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The United States Navy confirmed plans to increase production of the Hammerhead anti-submarine mine system through a contract modification expected to be awarded to General Dynamics Mission Systems, according to a presolicitation notice released by Naval Sea Systems Command on March 13. The notice states that the Navy intends to modify an existing contract to […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has awarded Raytheon a contract modification worth up to $2.01 billion to continue work on the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) terminal, a key communications system used to support secure military satellite networks, according to a contract announcement released March 13. The modification increases the total value of the existing […]View the full article

The United States Army has awarded a contract valued at up to $20 billion to Anduril Industries to consolidate a wide range of artificial intelligence–driven battlefield technologies into a unified operational system built around the company’s Lattice software platform. The agreement, announced in the Pentagon’s daily contract notices for March 13, was issued by U.S. […]View the full article

Turkish drone maker Baykar has unveiled a new loitering munition known as the K2 kamikaze, presenting the system in a promotional video released Saturday that showcased the drone’s artificial intelligence–based flight, navigation, and targeting capabilities. The introduction of the K2 reflects the rapid expansion of loitering munition technology, which has become a central tool in […]View the full article

The British Army has taken another step toward introducing its new long-range artillery capability after Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) awarded a £53 million ($70 million) contract to ARTEC GmbH for the production of 37 weapon systems for the Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 (RCH 155). The contract supports the British Army’s effort to field […]View the full article

Russia launched a large-scale combined missile and drone strike against Ukraine overnight on March 14, targeting critical infrastructure across several regions of the country. Ukrainian authorities said the attack began at 18:00 on March 13 and involved nearly 500 aerial weapons, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and hundreds of attack drones. According to the Ukrainian […]View the full article

The United States Army concluded the xTech|Edge Strike: Ground competition on March 13 in Vilseck, Germany, where three autonomy technology companies tested unmanned ground systems built on tactical vehicles from Polaris Government and Defense. The event evaluated autonomous vehicle technologies designed for military logistics, reconnaissance, and casualty evacuation missions. The competition is part of the […]View the full article

When I was in NROTC, IIRC, Tuesday was the day we had classes. The one day of the week we wore uniforms. The only concern I ever really had was if my gig-line was correct. For the ROTC Cadets (I assume Army ROTC at this point, perhaps we will know more later), the post 911 reality decided to visit them. He allegedly walked into the Old Dominion classroom on Thursday and asked if it was an ROTC class, and when someone answered, "yes," he shot the instructor several times, according to sources. Evans alleged he shouted "Allah Akbar" during the incident. That is the moment. That is when you have an instant to make a call. Fight, flight, or freeze. Character is revealed. Tomorrow’s leaders made their choice, a very American choice: fight. A heroic ROTC student fatally stabbed the crazed ISIS-linked gunman who opened fire inside an Old Dominion University classroom Thursday, preventing further carnage, law enforcement sources said. Shooter Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, gunned down an instructor before the unidentified cadet jumped into action to put an end to the suspected terror attack on the Virginia college campus, according to sources. Jalloh, who was previously convicted of trying to support ISIS, walked into the classroom and asked if it was an ROTC class, sources told The Post. We’ll return to that last sentence in a moment, but first we have to recognize a few things. First, it appears that multiple cadets who went after the terrorist. The FBI said ROTC students were in the classroom when he opened fire and stepped in, rendering him “no longer alive.” Evans, the FBI special agent in charge, would not go into detail as to how the suspected shooter was killed, but said he was not shot. “They basically were able to terminate the threat,” she said. In non-FBI speak, they killed him with their bare hands and, according to some reports, a knife. Bravo Zulu. There were some injuries. Two of the victims were transported by ambulance to the Level I trauma center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, the hospital said in a statement Thursday night. One of those patients died. The other remained in critical condition, the hospital said. A third person was treated and released from the Sentara Independence free-standing emergency department in Virginia Beach after arriving in a personal vehicle. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said on social media that two of the victims were Army personnel. “I’m praying for them and all those impacted by this terrible event,” Driscoll said. We should also take a moment to recognize the officer killed in the line of duty, Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, USA. He gave his life helping to develop the leaders of tomorrow’s Army at the very place where he started. Giving back. His background reflects the extraordinarily ordinary Americans you find throughout the U.S. military. What a great and accomplished American. Shah was a native Virginian from Staunton. He enlisted in the army in 2003 as an aviation operations specialist and enrolled at ODU in 2005, according to his profile on ODU’s website. Shah received his Army commission and graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in military science. Since his ODU commissioning, Shah earned his Army Aviation Senior Aviator wings, having flown more than 1,200 hours in three different aircrafts, and completed over 600 combat flight hours, according to his ODU profile. Shah also had an MBA from the University of Georgia, and an MS in engineering management from the University of Kansas. His death was avoidable and a huge loss to his family, friends, the Army, and his nation. Let’s return to the terrorist. Jalloh was a naturalized U.S. citizen, originally from Sierra Leone, a country on the coast of West Africa. … When (Mohamed Bailor Jalloh) pleaded guilty in 2016, Jalloh admitted he had communicated with a member of ISIS who was located overseas, who introduced him to an individual in the U.S. who was actually an FBI confidential informant. The ISIS member was believed to be actively plotting an attack and believed Jalloh would assist the informant in carrying it out. During one meeting with the FBI informant, Jalloh was asked about a timeline for an operation and commented that it was better to plan an attack for the month of Ramadan, court records say. Prosecutors had recommended Jalloh serve 20 years in prison. It’s not immediately clear why he was released before the end of his 11-year sentence, though it is not unusual in the federal prison system for inmates to be released before serving their full term of imprisonment. So, a naturalized U.S. citizen, with military training, tried to join ISIS. Prosecutors wanted 20 years, but was given 11 years. Released in December 2024, serving only seven years. Here are some details from 2017. Emphasis is mine. He admitted he traveled to Africa in 2015 and connected with an IS contact there. He said he backed out of traveling to join the IS in Libya but that he gave hundreds of dollars to support recruits. He was arrested in July after an FBI sting operation in which he discussed launching a Fort Hood-style attack with an undercover agent. Jalloh renounced the IS group in court papers. “I feel like a complete idiot for accepting such a superficial and dishonest interpretation of Islam,” Jalloh wrote in a letter to the court. Congress needs to revisit grounds for denaturalization. We also need to find out who the judge was that decided 11 year was fine. We also need to know who decided that the terrorist only needed to serve 7 of those 11 years. We also need to try to understand the mindset behind the Norfolk DA who had this to say after the terrorist attack so we can better inform the voters of Norfolk who they support. Accountability. In a serious nation with a serious judicial system, Lt. Col. Shah would be alive and so would Jalloh—either in jail or somewhere in Sierra Leone. To the ROTC cadets at ODU and to the memory of Lt. Col. Shah—fullbore. Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

