About Breaking Defense

Aaron Mehta

Aaron Mehta is editor in chief of Breaking Defense. He previously served as deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, as well as a staff writer for the non-profit Center for Public Integrity. Over his career, Mehta has interviewed dozens of defense leaders from around the globe, covering the intersection of policy, industry and technology at the highest national security levels.

Mehta has a particular interest in nuclear issues, foreign weapon sales and NATO issues. Originally from outside Boston, Mass., he now lives in the Washington, D.C. area.

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Lee Ferran

Lee Ferran is the Managing Editor of Breaking Defense, responsible for editing coverage, organizing, scheduling and optimizing editorial operations, and developing our content platforms. Lee brings significant journalistic experience to the role, working at ABC News for over nine years as a national security reporter, investigative reporter and editor of their enterprise investigations unit. Over his career Lee has covered US military budgets and spending, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and controversial counter-terrorism programs. He’s the recipient of two News Emmy Awards. Lee’s an avid traveler, movie addict and amateur coder, with particular interest in media technology. A native of Georgia, Lee is a graduate of Wake Forest University.

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Theresa Hitchens

Theresa Hitchens covers all things space for Breaking Defense. The former Defense News editor was a senior research associate at the University of Maryland’s Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM). Before that, she spent six years in Geneva, Switzerland as director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).

A sci-fi geek, voracious reader, enthusiastic cook, dabbler in poetry, Theresa is also the proud mom of a wonderful young man by the name of Nicholas.

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Ashley Roque

Ashley Roque covers land warfare for Breaking Defense. Over the past two decades, she’s reported on defense, US politics, and foreign policy for publications inside and outside of the United States including Janes, Roll Call, Inside Defense and Shephard Media. Ashley holds a BA in English with a minor in journalism from Florida State University, and a master’s degree in conflict transformation from the University of Basel.

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Justin Katz

Prior to joining Breaking Defense, Justin Katz reported on the Navy and Marine Corps as an associate editor for Inside Defense, where he focused on the services’ largest acquisition programs and congressional committees overseeing them. Justin has also covered the federal government’s cybersecurity policies and programs for FCW and a worked as a general news reporter in both Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Katz graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla., in 2015 with a degree in communications focusing on journalism and is a native of Long Island, N.Y.

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Jaspreet Gill

Jaspreet Gill covers defense networks, C4ISR and emerging technologies for Breaking Defense. She previously worked as the senior technology reporter and an associate editor for Inside Defense, where she reported on emerging technologies, cybersecurity and the US Army, focusing on the service’s modernization priorities and acquisition programs. Jaspreet, an upstate New York native, is an alumna of Syracuse University’s renown S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she received a master’s degree in journalism.

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Michael Marrow

Michael Marrow covers air warfare for Breaking Defense. He holds a BA in history from the University of Virginia and started out as a freelance reporter covering local news in Fairfax County, Virginia and policing in Charlottesville, Virginia. Michael previously reported on the Air Force and Space Force for Inside Defense, where he tracked major acquisitions, policy changes and modernization efforts.

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Sydney Freedberg

Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. has written for Breaking Defense since 2011 and served as deputy editor for the site’s first decade, covering technology, strategy, and policy with a particular focus on the US Army. He’s now a contributing editor focused on cyber, robotics, AI, and other critical technologies and policies that will shape the future of warfare. Sydney began covering defense at National Journal magazine in 1997 and holds degrees from Harvard, Cambridge, and Georgetown.

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Colin Clark

Colin Clark, the founding editor of Breaking Defense, is now our Indo-Pacific Bureau Chief, based in Sydney, Australia. In addition to his foundational efforts at Breaking Defense, Colin also started DoDBuzz.com, the world’s first all-online defense news website. He’s covered Congress, intelligence and regulatory affairs for Space News; founded and edited the Washington Aerospace Briefing, a newsletter for the space industry; covered national security issues for Congressional Quarterly; and was editor of Defense News. Colin is an avid fisherman, grill genius and wine drinker, all of which are only part of the reason he relishes the opportunity to live in Australia.

