EU to Discuss Bolstering Middle East Naval Mission
European Union foreign ministers will discuss strengthening the Aspides naval mission, which currently patrols the Red Sea to protect merchant vessels from Houthi attacks. The mission operates two ships directly, with additional support from French and Italian vessels, and officials are urging more member states to contribute assets. While some policymakers have floated extending Aspides to the Strait of Hormuz, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed doubt about its effectiveness there. Any mandate change would require unanimous approval from all 27 EU members.
Trump Administration to Announce Coalition to Escort Ships Through Strait of Hormuz: WSJ
The Trump administration is set to unveil a multinational coalition to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The coalition, reportedly involving several Gulf and allied nations, will coordinate naval patrols and...
Why Iran Strikes May Drive Asian Nuclear Race, Hit China in the Middle East: Zhao Tong
Carnegie nuclear policy expert Zhao Tong warns that the recent US‑Israel strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader could push Tehran to accelerate its nuclear programme, while the United States’ unilateral actions under President Trump undermine the rules‑based order. He argues...
White House Signals Iran War Has Weeks to Go
The White House warned that the war with Iran will persist for weeks rather than months, while President Trump floated the idea of negotiations without a clear cease‑fire request from Tehran. Asian economies, reeling from oil market shocks, are turning...
Venezuela Thread
A December 2025 forum thread debates whether the United States is positioning itself for a war with Venezuela. Participants cite oil reserves, the Monroe Doctrine, and the desire to curb Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence as possible motives. Others argue that...
US Officials Predict Quick End to Iran War, While Tehran Says It Can Outlast Foes
U.S. officials say the Israel‑U.S. war on Iran will conclude within weeks, prompting expectations of lower oil prices. President Trump threatened further strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island and announced a coalition to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran’s...
The Iran-Israel-US War Is Exposing China’s Alliance Problem
The Iran‑Israel‑U.S. war underscores how the United States leverages a dense network of allies, from Gulf partners providing early‑warning data to Indo‑Pacific nations offering bases and logistics. U.S. officials highlighted Israel’s combat prowess, but the broader coalition’s role is the...
Market Retrospective: The Pakistan Air Force’s Drone Program Circa 2007 to 2026
From 2007 to 2026 the Pakistan Air Force assembled a uniquely diversified unmanned‑aircraft fleet, pulling platforms from Europe, China and Turkey. The acquisitions were opportunistic rather than centrally planned, with Chinese OEMs opening the armed‑drone market after European restrictions and...
North Korean Leader Kim Observes Test of Rocket Launch Systems with His Daughter
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his teenage daughter, observed a live‑fire test of twelve 600 mm ultraprecision rocket launchers off the country’s east coast. South Korean sensors detected about ten ballistic missiles launched toward the eastern sea, which...
African Nations Tiptoe Around Recruitment of Citizens by Russian Networks
Kenya’s foreign minister is traveling to Moscow to demand an end to Russian recruitment of Kenyan citizens, amid reports that over 1,000 Kenyans and more than 1,700 Africans overall have been enlisted to fight in Ukraine. African governments, including Ghana...
GPS Is Getting Jammed in the Strait of Hormuz, and Ships Are Appearing in Circles
Maritime analysts have identified large‑scale GPS jamming across the Strait of Hormuz, causing Automatic Identification System data to display hundreds of vessels in near‑perfect circles, some even appearing on land. The interference scrambles GNSS signals, leaving tankers and other commercial...
Schiff on Lifting of some Russian Sanctions: 'We're Enriching Our Adversary'
Senator Adam Schiff condemned the Trump administration’s decision to temporarily lift sanctions on stranded Russian oil, arguing it hands Moscow roughly $140 million a day. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the narrowly‑tailored exemption, covering about 130 million barrels, is intended to ease...
Wars Go High-Tech
The United States has begun field‑testing high‑energy laser weapons and leveraging space‑ and cyber‑based operations in its conflict with Iran, aiming to cut the astronomical costs of traditional missile interceptors. In the first week of hostilities, the Pentagon spent roughly...