Airbus is preparing flight tests of an unmanned collaborative combat aircraft system based on the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie as part of a program aimed at providing the German Air Force with an operational Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (UCCA) capability by 2029. The work is taking place at Airbus facilities in Manching, near Munich, where engineers […]View the full article

The United States Army recently conducted tests of a new 30 mm Aviation Proximity Explosive (APEX) round designed for the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter at the Yuma Test Center at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The trials evaluated the munition’s ability to engage unmanned aerial systems using the Apache’s existing M230 automatic cannon. […]View the full article

Anatolii Maksymov, an expert at the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre and Middle East analyst, said Iran’s asymmetric military strategy is placing growing pressure on the United States and its regional partners as the conflict spreads across the Persian Gulf and surrounding energy infrastructure. In a published analysis of the ongoing confrontation, Maksymov argues that […]View the full article

The Ministry of National Defense of Türkiye confirmed on March 13, that a ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets operating in the Eastern Mediterranean. The announcement comes amid rising missile activity linked to Iran and follows an earlier interception reported just days ago, […]View the full article

The Missile Defense Agency has awarded Raytheon a nearly $267 million contract modification for the production of additional Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB interceptors, according to a contract announcement. The work will support the procurement and delivery of 23 additional SM-3 Block IB missiles, bringing the total under the contract to 78 interceptors. The modification […]View the full article

The Polish Armed Forces have launched a training cycle for operators of the AS-3 MEROPS drone interceptor, marking the next phase in Poland’s effort to expand capabilities for countering aerial threats. Initial training activities were conducted at military training areas in Lipa and at the Central Air Force Training Range Ustka. The training program is […]View the full article

A video released by United States Central Command appears to show the destruction of a Cobra V8 electronic warfare system during a U.S. airstrike targeting military facilities in Iran. The system was located at a surface-to-air missile site west of Bandar Imam Khomeini in Khuzestan province, according to open-source analysis. This strike has drawn attention […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has awarded Boeing a $2.34 billion contract modification to support the development of the E-7A Rapid Prototype Airborne Mission Segment, part of the service’s effort to field the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft. The modification exercises an option under a previously awarded contract and supports continued […]View the full article

The United States Department of State has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the government of Sweden for M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and related equipment, with an estimated total value of $930 million, according to an official notification. According to the notification, Sweden has requested to purchase twenty M142 HIMARS launchers […]View the full article

HDT Robotics announced that it has deployed several Hunter WOLF unmanned ground vehicles for military training and operational evaluation activities, introducing soldiers to the robotic platform in field-based scenarios. The deployment is intended to familiarize military operators with the Hunter WOLF system and demonstrate how unmanned ground vehicles can support soldiers by transporting equipment, generating […]View the full article

Taiwan’s Army carried out a drone combat training exercise on March 10, 2026, with the 58th Artillery Command’s unmanned aerial vehicle battalion conducting advanced operations using first-person-view attack drones in a simulated urban battlefield. The exercise introduced a training course described as “immersive drone operation advanced combined training,” allowing soldiers to practice reconnaissance, precision strikes, […]View the full article

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Ursa Major conducted a flight of the Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator (ARMD), achieving supersonic speeds and demonstrating operational concepts for the missile powered by the Draper liquid rocket engine. The test flight was carried out as part of a program focused on developing rapidly deployable and lower-cost missile […]View the full article

