GomSpace and STETMAN Establish UASAT Joint Venture for Ukrainian Sovereign Communications
Danish small‑satellite maker GomSpace and Ukrainian tech firm STETMAN announced a joint venture, UASAT, at the EU‑Ukraine Business Summit on April 22, 2026. The partnership will develop sovereign, dual‑use satellite communications for Ukraine, leveraging GomSpace’s National & Defense Solutions unit and STETMAN’s wartime communications expertise. The venture targets a first satellite launch in the fall of 2026, with the goal of building a resilient, independent space capability for both civilian and defense users. High‑level officials from the Ukrainian government, the European Investment Bank and the European Commission attended the signing.
Pete Hegseth Fires U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly removed Navy Secretary John Phelan, announcing an immediate departure without providing a reason. Acting Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will assume the role as the Pentagon grapples with a renewed naval standoff with Iran. Sources say...
Top Collector John Phelan Fired as Navy Secretary, After Reports of Pentagon Infighting
Navy Secretary John Phelan was removed from his post after months of clashes with senior Defense Department officials over the Navy’s shipbuilding overhaul, including his controversial "Golden Fleet" battleship plan. Acting Undersecretary Hung Cao will assume the role as the...
Navy Scientists Seek Tech Breakthroughs in Areas that Companies Ignore
The Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR) is redirecting its $3 billion annual budget toward long‑term technologies that the private sector is overlooking, such as undersea power systems and explainable artificial intelligence. Rachel Riley emphasized the need to anticipate naval requirements...
Iran Targets Ships in Strait of Hormuz as U.S. Talks Remain Uncertain
Iranian forces seized at least two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, escalating a standoff over renewed negotiations. The Trump administration said the attacks did not breach the cease‑fire it extended, noting the ships were not U.S. or...
AppleScript Infostealer Deployed in New macOS ClickFix Campaign
A new macOS‑targeted ClickFix campaign is distributing an AppleScript‑based infostealer that harvests credentials and session cookies from browsers, extensions, and cryptocurrency wallets. The malware tricks users with a counterfeit CAPTCHA page and asks them to paste a curl command into...
WEF Warns Port Cyber Risk Now Ecosystem-Wide
The World Economic Forum warns that rapid digitisation has turned port cyber risk into a systemic, ecosystem‑wide threat. Maritime cyber incidents surged 103% in 2025 as attackers move laterally across terminals, logistics partners, and inland transport networks. The forum cites...
China Emerges as 'Peer Competitor in Cyberspace,' UK NCSC Head Warns
UK National Cyber Security Centre chief Richard Horne warned that China has become a "peer competitor in cyberspace," marking a shift from earlier, softer characterisations. The NCSC reports an average of four nationally significant cyber attacks per week, with state‑linked...
Catherine Fletcher on The Firearm Revolution
Catherine Fletcher’s new Princeton University Press volume, *The Firearm Revolution*, traces the social and cultural history of early modern firearms, from concealed wheellocks in the 1520s to Venice’s regulated arms export system. The book reveals how European governments repeatedly lagged...
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Soldier Who Sued Contractor over 2016 Bagram Bombing
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6‑3 decision, affirmed Army Specialist Winston Hencely’s right to sue Fluor Corp. for negligence after a Fluor employee detonated a suicide bomb at Bagram Air Base in 2016, killing five and injuring 17. The...
Trump Maintains Blockade as Iran's Factions Struggle to Unite
Iranian forces seized two commercial vessels and damaged a third in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting heightened tensions with the United States. President Trump reaffirmed the naval blockade that has halted roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports, costing an estimated...
Digital Hopes, Real Power: The Rise Of Network Shutdowns
Internet shutdowns have accelerated into a global norm, with 304 incidents recorded in 2024 across 54 nations—the highest tally ever. Legal mechanisms in countries such as India, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia now codify the authority to sever connectivity during “public safety”...
