Defense News and Headlines
Defense News and Headlines
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Every morning
Weekly
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The White House issued an executive order directing multiple federal agencies to develop a 120‑day action plan against transnational cybercrime and to launch a Victim Restoration Program within 90 days. The program will use seized or forfeited funds to reimburse Americans defrauded by ransomware, phishing, sextortion and other schemes that cost roughly $12.5 billion annually. An operational cell within the National Coordination Center will coordinate across State, Treasury, Defense, Homeland Security and Justice, leveraging private‑sector threat intelligence. The order also threatens sanctions, visa restrictions and trade penalties against countries that shelter these criminal networks.
The Trump administration has abandoned traditional liberal institutions and real‑politik rhetoric, replacing them with a post‑liberal agenda that mirrors illiberal democracies. It has shuttered agencies such as USAID and the Institute of Peace, cut funding for democracy‑promotion outlets, and pursued...
The piece examines Iran’s Iraqi proxy militias, which despite being part of Tehran’s “axis of resistance,” are largely staying out of the current Iran‑Israel‑U.S. war, focusing on profit and political control rather than frontline combat. It traces their evolution from...
The Indian Air Force lost a Su-30MKI on March 5 after it vanished from radar during a training sortie from Jorhat, killing both pilots. This marks the third Su-30MKI crash in as many years, yet the fleet’s attrition rate stays...
China’s reusable Shenlong space plane lifted off from Jiuquan on February 6 and is now on its fourth orbital mission, cruising at a 594 km circular orbit after thruster firings on February 9 and 12. The vehicle shows no evidence of deploying small...
Iran’s president pledged to cease attacks unless provoked, after the IRGC launched an Arash‑2 drone strike on Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan airport that injured civilians. Azerbaijan responded by sealing its land border with Iran and hinted it could extend restrictions to Iranian...
Russian state‑linked hackers are conducting a global campaign to hijack Signal and WhatsApp accounts belonging to government officials, military personnel, and journalists, Dutch intelligence warned. The operation relies on social‑engineering tactics—impersonating support staff to obtain verification codes or trick users...
Ali al‑Sistani’s office issued a rare statement condemning the military aggression against Iran. The declaration frames the conflict as a violation of international law, stresses civilian casualties, and urges diplomatic resolution. It also serves as a warning to Iraqi political...
The article argues that NATO cannot fulfill Article 5 unless it fully integrates the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. It uses fictional vignettes to illustrate how gender‑specific vulnerabilities—such as disrupted education, caregiving burdens, and cyber‑defence fatigue—can erode operational effectiveness. The...
The United States’ new war against Iran is diverting military assets and attention away from its long‑standing Asian pivot, leaving its key East Asian allies exposed. Japan and South Korea now confront a stark choice: deepen security cooperation to counter...
The Pentagon confirmed that a seventh U.S. service member died after being wounded in an Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia, marking the latest casualty in the expanding Middle‑East war. Iran’s missile and drone strike targeted Prince Sultan Air Base, while...
In early March, negotiations for the Pentagon’s use of Anthropic’s Claude collapsed, and the Trump administration designated Anthropic a supply‑chain risk, prompting the company to sue. OpenAI quickly closed a separate defense contract, triggering a wave of ChatGPT uninstalls and...
Ukraine now fields nearly 70,000 women in its armed forces, with more than 10,000 fighting on the front lines. The surge has been driven by a rapid expansion of high‑tech combat roles such as drone piloting, unmanned‑systems command, and intelligence...
The United States and Israel are escalating a military campaign against Iran, raising concerns that the conflict could divert American attention and resources. Analysts warn that this distraction may allow China to deepen its strategic foothold in the Indo‑Pacific. The...
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded BlackSky Geospatial Solutions a $99 million SBIR Phase III contract to build an advanced optical imaging testbed for the Air Force Research Laboratory. Simultaneously, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control received a $53.1 million contract modification to...
The U.S. Navy routinely conducts SINKEX exercises, deliberately sinking decommissioned vessels to provide realistic live‑fire training, showcase weapon capabilities, and create artificial reefs. While sinking can be cheaper than traditional scrapping—costs ranging from $200 k to $5 million—environmental cleanup, especially PCB removal,...
