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.
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By the numbers: Kraken Robotics acquires Colvya Group for $615M
![MWCS-38 Norwegian Foot March [Image 9 of 11]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518644/250w_q95.jpg)
U.S. Marines from Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38, part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, completed the historic Norwegian Foot March at MCAS Miramar on February 11, 2026. The 18.64‑mile timed march, a test of endurance first used by Norway’s military in 1915, required participants to move under load across a long distance. The event aimed to evaluate physical stamina, strengthen unit cohesion, and boost combat readiness. A photo by Lance Cpl. Samantha Devine captured the exercise on November 2, 2026.
![MWCS-38 Norwegian Foot March [Image 6 of 11]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518640/250w_q95.jpg)
U.S. Marines from Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38 took part in the Norwegian Foot March at MCAS Miramar on Feb. 11 2026. The 18.64‑mile timed march, a tradition dating to Norway’s 1915 military endurance test, challenged participants to move under load over a...
Estonia’s foreign‑intelligence agency warns that, despite recent U.S.–Russia talks, Moscow continues to regard Washington as its chief global adversary. The report argues the dialogue is a Russian tactic to exploit the new U.S. administration for espionage, influence operations and the...
Microsoft's research reveals a new AI hijacking technique called AI recommendation poisoning, where "Summarize with AI" buttons embed hidden prompts that bias enterprise chatbots toward a vendor’s products. Over two months, researchers found 50 instances across 31 companies in sectors...
The UK Home Office has launched Police.AI, a national centre to centralise AI procurement, policy and deployment across policing agencies. Early rollout includes 40 additional live facial‑recognition vans and a suite of tools such as deep‑fake detection and predictive analytics....
Confirming earlier reporting: Airspace was closed by the FAA near El Paso late Tuesday after CBP personnel launched a counter-drone laser weapon without full inter-agency integration, officials say. That weapon had recently been transferred temporarily by the Pentagon to DHS. Airspace...
The 0APT ransomware group burst onto the scene last month, publicly claiming roughly 200 victims within its first week. While investigators have found no evidence that any of those organizations were actually breached, the group’s infrastructure includes a fully functional,...
Lumma Stealer has reemerged at scale after a 2025 law‑enforcement takedown that crippled its command‑and‑control infrastructure. The malware‑as‑a‑service operation now relies on ClickFix lures—fake CAPTCHAs that trick users into running malicious commands—and the memory‑only CastleLoader to evade detection. Researchers report...
The episode explains the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals' (CBCA) new procedural rules for handling cases under the Administrative False Claims Act (AFCA), which replaces the old PFCRA. It outlines how the AFCA differs from the False Claims Act, notably...
The European Space Agency will attend the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) from 13‑15 February 2026, with Director General Josef Aschbacher joining heads of state, industry CEOs and security experts. ESA aims to showcase how space systems underpin Europe’s competitiveness,...
ULA’s Vulcan Centaur will launch early on Feb 12 from Cape Canaveral on the USSF‑87 mission, carrying two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites for the U.S. Space Force. The payloads will monitor the crowded geostationary orbit, providing “neighborhood watch” data...
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman urged deeper collaboration between NASA and the Department of Defense, highlighting their historic partnership and the national‑security dimensions of the Artemis lunar program. He pointed to an executive order that tasks the White House Office of...
Acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala warned that a DHS shutdown would cripple the agency’s ability to issue timely cyber guidance, force over a third of frontline security staff to work without pay, and halt proactive threat‑hunting activities. The shutdown would...
The U.S. Navy, via a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) solicitation, is pursuing the Runway Independent Maritime and Expeditionary Strike (RIMES) program to field long‑range strike drones that can launch from destroyers, littoral combat ships and future frigates. The drones must...
The global order has moved from Cold‑War bipolarity to a multipolar system where the United States, Russia and a rising China dominate international affairs. Technological globalization and interdependence have intensified, reshaping how Western Europe engages with these powers. The article...
