Defense News and Headlines
Defense News and Headlines
Defense Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
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 on February 28. Iran warned that U.S., Israeli and allied ships could be deemed legitimate targets if they transit the chokepoint. The action underscores heightened maritime security concerns in a waterway that moves roughly one‑fifth of global oil daily.
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...
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...
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...
Honeywell Aerospace secured a U.S. Air Force prototype contract to design a propulsion system for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) using its new SkyShot 1600 engine. The SkyShot 1600 can operate as a turbojet or turbofan, delivering 800‑2,800 pounds of...
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...
The UK government is allocating £180 million to build a National Timing Centre (NTC) that will safeguard critical services such as mobile networks, banking and emergency response from GNSS disruptions. Led by the National Physical Laboratory, the NTC will employ atomic...
The article warns that cloud‑based AI systems crumble when communications are contested, as adversaries can jam satellites, cut fiber, or target data centers. It argues that true edge computing—independent, local processing—remains functional without network handshakes, eliminating latency and synchronization gaps....
ISACA has been named the Department of Defense’s official CMMC Assessors and Instructors Certification Organisation, giving it authority to deliver the full suite of CMMC credentials worldwide. The CMMC framework blends NIST standards with a maturity model, becoming a global...
U.S. Central Command released video showing airstrikes that set fire to an Iranian Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a P-3F Orion maritime patrol aircraft, and an Ilyushin Il-76 freighter. The footage, posted on X, confirms the destruction of several legacy American-made planes...
Autonomous warfare is moving from theory to practice, with Ukraine deploying millions of drones and AI‑assisted systems that operate even when communications are jammed. The conflict has demonstrated that autonomous formations can execute coordinated attacks without human pilots, compressing the...
The Pentagon and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence are issuing an Area of Interest for a modular "harness" that can evaluate any AI model against mission‑specific benchmarks. The system must test isolated AI performance, human‑AI team outcomes,...
Satellite imagery shows China rapidly expanding Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands, deploying more than 30 dredgers and construction vessels. The reclamation effort, the first major South China Sea project since Beijing announced a halt over a decade ago, appears...
The UN sanctions committee warns that global jihadism has rebounded, with Al‑Qaeda’s core network now estimated at 25,000 members and its affiliates operating across the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and South Asia. Extremist groups are exploiting cheap commercial technology—satellite links,...
The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for nearly a month after a February continuing resolution expired without a new funding deal. Congressional attempts to pass a bipartisan funding bill have stalled, with the House approving a measure...
U.S. defense contractor L3Harris, through its Trenchant surveillance‑tech division, was identified as a developer of the Coruna iOS exploit kit. Former employees disclosed that the kit, comprising roughly two dozen components originally built for a government surveillance client, has been...
The U.S. Marine Corps has issued a Sources‑Sought notice for a Multispectral Camouflage Overgarment (MCO) that can obscure Marines across visual, near‑infrared, short‑wave infrared, mid‑wave infrared and long‑wave infrared bands. The program targets delivery of 13,000 cloaks by 2027 and...
The U.S. Air Force captured its first public glimpse of a B‑21 Raider linking up with a KC‑135R Stratotanker for mid‑air refueling, a risky maneuver that validates the bomber’s operational envelope. The test, part of a series of flight trials,...
An oil tanker near Iraq's Umm Qasr port caught fire, with early reports indicating a possible direct attack on the vessel. Witnesses said multiple tankers were ablaze, suggesting a coordinated incident. The event adds to a series of recent assaults...
The Trump administration is reportedly weighing a covert special operation to seize any remaining enriched uranium in Iran’s stockpile. The plan, still under discussion, would involve a rapid raid on Iranian nuclear facilities to physically remove the material. Non‑proliferation experts...
The U.S. Air Force has positioned eight B‑1B Lancer and three B‑52H Stratofortress bombers at RAF Fairford, UK, to conduct Operation Epic Fury strikes against Iran. Forward‑based aircraft cut flight times to Iranian targets by more than half, enabling a rapid, high‑tempo...
Rheinmetall AG announced it will not submit a formal bid for laser‑communications specialist Mynaric AG, ending a brief period of speculation about a German “national solution” to block Rocket Lab’s $150 million acquisition. The withdrawal leaves Rocket Lab as the sole...
U.S. President Donald Trump told a Kentucky rally that the United States has "won" the war against Iran, claiming the destruction of 58 Iranian naval vessels. He emphasized that the U.S. will stay engaged to "finish the job" and avoid...
The U.S. Army has added Elbit Systems of America to the Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) development team, joining Anduril Industries and startup Rivet. Elbit will deliver and test its prototype hardware later this year as part of the SBMC...
President Donald Trump announced that the United States will draw 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve over the next four months, the first release since 2022. The move comes as the U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran has pushed...
U.S. MQ‑9 Reaper drones are conducting persistent ISR and precision strikes against Iranian missile and drone launchers as part of Operation Epic Fury, having hit more than 5,500 targets since the conflict began. Iran’s air defenses have managed to down...
