Know What's Happening in Defense
Know What's Happening in Defense
Israeli intelligence aids U.S. rescue of downed airman in Iran
Israeli intelligence agencies provided critical location data and operational guidance to U.S. forces during a rescue mission for a stranded airman in Iran on April 5, 2026. The coordination enabled a safe extraction and prompted Israel to temporarily pause regional attacks to avoid interference. The operation highlights rare direct cooperation between the two nations in a high‑risk environment.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Kraken Robotics acquires Colvya Group for $615M
A 2025 Journal of Strategic Security report by Briggs and Tusor examines Ukraine’s war as a case study in cognitive warfare, highlighting how Russia employs cyber attacks, disinformation, private militias, and religious channels to manipulate perception. The authors detail Ukraine’s resilient response, including government messaging, volunteer cyber networks like the “IT Army,” and civil‑society coordination that blunt Russian narratives. They contrast Russia’s “firehose” tactics with China’s slower, persuasive narrative dominance. The report warns that shaping minds, not just territories, is now the primary battleground for great powers.
Researchers at Cofense have uncovered a new phishing campaign that hijacks the LiveChat SaaS support platform to steal sensitive data. The attackers impersonate Amazon or PayPal, using email lures that direct victims to a LiveChat‑hosted page where a human‑operated operator...
Matthew Kroenig, senior director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center, was interviewed on CNN on March 13 to defend President Trump’s approach toward Iran. He claimed that recent U.S. actions, including expanded sanctions and calibrated military signaling, are deliberately weakening...
The article argues that the US‑Israeli war with Iran is being shaped more by what technology permits than by strategic objectives, a phenomenon the author labels feasibility bias. It notes that military leaders are increasingly choosing actions simply because they...
Africa is emerging as a strategic source of rare earths and critical minerals as the United States seeks alternatives to China-dominated processing. The continent hosts vast deposits, including DRC cobalt, Zimbabwe lithium, and new rare‑earth projects in Namibia, Tanzania, and...
L3Harris introduced the XL‑300P, a redesigned P25 handheld that adds a built‑in LTE‑5G modem and satellite direct‑to‑device (NTN) capability. The device can switch among P25, Wi‑Fi, commercial LTE bands—including Band 106—and T‑Mobile’s Starlink‑backed satellite service, with an AI‑driven selector that chooses...
Handala Hack, an Iranian state‑linked group known as Void Manticore, has been conducting coordinated wiper attacks using compromised RDP sessions and the legitimate mesh‑networking tool NetBird. The actors gain initial access via stolen VPN credentials, dwell for months, harvest domain admin...
Andrew Maher’s March 2026 article warns that Australian defence policy has largely abandoned proxy warfare, a tool once central to the nation’s World‑II and early Cold‑War strategies. The piece documents a literature gap after 1975, despite the resurgence of gray‑zone...
South Korea’s defense establishment is reviving anti‑aircraft gun systems as a primary tool against the surge of low‑cost drone attacks. Modern gun platforms such as the radar‑equipped K30 Biho and the upcoming Cheonho vehicle employ programmable airburst ammunition to engage...
A Russia‑linked hacker group known as Laundry Bear launched a new espionage campaign against Ukrainian entities in February, distributing a backdoor called DrillApp hidden in documents about Starlink terminals and the Come Back Alive charity. The malware activates through Microsoft...
The latest Survival Dispatch report, "War Without Borders: Sleeper Networks Will Target Civilians EP718," warns that Iranian-backed sleeper cells are being embedded in Western societies to conduct attacks on civilian targets. The piece is part of a five‑part series by...
South Korean analysts estimate North Korea earned between $7.67 billion and $14.4 billion from troop deployments and arms exports to Russia since 2023. More than 20,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, delivering artillery shells, rocket systems and ballistic missiles....
The U.S. Navy is now awarding the historic Craftmaster Insignia to sailors operating medium unmanned surface vessels, marking the first formal recognition of the emerging USV community. Lt. Miles Graham’s Chimera Detachment Alpha, which fields platforms such as Sea Hawk,...
