Defense Blogs and Articles
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Every morning
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![The Downlink [Feb 08, 25] Space Money: The Space Force Budget And A New Leader](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/b15d6f1cb9aee2070efecd81eec3386a.webp)
The U.S. Congress approved and President Donald Trump signed the Space Force’s FY 2026 budget of $26 billion. The allocation marks a modest increase over the previous year and underscores continued investment in space‑based defense capabilities. At the same time, the Space Force Association announced Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Damon Feltman as its new chief executive officer. The episode also features insights from Steve Jordan Tomaszewski of the Aerospace Industries Association on industry implications.
Retired Gen. Paul Nakasone, former NSA director and U.S. Cyber Command commander, discussed his doctrine of persistent engagement, its role in safeguarding recent U.S. elections, and the evolving cyber threat landscape. He highlighted the need for broader public‑private partnerships, a...
The episode examines the Royal Thai Navy’s use of offshore fire support during the 2025 Cambodia‑Thailand border conflict, focusing on the patrol gunboat HTMS Thepa’s naval gunfire missions. It highlights how small navies like Thailand’s shift fluidly from constabulary duties...
In this episode, Dr. Holly Snape explains the Central Military Commission Chairman Responsibility System (CRS), a set of rules and mechanisms Xi Jinping has built over the past 13 years to cement Party control of the PLA. She details how the CRS...
Ukraine’s National Guard officially created the 39th Regiment on 15 January 2026, assigning it unit number 3117 and basing it in Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad Oblast. The regiment reports to the Central Directorate and is tasked with maintaining public order in designated cities while...
The UK has confirmed that at least one Type 26 frigate, currently being built for the Royal Navy, will be transferred to Norway, fulfilling a 2029 service‑entry target. This allocation is presented as a boost to NATO’s northern flank, with a...
The episode examines Ukraine’s worsening energy crisis as Russia intensifies attacks on power infrastructure, leaving millions without electricity during a harsh winter. It highlights President Zelensky’s claim that the United States has set a June deadline for a peace settlement,...
The episode reviews the two rounds of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine held in Abu Dhabi, mediated by the United States, marking the first face‑to‑face negotiations since 2022. While no concrete breakthrough was achieved, the discussions revealed a tentative...
The SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) clarified that compliance with joint‑venture requirements under 13 C.F.R. § 128.402(c) is judged at the date of a final proposal revision, not the initial offer. In the GSA‑led protest VSBC‑459‑P, OHA ruled that MindVen’s SDVOSB...
![Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Feb 06, ’26 Washington Roundtable]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/d39aba0f7693213c0ffdf769e4ffd100.webp)
The Defense & Aerospace Report’s Washington Roundtable brought together senior defense analysts to assess the latest U.S. security agenda. Lawmakers restored full Department of Homeland Security funding after a partial shutdown, while the administration pushes a large defense reconciliation bill...
Chinese President Xi Jinping intensified his anti‑corruption and loyalty campaign by dismissing two of the People’s Liberation Army’s top commanders in January 2026. General Zhang Youxia, senior vice‑chairman of the Central Military Commission, and General Liu Zhenli, head of the...
U.S. forces escalated the standoff with Iran after an F‑35 shot down an Iranian drone that approached a carrier in the Arabian Sea. Both sides have scheduled high‑level talks in Istanbul, raising hopes for a diplomatic de‑escalation. The dispute centers...
The article explains that Russian intelligence agencies prioritize loyalty to Putin and the regime over national interests, making double‑agent operations—called operational games—their core doctrine. These operations generate fabricated success stories and statistics that feed directly into Kremlin budget justifications. Historical...
The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency is accelerating critical‑minerals stockpiling, with a $1 billion procurement plan announced for 2025 and new RFIs covering scarce elements such as scandium, tungsten and rare‑earths. Recent legislation, notably the One Big Beautiful Act, injected $2 billion into the National...
India's Ministry of Defence has shortlisted three private aerospace giants—Tata Advanced Systems, Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Forge—to lead the development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the country's first indigenous fifth‑generation stealth fighter. For the first time, state‑run Hindustan Aeronautics...
Google Cloud has become the primary technology provider for Al Jazeera’s new AI‑driven news engine, “The Core,” which uses generative AI to draft scripts, retrieve archives, and create visualizations. Critics argue the partnership risks amplifying state‑directed, pro‑Hamas content because Al...
The Pentagon unveiled an "AI‑first" strategy, appointing the Under Secretary for Research & Engineering as a single chief technology officer with decision authority. The plan centers on seven pace‑setting AI projects that span warfighting, intelligence and enterprise missions, backed by...
The episode examines the current geopolitical interregnum—a transitional period between the fading Pax Americana and an as‑yet undefined new world order. It highlights how U.S. actions in Venezuela and threats to Greenland have destabilized NATO, prompting speculation about a future...
The episode explains the Department of Defense's two‑stage review of small‑business and 8(a) contracts over $20 million, aimed at identifying non‑essential awards, excessive pass‑through arrangements, and above‑market pricing. It outlines the tight timeline—stage one due by Jan 31, 2026 and stage two...
Greenland’s position in the GIUK Gap makes it the linchpin for NATO’s ability to detect Russian submarines before they enter the Atlantic, while its Pituffik Space Base hosts critical early‑warning radars for U.S. missile defense. Moscow is exploiting the U.S.‑Europe...