China Bought Zero H200 Chips ‘as of Today’, Says Lutnick as He Cites ‘Delicate Balance’ with Xi
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the Senate that, despite prior approvals, China has bought zero Nvidia H200 AI chips to date. He framed the situation as a "delicate balance" between President Trump’s personal rapport with Xi Jinping and national...
DoD Seeks to Split Defense Health Program Into Two Accounts in Fiscal 2027
The Pentagon’s FY2027 budget proposes ending the single Defense Health Program and replacing it with two distinct accounts: Combat Operational and Medical Readiness (COMP) and a Private Sector Care Program (PSCP). The request totals $42.5 billion in discretionary spending—$20.3 billion for COMP...
How Iran and the United States Are Planning Their Next Moves
President Donald Trump unilaterally extended the U.S.-Iran cease‑fire just before it was set to expire, prompting Tehran to label the continued American blockade of Iranian ports an act of war. The conflict has choked the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit...
The Navy Will Keep Shrinking Until the Industrial Base Catches Up
The Navy’s deployable fleet is shrinking as maintenance backlogs keep more ships in dock, even as operational demands surge across the Red Sea, Caribbean and Persian Gulf. A congressionally‑mandated commission will assess the service’s future, highlighting that the current ship...
'The Gentlemen' Rapidly Rises to Ransomware Prominence
The Gentlemen, a ransomware‑as‑a‑service group that emerged in mid‑2025, has quickly become one of the most active actors, claiming more than 200 attacks in the last quarter. Check Point Research identified a botnet of over 1,570 compromised machines used to...
Iran Again Tightens Its Grip on Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran renewed its campaign in the Strait of Hormuz, striking two cargo vessels on Wednesday after traffic fell to a single ship on Tuesday—the lowest level since the conflict began eight weeks ago. The attacks effectively halted most shipping through...
NATO Workarounds Bloom in Europe
President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to pull the United States out of NATO have spurred a wave of European initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on the alliance. Germany announced a new strategy to build the strongest conventional army in Europe,...
CISA Director Pick Sean Plankey Withdraws His Nomination
Sean Plankey, the long‑sidelined nominee for CISA director, formally asked President Trump to withdraw his nomination after 13 months of Senate deadlock. The move follows the recent Senate confirmation of DHS Secretary MarkWayne Mullin, heightening pressure for a permanent CISA...
How Small Teams Can Implement Effective Cyber Defenses
Cyderes SVP Daniel Spitzer advises that rural health systems can strengthen cyber defenses by first mapping attack vectors and then leveraging a trusted security partner to scale protection. Small IT teams, often limited to a handful of staff, can focus...
How Much Rare Earths Does an F-35 Really Contain?
The long‑cited claim that each F‑35 Lightning II contains about 920 lb (≈417 kg) of rare‑earth elements stems from a single, unreleased 2012 Department of Defense study and has never been substantiated. Inspector General reports later flagged the underlying data as unreliable,...
Federal Agencies Still Don’t Speak the Same Identity Language. That Has to Change.
Federal agencies across Defense, Homeland Security, the intelligence community and the FBI operate with fragmented identity systems that lack common data standards and governance. This disjointed architecture creates exploitable seams for adversaries, especially when individuals move between border, law‑enforcement and...
Book Talk: Those Who Face Death with Mark Grdovic
Kristina Tanasichuk has spent more than two decades shaping the U.S. homeland‑security landscape, from early work on critical infrastructure to founding the Government & Services Technology Coalition (GTSC) in 2011. GTSC nurtures innovative small‑ and mid‑size firms—up to $1 billion in...
France's National Agency for Managing IDs and Passports Suffered a Data Breach Last Week
France's national agency for IDs and passports, ANTS (France Titres), disclosed a security breach detected on April 15. A hacker later claimed responsibility, saying they possess up to 19 million records and intend to sell them. The compromised information includes full names,...
