Here's How a Shutdown Would Affect DHS Agencies
Congress faces a looming partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security as the two‑week stopgap expires Friday. Without a deal, agencies such as the Coast Guard, CISA, TSA, Secret Service and FEMA would see non‑essential staff furloughed and essential workers forced to work without pay. The Coast Guard would suspend most missions, the TSA could close security lines, and FEMA’s disaster‑relief operations would be crippled. ICE would largely remain operational thanks to a recent multi‑year funding boost, but the broader DHS shutdown would ripple across transportation, cybersecurity and emergency management.
Alpha Unmanned & Parallel Flight Partnership Targets Long-Endurance Heavy-Lift UAV Operations Using Heavy Fuel
Alpha Unmanned Systems and Parallel Flight Technologies have teamed up to convert Parallel Flight’s Firefly Group 3 UAV to heavy‑fuel operation. The effort leverages Parallel Flight’s Parallel Hybrid Electric Multirotor (PHEM) architecture, aiming for long‑endurance, heavy‑lift missions in naval and expeditionary...
![New Zealand and Dyess Fly Together in Arizona [Image 4 of 5]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518680/250w_q95.jpg)
New Zealand and Dyess Fly Together in Arizona [Image 4 of 5]
The U.S. Air Force 40th Airlift Squadron and the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s No. 40 Squadron flew their C‑130J Hercules aircraft together during a training sortie at the Advanced Tactics Aircrew Course near Fort Huachuca, Arizona, on August 21, 2025. The sortie was part...
![New Zealand and Dyess Fly Together in Arizona [Image 5 of 5]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518681/250w_q95.jpg)
New Zealand and Dyess Fly Together in Arizona [Image 5 of 5]
On August 21, 2025, a U.S. Air Force C‑130J Hercules of the 40th Airlift Squadron and a Royal New Zealand Air Force C‑130J of No. 40 Squadron landed together at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, after completing the Advanced Tactics Aircrew Course. The course, run...
![Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 7 of 7]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518675/250w_q95.jpg)
Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 7 of 7]
U.S. Air Force personnel from the 35th Logistic Readiness Squadron executed a combined casualty and vehicle‑recovery drill at Misawa Air Base, Japan, on Feb. 11 2026. The exercise simulated extracting a wrecked vehicle from a ditch while providing immediate medical care, illustrating...
![Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 3 of 7]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518667/250w_q95.jpg)
Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 3 of 7]
On February 11, 2026, the 35th Civil Engineer Squadron and the 35th Logistic Readiness Squadron executed a combined casualty and vehicle‑recovery exercise at Misawa Air Base, Japan. Firefighter Tadakatsu Kumagai demonstrated stretcher‑pull techniques on a simulated wreck, highlighting the drill’s...
![Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 4 of 7]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518671/250w_q95.jpg)
Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 4 of 7]
U.S. Air Force personnel from the 35th Civil Engineer Squadron executed an inter‑unit casualty and vehicle recovery drill at Misawa Air Base, Japan, on Feb. 11 2026, documented in a photo taken Oct. 2 2026. The exercise simulated a car‑wreck scenario, requiring fire‑protection specialists...
![Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 6 of 7]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518674/250w_q95.jpg)
Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 6 of 7]
U.S. Airmen from the 35th Civil Engineer Squadron and the 35th Medical Group executed a combined casualty and vehicle recovery drill at Misawa Air Base, Japan, on Feb. 11, 2026. The exercise simulated a combat environment where rescue teams and...
![Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 2 of 7]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518666/250w_q95.jpg)
Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 2 of 7]
On Feb. 11, 2026, U.S. Air Force personnel at Misawa Air Base conducted an inter‑unit casualty and vehicle recovery exercise. Airman 1st Class Josiah Smith and 35th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters simulated a car wreck to test emergency response protocols....
![Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 1 of 7]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518665/250w_q95.jpg)
Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 1 of 7]
On Feb 11 2026, the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base staged an inter‑unit casualty and vehicle recovery drill, simulating a car wreck to evaluate rapid response. Multiple units coordinated to extract injured personnel and recover disabled vehicles, sharpening joint operational...
![Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 5 of 7]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518672/250w_q95.jpg)
Combined Readiness: Inter-Unit Casualty and Vehicle Recovery Exercise [Image 5 of 7]
On Feb. 11, 2026, the 35th Civil Engineer Squadron at Misawa Air Base conducted an inter‑unit casualty and vehicle recovery exercise. Airman 1st Class Josiah Smith and squadron firefighters moved a dummy from a simulated car wreck, demonstrating coordinated stretcher...
![MWCS-38 Norwegian Foot March [Image 9 of 11]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518644/250w_q95.jpg)
MWCS-38 Norwegian Foot March [Image 9 of 11]
U.S. Marines from Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38, part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, completed the historic Norwegian Foot March at MCAS Miramar on February 11, 2026. The 18.64‑mile timed march, a test of endurance first used by Norway’s military in 1915,...
![MWCS-38 Norwegian Foot March [Image 6 of 11]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2602/9518640/250w_q95.jpg)
MWCS-38 Norwegian Foot March [Image 6 of 11]
U.S. Marines from Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38 took part in the Norwegian Foot March at MCAS Miramar on Feb. 11 2026. The 18.64‑mile timed march, a tradition dating to Norway’s 1915 military endurance test, challenged participants to move under load over a...
Russia Still Sees US as Its Top Adversary, Estonian Intelligence Report Says
Estonia’s foreign‑intelligence agency warns that, despite recent U.S.–Russia talks, Moscow continues to regard Washington as its chief global adversary. The report argues the dialogue is a Russian tactic to exploit the new U.S. administration for espionage, influence operations and the...
Companies Are Using ‘Summarize with AI’ to Manipulate Enterprise Chatbots
Microsoft's research reveals a new AI hijacking technique called AI recommendation poisoning, where "Summarize with AI" buttons embed hidden prompts that bias enterprise chatbots toward a vendor’s products. Over two months, researchers found 50 instances across 31 companies in sectors...
Police.AI - New Tech Tools for UK Law Enforcement
The UK Home Office has launched Police.AI, a national centre to centralise AI procurement, policy and deployment across policing agencies. Early rollout includes 40 additional live facial‑recognition vans and a suite of tools such as deep‑fake detection and predictive analytics....
0APT Ransomware Group Rises Swiftly with Bluster, Along with Genuine Threat of Attack
The 0APT ransomware group burst onto the scene last month, publicly claiming roughly 200 victims within its first week. While investigators have found no evidence that any of those organizations were actually breached, the group’s infrastructure includes a fully functional,...
Once-Hobbled Lumma Stealer Is Back with Lures that Are Hard to Resist
Lumma Stealer has reemerged at scale after a 2025 law‑enforcement takedown that crippled its command‑and‑control infrastructure. The malware‑as‑a‑service operation now relies on ClickFix lures—fake CAPTCHAs that trick users into running malicious commands—and the memory‑only CastleLoader to evade detection. Researchers report...
ESA Will Engage Global Leaders at the Munich Security Conference 2026
The European Space Agency will attend the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) from 13‑15 February 2026, with Director General Josef Aschbacher joining heads of state, industry CEOs and security experts. ESA aims to showcase how space systems underpin Europe’s competitiveness,...
Watch Vulcan Centaur Rocket Launch 'Neighborhood Watch' Satellites for the US Military Early on Feb. 12
ULA’s Vulcan Centaur will launch early on Feb 12 from Cape Canaveral on the USSF‑87 mission, carrying two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites for the U.S. Space Force. The payloads will monitor the crowded geostationary orbit, providing “neighborhood watch” data...
NASA Administrator Eyes Greater Collaboration with Pentagon
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman urged deeper collaboration between NASA and the Department of Defense, highlighting their historic partnership and the national‑security dimensions of the Artemis lunar program. He pointed to an executive order that tasks the White House Office of...
Interim CISA Chief: ‘When the Government Shuts Down, Cyber Threats Do Not’
Acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala warned that a DHS shutdown would cripple the agency’s ability to issue timely cyber guidance, force over a third of frontline security staff to work without pay, and halt proactive threat‑hunting activities. The shutdown would...
