Know What's Happening in Defense
Know What's Happening in Defense
U.S. IDFC boosts reinsurance guarantees for Hormuz shipping to $40 billion
The U.S. International Development Finance Corp has doubled its reinsurance guarantees for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to $40 billion, adding major insurers such as AIG and Berkshire Hathaway. The step is intended to reinforce maritime security amid escalating regional tensions.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Kraken Robotics acquires Colvya Group for $615M
The Department of Defense has given Anthropic six months to remove its Claude model from classified networks, citing it as a supply‑chain risk. While swapping the model technically takes minutes, retraining personnel and re‑engineering workflows will take months. The move follows a clash over Anthropic’s safety‑first stance versus the Pentagon’s demand for unrestricted access. OpenAI has already stepped in to fill the gap, accelerating the transition.
On The Climate Brink, @hausfath.bsky.social writes about the trends of spending on clean energy vs. national defense: When will clean energy spending exceed military spending? https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/when-will-clean-energy-spending-exceed
Former CIA officer Sean Wiswesser’s April 2026 book, *Tradecraft, Tactics and Dirty Tricks*, offers a candid look at Russian intelligence after the Soviet era. He argues that most Russian operatives abroad are inept, relying on amateur “illegals” who mishandle tradecraft and...
Southern States LLC announced a partnership with SkySafe to embed the latter’s cloud‑based drone detection and airspace intelligence platform into Southern States’ Layered Airspace Protection Strategy for utilities. The integrated solution offers real‑time identification, flight‑path history, and operator location, delivering...
The Department of Homeland Security is replacing its top cyber leaders, with Chief Information Security Officer Hemant Baidwan departing later this month and Deputy CISO Amanda Day leaving at February’s end. Their exits are part of a broader IT realignment...
RTX’s Pratt & Whitney Military Engines unit secured a $256.26 million modification to contract N0001920D0013, adding advanced long‑lead materials for F‑135 propulsion system spares supporting the F‑35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The award covers depot lay‑in material, the global spares pool, and...
Germany will acquire 47 Northrop Grumman Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) systems for its newly ordered CH‑47F Block II Chinook fleet, marking the first delivery of the technology to the country. The procurement supports NATO‑driven combat‑readiness upgrades and dovetails with a $876.42 million contract...
China’s Communist Party frames its far‑reaching global actions as defensive, even as it expands military capabilities, maritime claims and economic influence. This self‑perception stems from a blend of historic victimhood and a belief in inherent peacefulness, which turns defensive intent...
Exercise Arctic Connect brought together more than 30 radio operators from 28 locations across Alaska to test high‑frequency communications. Participants from the Alaska National Guard, State Defense Force, Civil Air Patrol, and state emergency agencies validated HF pathways and refined...
Microsoft’s threat‑intelligence unit warned that North Korean state‑backed actors are leveraging AI tools—voice‑changing software, face‑swap apps, and synthetic name generators—to fabricate credible identities and secure remote IT positions with Western firms. Once hired, the impostors funnel salaries back to the...
The U.S. Navy will christen USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr., the final Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB‑8), on March 7, 2026 at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego. The ship honors Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Hector Cafferata Jr., a Korean War Medal of Honor hero. Senior...
The GAO sustained a protest by Moorish‑Wallace Construction, finding that E.C. Korneffel Co.'s failure to acknowledge a third amendment to an Army IFB was a material defect. The amendment increased the steel pile cap size and weight, changing performance requirements...
The U.S. Army has sent eight M1304 ICVVA1 Stryker infantry carrier vehicles, equipped with a 30 mm Medium Caliber Weapon System, to the port of Busan, South Korea, as part of a rotational deployment. The heavy‑armed variant provides greater firepower against...
Why the First Shots in an Iran Ground War Could Come From the Kurds @WSJ https://t.co/iCzYnG2yEs If a ground war is to be fought in Iran, the first shots could be fired in the country’s Kurdish areas, where militias say they...
