Today's Defense Pulse
Iran drafts MOU with US promising Strait of Hormuz reopening within 30 days
Iran has issued a 14‑point draft memorandum of understanding that would see U.S. forces withdraw from Iranian territory, lift oil sanctions and suspend the naval blockade. The draft also calls for the release of half of Iran’s frozen assets and a reconstruction plan of at least $300 billion, with Tehran pledging to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days.
Also developing:
By the numbers: KONGSBERG acquires 90% stake in Zone 5 Technologies
Airpower, Attrition, and Air Superiority: Putting the Iran War in Context
The United States and Israel have flown thousands of combat sorties against Iran, striking over 7,800 aimpoints without losing a manned aircraft, even after an F‑35 was damaged by a surface‑to‑air missile. Modern fifth‑generation fighters, integrated SEAD/DEAD tactics and networked electronic warfare have turned survivability into a predictable outcome, contrasting sharply with the high attrition of the Vietnam War. The article argues that this survivability underpins true air superiority, a condition absent in the Russia‑Ukraine conflict where contested airspace forces a war of attrition.
War Decision Questioned as Trillion‑dollar Funds Vanish
Not thrilled about the Iran war. Blown away by how well the military is executing but the decision to strike? Still… I’d storm Gallipoli or charge with the Light Brigade before voting to reopen the border & hand Mayor Pete the money...
Amphib USS Boxer Deploys to Join Naval Buildup in Mideast
The U.S. Navy is dispatching the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer and its escort group from California to the Middle East, joining the already‑deployed USS Tripoli. Both big‑deck amphibians can embark Marine Corps F‑35B stealth fighters, adding a limited but hard‑to‑track air...
Disclosure? US Government Registers Aliens.gov Domain
The Executive Office of the President has officially registered the aliens.gov domain, signaling a possible public portal for declassified UAP material. This move follows President Trump’s directive to release all government files related to alien, UAP, and UFO phenomena. The...
Iran Employs Ali’s Rope‑a‑Dope Tactic Against U.S
I spoke with @janetonthemoney on @SIRIUSXM 132 about Iran: “The Iranians are using Muhammad Ali’s Rope-a-Dope strategy. In 1974, Ali absorbed the hits until Foreman was exhausted, then he delivered the knockout. This is what Iran is doing by depleting US-Israeli...
Latitude Naval Technologies Established at Port of Riga
Latitude Construction has launched a new subsidiary, Latitude Naval Technologies, at the Port of Riga to develop offshore platforms for security and defence. Leveraging over 20 years of shipbuilding experience and advanced composite capabilities, the unit’s first product is the...
Crew's Log Reveals French Carrier's Exact Location
In case you haven't been following Le Monde's "Stravaleaks" reports — today the newspaper found the location of a French aircraft carrier because someone on board was logging their runs. https://t.co/vZjwJYppcn https://t.co/jt5Ob6kDT4
French Aircraft Carrier Charles De Gaulle Tracked via Strava Activity in OPSEC Failure
Le Monde reported that a French Navy officer unintentionally disclosed the real‑time position of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle by uploading a public Strava run from the deck. The data showed the carrier sailing in the Mediterranean near Cyprus...
Lights Out for the 'Landy': British Army to Retire Iconic Land Rover Fleet
The British Army has begun retiring its iconic Land Rover fleet, ending a 70‑year service legacy that saw over 5,000 vehicles in use as of 2025. A commemorative event at Bovington marked the start of the phase‑out and launched a...
ASU News: US Army Enlists ASU to Help Modernize Military Learning
Arizona State University has entered a strategic partnership with the U.S. Army to overhaul the service’s learning and leadership development programs. The collaboration originated from a meeting between ASU President Michael Crow and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy A....
Apache Helicopter Shoots Down Drones in Europe for First Time in Combat Exercise
The U.S. Army’s 2-159th Attack Battalion employed AH‑64E Apache helicopters to shoot down unmanned aircraft during Operation Skyfall at Germany’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, marking the first European air‑to‑air drone engagement. The Apaches used 30mm APEX proximity rounds, a capability previously demonstrated...
