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 Department of Defense introduced its new chief information officer, Kirsten Davies, at the inaugural Power Breakfast of 2026. Davies outlined a roadmap for IT transformation, cyber resilience, and aligning the CIO office with the Pentagon’s “Arsenal of Freedom” strategy, emphasizing supply‑chain security and the defense industrial base. The event also addressed upcoming changes to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, noting ISACA’s new role as lead assessor organization. Industry leaders were invited to discuss how they can support these initiatives.
Dubai International Airport, handling nearly 100 million passengers annually, suffered its fourth drone strike in 16 days on March 16, 2026, when a fuel storage tank was hit, forcing a temporary shutdown. The attack triggered fire, smoke, and an immediate suspension of flights,...
In this episode, host Tim Miller and editor‑at‑large Bill Kristol discuss the escalating conflict in Iran and its broader geopolitical fallout. Kristol argues that the war has fractured U.S. alliances, especially with Europe, as Trump’s unilateral actions left allies feeling...
Nolan Peterson, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, warned in a Washington Post op‑ed that the drone‑centric conflict unfolding in Ukraine, driven largely by Iranian‑supplied Shahed loitering munitions, represents the most destructive form of warfare he has witnessed. He highlighted...
The Navy announced the creation of five new Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs) covering Maritime, Undersea, Industrial Operations, Strategic Systems Programs, and the Marine Corps, expanding on the earlier Robotics and Autonomous Systems PAE. The reform consolidates contract, technical, lifecycle and...
The Department of the Navy announced the creation of five Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) organizations—Industrial Operations, Marine Corps, Maritime, Strategic Systems Programs, and Undersea—aimed at transforming its acquisition enterprise into a war‑fighting system. Senior leaders now hold cradle‑to‑grave authority, enabling...
U.S. European Command commander Gen. Alexus Grynkewich told the Senate that American forces and bases across Europe are central to Operation Epic Fury against Iran. RAF Fairford in the U.K. is hosting a fleet of 12 B‑1B Lancers and six B‑52...
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff reactivated a direct texting channel with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi amid the two‑week war. The exchange, focused on ending hostilities, marks the first known direct contact between the parties since the conflict began. Iran’s foreign...
The Department of Homeland Security awarded a potential ten‑year, $178.6 million task order to Netizen, a service‑disabled veteran‑owned small business, for enterprise IT delivery and operations support to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. The contract covers service‑desk functions, Microsoft 365 deployment,...
Many of the early countermeasures to cheap OWA drones are also relatively cheap, such as mobile machinegun teams. This requires the modernization of the drones, employing them in greater numbers, and new methods of employment to overcome cheap countermeasures, which...
AI models are getting better at hacking. Surprisingly (to me) they're still not world class hackers. But on this pace they could be within a year or two. As I've said recently, the way to defend against this is at...
The post reframes “enemy” as any power‑imbalanced relationship—from a domineering boss to a heavyweight competitor—and argues that direct confrontation rarely succeeds. It promotes asymmetric engagement: altering timing, positioning, and tactics to make the stronger party’s advantages costly or irrelevant. By...
Taking Kharg Island (variety of ways) "kind of checkmate" - General (ret) Jack Keane, Chairman @TheStudyofWar , on @FoxNews "The Straits of Hormuz eventually will be a problem that will be solved, but not immediately. Kharg Island; Kharg Island,...
Ireland and the United Kingdom have signed a refreshed Memorandum of Understanding to deepen defence cooperation across air, cyber and maritime domains, driven by growing Russian hybrid activity. The agreement prioritises joint procurement, including shared naval frigates, UAVs, and advanced...
The United States is adopting a dual‑track strategy to counter Iran’s threats in the Strait of Hormuz while also deterring China’s growing regional influence. President Trump has pledged to protect energy shipments, emphasizing naval readiness and economic safeguards. Tehran’s aggressive...
I fully agree. Iran will emerge from this war weaker. The United States, our forces in the region, Israel, and our partners will ultimately be more secure. Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities, its long-held assumption that it could build forces...
Italian @MinisteroDifesa to launch Sicral 3A & 3B milsatcom satellites on @SpaceX Falcon 9s in mid- and late-2027, asks @ITU for deadline extension following loss of gapfiller sat in 2025 that was to have reserved the spectrum. @Thales_Alenia_S @telespazio.https://t.co/JAq9HbXWwy https://t.co/fNQxtLFeoI
Leslie Beavers, former Deputy CIO of the Department of Defense, now leads LB Insights to guide firms through the “valley of death” that separates tech innovation from operational deployment. At the Pentagon she helped launch digital modernization programs such as...
New CENTCOM fact sheet has a touch more detail 6,500+ combat flights, 7,000+ targets struck. Lists some more aircraft involved (V-22s?) https://t.co/oLJ9Nl1dOg
NEW: The number of U.S. troops who have been wounded or injured during the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran now exceeds 200 across seven countries, U.S. officials say, providing the most detailed accounting yet of how American personnel have been put...
The U.S. Army announced plans for a new Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky to accelerate research, development, and production of key explosives such as RDX and HMX. The Sources Sought notice, due April 15, calls for...
Lots of pessimists are hanging their hat on Iran being "tough" and "resilient." And yet, there are rumors all over of IRGC essentially letting VLCCs go through... for a fee. Hormuz is either shut or it is not. You're not...
NATO is looking into reinforcing further its ballistic missile defense capacity in Turkey against threats from neighboring Iran, according to people familiar with the matter https://t.co/AlRLpSnUZz via @SelcanHacaoglu @AfPalasciano https://t.co/xyotcPWyxM
EU foreign ministers signaled they will not deploy naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz until the United States clarifies its Iran strategy. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany needs explicit goals from the US and Israel before committing...
