Know What's Happening in Defense
Know What's Happening in Defense
Zelensky meets Syrian president to forge security cooperation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa in Damascus, pledging security cooperation and joint food‑security projects. The visit follows Kyiv’s recent drone‑defense deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, highlighting Ukraine’s push to export its drone expertise to the Middle East.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Kraken Robotics acquires Colvya Group for $615M
The Navy’s Innovation Adoption Kit (IAK) is a new framework that fast‑tracks emerging technologies by using measurable metrics and structured pilot programs. Launched in October, the kit provides a standardized vendor template and a clear path from pilot to production, aiming to eliminate the “valley of death” that stalls promising solutions. In the first four months of FY2026, the Navy ran 15 pilots, moving several into operational programs and adding seven new enterprise services with four more queued. The approach emphasizes return‑on‑investment and rapid fielding, shifting acquisition timelines from decades to months or years.
FAA closes airspace in Fort Hancock, Texas after reported use of anti-drone laser believed to have accidentally shot down a US government drone https://t.co/ACBL6Fs5jm
The Senate Armed Services Committee interrogated Mark Ditlevson, the White House’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense, about the prospect of deploying National Guard troops to polling places. Ditlevson sidestepped a yes‑or‑no answer, citing legal constraints and...
Madhu Gottumukkala is moving from acting director of CISA to become DHS director of strategic implementation, while Nick Andersen steps in as CISA's new acting director. Gottumukkala's tenure was marked by several controversies, including a failed polygraph and misuse of...
The Department of Defense is phasing out the decades‑old DD Form 2875, replacing it with an automated Identity, Credential and Access Management (ICAM) workflow. The new system will provision, authorize, and revoke user access within hours, generate immutable audit logs,...
The latest *Uncanny Valley* episode spotlights a growing clash between AI startup Anthropic and the Pentagon over a $200 million defense contract that includes strict prohibitions on domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. The hosts also dissect the rise of “agentic” versus...
Guardians in the Space Force’s orbital warfare unit, Mission Delta 9, received a live satellite launched on Feb 12 as part of the USSF‑87 mission, giving them a realistic platform for offensive and defensive space‑maneuver training. The new asset replaces earlier on‑orbit...
The U.S. Space Force activated U.S. Space Forces Northern (SPACEFOR‑NORTH) on Jan. 30, 2026, shifting its posture from global support to dedicated homeland defense. Headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, the component serves as the space service arm of U.S. Northern...
The Department of Defense awarded LinQuest Corp. a $44.9 million cost‑plus‑incentive‑fee modification to its existing Space Systems Command (SSC) contract, raising the program’s cumulative face value to $810.7 million. The funding, split between operations, maintenance and RDT&E, will support additional systems engineering,...
The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) is now being implemented through agency deviations, with the Department of Defense (DoD) issuing class deviations covering most FAR parts from 1 to 52. Twenty‑four agencies have already adopted RFO Part 12, and the DoD’s...
Senior Air Force leaders and industry experts convened at the Air and Space Forces Association’s 2026 Warfare Symposium to outline the Air Force’s Future Force Design. The initiative reorients acquisition toward integrated lethality, survivability and persistent connectivity rather than counting...
The U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) received a major re‑authorization embedded in the FY2026 NDAA, boosting its contingent liability limit to $205 billion and expanding geographic eligibility for ICT projects. The bill creates a $5 billion equity revolving fund—though unfunded—and grants new...
Fintech firm Marquis, which serves over 700 banks, filed a lawsuit against firewall vendor SonicWall after a ransomware breach exposed client data for roughly 780,000 individuals. SonicWall later disclosed that a breach of its own firewall configuration backups affected all...
U.S. and Iranian officials held a third indirect nuclear round in Geneva, with Omani mediator Badr al‑Busaidi reporting "significant progress" and promising technical talks in Vienna next week. Tehran floated a framework to suspend enrichment for three to five years...