The Quiet Americans
The article highlights how a wave of Vietnam‑era veterans‑turned‑politicians now dominate U.S. defense debates as the nation prepares for a potential war with Iran. Representative Jason Crow criticizes the Pentagon’s outdated procurement model, arguing it reflects a 20‑year‑old view of...
Debating Trump's Role in Ending the Iran War
On the latest episode of the Oil Ground Up podcast, I was joined by my good friend @matthewmreed to discuss how the hell the Iran War could actually plausibly end I’ve been pretty open in my belief that Trump needs to...
Pentagon Budget Set to Surge Past $1
“The U.S. Pentagon budget for fiscal year 2026 is projected to reach approximately $961.6 billion, combining discretionary and mandatory funding. As of March 2026, proposals are being made to drastically increase this to over  $1.5 trillion for fiscal year 2027...
Sen. Scott Says U.S. Should Balance Budget but Also 'Demolish' Iran's Nuclear Ability
Senator Rick Scott warned that the United States must both demolish Iran’s nuclear and ballistic‑missile capabilities and keep a tight lid on federal spending. He noted the Pentagon’s likely request for $200 billion to sustain the three‑week‑old conflict, insisting any funding...
Space Force Still Lists Deorbited Haven Demo as Orbiting
Space Force failed to issue a decay notice for VAST's Haven Demo, which was removed from orbit on Feb 5. It's still in the US satellite catalog as 'in orbit'.
Netanyahu Pledges No More Iranian Oil Strikes, Hopes Quicker Peace
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has joined Trump in jawboning the energy market. In a press conference, he said that Israel won't attack anymore oil and gas targets in Iran, and also indicated that the war would be over faster...
Trump Invokes Pearl Harbor Standing Next to Japanese PM: “Who Knows Better About Surprise Than Japan?”
President Donald Trump invoked the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack while standing beside Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, answering a reporter’s query about why the United States did not warn allies before striking Iran. He framed the Iran operation as a...
Votel Outlines Steps to Reclaim Hormuz From Iran
Former CENTCOM Commander’s Candid Take On The Situation In The Strait Of Hormuz Retired Army General Joseph Votel offers unique insights into what it will take to wrestle the Strait of Hormuz from Iran's clutches. Exclusive: https://t.co/Mo6wlYCOtJ
Joe Kent Has Courage. That Doesn't Mean He's Right.
Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in a letter accusing Israel and its U.S. lobby of driving the war with Iran. He claimed Iran posed no imminent threat and that the administration was misled by Israeli...
AI Conundrum: Why MCP Security Can't Be Patched Away
Enterprises are rapidly wiring large language models to external services through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), unlocking powerful automation but also exposing a novel attack surface. Because MCP turns LLMs from passive responders into autonomous agents, they can execute actions...
Iran War; PBoC's 2026 Tasks; US-China; Japan; Front-Loading 2026 Spending
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper about the escalating war in Iran and the broader Middle East. Beijing emphasized that the conflict undermines regional stability and directly impacts global energy, finance, trade, and shipping. China called...
Space Warfare Mirrors 1930s Air Superiority Era
“Where we are today in space warfare is very similar to where air superiority was in the 1930s.” https://t.co/vdPDSKfwkt
Iran’s Hormuz Leverage Pushes US to Ease Oil Sanctions
As an indication of how Iran is effectively playing its cards, its control of the Strait of Hormuz has forced Treasury Sec. Bessent to consider lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea. US SANCTIONS ON IRANIAN OIL BACKFIRE. https://t.co/K8vL4AFi49
Canada-Japan Agreement Signals Shift to Dual-Use Space Defence Tech
Canada and Japan have signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that merges their space and defence industrial bases. The deal expands the earlier Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement, targeting joint development of space communications, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. By moving...
