Today's Defense Pulse
U.S. Treasury expands sanctions on Iran-linked shipping network
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a new sanctions round targeting a global network of shipping firms, tanker operators and intermediaries tied to Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical trades. Entities in Hong Kong, the UAE, India, Qatar, Singapore, China, Liberia and the Marshall Islands were added to the Specially Designated Nationals list.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Disciplined Growth Acquisition Corp raises $150M in IPO
DiY MANPADS? Low-Cost Launcher and Guided Rocket Prototype Built with Consumer Electronics and 3D Printed Parts
Los Angeles Valley College student Alisher Khojayev unveiled a proof‑of‑concept low‑cost rocket launcher and guided rocket built from consumer electronics and 3D‑printed PLA parts, costing roughly $96 in hardware. The system uses dual ESP32 microcontrollers, an MPU6050 IMU, GPS, compass, and a proportional‑derivative control loop to steer folding fins via Wi‑Fi telemetry. Khojayev also released a distributed camera‑node network for real‑time target triangulation. The article highlights similar consumer‑grade 3D printing feats, including a Porsche 992 GT3 RS body panel project and a record‑breaking drone built on desktop printers.
‘We Are Being Imaginative to Make Defence Appeal to Young People with New Skill Sets’
UK Air Marshal Tim Jones, newly appointed deputy chief of the defence staff for force development, told Parliament that recruitment for the Armed Forces has been difficult but is beginning to improve. He highlighted persistent shortages in cyber, engineering and...
No Successful Hacking of eGov App Despite 1,000 Daily Attempts — DICT
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported that its eGov mobile app has withstood over 1,000 daily cyber‑attack attempts, including spikes of 5,000‑6,000 attempts, without any successful breach. Officials attribute this resilience to multiple security layers, full‑data encryption,...
Critical Citrix NetScaler Vulnerability Poised for Exploitation, Security Firms Warn
Citrix has issued emergency patches for a critical‑severity vulnerability, CVE‑2026‑3055 (CVSS 9.3), that enables an out‑of‑bounds read and sensitive memory leak in NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway when configured as a SAML Identity Provider. The update also fixes CVE‑2026‑4368, a high‑severity...
Hanwha Ocean Enters Greek Naval Market Through Partnership with ONEX
South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean has signed a strategic teaming agreement with Greece’s ONEX Shipyards & Technologies, the nation’s largest shipbuilding and defense firm. The deal makes the two companies exclusive partners on submarine and other naval projects for the Hellenic...
Policy Paper: Defence Diplomacy Strategy
The United Kingdom has published its first Defence Diplomacy Strategy, fulfilling a pledge made in the June 2025 Strategic Defence Review. The strategy places a "NATO First" mindset at its core, seeking to deepen alliances across Europe, the Middle East and...
Dubai Is Burning: Why Russian Drone Proxies Are Fleeing the Gulf for a Gullible Europe
The February 2026 US‑Israel‑Iran war has turned the United Arab Emirates from a sanctuary into a battlefield, with missiles striking Dubai and Abu Dhabi infrastructure. Russian‑linked drone light‑show companies, which fled Western sanctions by setting up in UAE free‑trade zones, are...
Naval Group and METLEN Team up on Submarine and Frigate Projects
Naval Group and Greek defence supplier METLEN signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 19, 2026, to explore joint submarine and FDI frigate projects for international customers. The MoU builds on METLEN’s existing role supplying key components for Naval Group’s...
Trump 5 Day Pause; Trump Claims Talks, Iran Denies; Iran Still Attacks & Hormuz Shut | Rapid Read 24 Mar...
President Trump instructed the Pentagon to suspend planned strikes on Iranian power and energy facilities for five days, citing ongoing diplomatic contacts. Iran publicly rejected the notion of negotiations and warned it would continue mining operations in the Gulf of...
Globe Turns over IMSI Catcher Detectors over to the NTC, CICC, CIDG to Help Fight Mobile Scams
Globe has transferred IMSI catcher detectors to the Philippines’ National Telecommunications Commission, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to strengthen the fight against mobile scams. The detectors enable real‑time identification and location of...
