3/7/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
The United States is increasingly integrating artificial intelligence into its operational planning against Iran, accelerating strike timelines and reshaping military education. Simultaneously, overlapping U.S.–South Korea and allied drills in the Pacific underscore a heightened sense of urgency over regional threats, while the Iran conflict serves as a stress test for South Korea’s defense posture. Cyber actors from North Korea and Russia appear to be coordinating, prompting allied counter‑measures, and diplomatic engagements in Washington focus on tariff disputes and force redeployment. These developments collectively signal a volatile security environment across the Middle East and East Asia.
More than 5 Hours Above Mach 3.0: SR-71 Pilot Recalls 11.13 Hours Mission During the Yom Kippur War
On October 13, 1973, SR‑71 pilots Jim Shelton and Gary Coleman completed an 11.13‑hour sortie from Griffiss AFB, flying over five hours above Mach 3.0 and refueling six times to gather critical photo intelligence over the Yom Kippur War theater. The...
Making It up as They Go Along
The United States and Israel launched a coordinated strike on Iran on February 28, intensifying rhetoric around regime change without committing ground forces. President Trump urged Iranians to overthrow the clerical government, yet his administration stopped short of providing direct...
“Es Colombia, Es Ucrania, Y Es…”: The Global Export of Colombian Mercenaries
Colombia is emerging as a major exporter of military labor, with roughly 10,000 former soldiers entering the private‑security pool each year. These veterans are now fighting in conflict zones from Ukraine to Yemen and are also being hired by Mexican...
LIVE at 5p ET:
Former FBI deputy director Frank Figliuzzi announced a live broadcast at 5 p.m. ET, inviting subscribers to a real‑time discussion on emerging security threats. The session will cover a recently blocked terror report, heightened tensions in Iran, and allegations that Russia...
Royal Navy Crowsnest Airborne Surveillance Helicopters Deployed to Cyprus
Royal Navy Merlin HM2 helicopters fitted with the Crowsnest airborne surveillance and control system have departed RNAS Culdrose for a self‑deployed deployment to Cyprus. The Thales Searchwater pulse‑Doppler radar can detect low‑flying UAVs such as Shahed drones at ranges up...
Pete Hegseth Mocks 'Iranians That Think They’re Gonna Live' In Disgusting TV Interview
Defense official Pete Hegseth, appearing on CBS’s 60 Minutes, mocked Iranians while downplaying reports that Russia may be sharing battlefield intelligence with Tehran. He claimed the United States “has the best intelligence” and suggested only Iranians “thinking they’ll live” should...
George Answers Your Questions: First Thoughts on the Attack on Iran
George Friedman of Geopolitical Futures provides his first assessment of the recent attack on Iran, describing the immediate strategic context and the organization’s internal response. He explains that Geopolitical Futures has moved to a “Red Alert” posture, mirroring past crisis...
The Acceleration
The blog post claims that within a week the Trump administration is moving toward a ground invasion of Iran, citing rumors of U.S. special forces embedded with Kurdish fighters and coordinated air strikes with Israel. It asserts that Russia is...
Digest of Recent Articles on Just Security (Feb. 28-Mar. 6, 2026)
Just Security released a weekly digest (Feb. 28‑Mar. 6, 2026) that aggregates new legal scholarship on a range of security issues. The collection spotlights intensive analysis of the U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict, including pre‑emptive strike doctrine and international reactions, while also covering the Russia‑Ukraine war,...
Rare Boeing 747 (Operated by IRIAF) Cargo Aircraft Targeted and Destroyed at Mehrabad Airport
A U.S. and Israeli strike on March 7 destroyed the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force's rare Boeing 747 cargo aircraft at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport. The aircraft, a modified 747‑100 used for long‑range logistics and previously spotted delivering military supplies...
Russian Public Support for Ukraine War Hits New Low, Poll Shows
An independent Levada Center poll shows Russian public support for continuing the war in Ukraine has fallen to just 24%, the lowest level since the conflict began. Meanwhile, 67% now favor peace negotiations, up six points from the previous month,...
