Trump takes aim at major defense firms, demands faster production

How Trump wants to change American weapon sales abroad

Another week means another executive order — this time with President Donald Trump looking to change how the Foreign Military Sales process works [https://breakingdefense.com/2026/02/new-america-first-arms-transfer-strategy-to-create-a-list-of-priority-weapons-to-sell/]. In the latest edition of The Weekly Break Out, Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Air Warfare Reporter Michael Marrow talk through how this might impact global weapon sales. Then after the break, the two preview the upcoming Munich Security Conference and how it could be a tease for the 2028 presidential election. Underwritten by Leonardo DRS. Visit breakingdefense.com [https://breakingdefense.com/] for more defense news throughout the week.

What to watch: Trump vs. Canada, Saudi F-35s, new naval tech

President Donald Trump has again come out swinging in a Truth Social post — this time against the Canadian aerospace industry [https://breakingdefense.com/2026/01/with-trumps-threats-over-canadian-jets-questions-about-a-key-customer-the-pentagon/] in retaliation for the country's delayed certification of US-made Gulfstream jets for use in Canada. On a new episode of The Weekly Break Out [https://breakingdefense.com/tag/break-out-video/], Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Deputy Editor Lee Ferran flag how the heated rivalry could affect America's militarized variants of Canada's Bombardier airframes. Then, they look ahead to two major conferences: World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia, where new details of the kingdom's push to own the F-35 could emerge, and WEST 2026, the annual naval expo that brings together ships and information technology in California. Stay tuned for coverage from both shows. Underwritten by Leonardo DRS. Visit breakingdefense.com [https://breakingdefense.com/] for more defense news throughout the week.

Trump targets defense giants in Davos as Qatari Air Force One nears takeoff

President Donald Trump used the World Economic Forum [https://breakingdefense.com/2026/01/trump-calls-for-immediate-negotiations-for-greenland-calls-island-critical-for-golden-dome/] in Davos to escalate his pressure campaign on the US defense industry to speed up weapons production [https://breakingdefense.com/2026/01/reed-congress-would-have-to-codify-trumps-defense-industry-stock-buyback-mandates/]. Meanwhile, new reporting reveals the controversial Qatari Boeing 747 [https://breakingdefense.com/2026/01/qatari-747-to-fly-as-trumps-air-force-one-this-summer/], intended to serve as an interim Air Force One, could fly as soon as this summer, raising fresh questions about security upgrades, contractors and timelines. On a new episode of The Weekly Break Out [https://breakingdefense.com/tag/break-out-video/], Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Deputy Editor Lee Ferran break down what Trump said, why it matters for defense primes [https://breakingdefense.com/2026/01/defense-industry-trump-executive-order-charts/] heading into earnings call season and what to watch next in the Air Force One saga. Underwritten by Leonardo DRS. Visit breakingdefense.com [https://breakingdefense.com/] for more defense news throughout the week.

Who's who in Air Force acquisition, and new surface Navy tech

What's in a name? Here's who the Air Force has tapped to be program acquisition executives as the Pentagon rebrands its program executive officers. Then, The Weekly Break Out [https://breakingdefense.com/tag/break-out-video/] tours the show floor at the Surface Navy Association's 2026 conference for a peek at an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, a solar-powered maritime drone, a floating combat hospital and more.

Trump takes aim at major defense firms, demands faster production

It was a Truth Social post that shook the defense industry: President Donald Trump lashed out at big defense contractors over stock buybacks and CEO pay. Get caught up, and then see what there is to "sea" at this week's Surface Navy Association conference.