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.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Kraken Robotics acquires Colvya Group for $615M
U.S. Central Command confirmed that U.S. forces used multiple 5,000‑pound deep‑penetrator bombs to destroy hardened Iranian missile sites along the coast near the Strait of Hormuz. The sites housed anti‑ship cruise missiles that could threaten the vital shipping lane. Simultaneously, the Wall Street Journal reported that Russia is providing Iran with satellite imagery, upgraded Shahed drone components, and tactical guidance to improve targeting of U.S. forces. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy highlighted that Iranian drones now contain Russian parts, underscoring a deepening Moscow‑Tehran weapons partnership.
Israel eliminated another very senior Iranian figure, Iran's intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, last night. Khatib led terrorist activities against American targets (to include assassination attempts of American political leaders and sleeper cells) around the world. “Khatib had been appointed Minister of Intelligence...
Acalvio unveiled 360 Deception, a next‑generation cyber‑deception platform designed to break AI‑driven attack automation. The solution creates a high‑uncertainty environment by dynamically orchestrating decoys and making real assets appear deceptive, forcing attackers to reveal intent early. In a U.S. Navy...
The Pentagon’s Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) program, created to protect non‑combatants, was largely dismantled after Donald Trump returned to the White House. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prioritized lethality, cutting roughly 90% of the program’s staff and budget. Within...
Leonardo is positioning its M‑346 jet to capture a projected $21.9 billion market for light‑attack and trainer aircraft. The aircraft is seen as a cost‑effective replacement for aging trainer fleets and a cheaper alternative to high‑end fighters like the F‑35. CEO...
Japan has quietly moved its upgraded Type‑12 surface‑to‑ship missiles to Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, extending strike range to roughly 1,000 km—four times the original capability. The deployment, accelerated to the end of March, gives the Japan Ground Self‑Defense Force a counter‑strike...
On March 17, the House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection held a hearing to assess national‑security threats posed by Chinese artificial‑intelligence, robotics and autonomous‑sensing technologies. Lawmakers focused on firms such as DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics, warning that their systems...
Michael Robbins, CEO of AUVSI, testified before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee warning that China is executing a state‑backed plan to dominate the global robotics and physical AI market. He argued that massive subsidies enable Chinese firms to flood markets...
Operation Highmast, spanning April to November 2025, saw HMS Prince of Wales lead a UK Carrier Strike Group on a 40,000‑nautical‑mile voyage to the Sea of Japan and back, marking the first full‑scale deployment of Britain’s two‑carrier fleet. The mission...
Congress passed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, restoring SBIR and STTR funding for defense startups and extending the programs through 2031. The legislation ends a months‑long funding impasse that left the SBA's $4 billion seed pool exhausted, unlocking...
In this episode, Jacob Helberg, Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs, discusses how AI, hardware, and secure supply chains have become central to U.S. economic and national security. He outlines the administration’s three‑front strategy to win the AI race: superior...
Japanese defense giant Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced development of a Collaborative Support Aircraft (CSA) program, exploring two unmanned platforms: a missile‑like system and a conventional UAV‑type aircraft. The concepts are designed for launch from ground, naval vessels, and airborne carriers...
The UK Ministry of Defence announced a shift from annual budgeting to a 10‑year Defence Investment Plan anchored by an Integrated Force Plan that ties military requirements directly to funding. Procurement will be restructured so the military defines needs while...
Rheinmetall's Naval Systems division aims to become the prime contractor for Germany's F126 frigate program, planning to deliver a pre‑equipped prototype to Hamburg for final outfitting in early 2028. Completion of the design data transfer from the Dutch DAMEN yard...
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries completed flight demonstrations of AI‑powered mission autonomy for its ARMD UAV using Shield AI’s Hivemind Enterprise platform. The full development cycle—from AI design and training to hardware integration and flight—was finished in just eight weeks. Demonstrations took...