US Navy on the Hunt for Strike Drones that Can Launch From Any Warship
The U.S. Navy, via a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) solicitation, is pursuing the Runway Independent Maritime and Expeditionary Strike (RIMES) program to field long‑range strike drones that can launch from destroyers, littoral combat ships and future frigates. The drones must...
Western Europe in a Multipolar World
The global order has moved from Cold‑War bipolarity to a multipolar system where the United States, Russia and a rising China dominate international affairs. Technological globalization and interdependence have intensified, reshaping how Western Europe engages with these powers. The article...
The UK Chagos Deal Is an 'Act of Great Stupidity'
The United Kingdom has announced a plan to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to an unrelated African nation, sparking alarm among security analysts. The islands host Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.–U.K. military base that underpins American power projection across...
U.S. Navy Deploys Two Nuclear Attack Submarines Near Guam
On February 11, 2026, two U.S. Navy Los Angeles‑class nuclear attack submarines surfaced together off Guam in a tightly controlled formation exercise. The maneuver, supported by naval aviation, is a rare display of coordinated undersea operations. It underscores the forward‑deployed force’s...
In the Next Pacific War, America Will Be Imperial Japan
The article argues that the United States now mirrors Imperial Japan’s World War II posture: a massive, technologically advanced fleet without a commensurate domestic defense‑industrial base. It points out that while the U.S. Navy has expanded dramatically, shipbuilding capacity and critical...
Iran Faces Multiple Pressures on Its Anniversary
Iran commemorated the 47th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution amid heightened internal and external pressures. President Donald Trump signaled the possibility of dispatching another aircraft carrier group to the Middle East, intensifying diplomatic friction. Simultaneously, Iranians took to the...
U.S. Eyes Containerized Launchers for Massive Drone Swarms
The U.S. Department of Defense is evaluating containerized launch systems that can release large autonomous drone swarms from standard shipping containers. Partnering with UVision, the effort leverages the Containerized Autonomous Drone Delivery System (CADDS) to provide rapid, modular deployment for...
Trump's New Start on Nuclear Weapons
The Wall Street Journal editorial argues that President Trump's latest nuclear weapons initiative reflects a pragmatic response to the disintegration of Cold‑War era arms‑control agreements. With the INF Treaty and the original New START expired or suspended, the administration is...
FPDS Looks Old and Clunky but that only Masks Its Power
The Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) looks like a relic from the 1990s, yet it houses millions of detailed federal contract records. Its clunky interface and convoluted advanced search require users to master a maze of filters to extract useful...
CISA’s Acting Chief Says 70 Staff Were Reassigned to Other DHS Offices in Last Year
Acting CISA director Madhu Gottumukkala told House appropriators that roughly 70 CISA employees were reassigned to other DHS components over the past year, while more than 30 staff were moved into the agency. A small number of those transfers went...
DOJ Says Trenchant Boss Sold Exploits to Russian Broker Capable of Accessing ‘Millions of Computers and Devices’
The DOJ has charged Peter Williams, former general manager of Trenchant—a cyber‑offensive unit of L3Harris—with stealing eight zero‑day exploits and selling them to a Russian broker for about $1.3 million in cryptocurrency. Prosecutors say the tools could grant access to millions of...
BBN Wins US DoD Contract for Radar and 5G Coexistence Project
RTX BBN Technologies secured a U.S. Department of Defense contract to create a real‑time smart spectrum manager that enables defence radars and commercial 5G networks to share frequencies without interference. The first phase will deliver a system that detects radar...
Extended-Range GMLRS Surpasses 100km in Latest US Army Flight Test
The U.S. Army successfully flight‑tested the extended‑range Guided Multiple‑Launch Rocket System (ER GMLRS) on Jan. 30 at White Sands, hitting area targets beyond 100 km. The test used the Alternative Warhead variant launched from a HIMARS, with performance meeting or exceeding expectations. ER GMLRS...
UK Seeking Containerised Armouries for Overseas Bases
The UK Ministry of Defence has issued a tender for containerised armouries, ammunition stores and workshops to support its overseas bases. The contract calls for a 20‑ft armoury and two 10‑ft containers, valued between £250 million and £500 million, with bids due...
Raytheon Tests New Version of Coyote Counter-Drone System
Raytheon announced a successful test of the Coyote Block 3NK, a non‑kinetic counter‑drone system that can loiter, engage and be recalled for multiple missions. The variant is designed to neutralize drone swarms while minimizing collateral damage, making it suitable for urban...
