Topic

defense spending

5 posts tagged defense spending from Defense & Donuts.

Why the Air Force's $50 Billion KC-46 Tanker Can't Figure Out How to Look at What It's Refueling

The KC-46 Pegasus costs $50 billion to build and still can't reliably watch its own refueling boom. Here's why that's a bigger problem than it sounds.

K. Brennan

· August 31, 2026 · 4 min read

Why the Army's $1 Billion Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Can't Figure Out If It's Replacing the Humvee or Just Becoming One

The Army spent $1 billion and 15 years developing the JLTV to replace the Humvee, then quietly kept buying Humvees anyway. Here's why.

K. Brennan

· August 10, 2026 · 4 min read

Army ground vehicles

Why the Army's $3.4 Billion Mobile Protected Firepower Tank Can't Figure Out If Light Infantry Actually Needs a Tank

The Army's Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle is expensive, behind schedule, and solving a problem that the units getting it aren't sure they have.

K. Brennan

· July 13, 2026 · 4 min read

Navy procurement

Why the Navy's $5 Billion Zumwalt Destroyer Can't Afford to Fire Its Own Gun

The Navy spent $5 billion building the Zumwalt destroyer around a revolutionary gun system, then canceled the ammo because each round cost $1 million.

K. Brennan

· July 6, 2026 · 5 min read

procurement defense spending

The $1,700 Donut: How DoD Procurement Broke Breakfast

A look at the absurd procurement pipeline that turns simple purchases into Pentagon-grade paperwork nightmares.

K. Brennan

· March 14, 2025 · 3 min read

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defense procurement Army procurement Air Force emerging technology ground vehicles Navy air defense augmented reality B-21 Raider directed energy drones

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