India’s Fighter Quest Stumbles Over European Program Hurdles
India Joining One Of Europe’s Fighter Programs Is Anything But Easy India has an urgent need for new combat aircraft but the European next-generation fighter offerings may not be the answer. https://t.co/0P9ONW9sY3
Can Zero Trust Survive the AI Era?
Federal agencies are confronting a dual challenge: AI‑enabled attackers are slashing attack timelines to roughly 11 minutes and dramatically lowering malware development costs, while defenders must integrate AI into their security stacks. Zero Trust principles—continuous verification, least‑privilege access, and micro‑segmentation—remain...
Agents and Quantum: Cybersecurity World Confronts AI Vulnerabilities and Data Risks Amid an Expanding Threat Landscape
Enterprise adoption of AI agents is exposing new security gaps, with tests showing agents can leak confidential data and 60% of AI‑related incidents resulting in data loss. Vendors are responding: F5 introduced NGINX Agentic Observability to monitor agent‑to‑agent traffic, while...
Putin Missing From the Kremlin as Internet Blackouts Spread and Control Tightens Across Russia
Vladimir Putin has not appeared at the Kremlin since March 9, breaking a pattern of brief absences and fueling speculation that he is operating from undisclosed locations. Simultaneously, Moscow has experienced extensive mobile‑internet blackouts, disrupting payments, communications and everyday commerce. The...
Live Discussion: War with Iran and Global Consequences
A live discussion hosted by Geopolitical Futures featured analysts Kamran Bokhari and Andrew Davidson alongside Chairman George Friedman to dissect the evolving war between the United States, Israel and Iran. The conversation centered on Iran’s protracted, asymmetric war strategy, U.S....
All Our Allies Now Aligned with Our Greatest Foe
They've managed to push all of our major allies into the arms of our biggest adversary. Remarkable. https://t.co/MtFDnFiwkm
F-35 Was Never Promised to Be Invincible
No serious person every said the F-35 was invincible. It was never sold as invincible. It was absolutely never designed to be invincible.
From India to Israel: What the World’s Top Air Defense Systems
A new tiered architecture of air‑defense systems now protects everything from short‑range rockets to near‑space threats. Russia’s S‑500, the U.S. Patriot and THAAD, Israel’s Iron Dome, Europe’s SAMP/T, China’s HQ‑9 and India’s Akash each occupy distinct range and cost niches....
Royal Navy Seeks Rapidly Deployable Drone Picket Ships
The Royal Navy’s Project HORUS is launching a fast‑track effort to acquire uncrewed picket ships equipped with advanced sensors for persistent air‑search capability. The Ministry of Defence demands delivery within four to six months, with platforms capable of autonomous operation...
Federal Agencies Under Pressure Need Smarter Systems, Not Tougher People
Federal security agencies face chronic overwork that erodes judgment and retention, yet most resilience programs target individual coping rather than systemic flaws. Roundtables convened by the Atlantic Council reveal that wellness training merely shifts responsibility onto employees while the underlying...
Shedd in the Washington Times: Baltic Security Initiative an Investment in US Defense
The Washington Times reports that the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) represents a strategic infusion of U.S. defense resources into the Baltic states. The plan earmarks roughly $1.5 billion for modernizing air defenses, cyber capabilities, and joint training facilities. By deepening NATO’s...
Putin Is Counting on Western Disunity to Hand Him Victory in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin sees victory in Ukraine hinging on growing disunity among Western allies. Despite stalled battlefield gains, he maintains maximalist demands, rejecting any peace that leaves most of Ukraine independent. Recent shifts—including U.S. aid cuts under President Trump,...
Kaluderovic in Foreign Policy: The Drone Attrition Tap
Clara Kaluderovic’s recent Foreign Policy piece highlights the accelerating attrition of Iranian drones deployed across the Middle East. While Iran continues to mass‑produce low‑cost loitering munitions, battlefield losses are outpacing its output, forcing Tehran to tap deeper into regional supply...