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Tim Martin

Tim Martin is Breaking Defense’s European Bureau Chief, leading regional coverage of the NATO nations and European industry. He joined Breaking Defense in 2022 after a three year spell at Shephard Media as Air Editor. Based in Belfast, Tim holds two Defence Media Awards to his name, and has bylines with a number of B2B and print media publications, including the Irish Times newspaper.

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Barry Rosenberg

Barry Rosenberg is an expert journalist in defense cybersecurity and information technology issues. He is former editor of the trade magazine C4ISRNET, which he helped relaunch in 2013. Before that he was editor of Defense Systems at 1105 Media, focusing on IT and C4ISR topics. He recently worked in key content roles at information technology firms SILA, which specializes in blockchain technologies and cyber security, and Trace Systems. Earlier in his career he was founding editor of Aviation Week’s Overhaul & Maintenance magazine, editor of Defense News’ show daily and managing editor of Aviation Week’s Show News. Rosenberg is a Philadelphia native, an avid writer and co-author of “Mavericks of the Sky: The First Daring Pilots of the U.S. Air Mail”.

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Riad Kahwaji

Riad Kahwaji brings vast experience and reporting contacts in the Middle East. He has 32 years of experience as a journalist and Middle East security analyst, serving as Middle East bureau chief for Defense News for eight years. He also worked for Jane’s defense group and the BBC World Service. Riad has authored two books in Arabic: “Air Power and Future Wars” in 2020; and “The Basis of the Lebanese Defense Strategy” in 2009. He is founder of SEGMA, the premier defense conference organizer in the Middle East, and leads Security and Defense Arabia (SD Arabia), the leading Arabic language defense news magazine, with whom Breaking Defense has a media partnership. Riad  earned his M.A. in War Studies from King’s College, London. He is based in Dubai and has offices in Lebanon.

Agnes Helou

Agnes Helou covers the Middle East for Breaking Defense. Agnes is also the editor at Security and Defense Arabia, an Arabic language defense website and magazine, and has covered the Middle East and North Africa defense and security topics for Defense News for three years. Her interests include artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and Middle East strategic issues.

Christina Mackenzie

Christina Mackenzie covers Europe’s defense industry for Breaking Defense, a sector she’s been reporting on for over two decades. The former European editor of Defense Technology International and prior to that of Flight Global, Christina has also dipped in and out of Defense News over the years. Her base is just south of Paris.

Reuben F. Johnson

Reuben F. Johnson, based in Kyiv, is a thirty year veteran of defense reporting and analysis who covers Ukraine and Russia for Breaking Defense. He has reported from most of the world’s major aerospace and defense expositions, as well as from the 2004-2005 and 2013-2014 Ukrainian revolutions.

Andrew White

Andrew White is a veteran defense journalist of nearly 20 years, who covers the UK for Breaking Defense. Splitting his time between London and Honolulu, Andrew specializes in writing about special operations, disruptive technologies and emerging trends in defense and security markets.

Arie Egozi

Arie Egozi contributes regularly to Breaking Defense from Israel, reporting on his home country as well as the greater Middle East.

Murielle Delaporte

Murielle Delaporte is a regular Breaking Defense contributor who writes on French, NATO and European issues. Murielle, a former strategist for the French General secretariat for national defense, is founding editor of the French quarterly magazine Opérationnels.

Tim Fish

Tim Fish is a defense journalist who writes about land, naval and C4ISR systems across the globe. A former maritime reporter and Jane’s and land warfare editor at Shephard, Tim is based in New Zealand.

Bartosz Głowacki

Bartosz Głowacki, based in Warsaw, writes on Poland’s aerospace and defense industry issues and his home country’s politics for Breaking Defense.

Ragip Soylu

Ragip Soylu, based in Ankara, regularly covers Turkish defense industry and national security affairs for Breaking Defense. He has also contributed work to various local and international news organizations, including CNN, Foreign Policy, Middle East Eye and Daily Sabah.

