The Weekly Break Out

Lee Ferran and Agnes Helou travel to Abu Dhabi to get you the latest from the IDEX 2025: International Defence Exhibition & Conference as well as a glimpse from the nearby maritime NAVDEX show.

In this episode of The Weekly Break Out, space reporter Teresa Hitchens and Aaron Mehta take a deep dive into her coverage of how President Donald Trump's "Iron Dome for America" plan is beginning to form. Plus, The Marine Corps makes a surprise shift in its F-35 strategy.

It's an industry-heavy episode of The Break Out this week, as Congressional and Industry Reporter Valerie Insinna joins Aaron Mehta to discuss the latest, including the state of defense contracting after some uncertainty.

Plus, a discussion on Valerie's exclusive interview with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker and a roundup of first quarter reports from the big defense primes.

In this week's episode, we talk about what to expect from the new defense secretary, plus run through a pair of industry conferences happening this week. And in the final segment, we swap Lee out for our own Michael Marrow to discuss the drama around the Space Development Agency.

In the second episode of Breaking Defense's web series, Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Managing Editor Lee Ferran take a look at looming battles as Trump comes back into office.

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 into fleet issues as the Surface Navy Association symposium starts off. And finally, we will tell you more about this show, The Break Out and where to find it.