Strait of Hormuz Crisis Drives Demand for Commercial Geospatial Intelligence
The U.S.-Iran conflict has turned the Strait of Hormuz into a live testing ground for commercial geospatial intelligence. The chokepoint, handling about 20% of global oil shipments, saw commercial traffic halted after strikes, creating urgent demand for real‑time maritime visibility....
Betterleaks, a New Open-Source Secrets Scanner to Replace Gitleaks
Betterleaks, an open‑source secrets scanner created by the original Gitleaks author, aims to supersede Gitleaks with a faster, more accurate engine. It scans directories, files, and Git repositories using customizable CEL rules and BPE tokenization, achieving 98.6% recall on the...
Was Iran Really Building a Nuclear Weapon? - Podcast
The Guardian Australia podcast investigates the claim that Iran was on the brink of constructing a nuclear weapon, a narrative frequently cited by Donald Trump to legitimize US and Israeli strikes. Kelsey Davenport, director of non‑proliferation policy at the Arms...
Taiwan Says Large-Scale Chinese Military Flights Return After Unusual Absence
Taiwan reported the return of large‑scale Chinese air force activity after a two‑week hiatus, detecting 26 aircraft in a 24‑hour period. The pause, which began on February 27, ended on March 7 with sporadic sightings before the recent surge. Beijing offered no...
‘Bit of Treachery’: US Attack on IRIS Dena Undermines Indian Security Ties
A U.S. nuclear‑powered submarine fired a Mark 48 torpedo that sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in international waters near Sri Lanka, killing at least 84 crew members. The vessel was returning from an Indian‑hosted fleet review, a diplomatic event that also...
France and Italy Seek Safe Passage Deal with Iran
France and Italy have opened diplomatic talks with Iran to secure safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil transit chokepoint. The initiative follows recent French casualties and heightened military presence that underscored the risks...
Costs Push France Toward Caution on Iran
France continues to adopt a strictly defensive stance in the escalating Iran‑UAE confrontation, deploying Rafale fighters to intercept Iranian Shahed drones over the United Arab Emirates. The intensive use of MICA air‑to‑air missiles has sharply reduced French missile reserves, highlighting...
F-35 Software Upgrades ‘Stagnated’ as Jets Fly Iran Missions
The Pentagon’s testing office reported that F‑35 software upgrades have stagnated, with no new combat capability delivered in 2025 despite the jets conducting missions over Iran. The latest software block, designated TR‑3, was largely unusable due to stability issues, capability...
The Strategic Importance of SAMP/T: The Ukraine War and Transatlantic Competition
The Ukraine conflict has become a proving ground for long‑range air‑defence systems, exposing gaps in Ukraine’s layered shield. While the French‑Italian SAMP/T and U.S. Patriot were both deployed in 2023, the Patriot’s greater range is offset by higher cost and...
In Joint Patrols with China, Vietnam Steers Course Between Two Powers
China and Vietnam launched a joint naval patrol and training exercise in the Gulf of Tonkin this week, extending a practice that has persisted despite their overlapping maritime claims. The operation follows a series of coordinated drills that began last...
‘Hell’s Army’ Director on the Rise of Russian Mercenary Legion the Wagner Group, and a Warning for the U.S.: ‘This...
Oscar‑nominated director Richard Rowley’s new documentary “Hell’s Army” chronicles the global expansion of Russia’s Wagner Group, following journalist Katya Hakim as she tracks founder Yevgeny Prigozhin across Ukraine, Syria and Africa. The film, which premiered at CPH:DOX, reveals Wagner’s 30,000‑strong force—larger...
Could China Build an ‘Army of Centaurs’ with This Non-Invasive Cyborg Tech?
Chinese researchers have unveiled a non‑invasive wearable human‑robot hybrid that assists soldiers in carrying heavy loads across rugged terrain. The exoskeleton uses lightweight actuators, sensor arrays and AI‑driven control to augment strength without requiring implants. Tests suggest it can increase...