Davie Defense Awarded USCG Contract to Build Five Arctic Security Cutters
Davie Defense, the U.S. arm of INOCEA, won a United States Coast Guard contract to build five Arctic Security Cutters, with the first vessel due in 2028. The program is part of a larger effort to acquire up to 11...
Inguar Defence Develops Special Vehicle to Support Drone Operations
Ukrainian defense firm Inguar Defence unveiled a pickup‑style variant of its Inguar‑3 MRAP, specifically built for UAV crews. Developed with input from Lasar’s Group of the National Guard, the vehicle retains the armored hull but drops the turret to cut...
Japan's New Supermajority Mandate To Defend Taiwan
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a landslide in February 2026, securing a two‑thirds majority in Japan’s lower house. The supermajority empowers her administration to adopt a hardline posture toward China’s regional ambitions. Tokyo has publicly pledged to defend Taiwan against any...
What Rubio Gets Right (and Wrong) About the Western Hemisphere
Juan S. González argues that U.S. security hinges on a stable Western Hemisphere, echoing Roosevelt’s Monroe‑Doctrine insight. He praises Secretary of State Marco Rubio for recognizing the need for proactive engagement but criticizes Rubio’s reliance on coercion and short‑term pressure....
New Opportunities for Defence Firms as EU Steps up Support for Ukraine
The European Commission approved a €90 billion loan to Ukraine for 2026‑27, allocating €60 billion specifically for defence. Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis announced the package on 4 February 2026, aiming to sustain Ukraine’s military procurement through 2027. The financing opens a sizable market for European...
Rotors Over Le Mans: Europe’s Auto Giant Pivots to Military Production
Renault Group announced it will produce up to 600 unmanned aerial vehicles for the French armed forces, repurposing its Le Mans automotive plant rather than building a new facility. The move marks the French automaker’s first foray into defense hardware and...
Kroenig on NPR on Iran
Atlantic Council vice‑president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig appeared on NPR on Feb. 11 to discuss the Trump administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iran. He outlined the limited progress of back‑channel talks aimed at reviving a nuclear agreement and highlighted...
What the 2026 Singapore Airshow Tells Us About Asia’s Defense Industry Landscape
The 10th Singapore Airshow in February 2026 highlighted a shifting Asian defense market where cost‑effective, system‑of‑systems solutions are overtaking pure platform performance. China’s presence was muted, with fewer exhibitors and a conservative J‑10C demo aimed at budget‑constrained buyers, while its...
Integrate Raises $17M to Move Defense Project Management Into the 21st Century
Integrate, a Seattle‑based startup founded by former Air Force officer John Conafay, raised a $17 million Series A to commercialize its secure collaboration platform for defense projects. The company recently secured a $25 million, five‑year contract with the U.S. Space Force, proving demand...
US Coast Guard Orders Five Arctic Security Cutters From Davie Defense
U.S. Coast Guard awarded Davie Defense a contract to build five Arctic Security Cutters, a new class of polar icebreakers. The first two vessels will be constructed at Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, with delivery expected in 2028, while the remaining...
Space Force Is Moving to Acquire by Mission Area, Service Official Says
The U.S. Space Force announced a shift from program‑based buying to aligning acquisitions with specific mission areas, a change championed by Lt. Gen. David Miller Jr. at the Defense and Intelligence Space Conference. Miller warned that speed alone without clear...
CSG and Aselsan Form EU-Based Joint Ventures to Unveil the Korkut Air Defense System
Czech defence group CSG and Turkey’s Aselsan signed a joint venture on 4 February 2026 to produce the Korkut short‑range air‑defence system in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The partnership relocates manufacturing and integration to EU facilities, ensuring compliance with NATO...
Boeing Shows Off JDAM LR Anti-Ship, Mining Bomber Payloads
Boeing demonstrated its Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range (JDAM LR) equipped with anti‑ship and Quickstrike mining payloads on legacy B‑52H and B‑1B bombers. The kit converts a standard Mk‑82 bomb into a 300‑nautical‑mile cruise missile, with a decoy version...