The AI‑focused super PAC Leading the Future raised over $50 million and secured decisive victories for pro‑AI candidates in Texas and North Carolina, spending more than $1.2 million on two Republican winners. In contrast, the Public First Action network, funded primarily by...
Middle Eastern defense customers are increasingly insisting on armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) that are customised for the region’s extreme climate and operational demands. Western OEMs find that off‑the‑shelf European designs often require significant modifications, such as enhanced cooling and desert‑ready...
The U.S. Naval Institute’s "useful fiction" scenario imagines a future Pacific war with China that collapses because of coordinated attacks in the Atlantic. The article shows how Beijing could employ diplomatic, informational, military, and economic (DIME) tools to seize ports,...
During the seventh day of the Iran‑Israel conflict, a report claimed a Kuwaiti F/A‑18 pilot, dubbed the “Gabriel Medina of the Skies,” shot down three U.S. F‑15E Strike Eagles with heat‑seeking missiles, costing about $187 million. The story initially cited U.S....
"U.S. Success Against Iran Could Be a Game Changer for World Oil Security," @WSJ https://t.co/ICXqOkIlg2 If Iran, along with Venezuela, is soon ruled by a regime friendly or at least not hostile toward the U.S., that would neutralize two oil exporters...
DID THE NAVY JUST SINK SHIPPING? Question for @SecWar, @thejointstaff @CENTCOM @US5thFleet: Was there any discussion about the impact that sinking an Iranian frigate near a heavily trafficked shipping lane would have on global shipping. I am not privy to the...
The Joint Special Operations University’s second SOF Professional Podcast episode features Dr. James Lacey arguing that professional military education must fully embrace artificial intelligence now, not later. He describes how AI‑enabled tools are already reshaping research, writing, and critical thinking...
Episode 148 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast examines why militant groups form large alliance networks, drawing on research by Chris Blair and Phillip Potter. The authors argue that alliances are less about signaling strength and more about compensating for organizational...
Croatia has declared itself completely mine‑free after a three‑decade demining effort that removed roughly 107,000 landmines and 470,000 unexploded ordnances. The operation, costing about €1.2 billion, claimed the lives of 41 professional deminers and 208 civilians. Minister of the Interior Davor...
The U.S. Department of State awarded Echodyne Corp. a $14,986,207 contract to deliver 360‑degree, four‑paneled tactical radar systems and support services for Ukraine. The contract, issued on March 5, 2026, targets continuous surveillance and rapid detection of aerial and surface threats. Echodyne’s...
DARPA has launched the Carbon Crunch program to speed up manufacturing of carbon‑carbon aeroshell heat shields for hypersonic weapons. The initiative targets the slow, costly, and hard‑to‑scale production process of existing C‑C composites, not new materials. By encouraging radical process...
The European Union’s Euro 7 emissions package now mandates cybersecurity controls for all new vehicles sold in Europe. Manufacturers must obtain security certificates, conduct risk assessments, and guarantee secure transmission of emissions and battery‑durability data. The rules target data tampering,...
The article argues that governments must become active partners, not just buyers, to accelerate defence innovation, especially under threat. It highlights the need for fast‑track procurement, risk‑sharing mechanisms, and open‑innovation models to keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies such as...
EC‑Council unveiled its Enterprise AI Credential Suite, adding four role‑based AI certifications and an updated Certified CISO v4 program. The launch targets the estimated 700,000 U.S. workers needing AI and cybersecurity reskilling and the $5.5 trillion global AI risk exposure identified by...
The Indian Navy wrapped up its flagship MILAN 2026 exercise on 25 February with a closing ceremony aboard the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off Visakhapatnam. The multilateral drill involved 42 ships, 29 aircraft and 18 foreign vessels, showcasing...
On 6 March 2026 the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office released a transparency dataset detailing Official Development Assistance (ODA) expenditures for the UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) from April 2024 through September 2025. The UKISF, which superseded the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund...