President Trump’s administration is intensifying a campaign to dismantle Cuba’s overseas medical brigades, issuing a State Department memo that offers infrastructure aid in return for evicting Cuban doctors from 16 countries. The plan, dubbed the “Freedom Framework for Self‑Sufficient Healthcare,”...
An updated report now tracks jihadist terrorism cases in the United States from the post‑9/11 era through 2024, expanding the original 2021 analysis with fresh data. It catalogs individuals accused of jihadist‑related crimes domestically or abroad, including some who died...
Rapid7 uncovered a large‑scale ClickFix campaign that has compromised more than 250 WordPress sites in twelve countries since December 2025. The attackers serve a fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA which tricks visitors into executing obfuscated PowerShell commands that launch the DoubleDonut loader...
After extensive testing, the Royal Netherlands Navy has purchased twelve V‑BAT autonomous drones from Shield AI. The drones, fitted with radar and high‑resolution cameras, provide long‑duration, high‑altitude maritime reconnaissance and can operate without satellite connectivity. Control units are being installed...
The ongoing US‑Israel war against Iran is being labeled the “first AI war,” with artificial‑intelligence tools compressing the military kill chain to seconds. Senior US Central Command officials confirm AI now sifts massive sensor data instantly, enabling strikes such as...
The article examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping military operational art, highlighting a growing tension between traditional analytical frameworks and judgment‑based thinking. It identifies three historic traditions—Anglo‑American center‑of‑gravity, German Auftragstaktik, and Soviet deep‑battle—and shows how AI naturally aligns with the...
The United States is expanding the use of economic instruments—sanctions, export controls, emergency tariffs, investment restrictions, and subsidies—to advance national security objectives. Existing trade policy models, designed for conventional tariffs, fail to capture the workforce impacts of these broader tools...
France conducted the “Poker” nuclear‑deterrence exercise, simulating a strike under high‑intensity, degraded‑communication conditions. Around 40 aircraft, including Rafale, Mirage 2000, AWACS and A330 MRTT tankers, practiced against modeled Russian S‑400 air‑defences. The drill underscores President Macron’s “advanced deterrence” concept and invites European...
China’s defense ministry announced the investigation of top general Zhang Youxia, marking the latest in a wave that has seen Xi Jinping remove five of six Central Military Commission generals since 2022. The article argues that military purges create a...
In February 2026 Russia unveiled the “Dmitriev package,” a $14 trillion economic reintegration proposal that promises sanctions relief, Western market access and joint energy ventures. The article argues the plan is unrealistic and overlooks Russia’s war‑driven economy, where defense and security...
Maritime researchers uncovered four critical flaws in the SmartShipWeb IoT platform that let a remote attacker commandeer a vessel's propulsion, navigation, power, ballast, steering and fire safety systems directly from a web browser. The attack chain starts with a client‑side...
Hexagon’s NovAtel has launched the GAJT‑AE3, a compact GNSS anti‑jam antenna aimed at airborne platforms. The unit is the first in the GAJT line to offer full multi‑constellation, multi‑frequency protection, creating up to seven nulls per band and providing multi‑jammer...
Indonesia's government is weighing a proposal to train 4,000 civil servants as military reservists and has floated a broader idea to label all 5 million civil servants as part of the reserve force. Under Law No 23/2019 on Management of National Resources...
The 2026 U.S. National Defense Strategy re‑prioritizes global threats, positioning U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) in Europe as a critical deterrent against Russia and emerging challenges from China, Iran and North Korea. SOF’s value proposition hinges on deterrence by denial—maintaining...
Operation Doppelgänger, a Kremlin‑linked influence campaign run by the Social Design Agency from 2022‑2024, fabricated news sites and used bots to push pro‑Russian narratives. Russia, Iran and China each employ cognitive warfare—weaponized narratives, AI‑generated media, and state‑controlled outlets—to shape perceptions...
Israeli forces struck Iran’s primary Space Research Centre in Tehran on March 13, part of a broader wave of attacks on the capital. The centre, which oversees satellite design, propulsion and high‑resolution imaging, is a cornerstone of Iran’s dual‑use space...