US-Iran War Updates March 24: Iranian Missile Hits Tel Aviv, IRGC Warns Israel Of Heavy Strikes (UPDATED)
On March 24, 2026, reports surfaced that an Iranian missile struck Tel Aviv, prompting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to warn Israel of further heavy strikes. Iranian official Mohammad‑Bagher Ghalibaf tweeted that no negotiations with the United States have...
Carrier Air Wing 7 Sees Command Change Ahead of Deployment on USS George H.W. Bush
Captain Matthew K. Lewis took command of Carrier Air Wing 7 on March 19, 2026, succeeding Captain Martin N. Fentress Jr. in an airborne ceremony at Naval Air Station Oceana. The wing, known as Team Freedom, is finalizing preparations for...
UAE-South Korea “Defense Pact” Rumors Resurface as Seoul Rushes Interceptor Missiles To Abu Dhabi
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have accelerated their defense partnership, signing a $65 billion agreement that includes a $35 billion arms package. Amid the Iran war, Seoul air‑lifted about 30 Cheongung‑II interceptors from its own operational reserves to Abu Dhabi...
Strike Halts Work at Maine Navy Shipbuilder Amid Questions Over New Mine‑Countermeasure Vessels
Workers at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, have walked out, pausing construction of U.S. Navy destroyers. At the same time, the Navy’s newly fielded Independence‑class littoral combat ships with mine‑countermeasure packages are under scrutiny for low reliability, highlighting broader...
Ronald Stein: Security Experts Concerned on Potential Harm of EV Batteries
Cybersecurity and national‑security experts are warning that electric‑vehicle lithium‑ion batteries could be weaponized in terrorist attacks or insider sabotage. The concern stems from the inherent fire and explosion risks of battery chemistry, amplified by the recent Moss Landing plant fire...
German Minister Says Trump's Iran Talks Announcement Could Mark Turning Point
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said President Donald Trump's recent announcement of talks with Iran could represent a turning point in the ongoing Middle East conflict. Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States and Iran held “very good...
66 Killed in Colombian C-130 Crash Sparks Calls for Military Modernization
A Colombian Air Force C-130 Hercules crashed shortly after takeoff from Puerto Leguízamo, killing 66 soldiers and leaving dozens injured. The tragedy has intensified President Gustavo Petro's push to modernize the armed forces, while officials investigate the cause and assess...
Trump Postpones Iran Power Plant Strikes for Five Days, Easing Oil Market Jitters
President Donald Trump announced a five‑day delay to planned strikes on Iran’s power grid and energy plants, citing “very good and productive conversations.” The pause comes as Iran’s energy infrastructure faces ongoing attacks, tempering volatility in global oil and gas...
Combat Drone Startup Emerges as US‑UK Underwater Drone Countermeasure Program Unveiled
A stealth‑mode startup announced its entry into combat drone production, and the United States and United Kingdom revealed a joint program to detect and neutralize hostile underwater drones. While funding and technical specifics were not disclosed, experts warn the moves...
The Missing Power Layer of Modern Warfare
In this episode, Adam Wormuth, CEO of Chariot Defense, and Army CTO Alex Miller discuss the critical "missing power layer" needed for modern, distributed electronic warfare. They explain how today’s soldiers rely on 30‑60 watts continuously, and how existing diesel...
Lebanon on the Brink of Civil War
Hezbollah’s secretary‑general Naim Qassem declared the group will continue armed resistance until Israeli‑occupied territories in Lebanon are reclaimed. This stance comes despite mounting pressure from the Lebanese government, which, under the 2024 ceasefire agreement, is demanding Hezbollah lay down its...
US Navy Returns Historic VH-3A “Marine One” To the Skies for Egyptian Air Force
The U.S. Navy’s PMA‑226 program has completed a full modernization of the VH‑3A Sea King helicopter, originally Marine One, and returned it to the Egyptian Air Force. The upgrade adds a glass‑panel avionics suite, new electrical systems, and a custom...
