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
Argentine President Javier Milei denounced Iran at a ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires. He reiterated Argentina’s support for the United States and Israel amid the ongoing US‑Israeli military campaign against Tehran launched on Feb. 28. An Argentine court in 2024 had ruled the embassy attack, along with the 1994 AMIA bombing, was ordered by Iran. Milei highlighted the strategic alliance with Israel and warned that terrorism cannot be negotiated.
One blurry jet over Shiraz is exploding online.... some say it looks like a Mirage 2000 or Typhoon and must be a covert Gulf country aircraft. That theory doesn’t hold up at all. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar... none of them...
Israel’s air force announced a series of strikes in Tehran that killed Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani and, in a separate raid, senior security official Ali Larijani. The attacks were framed by Israeli officials as a catalyst for an Iranian uprising, a...
In this episode of Region Moderates, hosts Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov dissect President Trump's aggressive demands on allies to confront Iran after a strike that killed a senior Iranian commander, highlighting the lack of support for deploying warships to...
At RSAC 2026, husband‑and‑wife team Rebecca and Kevin Grapsy will present on the critical role of clear communication in cybersecurity. Their talk highlights how technical brilliance alone fails without translating insights for non‑technical stakeholders. They introduce the “Five Points of...
A first‑person FPV drone hovered for nearly two minutes over the U.S. Victory Base in Iraq, surveyed the site and struck without being detected. The attack demonstrated how low‑cost, fiber‑optic‑guided drones can combine intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) with precision...
User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) leverages machine‑learning to model normal activity across users, devices and applications, then flags deviations that indicate threats. By ingesting logs, configuration files and network telemetry, UEBA can spot lateral movement, compromised credentials, insider abuse,...
The Air Force is scaling back the B‑52 Radar Modernization Program, delivering a minimum‑viable product and postponing the new wideband nose radome. It will continue testing the Raytheon AN/APQ‑188 radar with the legacy radome, aiming for a low‑rate production decision...
BAE Systems has secured a contract from the U.S. Air Force to sustain and modernize the AN/ALQ‑221 Advanced Defensive System on the U‑2 Dragon Lady fleet. The agreement covers field service support, repairs, and software upgrades to counter evolving electronic threats....
Acting CISA director Nick Andersen told an Auburn University event that agencies should stop rigidly adhering to the traditional sector risk‑management agency (SRMA) designations when engaging with critical infrastructure. Instead, the lead should be the entity with the strongest relationship...
The U.S. Navy has transferred the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Tripoli, together with THAAD and Patriot air‑defense systems, from the Indo‑Pacific to the Middle East. Prediction‑market data show the probability of the Strait of Hormuz returning to normal traffic has...
Lawfare’s March 17, 2026 roundup warns that the Trump‑era erosion of U.S. national‑security capacities leaves the country more exposed to Iranian terrorism, cyber‑attacks, and election interference. A recent Canadian Federal Court decision reinforces strict judicial limits on the use of emergency powers,...
National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent resigned in protest of the U.S. war against Iran, issuing a letter that blamed high‑ranking Israeli officials and the American media for steering President Trump into conflict. The article dismantles Kent’s narrative, showing that...
The UK defence ministry admitted to MPs that it is currently below NATO’s newly raised capability targets, particularly in heavy land forces required for high‑intensity operations. Officials said the shortfall reflects the deliberately ambitious nature of the targets, which are...
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President Donald Trump criticized NATO allies for refusing to join the U.S.–Israeli military effort against Iran, calling the decision a “very foolish mistake.” He urged nations to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran’s attacks have threatened a key...
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing, lawmakers questioned Southern Command leader Gen. Francis Donovan about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “no quarter” rhetoric and whether any orders to deny survivors of strikes had been issued. Donovan affirmed no such directive exists...
Commonwealth Bank of Australia has deployed two custom AI agents to augment its cyber‑defence operations. The threat‑hunt agent automates up to 70% of routine investigations, shrinking a multi‑day analysis to roughly 30 minutes and even launching hunts overnight. A second...
Dude, they weren't the ones who fucked around, why should they have to be the ones to find out https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/nato-countries-dont-want-get-involved-iran-operation-trump-says-2026-03-17/
The Pentagon announced that Operation Southern Spear, a six‑month campaign of lethal boat strikes against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, is only the beginning of a broader counter‑narco effort. Since September, 157 people have been killed...
Joe Kent, the Senate‑confirmed director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on Tuesday, citing conscience objections to the Trump administration’s war in Iran. His departure, the most high‑profile protest resignation of the second Trump term, underscores a growing rift within...
U.S. officials told Congress that the ongoing war with Iran has not delayed weapons shipments to Taiwan, and U.S. policy toward the island remains unchanged. The conflict, which began with airstrikes on Feb. 28, raised concerns about a potential backlog,...
Evolve Dynamics has hired former Dyson product leader Paul Finn‑Kelcey as its inaugural Chief Product Officer. The move is aimed at industrialising the company’s small uncrewed aerial systems—FOXE, WOLFE and SKY MANTIS 2—for the British Armed Forces and NATO allies. Finn‑Kelcey will...
Newt Gingrich floated a plan to blast a new shipping channel through the United Arab Emirates and Oman using a dozen thermonuclear detonations, aiming to bypass the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck. Experts estimate a 10‑to‑20‑year timeline, massive radioactive fallout, and...
Israel announced that its jets struck a Tehran suburb, killing Ali Larijani, Iran’s de‑facto security leader, along with Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani in separate raids. The Israeli government framed the operation as part of a broader campaign to destabilise Tehran and...