Iran has signaled it may intensify attacks on the Gulf’s oil and gas infrastructure, targeting tankers, pipelines and offshore platforms. The threat follows a series of drone and missile strikes on regional shipping and heightened tensions over sanctions and Israel‑Iran...
US President Donald Trump’s scheduled summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was postponed, pushing back the pre‑China coordination meeting ahead of Trump’s Beijing visit. Analysts link the delay to the escalating Iran‑Israel conflict and the newly announced Chinese meeting...
An Israeli airstrike hit Beirut’s central Bachoura neighbourhood on March 18 after the military warned residents to evacuate the building. The strike was part of a broader wave of attacks across Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, following the militant group’s March 2 assault on...
The U.S. Department of Defense blacklisted AI firm Anthropic, labeling it a national‑security supply‑chain risk after the company refused to lift guardrails on autonomous‑weapon and surveillance uses. In a Tuesday court filing, the Trump administration defended the move as lawful,...
Here we go again with the "reverse Nixon" fantasy. This is an evergreen delusion from people who either played too many games of Risk or Stratego as kids, haven't actually bothered to read the history of what was happening when...
No, not even close. No one has ever had the capability to kill an entire hierarchy of political and military leaders of the enemy (and any replacements identified during the war). It challenges theories of how the will of the...
The episode examines how AI is reshaping modern warfare, spotlighting startups like Swarmer, which offers AI‑driven drone swarm software, and Gecko Robotics, which supplies wall‑climbing robots for US Navy ship maintenance. It discusses the surge in defense investment amid global...
The Ukraine and Iran wars are the first time that I can think of where enemy nations can create and send messaging and propaganda directly to the citizens of the other country. The fight is in the battlefield and the minds...
Trump has launched a new regional security initiative called the Shield of the Americas. This partners with several Latin American leaders that Trump likes to target drug cartels throughout LATAM. Full Newsletter: https://t.co/WT87XwHmmg https://t.co/qCtV29ReRZ
This story is insane…Israel Is Hunting Down Iranian Regime Members in Their Hideouts, One by One https://t.co/HPxV7aO1MW
China offering Taiwan stability in exchange for sovereignty This is less about energy and more about power. China doesn't have spare energy to offer. https://t.co/YAE9bzHoXv #China #Taiwan #Energy #Geopolitics #Power
Time for another timeless classic @realDonaldTrump announcement about another dead Soleimeni. What Israel is doing in intelligence and closing the kill-chain is unprecedented and heroic. The IRGC and Ayatollahs should surrender and free the Iranian people. https://t.co/Iu1wEB6Ykt
Absolutelty bonkers detail in this story by @DovLieber @benoitfaucon and @Shayndi. Mossad agents are calling up IRGC officials and threatening them personally. https://t.co/ea4cWMks7b https://t.co/5V9sAE3e9S
MOSCOW - The Kremlin condemned what it called "the murder" of Iran's leaders in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, a day after Iran's semi-official Fars news agency confirmed that News Story, a senior adviser to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had...
In Delaying China Summit, Trump Faces a Familiar Mideast Distraction—The war in Iran is the latest example of why multiple presidents have found it so hard to focus on the U.S.’s most formidable rival @BrianSpegele https://t.co/L9yyo9jgqr https://t.co/L9yyo9jgqr
Throughout history, Iran loses almost every war it fights. But it just sticks around and keeps on coming.
GULF STATES want to ensure Iran can never again close the Strait of Hormuz and attack them: https://t.co/dxESxQ3EAf
Reuters says a $14B U.S.-Taiwan arms package is still moving despite the Middle East war and Trump’s delayed China trip. Credible? Yes. Confirmed? Not yet. #Taiwan #China #Trump #Defense #Geopolitics
“Senior Israeli officials have told U.S. diplomats that Iranian protesters will “get slaughtered” if they take to the streets against their government even as Israel publicly calls for a popular uprising,” @John_Hudson reports. https://t.co/jHsOZmiwux
