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
The United States faces a historic chance to revive its relationship with Lebanon by mediating a cease‑fire and supporting the Lebanese government’s push to curb Hezbollah’s armed influence. The article argues that robust, sustained diplomacy—including a new special envoy, LAF assistance, and reconstruction funding—is essential to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. It stresses that Israeli strikes, while weakening Hezbollah militarily, have caused civilian suffering and undermine political solutions. Ultimately, U.S. engagement hinges on Beirut’s willingness to pursue disarmament and reforms.
The recent Iran conflict highlights America’s vulnerability due to heavy reliance on foreign critical minerals for defense production. Interceptor missiles and other modern munitions depend on rare earths, lithium, cobalt, and similar elements sourced from geopolitical rivals. While the Trump...
ZenaTech announced that its ZenaDrone unit is developing Interceptor‑P1, a low‑cost, single‑use autonomous VTOL drone designed to physically intercept hostile UAVs. The expendable interceptor targets the cost asymmetry in modern warfare, offering a cheaper alternative to missiles and laser systems....
The $ONDS Sentrycs Counter-Drone Cyber System detects drone communications signals and intercepts or jams them. Simply put, this system is designed to hack hostile drones and take full control. $ONDS acquired this company for just $225M. The Iran War is a free...
The United Arab Emirates’ air‑defence forces have engaged 304 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,627 UAVs since Iran’s attacks began, part of the wider Operation Epic Fury conflict involving Israel and the United States. On 16 March, UAE interceptors shot...
The UK Ministry of Defence has selected Threod Systems’ Cata aircraft launcher for the British Army’s ASGARD one‑way effector programme. A £4.99 million contract will see the first units delivered in the first quarter of 2026 after successful 2025 mobility, safety...
The U.S. Air Force issued three Request for Information (RFI) notices to find technologies that will strengthen command, control and communications (C3) after losing four aircraft during Operation Epic Fury under non‑hostile, unclear circumstances. The losses—three F‑15 fighters and a KC‑135 tanker—highlighted...
The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) issued a request for information (RfI) on anti‑tank mines, with supplier responses due by 7 April 2026. The move builds on a joint procurement with Germany and Latvia for DM‑22 mines expected to arrive around 2027....
Joseph Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on Tuesday, citing conscience objections to the U.S. war in Iran. Kent argued Iran posed no imminent threat and accused the administration of yielding to Israeli lobby pressure. The resignation...
The interview with Peter Alexander, founder of Z‑Ben Advisors, challenges the polarized Western view of China by highlighting a pragmatic, on‑the‑ground assessment. He argues that China is not on the brink of collapse nor poised for outright global domination, but...
Israel announced it eliminated Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani, describing him as the head of a "gang of gangsters" that runs Tehran. The claim, made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, has not been confirmed by...
The Michigan Army National Guard’s 246th Transportation Battalion completed a multi‑day validation exercise at Camp Grayling, earning certification as a component of the state’s National Guard Response Force (NGRF). The validation, part of a nationwide effort mandated by Executive Order...
Iran is deepening its proxy relationship with the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi separatist movement fighting Morocco over Western Sahara. Tehran has supplied the group with weapons, training and ideological support since recognizing the self‑declared SADR in 1980. This partnership gives...
"China Is Learning the Lessons of Hard Power" @ForeignPolicy Great analysis. I agree. https://t.co/lY4cNmw8Do China Is Learning the Lessons of Hard Power Economic strength alone is insufficient If the United States can dismantle that pillar in a region closely tied to China’s energy...
UN‑backed Gang Suppression Force will replace Kenyan police with Chadian troops in Haiti. Chadian soldiers are currently training in the United States, and Kenya will begin a phased withdrawal in April. The force aims to reach 5,500 personnel by October...
Would note that commentary like this follows @PeteHegseth firing @dandcaldwell and others last year at the Pentagon and alleging they leaked classified information. No evidence emerged supporting that, and Caldwell just got a new job at ODNI, as @GregJaffe and @julianbarnes...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on 16 March that Kyiv had thwarted Russia’s planned strategic offensive in the Donbas. Leaked Russian operational plans for 2025‑2027 outlined unrealistic goals, including full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Odesa. Intensive Ukrainian assaults...
French cybersecurity startup Lupin & Holmes, founded by 23‑year‑old former bug bounty hunter Roni Carta, closed a $5.9 million pre‑seed round led by 20VC and Seedcamp. Carta, who earned nearly $800,000 hunting vulnerabilities for FAANG firms, built Depi, an upstream security...
Guys, the PROPER way to attack Iran would have been to go over the risks of not attacking with Bill Kristol and ask him for his advice. Then, laud him in public for it, keeping him in the loop about the...
Great analysis, I agree with @stavridisj “This is a big deal, if killing Khamenei was a 10, this is a 8 1/2…this is a big deal taking these two out…drilling down below the 4 star, 3 star, 2 star [Iran political...
US robotics startup Foundation sent two Phantom MK-1 humanoid robots to Ukraine in February for battlefield testing. The robots, 5'9" tall and weighing 175‑180 lb, are tasked with reconnaissance to evaluate performance under combat conditions. This marks the first known front‑line...
Joe Kent announced his resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, citing conscience objections to the ongoing war in Iran, which he argues poses no imminent threat to the United States. In his X post, Kent blamed a misinformation...
