Know What's Happening in Defense
Know What's Happening in Defense
Zelensky meets Syrian president to forge security cooperation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa in Damascus, pledging security cooperation and joint food‑security projects. The visit follows Kyiv’s recent drone‑defense deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, highlighting Ukraine’s push to export its drone expertise to the Middle East.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Kraken Robotics acquires Colvya Group for $615M
The U.S. Army will field the new M111 hand grenade, the first major ordnance update since the Vietnam era. It replaces the asbestos‑lined MK3A2, addressing long‑standing health hazards and limited tactical flexibility. Designed for urban combat, the blast‑over‑pressure grenade reduces friendly‑fire risk in confined spaces. The change aligns with broader Army modernization initiatives to eliminate hazardous materials from the supply chain.
The UK government has unveiled a £50 million defence growth deal for Scotland, funding two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges and £10 million for innovation facilities at the Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus and Clyde Engineering and Innovation Centre. The programme aims to create...
At 1:15 a.m. EST on Feb 28, the U.S. and Israel launched massive airstrikes on Iran, prompting a flood of real‑time OSINT dashboards such as WorldView that stitch together satellite, traffic and social feeds. Built in days by an ex‑Google Maps manager...
Energy Secretary Wright says U.S. ‘not ready’ to escort tankers through Strait of Hormuz yet. CNBC
Interesting interview with Oleksandr Kamyshin. He says 11 countries in the Middle East, Europe, and U.S.A have requested official assistance for Shaheds recently. Also Ukraine offered last year.
Representative Thomas Massie reminded the House that the Constitution vests war‑making authority in Congress, a point the GOP‑dominated chamber rejected by 212‑219. President Trump ordered strikes against Iran in coordination with Israel without a formal declaration, congressional authorization, or clear evidence...
The U.S. Department of Justice has charged former DigitalMint ransomware negotiator Angelo Martino with conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by extortion. Martino allegedly supplied BlackCat (ALPHV) operators with confidential negotiation details and received a 20% cut of ransom payments...
Attackers are weaponizing phishing campaigns to overload Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts, turning the investigation process into an informational denial‑of‑service (IDoS) attack. By flooding the SOC with thousands of low‑sophistication emails, they force analysts to triage quickly, allowing a few...
The Strait of Hormuz remains essentially closed to ship traffic because of Iran's attacks. Every Iranian attack is a negotiation. Iran knows it has leverage and is trying to end this war on favorable terms. Only way out is for...
The UK Royal Navy’s Astute‑class submarine HMS Anson arrived at HMAS Stirling on 23 February, marking the first time a UK nuclear‑powered attack submarine received maintenance in Australia. The deployment supported the AUKUS partnership, which aims to develop a new generation...
The thing with this war is that there's no easy off-ramp for Trump. Simply declaring "mission accomplished" won't cut it if Iran keeps attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has leverage Venezuela and others didn't have and it's...
Taiwan's legislature is set to empower the Cabinet to sign Letters of Offer and Acceptance for four U.S. weapons systems—M109A7 self‑propelled howitzers, Javelin anti‑armor missiles, TOW 2B missiles and HIMARS—completing a US$11.1 billion arms package announced in December. The three systems have...
In this episode, Santi Ruiz talks with former Deputy National Security Advisor Nadia Shadlow about how the U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) is crafted. Shadlow explains that the NSS is a multi‑party, coalition‑building document that articulates a president’s strategic goals,...
NEW ODD LOTS - CYBERWAR AND AI Legendary hacker @msuiche talks to me and @TheStalwart about cyber warfare in the age of AI. We talk: - Iran's capabilities - The intersection of kinetic & digital warfare - The impact of AI on coding, hacking, SaaS...
The article traces the deterioration of Iran‑Israel relations from the 1979 revolution to the June 2025 Twelve‑Day War, where Israel and the United States launched strikes aimed at regime change and dismantling Iran’s nuclear program. While Netanyahu remained in power,...