Researchers have uncovered a multi‑stage malware campaign dubbed VOID#GEIST that uses obfuscated batch scripts, an embedded Python runtime, and Early Bird APC injection to deliver encrypted RAT payloads—XWorm, AsyncRAT and Xeno RAT. The chain is launched from a phishing email, displays...
The Iran–Israel war is not just a regional conflict. It may be part of a much larger global escalation cycle. The latest analysis looks at the wider strategic picture and how the current war could evolve into a broader confrontation involving major...
The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed a bipartisan package that reauthorizes the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity program and adds $250 million in grants over five years. The legislation targets underfunded rural electric cooperatives, giving them federal assistance...
Four years into the war in Ukraine, the conflict has entered a new phase. In his latest analysis, David Murrin looks at the strategic direction of the war, the pressures shaping both sides, and what the next stage of the conflict...
Russia has shared targeting intelligence with Iran, including locations of American military assets in the Middle East, as Tehran unleashes a barrage of drone and missile strikes against the US and its allies. https://t.co/Gga81FiCQh
“Their ability to exit and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere makes them incredibly difficult to intercept.” 👏All missiles fired on ballistic trajectories travel through space, including the Iranian ones.👏
Druzhkivka is regularly targeted by FPVs. It is commendable that President Zelenskyy continues to visit units near the front line.
‚Ukraine is in talks with the US and several Gulf states about replicating Kyiv’s acoustic detection network to counter Iranian attack drones, according to people familiar with the matter.‘ https://t.co/ddTJ6sojt5
For an idea of what things looked like onboard USS Charlotte during its attack on IRIS Dena, this Navy video shows some of the procedures to man battlestations and conduct a torpedo attack. This is for a submerged target but...
The backstory on exactly how the US ceded its rare earths/critical minerals dominance is here --> https://t.co/m6IQmzrJHT
Latest Russia Contingency is out. I join @OAJonsson and @MariaEngqvist to talk about how the Russian military see the future of war, their lessons learned, gaps between theory and practice, and what to make of Russian military thought. @WarOnTheRocks https://t.co/xrgDESr8RN
With AI and a full blown crisis in 'combat mass' and munitions stocks - are we at the point of horse versus tank or wooden ship versus metal battleship in air warfare? #drones #AI #avgeek https://t.co/6BD5jEJqW4 https://t.co/4o9i2XD90j
Remember the Iraq war? It was supposed to be a cake walk that would cost US taxpayers a mere $50 billion. IT ACTUALLY COST $8 TRILLION. The US taxpayer will face sticker shock when the bill for America’s war against Iran arrives. WARS...
Is this a coincidence that we in Ukraine are having a sharp decrease in the number of Russian Shahed attacks these days? I mean, it’s very noticeable. Same goes about Russian massive missile attacks.
I joined @BloombergTV to talk about two key issues that will shape the next phase of the war: the depth of Iran’s missile and drone inventory, and whether the US can establish more than localized air superiority over Iran. https://t.co/F6HeeJ3FM8
SCOOP: The Army in recent days canceled a training exercise for the headquarters element of the 82nd Airborne Division, fueling speculation among soldiers that they may be called upon for a still undefined mission as the war with Iran widens.
OT cybersecurity is a governance failure masquerading as a vocabulary issue | Control Global https://t.co/ppRU4DoyMR
1/ It’s a watershed moment for enterprise IT. For the 1st time, we’re seeing major public cloud infra in the Middle East physically damaged by war, not just cyberattacks or power events. Two AWS data centers in the UAE were directly struck...
The most fundamental point in this @rstatecraft article that all-but-accuses U.S. submariners of committing a war crime is incorrect. Because we now know that there was, in fact, another Iranian warship in the area - the replenishment ship IRIS Bandar Abbas....
Details into the Israeli (for sure there was a U.S. version) deception operation before the opening strike against Iran.
