Today's Defense Pulse
Iran drafts $300B reconstruction MOU with the United States
Iran released a 14‑point draft memorandum of understanding that would require U.S. forces to withdraw from Iranian territory, lift oil sanctions and suspend the naval blockade. The proposal calls for the release of half of Iran’s frozen assets and outlines a reconstruction plan of at least $300 billion, with Tehran pledging to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days.
In 2026, a Growing Risk of Nuclear Proliferation
The Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty, long‑standing pillar of global arms control, faces unprecedented strain in 2026 as Iran appears poised to exit or breach its obligations. A retreat by the United States from multilateral leadership and intensifying great‑power competition are eroding the unity that once limited nuclear spread. Technical barriers are weakening, prompting other states to reconsider nuclear deterrence. The confluence of geopolitical shifts and proliferating technology threatens to unravel decades of non‑proliferation success.
CISA Orders Agencies to Patch and Replace End-of-Life Devices, Citing Active Exploitation
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a binding operational directive requiring federal agencies to inventory, replace, and continuously monitor end‑of‑support (EOS) edge devices after detecting active exploitation by advanced threat actors, some linked to nation‑states. Agencies have three...
Korean War Veteran to Receive Medal of Honor for Secret Battle with Russians
U.S. Navy Captain Royce Williams, a 100‑year‑old Korean War veteran, will receive the Medal of Honor for a 1952 dogfight in which he downed four Soviet MiG jets while fending off seven attackers. The battle, which lasted 35 minutes and left...
Agencies Lost Around 20,000 Tech Workers Last Year — and Now the Trump Admin Is Hiring
Over 19,500 technology, data and telecommunications employees left the federal government in 2025, resulting in a net loss of 17,228 tech positions after limited hiring. The departures spanned six agencies with the biggest cuts, including Defense, Treasury, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs,...
New DARPA Challenge Zeroes in on Drone Payloads
DARPA has launched the Lift Challenge, a competition that aims to develop vertical‑lift drones capable of carrying at least four times their own weight. The contest offers up to $6.5 million in prize money, with a live flight test scheduled for...
Domestic Surveillance Fears Loom over Congress Debate to Renew Spying Power
Congress is debating the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows warrantless collection of foreign communications but often sweeps up U.S. persons. Recent Trump-era domestic surveillance orders and expanded data‑provider definitions have heightened Democratic concerns...
Shaping the Future of Airpower: Air Force Requirements Transformation Industry Day
The U.S. Air Force held a virtual industry day on Jan. 29, 2026 to launch a sweeping overhaul of its requirements and acquisition process, as mandated by the Secretary of War’s reform memo. About 350 defense‑industry leaders, ranging from large contractors to...
Charai for The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune: Yemen Is Not a Gulf Rivalry—It Is a Test of Whether Extremism Can Be...
Charai argues that the Yemen conflict should be viewed less as a Saudi‑UAE versus Iran Gulf rivalry and more as a litmus test for the international community's ability to contain extremist movements. He highlights that the war’s primary driver is...
Wisconsin Guard Artillery Soldiers Train in Extreme Weather
Around 200 Wisconsin National Guard soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 120th Field Artillery Regiment completed an 11‑day cold‑weather training cycle at Fort McCoy from Jan. 21‑31. The exercise emphasized individual tasks, teamwork, and proficiency on M777 and M119 howitzers under sub‑zero...
EU Reached a Breakthrough on a €90 Billion Loan for Ukraine
European Union member states have reached a breakthrough agreement to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion support package for 2026‑2027, of which roughly €60 billion is allocated to military aid and €30 billion to budget stabilization and reforms. The financing will be sourced...
Yevgeniya Gaber Joins Ukrainian State News Agency “Ukrinform” To Discuss the Evolution of Turkey-Ukraine Bilateral Relations
Yevgeniya Gaber, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, has joined Ukraine’s state news agency Ukrinform to provide expert commentary on the evolving Turkey‑Ukraine relationship. She emphasizes how Turkey’s strategic calculus balances its ties to Russia with its growing economic...