Kaluderovic in Fox News: Trump’s Strike on Iran Deals a Major Blow to Putin’s War Machine in Ukraine
President Trump ordered a precision strike against Iranian facilities believed to be supplying drones and missiles to Russia. The attack destroyed key stockpiles in Syria, cutting off a significant portion of Tehran’s arms flow to Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine....
Allied Aircraft Losses: Daily in Iraq, Weekly in Serbia
Once out of hundreds if not over a thousand sorties is pretty incredible. The odds will always eventually be in the enemy's favor. Allies lost aircraft almost daily against the Iraqis and weekly vs Serbia.
VC Sarah Hess Bridges Silicon Valley, DC on Defense AI
Hot takes on defense, industrial and AI sectors, as well government, from Sarah Hess, one of the few VCs who spends quality time between Silicon Valley and Washington D.C. https://t.co/p8btunQFd2
Afghans Search for Missing Family Members After Strike on Rehab Center Kills At Least 400
A Pakistani airstrike hit the Omid rehabilitation center in Kabul on March 19, 2026, killing at least 400 patients and injuring roughly 250, though witnesses claim the toll may be higher. The facility, designed for 1,000 patients, was overcrowded with...
If Iran Can Touch an F-35, Then the Story You’re Being Told About This War Is Already Cracking
A U.S. F‑35 was reportedly hit by Iranian fire during a combat mission, forcing an emergency landing. The incident directly contradicts Washington’s narrative that Iran’s air defenses have been “flattened” and that the United States enjoys uncontested air superiority. It...
China’s J-16D EW Jet Seen Flying with PL-15 Missiles Possibly for the First Time
China’s PLAAF J-16D electronic warfare jet was photographed on March 17, 2026, carrying two PL-15 beyond‑visual‑range air‑to‑air missiles and three RKZ930‑xx jamming pods, marking the first known flight appearance of this weapons combination. The J-16D, a specialized variant of the...
French NATO General Warns Trump Will Abandon Allies
FRENCH NATO GEN. YAKOVLEFF: “.. [Trump] wants to share the political risk, not the military risk. .. He’ll drop us the minute it suits him. .. This isn’t the time to buy a promo ticket on the Titanic.” https://t.co/mEGqDFMbiq
Washington and Jerusalem Misjudge Iran's Rope‑A‑Doe Tactics
My take in @BusinessInsider on the US-Israeli war against Iran: "The war planners in Washington, D.C. and Jerusalem apparently never understood that, when under attack, Iran would adopt Muhammad Ali's classic rope-a-dope strategy." https://t.co/Mw1R4PoFVd
Dogfighting in Space Won't Look Like the Movies, but This Company Wants in on It
True Anomaly, a stealth‑born startup, is building the Jackal satellite platform— a refrigerator‑sized, highly maneuverable spacecraft designed for low‑cost, mass‑produced space‑to‑space engagements. The company has already flown two test missions and plans a third, while securing roughly $400 million in venture...
FBI Takes Down Iran-Linked Hacker Group’s Website
The FBI appears to have seized the website of an Iran-linked hacker group that claimed responsibility for the only known significant cyberattack on a U.S. company since war between the countries started in February. https://t.co/B8Efsx5dD0
Iran Claims IR‑guided SAM Downed US F‑35
If genuine: A pop up attack with an IR sensor tracking the F-35 from the ground. Likely seen flying by day Iran has small IR SAMs derived from Soviet AAMs like R-27T/ET. Might also be Saqr-1/2 (358/359) loitering SAM Q: why didn’t F-35...
Lack of CISA Leadership Amid DHS Shutdown Raises Risks, Cyber Pros Say
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is operating with roughly one‑third of its staff as the DHS shutdown sidelines 1,500 employees and leaves the agency without a permanent director. Despite the staffing squeeze, CISA continues to issue critical alerts—such...