Russian Drone Strike on Ukrainian Regional Train Kills Passenger (61)
A Russian FPV drone struck a Kharkiv regional electric train on March 24 at 05:20, killing a 61‑year‑old passenger and injuring two crew members who suffered acute stress. Ukrainian prosecutors have opened a pre‑trial investigation and classified the incident as...
Russia Intends to Deploy Additional Systems in Belarus
Russia plans to install four ground‑control stations for long‑range strike drones in Belarus, expanding a network first deployed in late 2025. The stations will enable rapid UAV‑guided attacks on Ukraine’s northern regions, from Kyiv to Volyn. Belarus, a long‑time Russian...
If Donald Trump Offers Help, It Just Might Get You Killed
President Donald Trump pledged "help" to Iranians amid January protests, then ordered a joint U.S.-Israeli air campaign that devastated civilian sites, including an elementary school in Minab that killed over 165 people. The strikes also targeted hospitals and historic locations,...
Naval Deployment as of March 23
The U.S. Navy’s March 23 deployment map shows five carrier strike groups and two amphibious ready groups positioned across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indo‑Pacific theaters. Key assets include the USS George H.W. Bush and USS Nimitz operating near Europe and the Indo‑Pacific, the...
One in Five Lebanese Displaced in Three Weeks by Israel’s Invasion
Israel’s ground offensive in southern Lebanon has displaced roughly one million people, about 20 % of the country’s population, within three weeks. The operation aims to seize territory up to the Litani River and annex a third of Lebanon to the...
Trump’s Hormuz Remarks Threaten Petrodollar‑reserve Currency Pact
One of the foundations of the US reserve currency status is the 1970s Nixon-KSA agreement that the US provides military protection in return for recycling of Petrodollars into the US bond market. When President Trump says things like that "we...
US Flags Foreign‑Made Routers as Security Threat
US authorities have turned their attention to routers made outside the US, suggesting they're a national security risk. https://t.co/FxRBqkwa6x
SBG Systems Unveils Stellar-40 INS for High-Vibration & Electronic Warfare Environments
SBG Systems has launched the Stellar-40 inertial navigation system, a tactical‑grade INS that blends a high‑performance IMU, GNSS receiver and advanced sensor‑fusion algorithms in a rugged, compact housing. The unit is engineered for extreme vibration, high dynamics and electronic‑warfare environments,...
First Space Fighter Satellite Promises Agile In‑Orbit Combat
Fascinating read on company building the first space 'fighter/pursuit' satellite for in-orbit combat - the True Anomaly Jackal. Agile and manoeuvrable - but left unsaid - what does it do when it gets on an enemy satellite's 'six o'clock'? Kinetic?...
Dutch Finance Ministry Hit By Hack
The Dutch Finance Ministry restricted access to several computer systems after detecting a hack on March 19. The intrusion affected internal processes in the policy department but left tax, customs and benefits services uninterrupted. Officials attribute the attack to the ShinyHunters...
Why I Traded Aerospace for the Front Lines of Cybersecurity
The author, a former aerospace engineer, switched to cybersecurity 25 years ago to work on identity verification, citing the slow timelines of aerospace. He argues that the aerospace principle of near‑zero failure rates is essential for combating AI‑driven fraud. By...
ICE Paid the Salaries of This Town’s Entire Police Force
Carroll, New Hampshire, a town of 820 residents, received a $122,515 wire transfer from the Department of Homeland Security after its police force joined the 287(g) Task Force Model. The agreement obligates the town’s four full‑time officers to assist ICE...
In 7 Months, 90% of Americans Will Vote on Easily Hackable Machines That Leave No Evidence of Tampering
In January 2024, Princeton researcher J. Alex Halderman demonstrated in federal court that a Dominion voting machine could be hijacked using a ballpoint pen, a $20 card reader and a $30 homemade smart card, exposing a vulnerability that leaves no...
Exein Unveils Next-Generation Runtime Security to Protect the AI-Native World
Exein introduced Photon, a kernel‑level runtime security platform that blocks malicious code before it executes, targeting AI‑native environments such as IoT, edge, and autonomous systems. By moving protection from user‑space detection to pre‑emptive kernel enforcement, Photon eliminates attack windows and...
Stepping on a WWII Landmine: What Happens?