Spy in the Polish Ministry of Defence
Poland’s Ministry of National Defence detained a middle‑level employee, Władysław P., on February 3 for suspected espionage on behalf of Russian or Belarusian intelligence. The civil servant worked in the Department of Strategy and Defence Planning, which drafts the nation’s core...
Macron: Europe Must Increase Defence Spending
French President Emmanuel Macron announced a defence budget that will exceed 2% of GDP, allocating €413 bn from 2024 to 2030—up from €295 bn in the previous seven‑year period. The 2026 budget reaches €57.2 bn, reflecting annual increases aimed at modernising the armed...
Operation Praying Mantis: That Time America Decimated Iran's Navy
In April 1988 the United States launched Operation Praying Mantis, a massive naval retaliation that destroyed two Iranian oil platforms, sank the frigate Sahand, and eliminated the missile boat Joshan, effectively wiping out half of Iran's operational fleet in a...
New START Expiry: Implications for Europe
On 5 February 2026 the New START treaty – the last formal US‑Russia strategic arms‑control pact – expired, ending quantitative limits on deployed strategic warheads and launchers. While a tentative “handshake” deal may keep the limits informally in place, the treaty’s collapse...
Sweden’s Role in Countering Hybrid Threats in the Baltic Sea Region
Sweden’s accession to NATO has closed the strategic gap in the Baltic Sea, but Russia continues to exploit sub‑threshold hybrid tactics that target critical undersea infrastructure. The alliance’s conventional superiority does not automatically translate into deterrence against sabotage, GPS jamming,...
PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) Completes Builder’s Sea Trials
The Program Executive Office Aircraft Carriers announced that Builder’s Sea Trials for the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) were completed at Newport News Shipbuilding on February 4, 2026. The trials marked the first time the Gerald R. Ford‑class carrier left the pier, testing critical...
Andrew Peek Joins Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative as Inaugural Director
Andrew Peek has been appointed the inaugural director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. In this role he will steer efforts to embed resilience as a core pillar...
Texas Guard’s 36th Infantry Division Prepares for Middle East Deployment
The Texas National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division held a farewell ceremony at Camp Mabry before deploying to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The division will complete final readiness training and mission validation ahead of a March...
Hormuz on the Brink?
U.S. forces escalated the standoff with Iran after an F‑35 shot down an Iranian drone that approached a carrier in the Arabian Sea. Both sides have scheduled high‑level talks in Istanbul, raising hopes for a diplomatic de‑escalation. The dispute centers...
Exercise Cutlass Express 2026 to Enhance Maritime Security in East Africa
The U.S. 6th Fleet’s Cutlass Express 2026 brings together 19 partner nations to boost maritime law‑enforcement capacity in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. The exercise combines shore‑based and at‑sea training, including VBSS, interdiction, and illegal‑fishing scenarios. It also...
The Kremlin Files: Russian Double Agents and Operational Games
The article explains that Russian intelligence agencies prioritize loyalty to Putin and the regime over national interests, making double‑agent operations—called operational games—their core doctrine. These operations generate fabricated success stories and statistics that feed directly into Kremlin budget justifications. Historical...
Federal Push for Critical Minerals Stockpiling: 2025 in Review and Outlook for 2026
The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency is accelerating critical‑minerals stockpiling, with a $1 billion procurement plan announced for 2025 and new RFIs covering scarce elements such as scandium, tungsten and rare‑earths. Recent legislation, notably the One Big Beautiful Act, injected $2 billion into the National...
Judge Seems Skeptical of Legal Justification for Pentagon's Punishment of Sen. Mark Kelly
A federal judge expressed skepticism that any Supreme Court precedent justifies the Pentagon’s decision to censure Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy pilot, for appearing in a video urging troops to defy unlawful orders. Kelly’s attorneys argue the censure violates...