The United States and Iran held a third round of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, with Omani mediation reporting significant progress and technical discussions slated for Vienna next week. Simultaneously, Washington has launched its largest Middle East military buildup since...
The first Australian‑made AS9 Huntsman self‑propelled howitzers have rolled off the Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Geelong, marking the next phase of the LAND 8116 programme. The debut follows an earlier batch built in South Korea and initiates...
Project Compass, a Europol‑led operation backed by 28 nations including the Five Eyes, began in January 2025 to dismantle the transnational youth‑focused cybercrime network known as The Com. Since its launch the initiative has secured 30 arrests, fully or partially...
Australia’s new national emergency warning system, AusAlert, has seen its projected cost explode from an initial $10 million to an estimated $132 million. Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain framed the increase as an investment in community safety rather than a blowout. The system...
Senator Ron Wyden announced he will block the Senate’s confirmation of Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd as head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency. Wyden argues Rudd lacks any digital‑warfare or signals‑intelligence background and gave vague answers on...
Redwire reported a 10.3% revenue increase in 2025, reaching $335.4 million, with fourth‑quarter sales surging 56% year‑over‑year to $108.8 million. CEO Peter Cannito said roughly two‑thirds of revenue is now moving into production, especially its unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) portfolio. The company...
The U.S. Army’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) platform is being refined through the 25th Infantry Division’s Lightning Surge exercises, which expose data‑overload issues across siloed battlefield systems. A joint effort by Lockheed Martin and Palantir delivered an application that...
U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has launched an SBIR solicitation for acoustic rainbow emitters (ARE) to silence tactical drones, aiming to cut acoustic signatures by at least 50%. The devices must weigh no more than 1 kg for Group 1 UAVs and...
Calian Group and ADGA Group have signed a three‑year partnership to create advanced land‑training simulators for the Canadian Army, embedding full C5ISRT networks into synthetic battlefields. Both firms bring deep satellite communications and secure simulation expertise, ensuring virtual environments mirror...
Passive EO/IR sensors are a real bitch to contend with for manned combat aircraft. It was fully known that the Houthis had this capability and employed it with missiles for years. Fully integrated IADS with advanced IRST etc is really...
The Ukrainian Ground Forces' 68th Jaeger Brigade has been transferred from the 9th Army Corps to the Air Assault Forces and will be re‑designated as the 68th Airmobile Brigade. The unit will join the 8th Air Assault Corps under new...
Nearly a year after the U.S. Army announced it would cease procurement of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) as part of its transformation plan, the Marine Corps has reaffirmed its intent to continue acquiring the platform. The service plans...
The U.S. Army has placed a $186 million delivery order with AeroVironment for two Switchblade loitering‑munition variants: the 600 Block 2 and the 300 Block 2. The 600 Block 2 brings advanced AI‑driven target detection and can operate from sea platforms, while the 300 Block 2 is equipped with...
The U.S. Army has placed a $186 million delivery order with AeroVironment for its Switchblade loitering‑munition family, covering the 600 Block 2 and 300 Block 2 variants. The Switchblade 600 Block 2, co‑developed with SOCOM, features AI‑driven target detection and can operate from sea‑based platforms....
U.S. semiconductor manufacturers are feeling the pinch from Chinese restrictions on scandium exports, @Reuters reports, underscoring the importance of @SunriseMetals’ Syerston Scandium Project as an essential supplier to key U.S. industries. “U.S. chipmakers have experienced delays in receiving new scandium export licenses from...
Former public servant Mike Pezzullo addressed the Universities Australia Solutions Summit, reflecting on the 2019 cyber‑attack that compromised nearly 20 years of Australian National University (ANU) student and staff records. The breach, attributed to Chinese state‑linked threat actors, exposed bank...
The U.S. Navy has awarded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions a $61.07 million contract modification to initiate full‑rate production of the BQM‑177A subsonic aerial target, delivering 70 units and associated RATO kits. The award brings the total value of the BQM‑177A...