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Warlock ransomware group is expanding its post‑exploitation tactics, leveraging a bring‑your‑own‑vulnerable‑driver (BYOVD) exploit against Microsoft SharePoint servers and deploying tools such as TightVNC and the Yuze reverse‑proxy. The group now uses the NSecKrnl.sys driver to disable security products at the...
Russia’s foreign ministry declared unwavering solidarity with Cuba after President Donald Trump publicly said he would "take" the island and hinted at further pressure. Trump’s rhetoric follows a renewed U.S. oil embargo that has crippled Cuba’s aging power grid and...
The United Kingdom and Ukraine signed a joint declaration to deepen security and defence industrial cooperation. The pact formalises joint R&D, co‑production of systems such as the Octopus interceptor drone, and the Lyra programme covering drones, air‑defence and long‑range effectors....
Finland and Sweden are accelerating NATO’s northern‑flank defence by advancing the Forward Land Forces (FLF) initiative on Finnish soil. During the Cold Response 26 exercise, the three Nordic defence ministers pledged to formalise the multinational land force by the NATO summer...
Finnish defense firm SCATA announced that its upcoming SCATA Mk1 4x4 will be built on Texelis’s Celeris rolling chassis. The vehicle is slated for unveiling at the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition. This marks the fourth international partnership leveraging the Celeris platform,...
President Donald Trump confronts a pivotal "all‑in" decision as the United States deepens its military engagement with Iran. The resignation of the National Counterterrorism Center director underscores growing fissures within the U.S. security establishment, with dissent now spilling over from...
Researchers at Eclypsium uncovered nine security flaws across consumer‑grade IP KVM devices from four vendors, including two critical vulnerabilities rated CVSS 9.8 and 8.8 that remain unpatched. The affected products range from single‑port, $30 units popular with homelab enthusiasts to...
I don’t do polymarket, but that is not going to happen during this U.S. administration or Israeli government watch. Iran’s entire nuclear program has been attacked (from top scientists, centrifuges, centrifuge manufacturing, weaponization, research centers, and every component of the...
North Korean APT group Konni weaponized South Korea's KakaoTalk in a sophisticated spear‑phishing campaign. The group sent emails posing as a lecturer on North Korean human‑rights issues, tricking recipients into running a malicious shortcut that installed remote‑access malware. After compromising...
Iran’s recent drone strikes and naval posturing have effectively shut down most commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil conduit. While the United States and Gulf allies scramble to keep energy supplies flowing, the Omani...
“I don’t want to be the person they call and say, can we hit the enter button on this command. But I also don’t have a God complex.” @davidu of @a16z on the Anthropic-DoD rift, why VC has a right to...
An uncrewed airship is now patrolling NATO's borders - is lighter than air back in fashion? #avgeek #aerospace #airships https://t.co/RYT6aotR7P https://t.co/F0PhTCX93d
SecurityInfoWatch and SecureXperts have unveiled Cybersecure, a training initiative that launches with an NSA‑backed Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) Trusted Integrator Workshop at ISC West. The program targets the chronic shortage of qualified integrators capable of designing CSfC‑compliant architectures for federal...
I don't think people appreciate just how little of the country the IRAF and IRGCASF were capable of defending. Very few countries attempt to defend all of their air space, they have to pick and choose. Iran's defenses were heavily...
My list of accounts to follow for quality information about the Iran war and Strait of Hormuz holds up two weeks later… 👇👇
Joseph Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, submitted his resignation on Tuesday, becoming the first senior Trump administration official to quit over the ongoing Iran conflict. In a publicly posted letter on X, Kent argued that Iran posed...
FWIW, I personally think Europe should participate in keeping the Strait safe, but the lack of willingness to do so is obviously another sign of the impact of nonstop rhetorical aggression against allies since Trump took office
Oh, so now it turns out Biden “gave” us $400 billion of “equipment in cash”!
Decapitation of Basij leadership, headquarters/infrastructure strikes, checkpoint hunting. IMO Israel is doing the work to set the conditions for the population to take back their government when the time comes.
Britain’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell: “We regarded Witkoff and Kushner as Israeli assets that dragged a president into a war he wants to get out of.”
If you aspire to primacy, then "WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE" are words that may very well come back to bite the United States in the ass.
"The cable, circulated by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Friday, relayed an Israeli assessment that Iran’s regime is 'not cracking' and is willing to 'fight to the end' despite the Feb. 28 killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and...
The United States has encouraged Syria to consider sending forces into eastern Lebanon to help disarm Hezbollah - Sources briefed on the matter.
How it started: Kyiv in 3 days How it's going, 4 years later: Shoigu says "...the pace of development of [Ukrainian] unmanned drone systems and the sophistication of the methods used to deploy them are such that no region of Russia...
Russia says it supports Cuba after Trump says he will 'take' the Communist republic https://t.co/VoBuULLvdn
Do you think the U.S. varsity media will put it this way? “Trump’s Director of National Intelligence quits, saying, without evidence, Iran posed “no imminent threat to our nation.” https://t.co/rEKN3Kyskx
PHOTO(S) OF THE DAY: China is still getting (some of) its oil — and Iran its getting (some of) its money. Three weeks into the war, Iran continues loading oil supertankers from Kharg Island. (No damage visible at this resolution) Photo @CopernicusEU...
Trump's Director of National Counterterrorism Kent resigns: "I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel...