HAL Sidelined, Private Giants Shortlisted for India’s AMCA Stealth Jet
India's Ministry of Defence has shortlisted three private aerospace giants—Tata Advanced Systems, Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Forge—to lead the development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the country's first indigenous fifth‑generation stealth fighter. For the first time, state‑run Hindustan Aeronautics...
There Is Only One Sphere of Influence
The article argues that the United States now enjoys a unique, uncontested sphere of influence across the Western Hemisphere, anchored by overwhelming military spending and deep economic integration. By contrast, China and Russia lack the capacity to establish comparable regional...
Memo to the President: Steps to Secure a Prosperous, US-Aligned Venezuela
Following the January 3 capture of Nicolás Maduro, a memo authored by former U.S. officials outlines a roadmap for Washington to steer Venezuela toward a prosperous, U.S.-aligned future. It calls for immediate benchmarks on human‑rights reforms, dismantling of paramilitary groups, and...
Should Western Tech Giants Partner With Pro-Hamas Network Al Jazeera?
Google Cloud has become the primary technology provider for Al Jazeera’s new AI‑driven news engine, “The Core,” which uses generative AI to draft scripts, retrieve archives, and create visualizations. Critics argue the partnership risks amplifying state‑directed, pro‑Hamas content because Al...
Pentagon Releases Artificial Intelligence Strategy
The Pentagon unveiled an "AI‑first" strategy, appointing the Under Secretary for Research & Engineering as a single chief technology officer with decision authority. The plan centers on seven pace‑setting AI projects that span warfighting, intelligence and enterprise missions, backed by...
Belarusian Cigarette-Smuggling Balloons in the Polish Airspace. How Should NATO Respond?
Belarusian balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes entered Polish airspace for a third consecutive night, prompting temporary civil‑aviation restrictions in the Podlaskie region. The incursions are viewed as low‑cost, low‑escalation tests of Poland’s air‑defence systems and an attempt to sow friction within...
New American Carrier Undergoing Tests
The USS John F. Kennedy, the second Ford‑class carrier, began its first sea trials in February 2026. Repeated delays caused by elevator, electromagnetic catapult, and arresting‑gear problems pushed delivery from an original 2022 target to mid‑2026 and raised the contract...
Navigating the New Interregnum
The episode examines the current geopolitical interregnum—a transitional period between the fading Pax Americana and an as‑yet undefined new world order. It highlights how U.S. actions in Venezuela and threats to Greenland have destabilized NATO, prompting speculation about a future...
American Samoa Is America’s Strategic Hub in the South Pacific
American Samoa hosts Pago Pago, the United States' sole deep‑water port in the South Pacific, a legacy of a 125‑year‑old naval agreement. The island now faces heightened Chinese activity, including illegal fishing fleets labeled a "maritime militia" and growing narcotics...
Schrödinger’s Security Partner: The Paradox of Measuring Security Force Assistance
The blog argues that U.S. security force assistance (SFA) suffers from a measurement paradox: quantitative metrics collapse complex partner dynamics into misleading snapshots, prompting advisors to teach to the test and partners to perform for reports. This distortion, likened to...
The Predatory Hegemon
Stephen M. Walt argues that Donald Trump’s second term embodies a "predatory hegemon" strategy, merging illiberal hegemony with a demand for reciprocity from other states. The piece surveys competing labels—realist, nationalist, mercantilist, imperialist, isolationist—before concluding that Trump’s approach is best...
The Paradox of Wartime Commerce
The article examines why nations continue to trade even amid armed conflict, highlighting the paradox of wartime commerce. It uses the United States‑China relationship as a case study, noting Washington’s push to “de‑risk” supply chains and the 2025 Chinese embargo...
The Cost of UK Gas Security
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s consultation highlights the UK’s growing reliance on imported LNG as North Sea production declines, requiring costly new compressors to reverse gas flow. Rare‑scenario modelling shows a potential £1 billion‑per‑day economic hit if the...
