DOGE #L3Harris #Pentagon #TheWeeklyBreakOut #BreakingDefense #Defense #DefenseNews
Will the Pentagon be fully funded this Spring?
The Weekly Break Out Ep. 2. This week, we discuss the upcoming federal government funding battle. Plus, our reporters speak to key leaders about their time…
vimeo.com
January 21, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Reposted
breakingdefense.com
Check out the first episode of The Weekly Breakout! This week editors @aaronmehta.bsky.social and @leeferran.bsky.social talk DOGE and preview Surface Navy Symposium, the first defense show of the year.

#TheWeeklyBreakOut #BreakingDefense #defense

*Video coverage is underwritten by #LeonardoDRS
Will Elon Musk's DOGE come for the Pentagon? The Weekly Breakout Ep. 1
In this inaugural episode of The Break Out, we discuss if Elon Musk’s DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, might end up setting policy. Plus, we dive…
vimeo.com
January 14, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Reposted
aaronmehta.bsky.social
WE BREAK: The Air Force is reworking the T7 trainer program, pushing back a key production date by a year and offering Boeing more cash if they add new capabilities. Details here: breakingdefense.com/2025/01/t7a-...
EXCLUSIVE: Air Force reworking approach for T-7A Red Hawk, delaying production by 1 year
The trainer’s production decision, or Milestone C date, will be pushed back to 2026, and Boeing will be given an opportunity to make more money if it adds new improvements to the jet, a top Air Force ...
breakingdefense.com
January 15, 2025 at 2:03 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
If #Russia is found to have shot down the passenger plane in Kazakstan, it'll add to Moscow's woes in Central Asia in the last few years. I got into it a little bit here from the defense industry angle: breakingdefense.com/2024/11/afte...
After watching Ukraine, Central Asian nations ‘turning away’ from Russia for arms: US officials
The US has seen "very high interest" in American defense articles and services as Russia's influence wanes, a State Department official told Breaking Defense, though limited budgets mean foreign milit...
breakingdefense.com
December 27, 2024 at 5:58 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
ChatGPT was really, really impressed with Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea for some reason...
December 27, 2024 at 1:12 PM
Reposted
aaronmehta.bsky.social
Hey look we made a show: Coming in 2025, it's The Break Out.

Every week, we'll bring you a short (5 minutes or so), entertaining roundup of things you need to know in the world of defense. I updog'd @leeferran.bsky.social in our first test show. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WeD...
The Weekly Break Out web news show - Coming soon!
YouTube video by Breaking Defense
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2024 at 2:05 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
Well thats one way to put it: breakingdefense.com/2024/12/hous...
House intel’s Himes: Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2027 would be ‘really dumb’
Rep. Jim Himes said the 2027 warnings are the "kind of thing that hawks in the House say and I'm supposed to be really scared by that, rather than by saying, 'Okay, well how do we take the steps to ma...
breakingdefense.com
December 6, 2024 at 8:47 PM
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aaronmehta.bsky.social
Very interesting from @jonasolsson.bsky.social - Sweden today announced it would fund Ukrainian domestic production of long range missiles and drones. Ukraine builds it, Sweden pays for it.

“Ukraine is Sweden's number one security priority."

breakingdefense.com/2024/11/swed...
Sweden to fund Ukrainian domestic production of long-range missiles, drones
“This will be produced in Ukraine by the Ukrainian defense industry. It will be financed by Sweden," Swedish defense minister Pål Jonson said of the long-range weapons.
breakingdefense.com
November 22, 2024 at 7:14 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
Went down a rabbit hole on Central Asia and how #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine has pushed them to "turn away" from Moscow for weapons, including to the US ->

breakingdefense.com/2024/11/afte...
After watching Ukraine, Central Asian nations ‘turning away’ from Russia for arms: US officials
The US has seen "very high interest" in American defense articles and services as Russia's influence wanes, a State Department official told Breaking Defense, though limited budgets mean foreign milit...
breakingdefense.com
November 22, 2024 at 6:27 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
“And so the team went through and built a ‘will to fight’ all-source tradecraft methodology [to ask] ‘What does that look like? How do we assess what that looks like?'” DIA chief Jeffrey Kruse said.