Actually, this is Russia realizing that they're losing. Russia didn't invade Ukraine for the land -- it has enough of that. It invaded Ukraine for the people. The goal was to force Ukrainians to be Russian. Going for a land grab...
President Donald Trump has presented a shifting set of justifications for a military strike on Iran, ranging from nuclear threats to regime change. The article argues that these contradictory goals reveal a lack of strategic clarity and an over‑reliance on...
The Air Force’s sixth‑generation F‑47 and the Navy’s F/A‑XX will not be operational until the mid‑2030s, according to Rep. Rob Wittman. In the interim, the services must keep legacy platforms such as the F‑18 and F‑22 flying to bridge the...
Here is what I think will happen if USA can't keep strait of Hormuz open - I do think that USA will have a very low threshold for pain in the Gulf because Trump is elected on avoiding 'forever wars'....
If the U.S. wants NATO support it needs to ask for it. Have we submitted a formal request for support? Have we filed an Article IV or V request? NATO isn't a government, they can't act on their own. It...
Britain’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell attended the final US‑Iran talks in Geneva in late February 2026 and described Iran’s nuclear proposal as surprisingly substantial, though not a complete deal. He believed the progress could have prevented an immediate rush...
There can be boots on the ground without ships but a large scale land invasion would absolutely require the US Merchant Marine ready reserve fleet These ships are too big to hide. @mercoglianos is watching them closely. Follow him & hit...
Size comparison of Vietnam and Iran. We only had troops in half of Vietnam and peak strength was 580K. https://t.co/t6mzoeG4GY
The Pentagon has lifted the Golden Dome missile‑defense program’s cost estimate to $185 billion for the next ten years, adding $10 billion to accelerate space‑based satellite procurement and data‑link networks. The initiative aims to integrate ground, air and space sensors, interceptors, and a...
Navy E-2D Hawkeye Radar Planes Appear To Be Rushing To The Middle East The E-2D is America's most capable platform for spotting drones and other low-flying Iranian threats that are wreaking havoc on Gulf Arab States. https://t.co/0X8hOJvdao
IRAN is JUST GETTING STARTED /Alastair Crooke & Lt Col Daniel Davis https://t.co/XXmrRSM32D via @YouTube
Parrot announced that NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has issued its first call‑off orders for the ANAFI UKR micro‑UAV, with deliveries scheduled for Q1 2026 in batches of 100‑500 units and potential scaling to thousands. The initial orders serve the Finnish...
So it grows: The US military official leading the effort to build the Golden Dome missile-defense shield put a $185 billion price tag on the first stage of the project, a $10 billion increase https://t.co/nEZojGGV8x
Really enjoyed Mobilize by @ssankar. Deadly serious topic told with a great mix of historical context and real world experience in solving hard problems in national security. Not just admiring the problem like many other books do, provides a blueprint...
On February 13, 2026, the 419th Fighter Wing Reservists executed Operation Windlord, the first-ever military airlift of a containerized microreactor. The mission moved a reinforced steel‑framed nuclear power unit from March Air Reserve Base, showcasing the Department of War’s ability to...
Iranian state media has now confirmed the death of Ali Larijani, the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council and a key pillar of the Islamic Republic wartime leadership.
The US Navy awarded @geckorobotics a $71M contract to deploy wall-climbing robots across 18 Pacific Fleet ships — inspecting hulls, decks, and welds 50x faster than traditional methods, with the aim of keeping 80% of the fleet ready for deployment. https://t.co/EQS8rjiyGt
The article outlines a shift toward "distributed deterrence," where precision‑strike weapons such as cheap missiles and long‑range drones enable smaller states to threaten critical infrastructure far beyond their borders. Declining costs and mobile launch platforms make these capabilities accessible to...
Russia has been expanding its intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Iran, providing satellite imagery and improved drone technology to aid Tehran’s targeting of U.S. forces in the region Gift 🎁 link -> https://t.co/qyc94zak5C
The U.S. removed key minesweepers just b4 the attack on Iran, weakening its ability to counter naval mines: "You know who still has robust minesweeping capabilities? Our European allies. The same ones we’ve been insulting and threatening for the last fourteen months" ...
.@Telesat: Lightspeed constellation to have 500 MHz of mil-Ka-band, about 25% of total capacity, to meet surging defense interest. 1st 2 sats launch in Dec, with 96 in orbit by end 2027, commercial service starts spring 2028. @MDA_space @SatixFy_satcom @NationalDefence....
The #GoldenDome cost figure Gen. Guetlein revealed today ($185B) is roughly in line with Architecture 1 in the paper I published last September. https://t.co/nIwiczXe7s
With this argument, @PeteSessions extends the usual D.C. argument about what counts as putting boots on the ground (Do special operators count?) to include a conventional Marine Corps unit that would be on foreign soil. That's pretty much the definition of...
Remember that USMC artillery shell that everyone very loudly insisted didn't explode over the 5 Freeway and was just a conspiracy? Well the Marines just released a 600 page report on what caused a shell to explode over the 5 Freeway....
Keep Hormuz closed long enough and it is a mathematical and logistical certainty. The only debate is "How long is 'long enough' to make that happen?"
Updated maps from the past five days showing Russian advances near Novopavlikva, Kupyansk, Huliaipole, and east of Kramatorsk. https://t.co/Hs3S3iuZCr https://t.co/1qFKiFAd0p
