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
![DEFAERO Strategy Series [Feb 10, 26] Steve Grundman on Acquisition Reform and Recent Headlines](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/7f41b5478cfc1b47b8fa96373c97b2b2.webp)
Steve Grundman appeared on the DEFAERO Strategy Series to outline the Pentagon’s latest acquisition reform push, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s forthcoming list of underperforming contractors. He highlighted the Trump administration’s new equity stakes in key defense suppliers and the establishment of a strategic minerals stockpile to shore up critical supply chains. Agreements with Lockheed Martin and RTX were announced to accelerate missile production, while President Trump called for ending the U.S. requirement that foreign buyers obtain approval before re‑exporting American weapons. Grundman warned that nations are rapidly bolstering domestic weapons development, reshaping global aerospace supply chains.
The UK Defence Select Committee highlighted a growing under‑sea threat, chiefly from Russia’s deep‑sea capabilities and expanding Chinese activity. Around 120 international cables and extensive subsea infrastructure make the seabed a critical vulnerability for communications, energy and finance. Witnesses warned...
Scoop: Deliveries of new C-130s have been halted due to issues with a new communication package being installed on the Herks. https://t.co/4PBkDEFZ7v
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has signed a contract with Patria to supply several hundred PROTECTOR RS4 remote weapon stations for the German and Swedish Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) 6×6 programmes, valued at approximately €140 million. The RS4, a turret‑on‑turret solution...
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that arms exports generated roughly $15 billion in foreign‑exchange earnings in 2025 and that more than 340 cooperation projects are slated for 2026‑2028. Independent analysts caution that Russia’s defence‑sector data are opaque, making the figure difficult...
At the World Defense Show 2026, MARSS introduced Nation Shield, the latest version of its NiDAR command‑and‑control platform. The system extends C2 capabilities to dismounted troops and vehicle units, delivering a unified operating picture from the edge to mission command....
Major fighting in Gaza has ceased, yet the cease‑fire remains fragile and humanitarian conditions are only marginally improving. Over 92% of residential structures are destroyed, leaving half a hundred million metric tons of rubble and a crippled health system. The...
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a delegation to the Munich Security Conference, marking Washington’s most visible re‑engagement with Europe since a year of heightened unilateralism. The Munich Security Index now rates the United States as a greater geopolitical...
The U.S. State Department approved a $1.7 billion Foreign Military Sale to Spain for a mid‑life upgrade of its five Álvaro de Bazán (F‑100) class Aegis‑equipped frigates. The package provides five new Aegis Weapon System shipsets, upgraded digital signal processors, modern MK‑41...
The World Defense Show 2026 highlighted a $63.5 billion Middle East vehicle procurement market projected through 2036, with nearly half ($31.7 billion) tied to unawarded programmes. The unawarded segment covers almost 10,000 vehicles, dominated by main battle tank contracts for Bahrain, Turkey...
Software developers: Prime cyber targets and a rising risk vector for CISOs | CSO Online https://t.co/BQaEUbegeO
Russia’s army in Ukraine has suffered a sharp rise in men killed or missing in action. That will make it harder for Russian forces to sustain gruelling offensive operations, which in some areas have ground to a pace slower than...
The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that the future Type 83 destroyer remains in the concept stage, with the outline business case expected by June 2026. The program is being evaluated against the Royal Navy’s Hybrid Navy Strategy and the broader Defence...
The Wyoming Army National Guard partnered with the volunteer Wyoming Hoist Team to conduct joint hoist training with the Big Horn County Search and Rescue and Wyoming Life Flight in the Greybull Mountains on Jan. 28, 2026. The exercise taught civilian rescuers...
In December 2025 the United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a strategic partnership that gives Washington preferential access to Congolese mineral deposits. The article argues that the next step is building logistics corridors, using the Lobito Corridor—linking...
Singapore’s ST Engineering unveiled the Vantrex, a new 6×6 infantry fighting vehicle at the World Defense Show 2026. The design merges the lower chassis of the Terrex s5 with a commercial‑truck‑derived upper structure, positioning it between the company’s Rhino 4×4...