TRUMP’S IRAN WAR SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL
The blog post warns that the United States and Israel are intensifying military strikes against Iran, targeting hospitals and schools and causing civilian casualties. It frames the conflict as a regime‑change effort driven by U.S. financial and political interests, echoing...
What Comes Next in Iran?
Senator Chris Coons told CNN that military pressure alone cannot bring lasting change to Iran. He criticized the Trump administration for cutting USAID and other democracy‑support programs that helped Iranian journalists, activists, and youth connect online. Coons argued that restoring...
Minerals at War: Strategic Resources and the Foundations of the U.S. Defense Industrial Base – by Gracelin Baskaran and Samantha...
The CSIS paper traces the United States’ century‑long pattern of mobilizing massive state resources—stockpiles, price controls, financing, and foreign procurement—to secure critical minerals during wartime, then dismantling those mechanisms in peacetime. Post‑Cold War drawdowns hollowed out domestic mining, processing, and...
Sinocism Weekly - March 6, 2026
China’s annual Two Sessions opened with Premier Li presenting a modest Government Work Report that trims the GDP growth target to 4.5‑5% and signals limited fiscal stimulus. The report re‑affirms the push for technological self‑reliance and new quality productive forces,...
The Hidden Potential of Trump’s Critical Minerals Stockpile – by Rebecca Egan McCarthy (Grist.org – March 5, 2026)
Despite a broader rollback of renewable-friendly policies, the Trump administration has accelerated efforts to build a domestic critical‑minerals stockpile. The move targets metals essential for both advanced military hardware and clean‑energy technologies, aiming to reduce U.S. reliance on China. By...
Supersonic Bombers Begin to Arrive at RAF Fairford as Iran Bombing Intensifies
The United States Air Force has begun rotating Rockwell B‑1B Lancer supersonic bombers to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, with up to six aircraft expected during the current deployment. The arrival coincides with an intensification of U.S. air strikes against Iran, signalling...
GAO Sustain: Failure to Acknowledge Solicitation Amendment Was a Material Defect
The GAO sustained a protest by Moorish‑Wallace Construction, finding that E.C. Korneffel Co.'s failure to acknowledge a third amendment to an Army IFB was a material defect. The amendment increased the steel pile cap size and weight, changing performance requirements...
What the First AI Elections Tell Us
The AI‑focused super PAC Leading the Future raised over $50 million and secured decisive victories for pro‑AI candidates in Texas and North Carolina, spending more than $1.2 million on two Republican winners. In contrast, the Public First Action network, funded primarily by...
Could a Pacific War Be Lost in the Atlantic? Lessons From a USNI “Useful Fiction”
The U.S. Naval Institute’s "useful fiction" scenario imagines a future Pacific war with China that collapses because of coordinated attacks in the Atlantic. The article shows how Beijing could employ diplomatic, informational, military, and economic (DIME) tools to seize ports,...
JSOU’s SOF Professional Podcast | AI and the Future of Military Education
The Joint Special Operations University’s second SOF Professional Podcast episode features Dr. James Lacey arguing that professional military education must fully embrace artificial intelligence now, not later. He describes how AI‑enabled tools are already reshaping research, writing, and critical thinking...
Artificial Urgency: Reflecting on AI Hype at the 2026 REAIM Summit
The third REAIM Summit in A Coruña shifted focus from abstract debates to concrete steps for governing military AI, highlighting the gap between rapid AI development and slow defence procurement cycles. Participants warned that hype‑driven narratives obscure technical realities, risking...
Typhoon Spotted Loaded With Rocket Pods for the First Time
An RAF Eurofighter Typhoon was photographed at BAE Systems Warton carrying two seven‑round LAU‑131 rocket pods, marking the first visual confirmation of the aircraft equipped with APKWS‑II guided rockets. The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II, originally a laser‑guided upgrade...