Outcome-Based Strategies Must Come Before Outcome-Based Contracts
Outcome-based contracting is gaining traction in federal procurement, but experts warn that a solid outcome‑based strategy must precede contract language. A new IBM Center report identifies five critical success factors—outcome‑focused requirements, data capability, trust‑based collaboration, governance, and results‑centered oversight. The...
DAF Releases Data, AI Strategies to Accelerate Military Dominance
The Department of the Air Force (DAF) unveiled a comprehensive data and artificial‑intelligence (AI) strategy aimed at making the service an AI‑first force. The roadmap outlines how data and AI will be embedded from the boardroom to the battlefield as...
DAF Releases Data, AI Strategies to Accelerate Military Dominance
On April 20, the Office of the Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Department of the Air Force released its DAF Data Strategy and AI Strategy. The documents lay out a roadmap to transform the service into an AI‑first...
Trump Picks Industry Executive Roger Mason to Lead National Reconnaissance Office
President Donald Trump has nominated Roger Mason, currently chief growth officer at defense contractor V2X, to head the National Reconnaissance Office pending Senate approval. Mason would replace Christopher Scolese, who has overseen the agency since 2019. The NRO, funded with...
Space Force Selects First Air Force Reservists to Transfer Into Part-Time Work Roles
The U.S. Space Force announced that 247 Air Force Reservists in space‑related fields will transfer to part‑time positions. These Guardians on Non‑Sustained Duty (GNSD) must serve at least 36 days per year, equivalent to 48 IDT periods and 12 AT...
Did Apple Just Fix the iPhone Bug That Let the FBI Recover Deleted Signal Messages?
The FBI accessed incoming Signal messages from a defendant’s iPhone by pulling data from the device’s hidden notification database, exposing a flaw in iOS rather than the Signal app. Apple’s recent iOS 26.4.2 update patches a bug that allowed deleted notifications...
OSINT Is Transforming the Intelligence Battlespace
Representative Scott Perry warns that open‑source intelligence (OSINT) is entering a new era of orchestrated autonomy, where AI agents continuously ingest media, satellite imagery, financial flows and cyber data without human prompts. This shift promises faster, more comprehensive intelligence production...
D-SITAR Methods Report
RAND Europe, together with leading academic and health partners, released a methods report detailing the evaluation framework for the UK Government’s 10‑year D‑SITAR drug‑strategy investment. Funded by a National Institute of Health and Care Research grant, the project examines the...
Top Peru Ministers Resign in Protest over Stalled US Fighter Jet Deal
Peru’s foreign and defence ministers resigned on Wednesday, protesting the government’s decision to stall a $3.5 billion purchase of 24 F‑16 fighter jets. Interim President José María Balcazar said the deal would be left to the winner of the June presidential runoff, prompting...
Fortem Receives New Lockheed Backing, Reliable Robotics Completes Series B Raise
Fortem Technologies secured a $25 million first‑tranche investment from Lockheed Martin as part of a Series B round, accelerating production of its AI‑driven counter‑UAS sensors and interceptors. The capital will also embed Fortem’s technology into Lockheed’s Sanctum ecosystem, creating a more interoperable defense...
U.S. Navy’s New Anti-Radar Missile to Suffer ‘Strategic Pause’
The U.S. Navy has placed the AGM‑88G Advanced Anti‑Radiation Guided Missile‑Extended Range (AARGM‑ER) program on a strategic pause for FY 2027, slashing its budget to just over $24.3 million. Almost all of that money comes from FY 2026 advanced‑procurement, leaving only $20,000 for...
The History of the GPS System and GPS Modernization
In April 2026 the U.S. Space Force launched GPS III SV10, the final satellite of the baseline GPS III constellation, while simultaneously terminating the troubled Operational Control Segment (OCX) program after roughly $6.3 billion of spending. The launch caps a half‑century of GPS evolution from...
The US Has Been Burning Through Weapons in Iran It Could Need in a War with China. Here Are the...