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Kelluu’s Airships on the Radar of Nato and Conspiracists Alike
Finland‑based Kelluu has launched 12‑metre hydrogen‑fuel‑cell airships that hover silently for days, capturing high‑resolution geospatial data. The lighter‑than‑air platforms can operate in extreme Arctic cold and resist GNSS jamming, drawing interest from NATO and defence customers. Kelluu offers a turnkey...
Iran War: Trump Threatens Further Kharg Island Strikes ‘Just for Fun’
President Donald Trump warned that the United States could hit Iran’s strategic Kharg Island oil hub again "just for fun," after claiming the first strikes had largely destroyed the facility. Iran’s foreign minister warned of retaliation against U.S. energy assets...
Saab Sets Sights on LUUV Sea Trials in Mid-2026
Saab has secured a SEK 60 million contract from Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration to build a large uncrewed underwater vehicle (LUUV) demonstrator, dubbed the Autonomous Ocean Drone (AOD). The 7‑metre, 6.5‑tonne platform will integrate Saab’s Autonomous Ocean Core autonomy engine and is...
Resecurity Unveils Latest Threat Intelligence Solutions at CyberBay Summit 2026 (Tampa, FL)
Resecurity showcased its newest threat‑intelligence solutions at the CyberBay Summit 2026 in Tampa, engaging government, defense, academia, and private‑sector leaders. The company highlighted AI‑driven risk‑management tools and insights on malicious activity tied to the Iran conflict. It also warned of heightened...
Taiwan Military Official Denies Delay in Delivery of MQ-9Bs
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that the first two of four MQ‑9B SkyGuardian drones will arrive in the second half of 2026, adhering to the original schedule. Ground‑control stations are being built to operate the drones once delivered. The...
The Economics of War: The West Must Embrace Mass Production of Weapons
Western defence forces face a growing gap against mass‑produced drone swarms, with Ukraine reporting over 54,000 hostile UAVs in 2025 alone. Existing high‑cost SAM systems such as Patriot and SAMP/T are ill‑suited for low‑cost, high‑volume threats, and their long production...
US Air Force Deploys B-52 as Operation Epic Fury Continues
The U.S. Air Force launched a Boeing B‑52 Stratofortress on a night sortie as part of Operation Epic Fury, aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to rebuild its missile and drone capabilities. CENTCOM emphasized that strikes remain unpredictable, dynamic and decisive. The conflict...
Japan Says Dispatching Ships to Middle East Faces High Hurdles
Japan’s senior officials say sending naval vessels to escort ships in the Middle East would encounter significant hurdles. The comment follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Tokyo to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open and safe. While not...
Drones Strike Civilians in Sudan, Prompting UN Concern
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemned a surge in drone attacks across Sudan, reporting over 200 civilian deaths since March 4, including 152 in West Kordofan alone. Strikes attributed to the Sudanese Armed Forces hit markets, a hospital...
Beltway Buzz, March 13, 2026
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security remains unfunded after Congress missed the February 13 deadline, leaving TSA agents without pay and causing longer airport security lines. A Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the NLRB’s 2023 bargaining‑order precedent, limiting...
Israel Says Killed Two Top Iran Intelligence Officers in Tehran
Israel’s military announced that on March 13 it eliminated two senior Iranian intelligence officers, Abdollah Jalali‑Nasab and Amir Shariat, in a strike on Tehran. Both men had been appointed to lead the Khatam al‑Anbiya intelligence directorate after the previous head, Saleh...
Russian Air Defences Down 65 Drones Headed for Moscow, Mayor Says
Russian air‑defence units reported downing 65 Ukrainian drones over Moscow during an 11‑hour period on Saturday, part of a broader effort that saw 280 drones intercepted across central and western Russia. The Defence Ministry said 47 of those drones were...
Switzerland Refuses US Overflights Linked to Middle East War
Switzerland rejected two U.S. requests for reconnaissance overflights linked to the Israel‑Iran conflict, invoking its long‑standing neutrality statutes. The government approved a maintenance flight and two transport missions on March 14 but denied the military‑purpose requests on March 15. Humanitarian and medical...
