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
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 pattern of “asymmetric” retaliation. Experts cite at least 17 Iran‑inspired plots uncovered in the past five years and warn that sleeper cells and radicalized lone actors could be activated as the conflict intensifies. The heightened risk could reshape U.S. politics ahead of the midterm elections, potentially bolstering former President Trump.
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
On March 16, 2026 SSC Space signed a SEK 209 million agreement with Sweden’s Defense Materiel Administration to build a military satellite launch capability at Esrange. The contract includes infrastructure, tracking, security and a launch control centre, targeting operational status by 2028....
The brief proposes a four‑step framework to convert Europe’s idle manufacturing capacity into defence production, leveraging economic‑complexity metrics to pinpoint sectors with transferable capabilities. It first quantifies idle output, then matches those capabilities to specific defence product requirements, assesses proximity...
In May 2015 two men from Phoenix traveled to Garland, Texas, intent on attacking the Curtis Culwell Center. An undercover FBI informant, posing as an extremist, encouraged them via text and shadowed them to the venue but did not intervene....
The episode focuses on the U.S. effort to keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid rising energy tensions, detailing President Trump's appeal to allies—including China, NATO members, Japan, and Australia—for naval support, and highlighting European hesitancy due to limited resources...
Former B-58 Hustler navigator Richard “Butch” Sheffield recounts his service during the early 1960s, highlighting a record‑breaking mission in which his crew performed the most bomb runs in a single flight by refueling from multiple KC‑135 tankers and extending flight...
Western allies are increasingly pursuing interoperable defence platforms, exemplified by the UK’s commitment to supply Norway with at least five Type 26 anti‑submarine frigates, creating a combined 13‑ship fleet. Parallel initiatives such as the European Patrol Corvette programmes highlight a broader...
Google Threat Intelligence Group reports a clear shift in cybercrime, with data‑theft extortion now accounting for more than 15% of financially motivated incidents in 2025, up from just 2% in 2020. Traditional ransomware deployments have fallen to roughly 31% of...
Dubai under serious stress. Airport Dubai atau DXB tutup akibat serangan drone berdekatan. Implications? •Home of Emirates, the world’s most profitable airline, pretax profit USD6.2b (31 Mar 25). •Dubai Airport is the 2nd busiest in the world. •The aviation sector amat penting,...
A new preprint claims a theoretical speedup for quantum factoring of large integers. Bruce Schneier, noting his lack of expertise, expresses skepticism about the result’s validity. If the claim holds, it would represent an improvement over Shor’s algorithm. The announcement...
Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron has introduced ANAFI Parrot quadcopter drones for maritime surveillance, supporting patrols and high‑profile ship visits. A streamlined approval process now reduces drone clearance from weeks to days, enabling launches from HMS Cutlass and HMS Dagger. The...
The 2003 Iraq invasion, though lacking UN approval, was framed as a collective NATO effort, with the Bush administration actively consulting allies, shaping public opinion, and securing congressional backing. In contrast, President Trump’s unilateral push toward war with Iran has...
Western naval chiefs warned that the Red Sea missile and unmanned‑system attacks by Houthi forces have highlighted a critical need for constant readiness at sea. The United States‑led Operation Prosperity Guardian and the EU‑led Aspides mission were rapidly deployed to...
QinetiQ Target Systems Canada deployed its Hammerhead uncrewed surface vehicle (USV‑T) targets during the Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand, simulating fast‑in‑shore attack craft and explosive drone boats. Ten Hammerhead units were used across three scenarios, including beach‑assault and coordinated swarm...
Personnel from 51 Squadron RAF Regiment deployed to Norway to conduct Arctic warfare training ahead of Exercise Cold Response 2026. The program, held over 200 miles inside the Arctic Circle, included survival drills at temperatures as low as –21 °C, navigation,...
The DRILLAPP backdoor, discovered by security researchers, is actively targeting Ukrainian entities, including government agencies and critical infrastructure. It exploits Microsoft Edge's remote debugging interface to execute malicious JavaScript, achieving fileless persistence while evading traditional antivirus solutions. The malware establishes...
Babcock has introduced a ten‑point SME Engagement Charter to make defence procurement more accessible for small and medium‑sized enterprises. The initiative tackles common barriers such as unclear contact points, complex contracts, and limited testing facilities by proposing a digital portal,...
Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries, told "The Axios Show" that the United States holds an "extremely small" lead over China in the artificial‑intelligence race. He argued that authoritarian regimes can copy open‑source models, accelerate deployment, and embed AI in...
Anduril’s Lattice platform has integrated the K1000ULE unmanned aircraft into the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) ecosystem, following demonstrations at Ivy Sting 4 and Ivy Sting 5. The integration makes the K1000ULE a fully networked airborne node that can be maneuvered...
The Royal Navy’s Type‑45 destroyer HMS Duncan completed Exercise Sharpshooter, a four‑day live‑firing drill off Wales that simulated coordinated drone and missile attacks. The scenario, delivered by QinetiQ, blended real Banshee aerial drones and Hammerhead surface vessels with synthetic cruise‑missile and...
Latvia and Patria have signed a €60 million life‑cycle support agreement for the CAVS 6×6 armoured vehicle fleet, covering 56 newly procured command‑and‑control vehicles. The deal consolidates maintenance, repair and overhaul services under a single contract and builds on a 2024...
The article argues that labeling civilian work in defense technology as “service” conflates market‑driven entrepreneurship with military duty. It traces how firms like Palantir and Anduril use service language to win government contracts and attract talent, while highlighting the moral...
Satellite imagery revealed extensive damage to all four U.S. THAAD radar stations across the Middle East after precision Iranian missile strikes. The attacks also hit U.S. bases, KC‑135 tankers and a CIA facility, prompting the Trump administration to impose a...
Iran has started a new phase of its oil war: Tehran is clearly going after the Strait of Hormuz bypass route, with Fujairah (UAE) coming under attack. But so far, the Saudi pipeline bypass hasn't been attacked (and neither the Yemeni...
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...
On March 12, the Nigerian Army released images of recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from Operation Eastern Sanity in Imo and Anambra states. The army refuted viral claims that the photos were fabricated, stating the images are authentic but geolocation...
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
Recent Pentagon briefing reported an 83% drop in Iran’s one‑way attack drone launches during the first ten days of the air campaign. Analysts contend that this figure reflects launch tempo, not a confirmed reduction in Iran’s drone stockpiles or functional...
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...
The Kremlin says there may be a new round of peace talks with Ukraine "in the foreseeable future," which sounds like a step down from the usual "soon"... https://t.co/amwYlwVvT4
Belgium’s PM Bart de Wever: “We must normalise relations with Russia and regain access to cheap energy. That is common sense. [...] We must end the conflict in the interest of Europe, without being naïve towards Putin.” https://t.co/BopPAyhKSL
SCMP: “Is Beijing stepping up island building in South China Sea after 10-year pause?…China has significantly stepped up its land reclamation activities on a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, according to satellite images.” https://t.co/ldcaW2FKcB
I think it is much more a matter of taking a side. If China starts sending weapons then European planes in the sky over Iran will matter, because China supports shooting down European planes
EU pushes to shift naval mission to protect the Strait of Hormuz https://t.co/CxFDG4kEg5 via @AfPalasciano https://t.co/qWPAwUys60