Polish Strategic Advisor Lt. Gen. Piotr Błazeusz told TVP World that Poland has both a primary defence plan and contingency “branch” plans in case U.S. support wanes, but he remains confident Washington will not abandon its European allies. He questioned...
Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) has launched AL NOUKHITHA, the first 62‑meter Al‑Dorra‑class missile boat built for Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense. The vessel is the inaugural unit under a subcontracted contract with EDGE Group, representing the largest naval export deal...
On 10 February 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence published its Votes A 2026‑2027 paper, seeking parliamentary authority to set the maximum number of personnel for the armed forces for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2027. The document outlines...
The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center released Global Foresight 2036, its fifth strategic‑foresight report. Drawing on a survey of nearly 450 geostrategists and foresight practitioners, the paper outlines a ten‑year vision across geopolitics, the global economy, technology, and Earth systems. It highlights...
Three years after ChatGPT's debut, Atlantic Council experts caution that current AI, built on large language models, excels at pattern‑based tasks but lacks true predictive power for complex geopolitical outcomes. They highlight AI's probabilistic nature, limited ability to generate new...
An Atlantic Council survey of 447 experts from 72 nations paints a bleak picture of the world in 2036. Most respondents expect China to become the top economic power, while the United States retains military superiority, creating a bipolar or...
At Singapore Airshow 2026, Israeli defence firm Rafael unveiled two new Spike family effectors – the L‑Spike 1X, a section‑level ISR and loitering munition, and the L‑Spike 4X, a battalion‑scale loitering missile. CEO Yoav Turgeman stressed that customers now demand battle‑proven systems...
RAND researchers evaluated HQ STARCOM’s manpower, revealing pervasive staffing shortfalls across directorates and heavy reliance on civilians and contractors. The study identified fragmented roles, unclear functional‑mission links, and structural tension between STARCOM’s flat hierarchy and required command control. An optimization...
NATO members, led by Finland, warn that invoking Article 5 for Ukraine could erode the clause’s deterrent power. They argue that extending collective defense to a non‑member engaged in an active war would blur the threshold for future attacks, especially hybrid...
In this episode Rob Geist Pinfold examines whether the United States should continue guaranteeing Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME) amid shifting regional dynamics and Netanyahu’s surprising call to cut U.S. aid. He traces the historical evolution of U.S. military assistance—from Cold‑War...
Hanwha Ocean has inked an MOU with eleven South Korean submarine builders to jointly pursue contracts in Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East. The consortium will market the KSS‑III Batch‑II “Jang Yeongsil” submarine, emphasizing platform construction, combat systems, and long‑term...
The Irregular Warfare Initiative’s latest podcast dissects how Ukraine transformed civilian drones into a cornerstone of its warfighting arsenal. From ad‑hoc reconnaissance tools in 2022 to dedicated FPV strike units by 2023, the Ukrainian military now fields drones at a...
In this episode Junaid Nabi explains how the convergence of generative AI and synthetic biology is creating a new class of biological threats that evade traditional pandemic‑focused defenses. Recent AI models such as Evo 2, Claude Opus 4, and OpenAI’s o3 can design...
Fincantieri’s submarine arm, WASS, landed a €200 million contract with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence to supply MU90 lightweight torpedoes. The deal, announced at the 2026 World Defence Show in Riyadh, is the largest ever for WASS and the first direct...
U.S. and China dominate the AI ecosystem, employing 70% of the world’s top machine‑learning researchers, controlling 90% of computing power, and securing the majority of AI investment. This concentration creates an “AI divide” that could lock most other countries into...
Pakistan’s Navy issued a formal tender for two 10 kW shipborne laser weapon systems, with scalability to 30 kW, to be installed on surface combatants for counter‑UAS and swarm defence. The systems must integrate AI/ML to achieve sub‑100 ms sensor‑to‑effector latency, 360‑degree coverage...