Israel Is Running Critically Low on Interceptors, US Officials Say
Israel has warned the United States that its ballistic missile interceptor stockpile is critically low as the war with Iran intensifies. The shortage follows heavy use during last summer’s clash and is worsened by Iran’s deployment of cluster‑munition‑laden missiles. While...
SHLD: A Timely Defense Play As The U.S.-Iran War Escalates
The Global X Defense Tech ETF (SHLD) provides investors exposure to large defense, cybersecurity, and advanced military‑technology companies. Since its launch, SHLD has delivered a 52.44% total return through 2024, outperforming the broader S&P 500 ETF. Analysts expect continued outperformance as...
The Sunday Read: Paul Daley on Australia’s Blind Acceptance of Trump’s War on Iran - Podcast
Guardian Australia columnist Paul Daley warns that Australia’s uncritical backing of Donald Trump’s threats against Iran could pull the nation into a broader conflict involving Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu. He argues the country is blindly accepting U.S. pressure despite a shifting...
US Pummels Iran’s Key Kharg Island Terminal
The United States launched a missile strike against Iran’s Kharg Island terminal, the country’s main oil export hub, late Friday and early Saturday local time. The attack targeted the facility that handles roughly 30% of Iran’s crude shipments, aiming to...
Israel May Commit ‘New Genocide’ in Lebanon Using Iran War as Pretext, Turkey Warns
Turkey’s foreign minister warned that Israel’s ongoing air strikes on Lebanon could amount to a new genocide, citing civilian deaths that now total 826, including women and children. The attacks follow Hezbollah’s retaliation after Iran’s Supreme Leader was killed in...
U.S. Rushes 10,000 Ukraine-Proven Merops AI Drones to Middle East to Counter Iranian Shahed Swarms
The U.S. Army has shipped 10,000 AI‑enabled Merops interceptor drones to the Middle East as part of Operation Epic Fury, aiming to blunt Iranian Shahed‑type drone swarms. Merops, proven in Ukraine, costs roughly $14‑15 k per unit—far cheaper than Patriot missiles and even...
OpenClaw AI Agent Flaws Could Enable Prompt Injection and Data Exfiltration
China’s CNCERT has warned that OpenClaw, an open‑source autonomous AI agent, suffers from weak default security configurations that can be exploited for prompt‑injection attacks. Researchers demonstrated that indirect prompt injection via link previews can exfiltrate confidential data without user interaction....
UN Chief Says ‘Diplomatic Avenues Are Available’ to End War in Lebanon
U.N. Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres told reporters in Beirut that diplomatic channels remain open to end the war between Israel and Iran‑backed Hezbollah. He condemned attacks on UN peacekeepers, noting three Ghanaian soldiers were wounded, and emphasized that there is no...
AppsFlyer Web SDK Hijacked to Spread Crypto-Stealing JavaScript Code
This week the AppsFlyer Web SDK was temporarily hijacked, delivering obfuscated JavaScript that intercepted cryptocurrency wallet addresses entered on client sites and swapped them for attacker‑controlled wallets. The malicious payload was served from the official domain between March 9 22:45 UTC and March 11,...
Exclusive: U.S. Lacks the "Will" For Iran Ground War, Anduril's Luckey Says
Palmer Luckey, founder of defense‑tech firm Anduril, told Axios the United States lacks the political will and public consensus to launch a boots‑on‑the‑ground campaign in Iran. He argued that decades of Middle‑East interventions have eroded America’s capacity for sustained ground...
The US Is Shifting THAAD From South Korea to the Mideast. What Does that Mean for China?
Washington is moving THAAD missile‑defence batteries from South Korea to the Middle East, creating a temporary gap in the Korean Peninsula’s missile shield. The redeployment follows heightened tensions with Iran and aims to bolster U.S. deterrence against regional missile threats....
Indonesia at Forefront of the Gaza Peace Mission: Jakarta’s Role in the Board of Peace
Indonesia announced it is ready to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza as part of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, positioning Jakarta as the largest national contributor to the planned International Stabilisation Force. The deployment, slated to begin with...