In the sixty weeks since President Trump’s inauguration, long‑standing military and economic alliances that underpinned post‑World War II peace have begun to fray. The author argues that Trump’s fiscal mismanagement, confrontational diplomacy, and overextension of U.S. forces have weakened America’s global...
In August 2016 the U.S. Army Systems Adaptive Red Team ran the UAS Threat Experiment 2‑16, using off‑the‑shelf drones to simulate attacks on convoys and urban targets. The trials examined improvised explosive payloads, autonomous targeting of moving vehicles, and command‑and‑control...
Operation CamelClone targets government, defense, diplomatic and energy agencies in Algeria, Mongolia, Ukraine and Kuwait, using spear‑phishing ZIP archives that contain LNK shortcuts to launch PowerShell commands. The shortcuts download a JavaScript loader, HOPPINGANT, from the public file‑sharing site filebulldogs.com,...
You know how we say in Ukraine: now Trump has to eat the mess pie he was baking for others. You either support alliances, respect your friends and their interests, coordinate with them and thus benefit from partnerships with countries close...
In 2025 Washington pivoted toward Pakistan, valuing its ability to deliver immediate security, economic, and diplomatic results over traditional strategic considerations. The Trump administration’s transactional style emphasizes rapid, measurable outcomes, positioning Islamabad as a "deliverable" partner through counter‑terrorism cooperation, mineral...
The ongoing Middle East war is creating chokepoints that could restrict the flow of chemicals, equipment and other inputs essential for semiconductor manufacturing. Rising power costs in Taiwan, the hub of advanced chip production, add further pressure on fab operations....
Swedish defense firm Saab announced a restructuring that will merge its Kockums division with most of the Naval Combat Systems unit into a newly created business area called Naval, effective April 1 2026. The new division will be led by Mats Wicksell,...
A Department of Defense Inspector General report found that retired Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto left a tube containing Secret‑classified maps on a chartered train traveling from Ukraine to Germany, losing control of the material for about 24 hours before it...
"China Has a Lot to Lose in the U.S.-Israel War on Iran," my latest in @WSJ @WSJopinion The U.S.-Israel war against Iran isn’t only reshaping security and the balance of power in the Middle East. Its stakes are also high...
Security analysts warn that Iran’s war with Israel is spurring a rise in domestic terror threats against the United States. Recent shootings in Virginia, Michigan, and Texas, carried out by individuals with ties to Iran or its proxies, illustrate a...
France unveiled the FLP‑T 150, a 150 km long‑range guided rocket artillery system developed by ArianeGroup and Thales. The ITAR‑free launcher, mounted on a Mercedes‑Zetros 8×8 truck, carries eight rockets in a single container and uses sub‑decametric GPS/INS for single‑digit meter...
Traditional security validation relies on disconnected tools like BAS platforms, periodic penetration tests, and vulnerability scanners, creating blind spots as attackers chain identity, cloud, and vulnerability exploits. This fragmentation forces manual data stitching, delaying insight and remediation. Emerging agentic exposure...
Pakistan has escalated its cross‑border campaign against the Afghan Taliban, launching Operation Ghazab Lil Haq in its fourth week. Using airpower, drones and long‑range artillery, Islamabad has struck weapons depots, intelligence hubs and even a unit linked to Taliban leader...
Israel’s air force announced it destroyed the Iranian government‑owned Airbus A340‑300, the aircraft used by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for diplomatic and procurement flights. The strike comes amid intensified US‑Israel operations against Iran following the February 28 killing of Iran’s leader. The...
KNDS and EOS Defence Systems have signed a teaming agreement to develop and market remote‑controlled weapon stations integrating KNDS’s medium‑calibre guns with EOS’s counter‑UAS platforms. The partnership will focus on land and naval applications, featuring the ITAR‑free 30×113 multi‑purpose gun...
Recruitment of software engineers is emerging as a critical attack surface, with nation‑state actors—most notably North Korea—exploiting new hires to infiltrate vulnerable systems. These insiders often receive deep privileges, allowing rapid lateral movement and data exfiltration. The article outlines a...