The United States has burned through large portions of its key missile stockpiles during the 39‑day Iran campaign, using more than half of pre‑war inventories for four of the seven systems assessed. While current levels still support the Iran operation,...
Making Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) Great Again
The article argues that modern navies must re‑elevate Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) as a core capability, especially as potential adversaries depend heavily on maritime supply routes for food and raw materials. It stresses that VBSS should be baked...
America’s AI Governance Gap Needs Independent Oversight
The United States faces a widening gap between rapid AI development and slow governmental oversight, leaving critical infrastructure exposed to hostile exploitation. Amber D. Miller argues that independent civil‑society institutions are essential to bridge the divide between Pentagon demands and...
Malicious KICS Docker Images and VS Code Extensions Hit Checkmarx Supply Chain
Cybersecurity firm Socket disclosed that threat actors compromised the official Checkmarx KICS Docker Hub repository, overwriting tags such as v2.1.20 and alpine and adding a rogue v2.1.21 image. The malicious KICS binary harvests infrastructure‑as‑code scans, encrypts the data and exfiltrates it...
Fake Google Antigravity Installer Can Steal Accounts in Minutes
A malicious campaign is distributing a trojanized Google Antigravity installer via the look‑alike domain google‑antigravity.com. The fake package includes the legitimate app plus a hidden PowerShell step that contacts attacker servers and deploys data‑stealing malware. Once active, the malware harvests...
Self-Propagating Supply Chain Worm Hijacks Npm Packages to Steal Developer Tokens
Security researchers have uncovered a self‑propagating supply‑chain worm, dubbed CanisterSprawl, that compromises npm packages and injects malicious post‑install scripts to harvest developer credentials. The worm steals a wide range of secrets—including .npmrc files, SSH keys, cloud provider tokens, Docker and...
Client Alert: The White House Makes a Cyber and AI Policy Push
In March 2026 the White House issued a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence and a Cyber Strategy, signaling a coordinated federal push to shape AI and cybersecurity policy. Both documents favor industry‑led standards and “common‑sense” regulation over new prescriptive...
Balikatan 2026: 317th AW Conducts MEO, Arrives in Philippines
The U.S. Air Force’s 317th Airlift Wing performed a Maximum Endurance Operation (MEO) as part of Balikatan 2026, delivering critical tactical airlift for thousands of personnel from the United States and partner nations. A C‑130J Super Hercules from the 40th...
New Apple Phishing Scam Uses Fake $899 iPhone Purchase Alert
A new phishing campaign leverages Apple’s own account‑change notification system to send a fake security alert about an $899 iPhone purchase via PayPal. The email is dispatched from Apple’s infrastructure, passing SPF, DKIM and DMARC checks, which makes it appear...
Iran Is Running Out of Time and Options
The U.S. Navy began a naval blockade of Iran’s ports and coastal waters on April 13, targeting any vessel flying the Iranian flag or trading with Tehran. The operation seeks to prevent ships from transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a...
Powering the Arsenal: CSIS Warns Energy Could Limit U.S. War Production
The Center for Strategic and International Studies warns that the United States’ defense‑industrial surge could be throttled by regional energy shortfalls, not a lack of total power. A CSIS brief estimates a full‑scale war would need about 17.4 petajoules of...
Microsoft to Test Third-Party AI Models for Incorporation in Its Security Offerings
Microsoft announced it will evaluate third‑party AI models, including Anthropic's Claude Mythos, to augment its security suite. The tests will pair these models with Microsoft Defender, Security Exposure Management and the open‑source CTI‑REALM framework for continuous network vulnerability scanning. A...
Trump Extends Ceasefire With Iran Indefinitely
President Donald Trump announced on April 22, 2026 that the U.S. is extending the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, pending the conclusion of direct talks. The extension comes at Pakistan’s request, which the president said is needed to prevent further regional instability. Trump...