Mysterious Lull in Chinese Military Flights Leaves Taiwan Guessing—Pause stokes uncertainty about Beijing’s intentions as world focuses on Middle East @joyuwang https://t.co/f0x5nq3FHt https://t.co/f0x5nq3FHt
Jeffrey Parsons, a former FBI counterintelligence and counterterrorism specialist, has been appointed senior research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. He brings more than three decades of experience from the FBI, MITRE’s AI‑focused counterintelligence work, and a naval...
Amentum, GXO Logistics, Accenture and A.P. Moller‑Maersk have launched Torus Defence Supply Chain, a new alliance aimed at strengthening UK defence supply‑chain resilience. The partnership will deliver integrated logistics, digital transformation and global freight services to support evolving defence requirements....
American Rheinmetall demonstrated its counter‑UAS ultra‑short range air‑defense (U‑SHORAD) system mounted on GM Defense’s ISV‑C vehicle at the Big Sandy Range in Arizona. The live‑fire trial engaged both fixed‑wing and rotary‑wing drone targets, confirming detection, tracking and engagement performance as...
Macron is proposing that France expand its nuclear deterrent to help shield the entire European Union. This comes at a time when Europe is losing confidence in the United States' security guarantees. Full Newsletter: https://t.co/brXS2oYT9J https://t.co/YPp7v8IkmX
It’s not impotence; it was a military strategy and doctrine grounded in deterrence. It worked well for decades, but is now a million targets that cannot be protected in an active war in the drone era.
In the latest episode of The Long Game, senior researcher Danny Citrinowicz argues that the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei could paradoxically push Tehran closer to a nuclear bomb rather than deter it. He notes that Iran’s technical...
The U.S. Navy resumed electromagnetic railgun testing at White Sands Missile Range in February 2025 after years of budget‑driven pauses. The three‑day trial, conducted by Naval Sea Systems Command and the Dahlgren Division, collected data on high‑velocity projectile launches. The...
Videos from Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, SSO, and GUR’s Prymary unit of FP-2 and other UAS middle strikes on 64N6E, 48a6-K1 Podlet, Sopka-2, P-18 Terek, RSP-6 M2, and Kasta-2 radar; Geran ground relay; Tor-M2, S-300V, ammunition depots, and other targets....
A new EdgeTheory report warns that the U.S. strike on Iran‑backed militia Kataʼib Hezbollah on Feb. 28 has heightened instability risks in Iraq. The analysis links rising militia retaliation and amplified narrative activity to Iraq’s already fragile Shi’a‑dominated political system. Researchers...
A RenewableUK‑commissioned report urges the UK government to treat energy security as a core component of national security. The study, conducted with Public First and the Royal United Services Institute, warns that reliance on imported fossil fuels leaves the country...
Cisco issued its semiannual IOS XR security advisory, addressing four high‑severity vulnerabilities. Two CVEs (CVE‑2026‑20040 and CVE‑2026‑20046) each score 8.8 and enable privilege escalation to root via crafted CLI commands. A third flaw (CVE‑2026‑20074) can cause an IS‑IS process restart,...
Norwegian Air Force F‑35 fighters intercepted a Russian Ilyushin Il‑20M “Coot‑A” reconnaissance plane flying in international airspace off Finnmark on two consecutive days. The missions occurred while NATO conducted its Cold Response 2026 exercise, prompting Quick Reaction Alert sorties from Evenes...
NYT: Ukraine Reaches a Milestone: Making ‘China-Free’ Drones—The country has prioritized self-sufficiency in producing a crucial battlefield weapon, though weaning itself fully off cheaper Chinese components is difficult. https://t.co/1VEbDkSJyw
Pentagon officials disclosed that the first six days of the Iraq war have already cost more than $11.3 billion, driven largely by high‑priced munitions. The conflict has pushed global oil prices above $100 a barrel, even after a coalition released record...
The United States and Israel have entered their first fully coordinated joint war against Iran, now in its third week. While Washington frames the conflict as a response to Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions, Israeli strikes have targeted Iranian oil infrastructure,...