James Kitfield

James Kitfield, three-time winner of the Gerald R. Ford award for defense reporting, is a contributor on strategic issues to Breaking Defense.

Mark Cancian

A former senior official in charge of defense budgeting at the Office of Management and Budget, Mark is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Dean Cheng

Heritage Foundation’s Dean Cheng is one of the top experts on the People’s Republic of China — and its military.

David Deptula

Boundary-pushing expert on air power. A retired Air Force general, he’s head of the Mitchell Institute.

Mackenzie Eaglen

Former congressional staffer and defense analyst at the conservative American Enterprise Institute

Eric Fanning

President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. Former Secretary of the Army, Chief of Staff to the Defense Secretary, Acting Secretary of the Air Force, and Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy.

Bill Greenwalt

One of the most respected defense acquisition experts alive, the former Senate Armed Services Committee staffer is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Robbin Laird

International defense consultant, owner of Second Line of Defense website, former National Security Council staffer, Washington.

Ralph Savelsberg

Ralph is an applied physicist who specializes in open-source analysis of ballistic missile threats using image analysis and computer modelling. He’s an associate professor for missile defense at the Netherlands Defense Academy.

JV Venable

JV Venable, a retired Air Force pilot who commanded the Thunderbirds and flew combat missions, is an air and space warfare expert at the Heritage Foundation.

David Smith

David Smith has more than 25 years of experience in all facets of media – digital media, audience development, events, sales, marketing, product and content development. He’s an expert in defense, government and international markets and a leader in crafting innovative and creative media approaches to these markets. He began at Jane’s Defence Weekly and subsequently served for an extended time as VP of business development at Army Times Publishing (now Sightline Media,) where he was a key leader on the team that launched Defense News. He later became a government communications director at TIBCO Software and publisher for defense product at 1105 Media. Smith returned to Sightline Media as VP of Network Solutions and later became president of the company, where he stabilized, diversified and grew the company after its divesture from TEGNA Inc. Among other accomplishments in the field, Smith conceived and launched Space News, the Military Times Service Member of the Year program, the C4ISRNET Conference, the Dubai Air Chiefs Conference, the Defense News Conference and the brands C4ISRNET and FifthDomain.

Tania Norris

Tania Norris brings 25 years of success in government and defense client relations, management and sales to Breaking Defense. Tania spent a considerable portion of her career at 1105 Government Information Group, representing the Federal Computer Week (FCW), Government Computer News (GCN) and Washington Technology brands. Tania later worked for FedScoop. and subsequently worked for Defense News for 4 years, quickly becoming one of their most successful sales development professionals. Tania is expert in digital media sales and building innovative, creative media plans for clients to engage with the leadership audience in government markets.

Renee Wheeler

Renee Wheeler has over 25 years of experience in the defense media sector. With vast international experience, Renee is highly skilled at developing campaigns that reach and engage leadership in the defense market and is known for the quality and integrity of her approach, forming superb relationships with her clients. Renee worked for Defense News for nearly 25 years, an integral part of the sales success of Defense News since its inception. She has also represented Space News and worked on products for the Military Times and C4ISRNET and benefits clients with deep knowledge on the dynamics of military and government media and marketing.

Jason Sickels

Jason Sickels has deep experience working with clients to reach and maximize their marketing goals in the military and business-to-business defense sector. He began his defense media career working on signature events such as the Army Navy Game on CBS, the Aircraft Carrier Classic on ESPN and the Wounded Warrior Games with the Department of Defense. Jason worked for several years at Defense News and C4ISRNET crafting effective client campaigns and signature events, and subsequently at Government Matters, where he created custom broadcast video programs for clients, including series on Army modernization, hypersonics and military space. Jason is an active member of AFCEA, AUSA, NCMA and Navy League as well as a Board Member of Luke’s Wings, a nonprofit in the DC area helping injured service members.

John Lerner

Brian Dalton

Jana Vislocky