I’m fairly sure the Russians are whispering in Trump’s ear right now: “Sure, we’re helping the Iranian regime kill American servicemembers. But you still haven’t forced your intelligence agencies to stop giving Ukraine information about our missile strikes on them. Do...
I'm biased, of course, but hats off to the @FT for some truly groundbreaking work on the Iran war. Ed Luce's commentary has been essential to understanding the dilemma Europe finds itself in as its leaders try to edge away...
President Trump has pressed allies for US warship escorts through the Strait of Hormuz, but Japan and Australia have declined the request. Drone strikes have forced a shutdown of oil loading at Fujairah and disrupted Dubai airport operations, prompting Saudi...
What exactly is going to do to NATO? A US withdrawal would actually force Europe to seriously build a military independent of the US. Maybe include Canada into the mix.
NEW ODD LOTS: War in Iran is chewing through America’s missile defense stockpiles @tracyalloway and I talk to @tomkarako about Pentagon procurement and the efforts to ramp up production of offensive and defensive weaponry https://t.co/Wnm1RozhbR
The New York Times identified over 110 AI‑generated war images and videos in the first two weeks of the U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict, reaching millions of viewers. Iran is deploying these deepfakes as a coordinated propaganda weapon, while real satellite imagery has...
Usually there is a wave of mechanized assaults around April and then they're once again revealed to be costly and ineffective. UA defense is optimized for defeating mech assault, and much of the fight is about suppressing or displacing opposing...
Kenyans will no longer be enlisted to fight for Russia in Ukraine, Mudavadi says https://t.co/PmrAsfFTIZ
On March 12, the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) signed a purchase agreement with Textron for seven Bell 407GX helicopters. The aircraft will support utility operations tied to South Africa’s national electricity transmission network. The announcement coincided with other Textron sales,...
New update from Adm. Cooper. Highlights specific strikes on Iranian facilities, including what he says is a drone storage depot near the Strait of Hormuz. Also says that more than 100 Iranian vessels have been destroyed. Again says about 50,000 U.S. troops...
....the US should establish a federal framework through legislation that requires frontier labs to test their systems using classified government capabilities. https://t.co/9SaQfR7sMc
Lockheed Martin received a $111.5 million fixed‑price contract from the Naval Air Systems Command to supply the F‑35 Drag Chute System for Lot 18‑19 aircraft deliveries supporting non‑U.S. Department of War participants and foreign military sales. The order reinforces the company’s role...
#EuropeanTroika to #Trump "I thought we were sending our troops to #Greenland. Now you want #Hormuz ?"
The big mistake the West made in 2022 was to not embargo Russian oil. That would have spiked oil prices further, but Russia's economy would have imploded and it likely wouldn't still be waging war in Ukraine. The lesson for...
Boeing was awarded a $2.34 billion option‑exercise modification to its Air Force E‑7A Rapid Prototype Airborne Mission Segment contract. The work will be performed at facilities in Washington, Oklahoma City, Huntsville and Heath, with completion targeted for the third quarter of...
Top US allies are turning toward China instead. Blame Trump...European allies broadly support building closer ties to China — and believe America's role as a global superpower is fading. Despite the best efforts of Europe's China pundits... https://t.co/Oz9BsswmeL
Trump Floats Xi Summit Delay If China Doesn’t Help in Hormuz “Head of state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance to China-US relations,” he added, without specifying a timeframe for the leaders’ meeting. https://t.co/2UjmNtyIUW
This is from the end of December. Was this meant to lure Iran into negotiations? ran says $2bn of frozen assets released by neighboring country https://t.co/miz6slNXAM
For those casually discussing the Houthis closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait: Experts usually talk about it in dry, theoretical terms. But a surprising number of online commenters keep having "Freudian slips" — accidentally revealing just how much they’d love to see...
Perhaps more importantly, she neglects to mention that Bedouin villages have no bomb shelters, are not covered by the Iron Dome, and are often close to Israeli military facilities.
The Iran war has shifted from strikes to a sustained operation with no clear end in sight. That raises big questions about munitions depth and the pace of operations. I joined @BloombergRadio’s Here’s Why podcast to unpack how it could...