#HowThingsWork? World War II Landmine. If you had stepped on one this is what would have happened. #WarTech #History https://t.co/M6vv22Mf7e
Trump Claims Joint Control of Hormuz with Iran
This would be an important dynamic, if it were to continue and GROW in size. AND, if the US were to acquiesce to this new arrangement. Then again, President Trump did say that the "me and the ayatollah will jointly"...
Singapore Says Involvement in Israeli Military-Linked Groups ‘Not Acceptable’
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence warned that participation in Israeli military‑linked organisations such as Sar‑El is now unacceptable and could trigger legal action. The warning follows the resurfacing of a 2018‑19 blog that encouraged Singaporeans to...
Japanese ‘Soldier’ Forces Way Into Chinese Embassy in Tokyo
A Japanese individual, falsely claiming to be an active Self‑Defence Forces officer, illegally forced entry into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo. The person admitted the illegal act and threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic staff in the name of a self‑styled...
USS Gerald R. Ford Pulls Into Souda Bay for Repairs After Red Sea Fire
The nuclear‑powered USS Gerald R. Ford arrived at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on March 23, 2026, for assessment, repairs, and resupply after a fire broke out in its main laundry while operating in the Red Sea. The blaze, deemed non‑combat related, was quickly contained,...
Starmer Insists No Delays to Type 83 Destroyer
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told MPs he will not allow any delays to the UK’s future Type 83 destroyer programme, stressing the need for steady naval procurement. He linked the project to Scotland’s shipbuilding sector, citing a newly secured Norwegian frigate...
Review: Shadow Cell by Andrew Bustamante and Jihi Bustamante
The review of "Shadow Cell" examines how CIA operatives Andrew and Jihi Bustamante introduced two major reforms: cell networks and people networks. By borrowing Al‑Qaeda’s decentralized cell structure, the agency aimed to cut red tape and limit mole damage. The...
VIDEO: Israel Hit by Missiles, Vows to Continue Strikes Until US and Iran Reach Deal
Iranian missiles struck multiple sites in central Israel on March 23, injuring six people, while Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to keep hitting Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon until a U.S.-Iran agreement meets Israeli interests. President Donald Trump announced...
The Baltic Sea and New Strategy
The Baltic Sea has shifted from a quiet commercial corridor to a hotspot for hybrid threats, as Russian vessels increasingly operate near critical energy and communication infrastructure. Underwater sabotage incidents—targeting cables like Estlink 2 and C‑Lion 1—demonstrate the vulnerability of dense subsea...
Rules Are Right
Lord Hermer KC, the UK attorney general, used a Manchester lecture to argue that Britain’s national interest is best served by upholding international law amid escalating US and Israeli military actions against Iran. He warned that a "might is right"...
The Insurance Weapon: How Commercial Risk Logic Became an Irregular Warfare Tool at Hormuz
In late February 2026, coordinated U.S.–Israeli airstrikes triggered a rapid insurance‑driven shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz. War‑risk premiums surged fivefold, Lloyd’s Joint War Committee reclassified the entire Arabian Gulf as a conflict zone, and major insurers withdrew affordable coverage,...
March to the Sound of the Guns: Organizational Integration for Strategic Competition
The U.S. Army recognizes a doctrinal gap in integrating information operations into strategic competition and proposes a new organizational model that mirrors close‑air‑support (CAS) structures. By embedding information‑warfare professionals within State Department regional bureaus and key embassies, the Army aims...
‘Operation Hidden Hand’: Iran-Russia Military Axis Comes Into View
U.S. officials say Russia is supplying Iran with satellite‑derived targeting data, sharpening Tehran’s strikes on American forces and regional infrastructure. The cooperation extends to a joint Shahed‑139 drone plant in Yelabuga capable of churning out roughly 5,500 drones each month,...
HUMAN AGENCY IN THE AGE OF AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
In this episode of A Better Peace, host Dr. Tom Spahr interviews Army War College faculty Lt. Col. Blair Wilcox and Col. Chase Metcalf about their research on the interaction between human commanders and artificial intelligence in military operations. Drawing...