Defense AI startup NODA AI announced a $25 million Series A round, led by Bessemer Venture Partners and joined by Booz Allen Ventures, Draper Associates, Bloomberg Beta and Alumni Ventures. The Austin‑based company builds AI software that orchestrates mixed fleets of autonomous...
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit, India and Israel signed multiple agreements to deepen cooperation in technology and cybersecurity. The pacts create a joint innovation fund, enable real‑time cyber‑threat intelligence sharing, and launch collaborative projects in artificial intelligence, quantum...
Russia sends migrants into Europe through secret tunnels. Belarus used specialists from the middle east with "a high level of expertise" (long list of who that could be IRGC, Hezbollah, Hamas) to develop tunnels. @Telegraph https://t.co/MmsPD24kwy Belarus, a Russian puppet state...
This Is What The EA-37B Compass Call Electronic Attack Jet Can Actually Do The EA-37B is meant to disrupt enemy communications, playing havoc on their command and control and shattering their kill chains. Full interview with its makers: https://t.co/TeN3vqd4ot
Juniper Networks disclosed a critical CVE‑2026‑21902 vulnerability in the On‑Box Anomaly Detection framework of its Junos OS Evolved running on PTX Series routers. The flaw lets an unauthenticated attacker reach a root‑level service over an external port, enabling full device...
Outside of the obvious platforms, the one aircraft that likely had the most impact overall on the success of Operation Absolute Resolve that saw the capture of Maduro was the EC-130H Compass Call. It is the king 'discombobulator' that few...
USS Gerald R. Ford’s Imminent Arrival Off Israel Comes As Negotiations Grind On While both sides seem hopeful about future talks, the window for strikes is now opening and will only get wider with each passing day. Latest: https://t.co/nUQkwDjIwV
MP Materials announced a $1.25 billion investment to build a 120‑acre rare‑earth magnet campus in Northlake, Texas, under its “10X” program and a public‑private partnership with the U.S. Department of War. The facility will add roughly 10,000 metric tons of NdFeB magnet...
U.S. Space Force looking to offensive use of satellites in any future space battle with China. https://t.co/8p2HpilCCx
Hunting tunnels. A great post highlighting how complex but vital it is for Hamas tunnels to be located and destroyed.
Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani indicated that the UK Ministry of Defence will announce the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contract within days, ending weeks of speculation. Leonardo is the only bidder for the £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) programme, positioning the company to secure...
Just in: The Pentagon’s first kamikaze drone unit is ready to participate if President Donald Trump decides to launch strikes on Iran, according to US officials and analysts. https://t.co/DOPGwxi339
Open, modular, and interoperable software is critical. You don't want systems to be stuck with the brain they shipped with, and it isn't hard to imagine reasons why you might want to support totally novel/specialized agents. Next, downloading Tom Cruise...
The British Army’s 507 Specialist Team Royal Engineers (STRE) is the only dedicated railway engineering reserve unit, tasked with repairing and constructing rail infrastructure in hostile, short‑notice environments. Drawing on civilian rail, construction and heritage expertise, the 46‑strong team focuses...
Good discussion on how the war evolved, the role of drones, what is novel or perhaps new. https://t.co/ZKWx3h4J6D
Pakistan, terrorist enablers, targeting terrorists. Taliban say defending sovereignty. The reality a region where militants operate across borders & terrorists now govern a state. This is what happens when terrorism, sanctuary, and state authority collide https://t.co/D7nxF98Qgv
China’s Growing Armada Of Spy Satellites Is Pushing Space Force To Go On The Offensive "You can't run away from a bully forever. Sometimes you got to turn around and punch," Space Force Combat Forces boss says. https://t.co/bcXu5Jsyyp
Insights On Preventing Fraud and Identity Theft in The AI Era by @ChuckDBrooks https://t.co/Z1DoLfU6rP #CyberSecurity #identitytheft
The Trump people promised a better deal with North Korea than either the 1994 Agreed Framework or the JCPOA with Iran. That didn't happen then and it won't happen now. They might get some sort of deal, but it...