After the United States and Israel assassinated Iran’s supreme leader, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al‑Houthi publicly vowed solidarity and readiness to support Tehran, yet the group has remained largely absent from the ensuing conflict. Iran’s other proxies, including Hezbollah and Iraqi...
The U.S. Navy awarded General Dynamics Bath Iron Works a $19.5 million contract modification to provide engineering and technical support for the Zumwalt‑class destroyers through March 2027. The work, performed mainly at Bath Iron Works in Maine, continues the shipyard’s role as...
U.S. Central Command announced that on March 10 U.S. forces destroyed 16 Iranian vessels identified as minelayers operating near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes were part of Operation Epic Fury, which has targeted more than 60 Iranian naval assets since its launch...
The 2026 Munich Security Conference unfolded amid heightened U.S. aggression, including threats to Greenland and a looming war with Iran, while the Trump administration mocked its own foreign policy. Inside the conference, officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged...
Security firm Hudson Rock has linked the 2024 Polyfill supply chain attack, which infected over 100,000 websites, to North Korean threat actors, overturning earlier attributions to China. The attack stemmed from the acquisition of Polyfill.io by Chinese CDN Funnull, which...
The Ministry of Defence’s Trade, Industry and Contracts bulletin for 2025 presents detailed spending figures, defence‑export data and cross‑departmental comparisons. The edition removes the Major Equipment Projects section after data gaps, signalling a transition from the Defence Equipment Plan to...
During the Cold War, U.S. intelligence agencies launched a two‑decade program to test psychic phenomena, chiefly remote viewing, under various code names that later merged into Project Stargate. The CIA initially funded the research, which the Defense Intelligence Agency took...
The UK government warned that the concentration of frontier artificial intelligence development in a handful of overseas jurisdictions creates strategic risks for Britain’s security and freedom of action. Defence Minister Luke Pollard highlighted that most advanced AI capability is currently...
Why hasn't the UNSC condemned the US and Israel attacks on Iran? Oh silly me. The US is a permanent UNSC member with a veto. And Israel pulls its strings.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan convened an emergency Supreme Council of National Defence meeting on 11 March to consider a U.S. request for Romanian airfields to host communications, radar and aerial refuelling assets as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran. The proposal revives...
The United States faces renewed munitions shortfalls after intensive use in Iran, Ukraine and other theaters, prompting officials to stress that stockpile depth alone will not ensure resilience. Recent Pentagon initiatives, including the 2025 Munitions Acceleration Council and $25 billion FY‑2026...
The United Kingdom and Australia are assessing how their steel sectors can jointly support the AUKUS submarine programme, following the first UK‑Australia Defence Industry Dialogue since 2018. Defence Minister Luke Pollard highlighted that British firms, notably Sheffield Forgemasters, are already...
Carnegie fellow Zhao Tong warns that a US‑Israeli military confrontation with Iran could ignite a regional nuclear arms race. He argues that Tehran may view a direct strike as justification to fast‑track a nuclear weapons program. The escalation would likely...
The Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy emphasizes a “strong denial defense” along the First Island Chain, shifting credibility from forward troop presence to the ability of allies like the Philippines to sustain resilient, repairable infrastructure under fire. Manila’s geographic position...
On March 11, 2026 U.S. Central Command warned civilians in Iran to stay away from any port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating. Tehran is reportedly using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz for military activities, which strips...
US/Israel vs Iran War in a NUTSHELL Iran is definitely taking the blows, heavy blows…. But Iran is the winner by just resilience and fighting back… https://t.co/fuE7pL2ysb
Overnight Iran reacted to the IEA's oil release intensifying its attacks on regional energy targets, including two small-sized fuel tankers in Iraq. Tehran knows oil is what could force President Trump to end the war early. Still, both Brent and...
The UK government says the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, gives it new powers to curb underperforming defence contractors. The legislation introduces an expanded exclusions regime, discretionary debarment and a transparent, centralized system for...
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson warned that Filipino officials should prioritize national interests over foreign agendas, targeting Senator Rodante Marcoleta for echoing China’s positions. Lacson highlighted the diplomatic boost a non‑permanent UN Security Council seat would give the...