The episode examines Russia’s expanding use of inland waterways—its “brown water” zones—as a strategic platform for long‑range missile strikes, highlighting the 2015 Caspian Sea Kalibr launch as a watershed moment. It explains how the universal 3S14 vertical launch system equipped...
The UK Ministry of Defence has commissioned a £2 million study with MBDA UK to determine whether the European‑made Aster missile can be launched from the US‑standard Mk 41 vertical launch system. The year‑long effort targets future RN platforms such as the...
On November 9, 2025 the Senegalese Navy fired its first anti‑ship missile from the Walo‑class offshore patrol vessel Cayor. The vessel launched an MBDA MARTE Mk2/N lightweight missile at a decommissioned landing craft 15 km away, striking containers that simulated a...
President Xi Jinping has purged two of the most senior members of the Central Military Commission, General Zhang Youxia and General Liu Zhenli, effectively gutting the PLA's top command. The removals, framed as discipline violations, follow a broader campaign that...
This episode breaks down a recent GAO decision (ASG Solutions Corp.) that clarified how timeliness rules apply when a contract is awarded under FAR Part 13. The GAO held that because the Navy’s procurement was a simplified acquisition, it was not...
The episode examines China’s recent deployment of 1,000‑2,000 fishing vessels to create a 400‑kilometre maritime barrier near Taiwan and Japan, interpreting it as a rehearsal for civilian‑ship‑based anti‑access tactics. It links this maneuver to broader PLA strategies that repurpose civilian...
President Donald Trump signed the charter for the newly created Board of Peace (BOP) at Davos, positioning himself as its inaugural chairman with sweeping authority over membership, agenda, and dissolution. The charter grants Trump unilateral power to appoint and remove...
Extremist groups are increasingly targeting children on platforms such as Discord, Instagram, Reddit, and gaming chats, turning these digital third spaces into recruitment hubs. In 2024, teenagers accounted for roughly two‑thirds of ISIS‑linked arrests in Europe, and similar patterns are...
The Financial Action Task Force will meet in February 2026 to reassess Pakistan after its 2022 removal from the grey list. While Pakistan has introduced anti‑money‑laundering laws and institutional reforms, open‑source evidence shows terrorist groups like Jaish‑e‑Mohammad and Lashkar‑e‑Taiba still...
The 2026 terrorism environment is more hybrid and unpredictable than ever. The author argues that a legitimate U.S. counterterrorism strategy—grounded in legal credibility and international partnership—is essential for the second Trump administration. Past strategies, like the 2018 National Strategy for...
In this episode, CDR Chase E. Harding outlines a proposal for a trilateral shipbuilding program among the United States, Japan, and South Korea to produce fast‑attack missile corvettes that can counter China’s expanding naval fleet. He details the historic decline...
The article examines Russia’s evolution of gray‑zone or hybrid warfare, focusing on the doctrine of “non‑contact war” and the intelligence‑driven “active measures.” It traces the concept from Soviet‑era sixth‑generation warfare ideas through the writings of generals Slipchenko, Gareev and Gerasimov,...
In this episode, T.X. Hammes argues that the U.S. focus on the Arctic is a strategic distraction that diverts scarce defense resources from higher‑priority theaters. He dismantles the hype around new Arctic shipping routes, showing that current traffic on the...
New GAO and NAVAIR reviews expose decades‑long safety gaps in the V‑22 Osprey program, highlighting 34 unresolved risks, eight of them catastrophic, and a surge in serious mishaps during 2023‑2024. The reports show that critical component failures—such as hard‑clutch engagement...
In this episode Anthony Marco and Nils Peterson examine the Chinese Coast Guard’s escalating gray‑zone incursions around Taiwan’s peripheral islands, especially the recent series of violations at Dongsha Atoll. They explain how these maritime coercion tactics aim to erode ROC...
The opinion piece argues that U.S. defense planning over‑emphasizes expeditionary warfighting while neglecting the Coast Guard’s crucial role in enforcing sovereignty in the gray zone. The Coast Guard uniquely combines law‑enforcement authority, Title 14/10 flexibility, and continuous maritime presence to counter...
Ukraine has upgraded its 422nd Battalion of Unmanned Systems, known as the “Luftwaffe,” into a full regiment. The new 422nd Regiment now falls under the 17th Army Corps operating along the Zaporizhzhia axis. The unit evolved from a volunteer territorial‑defense...
The episode examines the Department of Defense’s sweeping reforms to its innovation ecosystem, focusing on SECWAR’s restructuring of the USW(R&E) portfolio, a $1 billion investment by the DoD in L3Harris for next‑generation SRM capabilities, and the Army’s push for more flexible...
On January 15, 2026, Colonel Vadym Chernyi was named commander of Ukraine’s 54th Mechanized Brigade. The change follows the dismissal of Colonel Oleksiy Konoval after the rapid loss of Siversk north of Bakhmut in December 2025. Chernyi, a Kherson native, has served since 2013,...
An opinion piece argues that despite recent U.S. criticism of China over the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the United States and China must deepen cooperation to avoid global crises. It highlights historic joint efforts—from Cold‑War intelligence sharing to...
In this interview, RDML T.J. Zerr outlines how the Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) is translating Red Sea combat lessons into faster, data‑driven training and tactics, notably through the Surface Warfare Combat Training Continuum (SWCTC) and increasingly sophisticated...
In this episode, LT Spike Dearing argues that 7th Fleet surface ships are prioritizing preservation—rust and paint inspections—over combat readiness, despite operating in a high‑threat environment near China. He critiques senior officers’ focus on cosmetic inspections and proposes “snap combat...