The United Kingdom has announced a plan to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to an unrelated African nation, sparking alarm among security analysts. The islands host Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.–U.K. military base that underpins American power projection across...
On February 11, 2026, two U.S. Navy Los Angeles‑class nuclear attack submarines surfaced together off Guam in a tightly controlled formation exercise. The maneuver, supported by naval aviation, is a rare display of coordinated undersea operations. It underscores the forward‑deployed force’s...
The article argues that the United States now mirrors Imperial Japan’s World War II posture: a massive, technologically advanced fleet without a commensurate domestic defense‑industrial base. It points out that while the U.S. Navy has expanded dramatically, shipbuilding capacity and critical...
Iran commemorated the 47th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution amid heightened internal and external pressures. President Donald Trump signaled the possibility of dispatching another aircraft carrier group to the Middle East, intensifying diplomatic friction. Simultaneously, Iranians took to the...
The U.S. Department of Defense is evaluating containerized launch systems that can release large autonomous drone swarms from standard shipping containers. Partnering with UVision, the effort leverages the Containerized Autonomous Drone Delivery System (CADDS) to provide rapid, modular deployment for...
The Wall Street Journal editorial argues that President Trump's latest nuclear weapons initiative reflects a pragmatic response to the disintegration of Cold‑War era arms‑control agreements. With the INF Treaty and the original New START expired or suspended, the administration is...
The Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) looks like a relic from the 1990s, yet it houses millions of detailed federal contract records. Its clunky interface and convoluted advanced search require users to master a maze of filters to extract useful...
Acting CISA director Madhu Gottumukkala told House appropriators that roughly 70 CISA employees were reassigned to other DHS components over the past year, while more than 30 staff were moved into the agency. A small number of those transfers went...
The DOJ has charged Peter Williams, former general manager of Trenchant—a cyber‑offensive unit of L3Harris—with stealing eight zero‑day exploits and selling them to a Russian broker for about $1.3 million in cryptocurrency. Prosecutors say the tools could grant access to millions of...
RTX BBN Technologies secured a U.S. Department of Defense contract to create a real‑time smart spectrum manager that enables defence radars and commercial 5G networks to share frequencies without interference. The first phase will deliver a system that detects radar...
The U.S. Army successfully flight‑tested the extended‑range Guided Multiple‑Launch Rocket System (ER GMLRS) on Jan. 30 at White Sands, hitting area targets beyond 100 km. The test used the Alternative Warhead variant launched from a HIMARS, with performance meeting or exceeding expectations. ER GMLRS...
The UK Ministry of Defence has issued a tender for containerised armouries, ammunition stores and workshops to support its overseas bases. The contract calls for a 20‑ft armoury and two 10‑ft containers, valued between £250 million and £500 million, with bids due...
I enjoyed this conversation. Mike, the team, and I discuss how European NATO militaries would fare in a conflict with Russia, how long it might take Europe to reach a point where it can assume greater responsibility for its own...
Outside of the Special Air Warfare Symposium, how Beacon AI is touting pilot assistance autonomy https://t.co/AK7QFrzgvz
Raytheon announced a successful test of the Coyote Block 3NK, a non‑kinetic counter‑drone system that can loiter, engage and be recalled for multiple missions. The variant is designed to neutralize drone swarms while minimizing collateral damage, making it suitable for urban...
NEW: @SierraNevCorp is teaming with Northrop Grumman and General Atomics-ASI on its "Freedom" aircraft it is bidding for the US Navy's Undergraduate Jet Training System. First on @aviationweek https://t.co/Ch1Ml4EeZu https://t.co/nqyJQIievk
OIL MARKET: President Trump says he told Israeli Primer Minister Netanyahu that his preference is to cut a deal with Iran. “I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated.” https://t.co/VhkfL7QBHF
Davie Defense, the U.S. arm of INOCEA, won a United States Coast Guard contract to build five Arctic Security Cutters, with the first vessel due in 2028. The program is part of a larger effort to acquire up to 11...