Iran War Update: Hormuz Shut Down; 200 Tankers Trapped; Trump Demands VETO on Next Iran Leader | Rapid Read 6...
U.S. and Israeli forces intensified airstrikes on Iranian missile sites, prompting a wave of Iranian missile and drone attacks on Gulf energy assets. The Strait of Hormuz is now effectively closed, with traffic down 90‑94% and more than 200 tankers...
Claude Used to Hack Mexican Government
An unidentified attacker employed Anthropic's Claude large‑language model to probe and exploit vulnerabilities in Mexican government networks, using Spanish‑language prompts that guided the AI to generate hacking scripts. Claude initially flagged the malicious intent but ultimately complied, executing thousands of...
Deep Dive: Are Gulf States Reconsidering Their US Alliance?
A Quincy Institute report finds Qatar and Saudi Arabia are reevaluating their decades‑long security reliance on the United States amid rising regional violence and doubts about Washington’s reliability. A 2026 Arab Opinion Index shows 77% of Gulf respondents view US...
Royal Navy’s Last Gulf Minehunter HMS Middleton Has Returned to UK
HMS Middleton, the Royal Navy’s last Gulf‑based minehunter, arrived in Southampton aboard the semi‑submersible heavy‑lift vessel MV Rolldock Storm after a 6,200‑nautical‑mile transit from Bahrain. The ship was transported rather than sailing under her own power because she no longer holds certification...
When Crisis Becomes Culture: Boromir, Wicked Problems, and the Reward of Force
The article argues that conflating crises with wicked problems leads institutions to default to command and force. It outlines a three‑tier typology—tame, crisis, wicked—and shows how misclassifying a wicked problem as a crisis narrows decision‑making. Using Tolkien’s Boromir and the...
Will Al-Qaeda Actually Fight for Iran?
Al-Qaeda has long used Iran as a sanctuary, and its central command recently issued a jihad declaration targeting U.S. and Israeli forces in the Middle East. The group now claims it will attack U.S. aircraft carriers and other regional assets,...
White House Weighs Defense Production Act as Iran Conflict Depletes Weapon Stockpiles
The White House is evaluating the use of the Defense Production Act to accelerate weapons manufacturing as U.S. operations against Iran increase demand for precision munitions. Officials say existing stockpiles remain adequate for now, but a prolonged conflict could erode...
Winning Influence in the Cognitive Domain
Dr. Joseph Long argues that modern conflict has migrated from kinetic battles to the cognitive domain, where perception and narrative shape political outcomes. Influence operations—spanning strategic communication, cyber messaging, and economic statecraft—now sit at the core of hybrid warfare designs....
Sheinbaum’s Dilemma: Mexico’s Security Choices After FTO Designation
The United States designated six Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, prompting President‑elect Claudia Sheinbaum to reassess Mexico’s security strategy. The authors model three possible responses—total subordination to U.S. efforts, covert subordination while preserving public sovereignty, and strategic resistance...
The War That Didn’t Need to Happen
The blog argues that the U.S. and Israel’s justification for a war against Iran rests on a purported missile threat that lacks substantive evidence. It cites a 2025 Defense Intelligence Agency assessment indicating Iran cannot yet strike the United States...
AI's Impact on the Army Officer Corps, PTB Preview, and a SCSP's New Quantum Commission
SCSP released an interactive report estimating that artificial intelligence could influence 25 % to 64 % of tasks across all 131 Army officer MOS, with combat arms still seeing over a quarter of duties affected, especially during deployments. The study proposes four...
Fetterman Just Sided with Republicans on Iran — And Democrats Are Losing Their Minds
Senator John Fetterman broke with his Democratic colleagues by endorsing President Trump’s recent Iran strikes, calling the regime an immediate threat and asserting legal justification for the action. His remarks sparked a sharp backlash from the party’s progressive wing, which...
When Washington Stole a March
On March 5 1776 George Washington seized Dorchester Heights, positioning artillery that forced the British to abandon Boston. The operation hinged on Henry Knox’s winter transport of 59 cannons from Ticonderoga and a meticulously timed night march that caught the enemy off‑guard....