On March 7, 2026 the U.S. Navy inaugurated Operation ICE CAMP Boarfish, a three‑week multinational Arctic submarine exercise featuring the fast‑attack vessels USS Delaware (SSN‑791) and USS Santa Fe (SSN‑763). A temporary command base was erected on a drifting ice...
The U.S. Navy has awarded a $347,318 contract to Rockwell Collins to repair and reconfigure TacNet 1.0 datalink radios used on the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) and Harpoon Block II+ missiles. The sole‑source award, issued by the Naval Air Systems Command’s Precision...
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced a sole‑source purchase of Skydio R10 indoor drones via Atlantic Diving Supply. The R10 is engineered for GPS‑denied, confined‑space reconnaissance with autonomous navigation, collision‑resistant construction, and cellular 5G/LTE connectivity. The acquisition reflects a growing...
The Tennessee Army National Guard has issued solicitations to purchase small unmanned aerial systems, including the Neros Archer, FlightWave Edge 130, and ModalAI Stinger Vision FPV drones, for use by the 117th Regiment Regional Training Institute. Each solicitation calls for two...
Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) disclosed that Russia’s 2025 federal budget deficit is actually just over 8 trillion rubles (~€89 billion), far higher than the Kremlin’s published figure. The agency also found that Russian military expenditures have been concealed, running up to...
Japan is set to field domestically developed long‑range missiles, including the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) and an upgraded Type‑12, between fiscal years 2025 and 2027. The rollout will be complemented by U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles and a new ISR...
Israel's military announced it will target any individual involved in appointing a successor to Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The statement, posted in Farsi on X, underscores Israel's intent to intervene after the U.S. and Israeli strikes that...
European officials warn that a U.S. military push into Iran could drain American weapons stocks needed by Ukraine, weakening Kyiv’s ability to repel Russian missile attacks. The United States is already expending key Patriot PAC‑3 interceptors, and critics say this...
The Department of Defense demanded Anthropic remove AI guardrails, prompting a standoff. Anthropic refused to allow unrestricted use for domestic surveillance or fully autonomous targeting, leading the Pentagon to label the firm a supply‑chain risk and threaten contractors. The dispute...
French space‑tech firm Aldoria has signed a contract with Indian engineering company AXISCADES to deliver optical stations for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) in India. The first station will be deployed in 2026, with a phased rollout targeting more than a...
BrainChip has been named the official technology sponsor for Raytheon’s 2025‑2026 Autonomous Vehicle Competition, providing its Akida™ AKD1000 neuromorphic processor to every participating university team. The competition tasks undergraduate engineers with integrating UAVs and UGVs that can autonomously navigate, identify...
Low Earth Orbit is on track to host up to half a million satellites by 2040, driven by aggressive mega‑constellation plans from both commercial firms and nation‑states. Existing licensing relies on UN notifications and national approvals, with little cross‑agency coordination,...
The Iran‑Israel conflict has forced Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar to divert attention and resources after Iranian missile reprisals, weakening their mediation role in Sudan’s three‑year war. Analysts argue this shift could either spark renewed diplomatic pressure to end...
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On March 7, 2026, the America‑class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA‑7) conducted a damage‑control drill while underway in the U.S. 7th Fleet’s Indo‑Pacific area of operations. The exercise was part of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, which includes USS New Orleans (LPD‑18), USS San Diego...
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On March 7, 2026 the America‑class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA‑7) conducted a damage‑control drill while underway with its Amphibious Ready Group. The ARG includes USS New Orleans (LPD‑18), USS San Diego (LPD‑22) and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The exercise took place in the U.S. 7th...
![USS Tripoli Conducts Damage Control Drill [Image 10 of 10]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2603/9554801/250w_q95.jpg)
On March 7, 2026 the USS Tripoli (LHA‑7) performed a comprehensive damage‑control drill while underway with its Amphibious Ready Group. The ARG, comprising the amphibious transport docks USS New Orleans (LPD‑18) and USS San Diego (LPD‑22) and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, operated in the U.S. 7th Fleet’s...
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The USS Tripoli (LHA‑7) conducted a carbon‑dioxide firefighting drill as part of a damage‑control exercise on March 7, 2026. The drill involved the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, including the USS New Orleans, USS San Diego, and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, while operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet’s...
Boeing has commissioned its second extra‑large Orca uncrewed undersea vehicle, designated XLE2, marking the third hull in the program after XLE0 and XLE1. The 85‑ton, 85‑foot platform boasts a 6,500‑nautical‑mile endurance, hybrid electric power and a 33‑foot mission bay capable...