Anduril's design org is one of our secret weapons. @jendarhy is why, and she's hiring a Chief of Staff. If you have taste and experience in either managing accounts at a creative agency or running ops for creative teams in-house, this...
It's such an honor to be surrounded by the wonderful people that make @anduriltech the company that it is. @mttgrmm and I loved having the opportunity to share our vision with @SecWar this morning at our autonomous submarine factory...
The Defense Innovation Unit has issued a solicitation for a Containerized Autonomous Drone Delivery System (CADDS) that can store, launch, recover and service large numbers of unmanned aerial systems from a single container on land or sea. CADDS is designed...
New research: 3 big challenges facing security teams (and how to overcome them) | Cybersecurity Dive https://t.co/mN9t6BWiD6
Red Wolf Cruise Missile Eyed To Give OA-1K Skyraider II Standoff Strike Capability Giving the OA-1K a standoff strike capability has been seen as one potential way to expand its relevance in an era focused on high-end foes. Story: https://t.co/TdDjlCz6b3
Indonesia and Australia signed the Treaty on Common Security in Jakarta, committing both capitals to regular security consultations and coordinated responses to emerging threats. The pact builds on the 1996 Lombok Treaty and the 2024 Defence Cooperation Agreement, but stops...
Laser-Guided Rocket-Armed F-15E Strike Eagles Make Super Bowl Cameo Appearance F-15Es sitting ready to knock down drones in the Middle East were highlighted during the National Anthem along with the crews that keep them flying. Story: https://t.co/HE8syvE8Fj
A-10 Warthogs Protect Mine-Hunting Littoral Combat Ship In Arabian Gulf Exercise The A-10, now in the twilight of its career, is uniquely suited to protect naval assets from lower-end threats, such as swarms of Iranian small boats. Story: https://t.co/SZFRWOmm9F
The Pentagon announced that Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and the late Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, both members of the West Virginia National Guard, will receive the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in a November ambush near the White...
Fun visit at @regentcraft this afternoon with @mttgrmm while spending the day at the @anduriltech shipyard next door in Quonset, RI. The entire harbor is frozen solid right now, but can’t wait to see this baby fly when it warms back...
Fort Hood, Texas, will host the Army’s inaugural campus‑style dining facility, the 42 Bistro, opening Feb. 18. Soldiers enrolled in the Essential Station Messing program receive a daily $39 ‘freedom dollars’ credit to purchase meals, while others pay out‑of‑pocket. The venue,...
On February 9, Atlantic Council senior director Matthew Kroenig appeared on the School of War podcast to discuss China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal. He highlighted recent Chinese test activities and the pace at which Beijing is increasing warhead counts and delivery...
Staff Sgt. Billy Scafidel, an armory chief with the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for rescuing a fellow Marine from a submerged truck on Sept. 1, 2024, near Camp Pendleton. After hearing a splash, Scafidel...
The Trump administration’s 2025 trade strategy oscillated between aggressive, unpredictable tariff threats and a quieter push for long‑standing trade objectives. While high tariffs and threats destabilized markets, the administration began issuing exemptions and rolled back many threats, stabilizing tariff levels...
FedRAMP 20x seeks to modernize federal cloud compliance by replacing static checklists with continuous validation through Key Security Indicators (KSIs). The initiative promises faster, more flexible authorization for SaaS providers, but progress is hampered by funding cuts, staff shortages, and...
Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, called a snap election that delivered a historic super‑majority for the Liberal Democratic Party, winning 316 of 465 lower‑house seats. The result gives the LDP unprecedented legislative power to push Takaichi’s agenda without...
More than 100 Wisconsin Army National Guard signal soldiers gathered at Camp Douglas on Jan. 31, 2026 for a combined signal exercise hosted by the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team S6. The two‑day drill emphasized complex communications, integrating trunked land‑mobile radios...
Over 110 U.S. and Italian soldiers completed a four‑day proficiency test at an Italian base, meeting German Armed Forces standards to earn the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge. The event, overseen by Germany’s 10th Panzer Division, included ruck marches, weapons...