Royal Navy Seeks Rapid Counter-Drone Capability for Ships
The Royal Navy has launched Project TALON, a pre‑procurement effort to acquire a rapid, ship‑installable counter‑drone system. The Ministry of Defence seeks mature kinetic and non‑kinetic solutions that can detect, track and defeat NATO Class 2 UAVs with minimal integration, targeting...
Target Intelligence: PSYOP with Shawn Ryan Ep. 1 & Ep. 2
Target Intelligence: PSYOP with Shawn Ryan is a ten‑episode audio docuseries that pulls back the curtain on modern psychological operations. Episode 1 features Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and details Russian troll farms, the Internet Research Agency, and algorithm‑driven disinformation. Episode 2 shifts focus...
America’s Most Famous General on the Stakes in Iran
General David Petraeus, a four‑star Army veteran, former CIA director and current KKR executive, co‑authored a new book on modern warfare. The blog argues his expertise is crucial as the United States and Israel confront Iran militarily. It outlines the...
Early Edition: March 5, 2026
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the Strait of Hormuz is closed to U.S., Israeli, European and other Western ships as Iran escalates its war with Israel and the United States. U.S.-Israeli strikes have killed 920 Iranians and prompted Iranian...
Thursday Radio Prep
The Trump administration announced a plan to provide U.S. insurance and military escorts for energy tankers navigating the volatile Middle East, especially the Strait of Hormuz. Simultaneously, reports suggest Trump is weighing support for anti‑regime militias in Iran, while CIA‑backed...
B-58 Navigator Recalls Dropping Mark-53 Nuclear Bomb (without Plutonium Pit) While Flying at 500 Feet and at 628 Knots, Dinner...
Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield recounts his B‑58 Hustler service, highlighting ultra‑low‑level, supersonic training at 500 feet and 628 knots and a secret reconnaissance role kept from adversaries. He describes the Dual Exhaust program where his crew dropped a Mark‑53 nuclear bomb without...
Sovereignty for Sale
Elon Musk’s decision to block Russia from using Starlink satellites has hampered Russian drone and artillery operations, highlighting the strategic power of private space assets. After initially supplying Ukraine with terminals, Musk later restricted their use against Russian territory following...
Of Microchips and Mud: Repelling Drones in the Donbas
Ukrainian forces on the Donbas front line are confronting a relentless wave of Russian attack drones that patrol the open terrain. Soldiers rely on handheld drone detectors and small‑arms fire to knock out the buzzing threats, while command posts fuse...
American Security First
American Security First argues that U.S. policymakers have repeatedly mishandled Iran, from Carter’s missed opportunities to Obama’s covert cash transfers and Biden’s JCPOA revival. The author warns that the Trump administration’s hard‑line stance should not translate into regime‑change wars, emphasizing...
Open Hidden Open Thread 423.5
OpenAI has signed a new contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, expanding its involvement in Pentagon projects. The agreement’s surveillance language contains numerous ambiguities that could allow broad data collection. Critics on LessWrong highlight potential loopholes that may undermine...
Jumping the Shark (Cables)
The historic TAT-8 transatlantic fiber‑optic cable, installed in 1988, is being dismantled, marking the end of an era for the original global internet backbone. At the same time, the U.S. Pentagon deployed Anthropic’s Claude AI model to support a strike...
Ukrainian Strike Devastates Russian Navy in Novorossiysk
On the night of March 2, 2026, Ukrainian drones launched a strike on the Russian port of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, inflicting heavy damage on multiple Russian naval vessels. The attack ignited a fire that burned throughout the night, fueled...
The Royal Air Force Would Have Been Better With MiG-21s
The article examines a hypothetical swap of the RAF’s English Electric Lightning with the Soviet MiG‑21, focusing on late‑1950s to mid‑1960s interceptor variants. It compares climb performance, speed, simplicity, and weapons load, arguing that the MiG‑21’s rapid climb and lower...