A war between the United States and China would involve the type of naval combat that last took place during World War II, said retired Navy Capt. Thomas Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow with [@cnasdc] in Washington, D.C. https://t.co/UAJhA8hIUd
Pentagon Is Making A Naughty Or Nice List Of Defense Contractors Best by delays, cost overruns and long waiting lists for critical weapons, the Pentagon says it is changing the way it will be doing business. https://t.co/lVZso6JKRj
Ukrainian defense firm Inguar Defence unveiled a pickup‑style variant of its Inguar‑3 MRAP, specifically built for UAV crews. Developed with input from Lasar’s Group of the National Guard, the vehicle retains the armored hull but drops the turret to cut...
Today the mainstream learns about the chronic drone incursions over the Southern Border, which includes advanced systems, another story we have been reporting within our broader, in depth drone threat coverage for many years. No they aren’t easy to defend...
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a landslide in February 2026, securing a two‑thirds majority in Japan’s lower house. The supermajority empowers her administration to adopt a hardline posture toward China’s regional ambitions. Tokyo has publicly pledged to defend Taiwan against any...
Juan S. González argues that U.S. security hinges on a stable Western Hemisphere, echoing Roosevelt’s Monroe‑Doctrine insight. He praises Secretary of State Marco Rubio for recognizing the need for proactive engagement but criticizes Rubio’s reliance on coercion and short‑term pressure....
The European Commission approved a €90 billion loan to Ukraine for 2026‑27, allocating €60 billion specifically for defence. Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis announced the package on 4 February 2026, aiming to sustain Ukraine’s military procurement through 2027. The financing opens a sizable market for European...
Renault Group announced it will produce up to 600 unmanned aerial vehicles for the French armed forces, repurposing its Le Mans automotive plant rather than building a new facility. The move marks the French automaker’s first foray into defense hardware and...
Atlantic Council vice‑president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig appeared on NPR on Feb. 11 to discuss the Trump administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iran. He outlined the limited progress of back‑channel talks aimed at reviving a nuclear agreement and highlighted...
Read the latest (Feb 2026) edition of AEROSPACE to find out how FPV drones are now being used by criminals, cartels & terror groups. #drones #avgeek https://t.co/ojreumsvPo https://t.co/H6AVjtFYvB
The 10th Singapore Airshow in February 2026 highlighted a shifting Asian defense market where cost‑effective, system‑of‑systems solutions are overtaking pure platform performance. China’s presence was muted, with fewer exhibitors and a conservative J‑10C demo aimed at budget‑constrained buyers, while its...
Integrate, a Seattle‑based startup founded by former Air Force officer John Conafay, raised a $17 million Series A to commercialize its secure collaboration platform for defense projects. The company recently secured a $25 million, five‑year contract with the U.S. Space Force, proving demand...
U.S. Coast Guard awarded Davie Defense a contract to build five Arctic Security Cutters, a new class of polar icebreakers. The first two vessels will be constructed at Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, with delivery expected in 2028, while the remaining...
China has invoked its Export Control Law to ban dual‑use exports to Japan and tighten rare‑earth licensing, signaling a new escalation in its diplomatic dispute with Tokyo. The move follows a broader trend of Beijing building offensive economic statecraft tools,...
The U.S. Space Force announced a shift from program‑based buying to aligning acquisitions with specific mission areas, a change championed by Lt. Gen. David Miller Jr. at the Defense and Intelligence Space Conference. Miller warned that speed alone without clear...
Czech defence group CSG and Turkey’s Aselsan signed a joint venture on 4 February 2026 to produce the Korkut short‑range air‑defence system in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The partnership relocates manufacturing and integration to EU facilities, ensuring compliance with NATO...
Boeing demonstrated its Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range (JDAM LR) equipped with anti‑ship and Quickstrike mining payloads on legacy B‑52H and B‑1B bombers. The kit converts a standard Mk‑82 bomb into a 300‑nautical‑mile cruise missile, with a decoy version...