Former Trump deputy special envoy Morgan Ortagus defended the February 28 U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran, arguing they were a necessary response to a cumulative threat from Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and regional destabilization. She claimed the Trump administration had repeatedly offered...
G7 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Russia sanctions while confronting the ripple effects of the U.S.–Israeli conflict on Iran and global energy markets. They agreed to deepen coordination with Gulf partners to safeguard shipping lanes and stabilize oil supplies. A...
Ukrainian drone and defense firms are rapidly localizing component production, now achieving 80‑90% domestic content for first‑level parts and aiming for 100% on‑shoring of critical systems. Companies such as The Fourth Law and Unwave are building a semiconductor fab to...
![[Wang Son-Taek] The Hidden Cost of War: Public Diplomacy](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/03/11/news-p.v1.20260311.929efa03846b4bb2b5cbda2a4133aa61_T1.jpg)
The piece examines how prolonged conflicts impose hidden costs beyond the battlefield, focusing on public diplomacy’s role in shaping perceptions and economic stability. It cites the recent 7% plunge in the KOSPI amid Middle‑East tensions as a market signal of...
Iran confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei, named the country’s third supreme leader on March 8, was wounded in the February 28 U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The appointment was orchestrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a...
Xygeni’s official GitHub Action was compromised through a tag‑poisoning attack that redirected the mutable v5 tag to a malicious commit containing a command‑and‑control implant. The attacker leveraged a stolen maintainer personal access token and a compromised GitHub App private key...
The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on March 12 demanding that Iran immediately stop its attacks on Gulf states and cease any interference with navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The measure passed with 13 votes in favor...
Albanian parliament email system was targeted by the Iran‑linked hacking group Homeland Justice. The attackers sought to access or leak emails of senior political figures, and some content later appeared on Telegram. Albania’s National Cyber Security Authority launched an investigation,...
Anthropic’s $200 million DoD contract fell apart despite Claude being the Pentagon’s most capable AI model. The AI was deeply embedded in classified systems, yet the partnership collapsed because neither Anthropic nor the prime contractor owned the customer relationship. The article...
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and the USAF Test Pilot School demonstrated AI‑piloted fighters evading missiles on the X‑62A VISTA, a modified F‑16. Dozens of AI agents were trained in randomized, high‑fidelity simulations before being uploaded to a tablet and given control...
SYOS Aerospace announced its SA200 heavy‑lift uncrewed helicopter has successfully completed fully autonomous take‑off and landing trials from moving platforms, clearing it for serial production. The aircraft can lift up to 200 kg, fly 180 km (extendable to 300 km) and uses the...
Booz Allen Hamilton’s venture arm has made its first investment outside the United States, backing UK‑based Hadean in a bridge round alongside Entrepreneurs First, Twin Track Ventures and the British Business Bank. Hadean, founded in 2015, builds AI‑driven digital wargaming...
The U.S. Army’s 21st Theater Sustainment Command will open an Innovation Lab in Kaiserslautern, Germany on March 13, marking the first operational makerspace the Army has deployed in Europe. The 10,000‑square‑foot facility links frontline soldiers directly to Army Development Command and...
Nearly every Senate Democrat signed a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding a swift investigation into a February 28 airstrike that hit a girls' school in Iran, killing dozens of children. Reuters reports U.S. investigators now consider it likely that U.S....
Experts from the IAEA, James Martin Center and other institutions say Iran is not on the brink of a nuclear bomb despite President Trump’s claim of a two‑week timeline. As of June 2025 Tehran possessed 441 kg of 60 % enriched uranium, enough for...
Satellite operator SES confirmed that a missile struck its teleport facility in Emek Ha’ela, Israel on March 9, damaging a small portion of the geostationary antenna field. The company reported no injuries and said core services and power remained operational, activating...
BK Technologies unveiled LocateONE LITE, a low‑cost ($200) application that delivers real‑time user location to Android ATAK maps without relying on cellular or IP networks. The solution extracts GPS coordinates embedded in BK radio push‑to‑talk packets and distributes them via a...
Iranian state‑linked media released a list naming Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle as legitimate targets in the expanding regional war. The warning follows recent Iranian drone attacks that damaged Amazon Web Services data centers in the UAE and...
President Donald Trump told reporters he is not worried about potential Iran‑backed attacks on U.S. soil, despite an FBI alert warning California police of possible drone strikes on the West Coast. The warning follows U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian...
Filtronic has moved into a 44,000 sq ft facility in Sedgefield, expanding its industrial capacity six‑fold. The new space enables the tier‑two defence supplier to meet growing demand from the AUKUS partnership, particularly for electronic‑warfare and radar RF components. Filtronic already supplies...
The article warns that Congress has so far been absent from the Iran war despite its constitutional power to declare war, and recent attempts to invoke the War Powers Resolution failed on partisan lines. It argues that the Trump administration...
_Cropped_1.png)
The U.S. Navy has turned down daily requests from commercial shippers to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, deeming the risk too severe amid the ongoing war with Iran. Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, 17 tankers have...