I believe this is the first sucessull Iranian attack against an **oil / gas field** since the war started (previous strikes against oil facilities involved refineries, terminals, and storage tanks). (Althought the tweet calls it an oil field, it likely...
This is very, very funny--but also the way a PNE works is that one explodes the device underground to make a crater. That's what the SEDAN crater is. https://t.co/Nn2cliua8J
Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation creating Texas Cyber Command, which officially launched in September 2025 and is housed at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Led by Ret. Admiral TJ White, the command is legally required to build an...
It is clear that Iran is in control of one of the world's greatest choke points. Apparently, the US military planners failed to see what is CLEAR AS A NOSE ON YOUR FACE. https://t.co/mGgjrf1ZGW
New blog post I just wrote: How NightBeacon Cuts SOC Alert Fatigue Without Replacing Analysts Blown away at how fast it's learning, not only false positive reduction, but the quality of interpreting true positives, enriching data, going in and pulling additional...
Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo will ask the European Commission to reverse its decision to stop €20 million a month of funding for the Rwandan‑led peacekeeping mission in Cabo Delgado. The EU announced the cut will take effect after May 2026, following a U.S. Treasury...
Iran has launched drone strikes on Dubai International Airport. The BUSIEST airport in the world, with 95.2 MILLION passengers, has now SUSPENDED ALL FLIGHTS. https://t.co/nkHDA8z9yJ
Defenses in the Persian Gulf are collapsing as Iran continues large drone attacks, but there's a country that already has the answer. Enter Ukraine's Sting interceptor. Note: name correction at the end 📸: Wild Hornets #drone #iranwar #geopolitics
On February 28, 2026 the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, sparking a rapid escalation in the Gulf and pushing oil above $100 a barrel. The author argues that the military action is the...
Like I wrote about last week, China's military equipment has been shown to be inferior in multiple recent and ongoing conflicts. https://t.co/zXE50ZTq1t
I'm so glad we're getting ABS. I think we've finally hit critical mass for people to agree it is needed. I'm ok with taking humans out of strike zone calls altogether
UK Defence Minister Luke Pollard met German State Secretary Jens Plötner in Berlin to review progress on a joint Deep Precision Strike missile programme. The initiative aims to produce stealth cruise and hypersonic missiles capable of exceeding 2,000 km, with initial...
Middle East war live: Germany and UK refuse to be drawn into wider war https://t.co/MACvJwo5KK via @ft
Allies Push Back On Trump’s Demand They Send Warships To Strait Of Hormuz Germany on Monday flatly rejected Trump's demand that NATO allies send naval vessels to help protect shipping in this strategic waterway. Back to updating live: https://t.co/9CGuuJp9dQ
Taiwan’s Republic of China Navy received its first batch‑2 Tuo Chiang‑class catamaran corvette, ROCS Tan Chiang (PGG‑627), on March 11, 2026 at Lungteh Shipbuilding. The new vessel expands the fleet’s hit‑and‑run capability with a top speed of 44‑45 knots and...
War Doesn’t Belong to U.S. Weapons Startups Yet Defense tech companies argue that warfare is changing rapidly—but the current conflict is using mostly traditional weapons. https://t.co/eyALpB6CWW
Israel says it has plans for at least three weeks of war as airstrikes pound Iran https://t.co/hRP2oqGdPd
Norway’s elite Long Range Reconnaissance Squadron is reviving the ancient quinzhee snow‑cave technique to evade modern drone sensors during Arctic operations. The unit, training alongside British Royal Marines and Canadian Special Forces, pairs these low‑tech shelters with cutting‑edge winterized drones...
Spain's @Defensagob, #Hisdesat on verge of selecting @AirbusSpace to replace Airbus SpainSat NG2 sat, which failed 5 wks after launch from 'impact of high-energy space particle in critical area of satellite.' SpainSat NG3 replacement could launch in 2030.https://t.co/l5TJ7Tc01C https://t.co/nHIzh6iWXD
This is broader commentary than he gave last night — when asked about the deaths of US service personnel.
A U.S. Air Force KC-135 refueling tanker crashed in western Iraq, killing six service members. Among the dead was Tech Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, a 34‑year‑old mother of two from Kentucky, and three Ohio Air National Guard airmen. The aircraft...
Israel Claims Destruction Of ‘Iran Force One’ The Iranian government’s Airbus A340 had been part of an exodus of Iranian state-operated aircraft to Oman amid Israeli airstrikes last year. https://t.co/K7ChGieT1N
Tucker Carlson on the war in Iran: “At no juncture, have I ever met anybody who has laid out a reasonable, even slightly fantastical, but logical case for how this war will benefit the United States.” https://t.co/fApB1lb4c0
Ukrainian forces depend on cloud‑based AI to coordinate massive drone swarms, but Russian electronic‑warfare can sever the uplinks, turning pre‑programmed drones into ineffective assets. Bandwidth constraints and energy shortages expose a critical compute vulnerability, prompting a shift toward a layered...
In conversations with clients and friends (also in reading X takes), it seems like folks underestimate how painful it is to withstand unrelenting, unfettered, strategic and punitive attacks from the air by the US. Iran surely has a high pain...
A Possible Upside to the Iran War Perhaps inadvertently, Trump is revealing the limits of China’s Axis of Autocracy. It was never an "axis" and China will be fine...much more damage in other quarters... https://t.co/VCer4OGGeb