British startup Skycutter topped the Pentagon’s ‘Drone Dominance Gauntlet I’ with a 99.3‑out‑of‑100 score, eclipsing U.S. competitors in a trial aimed at fielding 30,000 low‑cost expendable UAVs. The company’s SC‑1200 heavy‑lift, hydrogen‑powered SC Gryphon and backpack‑deployable SC‑ISR platforms impressed evaluators...
The Samson Option—Israel’s undeclared nuclear last‑resort doctrine—has resurfaced amid escalating Iran‑Israel hostilities, including hypersonic missile strikes and broader regional conflict. While Israel maintains strategic ambiguity about its nuclear arsenal, estimates suggest it holds around 90 warheads and delivery capabilities across...
Velvet Tempest, a long‑standing ransomware affiliate, leveraged a ClickFix malvertising lure to breach a U.S. nonprofit’s network of 3,000+ endpoints. The group performed hands‑on AD reconnaissance, harvested Chrome credentials, and staged the DonutLoader and CastleRAT backdoor, but stopped short of...
A billionaire philanthropist, David Kilmer, has launched Harpocrates, a globally accessible quantum key distribution (QKD) satellite network comprising 210 CubeSats and open‑source ground stations. The system promises virtually unbreakable encryption, and its technical specifications were released publicly, spurring rapid adoption...
A fire erupted at Bahrain's Sitra refinery after an Iranian missile strike, but the blaze was fully contained with no reported injuries and the plant remains operational. The incident comes as the refinery, part of a $7 bn Bapco Modernisation Programme,...
Microsoft’s threat‑intelligence report reveals that cyber‑criminals are increasingly embedding generative AI across the entire attack lifecycle. Threat groups use large language models to draft phishing emails, create fake professional identities, and accelerate malware development. The report highlights specific North Korean...
Iran has drafted a high‑risk, no‑limits war strategy that anticipates a multi‑front conflict across the Middle East. The plan, reportedly approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, ensures the Iranian military can continue operations even if its top commanders are eliminated....
Trend Micro uncovered a coordinated campaign distributing the BoryttGrab information stealer through more than 100 GitHub repositories. The malware harvests browser credentials, cryptocurrency‑wallet data, Telegram files, Discord tokens, and system information, then exfiltrates it via a C&C server. Some variants...
The Pentagon approved a $53.1 million contract modification for Lockheed Martin to upgrade the Long‑Range Anti‑Ship Missile (LRASM) production line, adding tooling and test equipment to boost output. The amendment lifts the overall contract value to $462.9 million and extends work through November 2028....
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a firm‑fixed‑price contract worth $610 million to M.A. Mortenson Co. to construct a Domestic New World Screwworm Sterile Insect Production Facility at Moore Airbase in Edinburg, Texas. The plant will mass‑produce sterilized screwworm...
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said a drone struck a tanker that breached Tehran's newly imposed Strait of Hormuz passage ban. The IRGC claimed the attack was a defensive response to the vessel's unauthorized navigation. The incident comes as Iran's...
The U.S. Army tested Elbit America’s SlingWorks launched effects system during the CDF CFWE 26 exercise at Yuma Proving Ground. The demonstration, conducted with soldiers from the 1st Armored Division, showed the platform’s ability to share targeting data across existing Army networks...
Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering announced the start of serial production for the Barys 6×6 armored vehicle, a domestically built variant of South Africa’s Mbombe 6 MRAP platform. The vehicle seats two crew members and up to eight troops, offering mine, IED and ballistic...
Iran’s low‑cost, $20,000 drones are emerging as a more disruptive strategic weapon than its nuclear program, targeting the Gulf’s diversified economic assets. The drone campaign threatens energy, logistics, tourism, real‑estate and financial sectors, raising the risk of capital flight and...
Israeli forces attempted a landing operation near the Lebanon‑Syria border, sparking ground clashes with Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley town of Nabi Chit. Israeli air raids killed at least 16 civilians and wounded 35, marking the deepest incursion since November 2024....
Recent reports suggest Russia is providing Iran with intelligence to locate U.S. warships and aircraft in the Middle East, a move seen as retaliation for American support to Ukraine’s operations against Russian assets. Although no public evidence has been released,...