What to Know About the Department of Defense’s Review of 8(a) and Small Business Awards
The episode explains the Department of Defense's two‑stage review of small‑business and 8(a) contracts over $20 million, aimed at identifying non‑essential awards, excessive pass‑through arrangements, and above‑market pricing. It outlines the tight timeline—stage one due by Jan 31, 2026 and stage two...
Department of State Has Approved Contracts Worth $15 Billion
The U.S. Department of State has cleared more than $15 billion in arms sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia. Israel’s package, valued at roughly $6.7 billion, includes 30 Apache helicopters and 3,250 light tactical vehicles. Saudi Arabia’s deal, about $9 billion, features 730...
Greenland’s Worth a Fight and Russia’s Trying to Start One
Greenland’s position in the GIUK Gap makes it the linchpin for NATO’s ability to detect Russian submarines before they enter the Atlantic, while its Pituffik Space Base hosts critical early‑warning radars for U.S. missile defense. Moscow is exploiting the U.S.‑Europe...
Sikorski Rejects EU Federal Army, Proposes “European Legion”
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski rejected calls for a EU federal army, calling the idea unrealistic, and instead floated a “European Legion” – a volunteer brigade‑size formation open to citizens of member and candidate states. He acknowledged the legion would not...
Russia’s Strategic Brown Water Capabilities: A NATO Blind Spot?
The episode examines Russia’s expanding use of inland waterways—its “brown water” zones—as a strategic platform for long‑range missile strikes, highlighting the 2015 Caspian Sea Kalibr launch as a watershed moment. It explains how the universal 3S14 vertical launch system equipped...
Moving the Australia-India Maritime Partnership Forward Through Coast Guard Cooperation
Australia and India are seeking to deepen their maritime partnership by moving beyond navy‑to‑navy drills to formalized coast guard cooperation. While the 2020 comprehensive strategic partnership has accelerated naval exercises such as AUSINDEX, civil maritime collaboration remains ad‑hoc and under‑resourced....
Case of Rocket Debris in Poland Under Scrutiny Once Again
On 19 February 2025 a Falcon 9 booster fragment re‑entered uncontrolled and landed on Polish soil, prompting a police seizure and a prosecutor’s decision to drop criminal charges. The European Space Agency has now issued a €200‑500 k tender to independently reconstruct the breakup,...
Emerging Technology and Irregular Warfare: Launching a New Focus Area
The Irregular Warfare Initiative has launched an Emerging Technology and Irregular Warfare Focus Area to confront the rapid infusion of AI, autonomous systems, cyber tools, biotech, and other innovations into gray‑zone conflicts. The effort highlights the widening gap between fast‑moving...
Peace Through Leverage in Gaza
The Trump administration launched the second phase of its Gaza peace plan, a move endorsed by the UN Security Council in November. Phase one, which began in October, secured a cease‑fire, returned hostages, freed roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and restored...
Tech Dependencies Undermine UK National Security
The UK’s push to curb illegal deep‑fake content on X exposed a broader vulnerability: dependence on US‑based platforms for national‑security enforcement. Recent clashes with Elon Musk and a fine against Cloudflare illustrate how American firms can resist or complicate European...
Royal Navy Begins to Explore Integrating Aster Missiles with Mk 41 Vertical Launch System
The UK Ministry of Defence has commissioned a £2 million study with MBDA UK to determine whether the European‑made Aster missile can be launched from the US‑standard Mk 41 vertical launch system. The year‑long effort targets future RN platforms such as the...
What to Know About the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Plans Military Drill
Iran announced a live‑fire naval drill in the Strait of Hormuz for Sunday and Monday, targeting a lane within the traffic separation scheme that handles roughly one‑fifth of global oil shipments. The United States Central Command warned Tehran that unsafe...
Senegalese Navy Conducted Historic First Anti-Ship Missile Launch
On November 9, 2025 the Senegalese Navy fired its first anti‑ship missile from the Walo‑class offshore patrol vessel Cayor. The vessel launched an MBDA MARTE Mk2/N lightweight missile at a decommissioned landing craft 15 km away, striking containers that simulated a...