Documents circulating on social media suggest that Russia’s Progress helicopter plant may have evaluated the possible production of Ka-52M attack helicopters for a foreign customer, with online speculation pointing to potential interest from China. The documents have not been independently verified, but they appear to be internal correspondence from Arsenyev Aviation Company Progress, the Russian […]View the full article

As Ajay Patel outlines in his white paper, …the United States Navy’s Constellation-class frigate program (was) not as a case of technical failure or flawed contracting, but as a breakdown in sustained stewardship over a sound acquisition construct. The program was conceived to adapt a mature, serially produced parent design; expand the U.S. surface-combatant industrial base; and impose cost discipline through a fixed-price structure that depended on preserving design stability and commonality. That construct remained coherent through early execution and even through extraordinary external disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic. The program did not fail because it proved infeasible. It became vulnerable when the continuity of senior ownership eroded. During a narrow period between mid-2022 and mid-2023, the program’s central premise—reliance on a proven parent design to control risk, cost, and schedule—was no longer actively defended as directed changes accumulated to comply with historical Navy shipbuilding specifications. Absent deliberate reconstitution of that premise, contractual and technical alignment degraded, and the program’s recovery pathways narrowed. … What ultimately undermined the Constellation class program was not insufficient compliance, but the Navy’s subsequent pursuit—particularly within NAVSEA—of near-total clean sheet design specification conformance after contract award. That shift displaced the program’s foundational premise, transforming a heritage-based adaptation into a de facto new-design effort without a corresponding reset of cost, schedule, or governance. His paper is worth a full read. It isn’t short, but it is worth your time. Indeed, Plankholding members of the Front Porch know, the need to have a proper frigate is something we have been discussing in these spaces for—literally two decades. The path that became FFG(X) was first recommended here over a decade and a half ago. No need to replow that field. New readers can research here and at the OG Blog themselves if needed. The Flight-I grey-hulled cutter—really an FF and not an FFG—does not answer the bell for a proper multi-mission frigate with a primary focus on anti-submarine warfare (ASW). ASW is a perishable skill at the tactical, operational, and strategic level. You cannot just rely on submarines, aviation, or surface to do it properly. You need high readiness in all three warfare areas to do it properly. For those of us who have done no-kidding non-permissive ASW working with all three at once—it is science, art, and ballet. Yes, the Arleigh Burke DDGs are great ASW platforms…but they have a higher and best use. We need that ASW frigate. That requirement cannot change. Let’s go back to the Constellation Class FFG. Remember, it was supposed to be an American version of the Franco-Italian FREMM that it was derived from. What are the existing FREMM up to? The “Hook’em Award” rewards Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) excellence. It is presented quarterly to a unit supporting U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet (also known as US Naval Forces Europe) which has demonstrated superior ASW readiness, proficiency, and operational impact. Vice Adm. Frederick C. Turner established the “Hook ‘Em” award in December 1975 to recognize 6th Fleet’s ships, submarines, and aircraft squadrons demonstrating ASW excellence. The award was discontinued two decades later, but it was reestablished by Adm. James G. Foggo III in 2016 during his tenure as Commander, US 6th Fleet. So much sucked in the mid-1990s in the Navy. This award of excellence was presented in Naples by Commodore Doug Sattler (CTF 69) to the commander of crew B of the FREMM Aquitaine, for the performance of his unit during anti-submarine operations in the North Atlantic during the year 2025. Usually awarded to American units, this quarterly prize created in 1975 is once again given to a French unit. It thus marks the recognition of French know-how and the high degree of confidence accorded by our American partners, in a particularly strategic area for the security of allied operations in the Atlantic. The ultra-performing sensors and information processing, analysis and intervention capabilities of the FREMMs and their embarked Caïman Marine helicopter make them formidable submarine hunters. Trained and skilled, the crews of the Navy have acquired expertise to deploy them in operations. They are now recognized as among the best in the world. I’m sorry Xavier Vavasseur, but I was about to copy-paste about 90% of your article. Instead, I’ll just note that this was the fourth time a French FREMM won the award. You’ll need to read the article for the full details. Le sigh. Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

American Rheinmetall recently demonstrated its Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (counter-UAS) Ultra-Short Range Air Defense solution during a live-fire event at Big Sandy Range, where the system was tested against small drone targets. The demonstration included the integration of the remote weapon station onto GM Defense’s Infantry Squad Vehicle-C (ISV-C) platform. According to information released by American […]View the full article

The United States Navy resumed testing of its electromagnetic railgun weapon system in February 2025 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, according to a recent review published by Naval Sea Systems Command. The renewed testing effort comes after the railgun program had largely been paused for several years due to budget constraints […]View the full article

The Norwegian Armed Forces scrambled two F‑35 Lightning II fighter jets to intercept and identify a Russian Ilyushin Il‑20M reconnaissance aircraft flying in international airspace off Finnmark in northern Norway. Norwegian sensors detected the aircraft around 09:30 local time, prompting a Quick Reaction Alert mission from Evenes Air Station. The interception occurred as NATO conducts […]View the full article