breakingdefense.com/2024/11/afte...
After US underestimated Ukraine, DIA developed ‘will to fight’ analysis and is applying it to China
Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse also said that North Korean troops in Russia may be among the best Pyongyang has to offer but probably aren't suited for the job they could ...
breakingdefense.com
November 16, 2024 at 8:06 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
Ukraine’s valiant defense of its land, and Russia’s largely inept attempt to take it, were certainly welcome surprises in Washington — but they were surprises nonetheless, which means it was also something of an intelligence failure...
breakingdefense.com/2024/11/afte...
After US underestimated Ukraine, DIA developed ‘will to fight’ analysis and is applying it to China
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse also said that North Korean troops in Russia may be among the best Pyongyang has to offer but probably aren't suited for the job they could be called to do.
breakingdefense.com
November 15, 2024 at 7:59 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
NEW: A previously unreported doc, obtained by @breakingdefense.bsky.social , along with new interviews with officials, analysts & industry figures, reveals how the DoD determined which programs got over $1B in inflation relief —>

breakingdefense.com/2024/11/excl...
EXCLUSIVE: How the Pentagon (quietly) spent $1 billion of inflation relief money
To help fight inflation, the Pentagon was given $1.05 billion to disperse to industry. Now, documents reviewed by Breaking Defense and interviews with key officials reveal how and why certain programs...
breakingdefense.com
November 13, 2024 at 1:23 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
The UK RAF must press forward with the multinational Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to deliver a next-generation fighter jet if it wants to take a stand against the “proliferation” of Russian and Chinese stealth aircraft, according to the head of the service.
breakingdefense.com/2024/11/uk-n...
UK ‘needs’ GCAP future fighter to counter growth of Russian and Chinese stealth jets: Air Chief
The joint British, Italian and Japanese effort has been the subject of uncertainty in recent months after UK Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard refused to make a long term commitment to it on grounds ...
breakingdefense.com
November 12, 2024 at 7:40 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
I watched the Paramount show “Special Ops: Lioness” and I came away with some thoughts. Mostly, the setting was completely, comically wrong. popsecurity.substack.com/p/lioness-do...
‘Lioness’ Doesn’t Have Enough Faith in (or Budget for) its Premise
When you set your international espionage thriller in The Hamptons, something’s gone wrong.
popsecurity.substack.com
April 25, 2024 at 9:31 PM
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breakingdefense.com
"Well, when you say 'working,' are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes," Biden told reporters.
breakingdefense.com/2024/01/bide...
Biden acknowledges airstrikes haven’t stopped Houthis, says more to come
"Well, when you say 'working,' are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes," Biden told reporters.
breakingdefense.com
January 18, 2024 at 8:16 PM
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breakingdefense.com
With a first flight planned for this year, manufacturers BAE Systems and Leonardo said the advanced radar will be “able to locate and deny use of an adversary’s radar with a powerful electronic jamming attack, whilst staying beyond the reach of threats.”
breakingdefense.com/2024/01/uk-b...
UK begins next-gen Eurofighter Typhoon radar integration, eyeing ‘powerful’ EW capabilities
With a first flight planned for this year, manufacturers BAE Systems and Leonardo said the advanced radar will be “able to locate and deny use of an adversary’s radar with a powerful electronic j...
breakingdefense.com
January 17, 2024 at 3:01 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
Head of US Army special ops says 17,000 Russian soldiers have deserted, which he credits in part to excellent Ukrainian information operations:
US Army special ops chief on ‘most important’ lesson from Ukraine: Information operations
US Army Special Operations Command's Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga credits successful information operations with the defection of 17,000 Russian soldiers.
breakingdefense.com
October 14, 2023 at 1:19 PM
leeferran.bsky.social
"Hezbollah so far is trying to show solidarity with the Palestinians without provoking a major conflict of its own," one analyst said. breakingdefense.com/2023/10/pent...
Pentagon ‘deeply concerned’ Hezbollah could widen Israel-Gaza conflict, analysts more sanguine
"... Iran-backed adversaries like Lebanese Hezbollah should not question the commitment of the US government to support the defense of Israel," a senior US defense official told reporters.
breakingdefense.com
October 10, 2023 at 4:00 PM
Reposted
aaronmehta.bsky.social
For those interested, @breakingdefense.bsky.social is now on BlueSky.

There's no auto-posting feature for BlueSky yet, but we're hopeful that gets implemented soon. In the meantime, we'll do our best to post stuff here as we can.
October 6, 2023 at 2:03 PM