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A factory in Louisiana is producing armored vehicles for Ukraine for the first time, as Textron Systems announced that full vehicle builds of the Mobile Strike Force Vehicle have begun at its Slidell manufacturing facility. The $163.4 million contract is funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative via the Foreign Military Sales mechanism, covering 65 […]View the full article

A matte-black Mitsubishi Delica D:5 minivan bearing no license plates, no unit markings, and a rooftop loaded with cameras, sensors, antennas, and a loudspeaker was photographed operating near Japan’s largest Ground Self-Defense Force live-fire exercise in Shizuoka Prefecture on June 7, 2026, according to Japanese military photo journalist Masaya Takewaka, writing for Transport News. The […]View the full article

Two of Europe’s largest defense companies are about to put their first jointly developed main battle tank on public display, revealing a new chapter in European armored warfare that has been building since the Italian Army decided its aging Ariete tank could no longer carry the weight of the country’s ground combat ambitions. Leonardo Rheinmetall […]View the full article

Russia has sharply accelerated its use of jet-powered attack drones against Ukraine in 2026, with its forces already launching 1,400 such weapons since January, compared to just 180 recorded throughout all of 2025, according to Militarnyi, the Ukrainian defense outlet that reported the figures from a briefing by Colonel Alexander Zaruba, Chief Researcher at Ukraine’s […]View the full article

Swedish fighter jets launched twice in a single Friday to intercept Russian military aircraft operating near Swedish airspace over the Baltic Sea, in what Stockholm’s top military commander described as a serious pattern of Russian behavior threatening both territorial integrity and NATO alliance security. The Swedish Armed Forces confirmed on June 13, 2026 that its […]View the full article

Hypersonic weapons have long been the most expensive category of precision strike munitions in any military’s arsenal, costing tens of millions of dollars per round and taking decades to develop. The U.S. Navy is now betting on a different model entirely, awarding Castelion Corp., a defense technology startup based in Torrance, California, a $23.4 million […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has awarded $400 million in construction contracts to seven Spanish companies to maintain and improve Morón Air Base, a strategically critical installation in southern Spain, even as the base sits at the center of one of the most significant diplomatic ruptures between Washington and a NATO ally in recent memory. […]View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps operates the most powerful helicopter in the American military inventory, a machine capable of lifting 16,329 kg (36,000 lb) of cargo externally and hauling 12,247 kg (27,000 lb) of payload to a destination 203 km (110 nautical miles) away under demanding hot and high-altitude conditions. Keeping that helicopter not just flying […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $2.3 billion contract to establish and sustain new operating sites for the F-35 Lightning II, the American-built stealth multirole fighter that has become the backbone of air power for the United States and allied operators across the global F-35 fleet, covering site activation, interim contractor support, fleet […]View the full article

Australia’s fleet of advanced electronic surveillance jets is nearly complete, with the Royal Australian Air Force confirming the arrival of its third MC-55A Peregrine at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia. Three of the four aircraft in the planned fleet have now been delivered, bringing three of the planned four aircraft to Australia, with one […]View the full article

This is such a great video, and we have thousands of new followers and subscribers now than we did seven years ago…time to bring this FbF back. As I have often mentioned, I have a soft spot for the name "Shangri-La" for aircraft carriers. It has a great story to it, and just sounds cool as hell. Bill Schultz reminded me that there is a simply awesome video available of a unique and under-appreciated time in naval aviation; the early 1960s. What an incredible time of change and advancement ... and a time yet warped by the war that would dominate the rest of the decade. So, let's take a moment to give tribute to those Sailors of the early-60s ... in glorious technicolor, on the USS Shangri-La (CV 38), circa 1962, somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. Crusaders, Skyrays, Skyhawks, Skyraiders ... just glorious. From the film Flying Clipper, (1962). Narration by Burl Ives. In color…great quality video…simply superb. Share Leave a comment This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

Russia has publicly released footage of its Zubr automated counter-drone system operating for the first time, showing the weapon detecting, tracking, and engaging aerial targets with minimal human involvement. The release came alongside confirmation from Rostec, Russia’s state-owned defense conglomerate, that the first batch of Zubr systems has already entered active duty protecting critical infrastructure […]View the full article

A new batch of Canadian-built Roshel Senator armored vehicles has arrived in Europe, being unloaded and prepared for final handover to Ukraine under Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s long-running military support mission. Images released by the Canadian Armed Forces confirm the delivery is underway, adding to a fleet that has already proven its worth on some of […]View the full article

A ship that spent nearly a year in harm’s way, operating under persistent threat from Iranian missiles and one-way attack drones while the Ford Carrier Strike Group carried out or coordinated hundreds of strikes against Iranian targets, now needs fixing. The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics NASSCO-Norfolk a $17.6 million contract modification to perform […]View the full article

The United States has awarded Northrop Grumman an additional $31 million to keep Poland’s advanced air and missile defense command system operational, deepening the American industrial commitment to one of NATO’s most strategically positioned frontline air defense networks. The contract modification, awarded by Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, adds $31 million to a […]View the full article

The United States is building a new training facility for the nuclear missile that will replace the country’s aging intercontinental ballistic missile force, awarding a $114 million construction contract for a dedicated school at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California where airmen will train for Sentinel maintenance and operations. Korte Construction Co., based in St. […]View the full article

Britain’s Defence Secretary has resigned, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of delivering a defence spending settlement so inadequate that staying in the job would force him to reduce military readiness and put personnel at risk. John Healey, the Rt Hon Member of Parliament who served as Defence Secretary under Starmer’s Labour government, submitted his resignation […]View the full article

OK, let’s let them tell their story first, then I’ll dive in. From The American Legion website: The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation on June 10 unveiled the long-awaited design that will pay tribute to servicemembers and families involved in GWOT. The design incorporates a living place of reflection, a concept shaped by 20,000 Americans and a 23-member Design Advisory Council of Gold Star family members, veterans and servicemembers. It is organized around a single architectural gesture: “the embrace,” a vegetated arch of reclaimed steel rising from the earth and returning to the ground. “This design was shaped by history and held sacred from the beginning — forged by sacrifice and informed by the voices of warriors and their families,” said Michael “Rod” Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, an American Legion member and a retired Army Green Beret. “Throughout history, societies have built sacred places to welcome their warriors home, places where a grateful people can say, ‘We see you. We honor you. You are not forgotten.’ The GWOT generations deserve that same enduring tribute. Today, we take one step closer to welcoming them home.” The memorial will be located at the intersection of 23rd Street NW, Constitution Avenue NW, and Henry Bacon Drive NW, near the Lincoln Memorial, in the Reserve area of the National Mall, Washington, D.C. The memorial will occupy 33,524 square feet, or 0.77 acres. “This design is the culmination of nearly a decade of listening, learning and working alongside the generations of Americans who answered our nation’s call during the Global War on Terrorism, and it reflects the service, sacrifice, healing and unity that define their experience,” Rodriguez said. “The American Legion has been with us from the beginning, and we are profoundly grateful for their unwavering commitment to ensuring the GWOT generations and their families receive the permanent place of honor they have earned on our nation’s most sacred civic landscape.” I’m going to stick with my first reaction on Tuesday, where I drifted from disgust to sarcasm: I’m sorry, but the design is unattractive, excessive in scale, and unsustainable in the long run. Non-concur with both the design and especially the scale of the whole thing. … I would be happier if instead of this half a Möbis Strip monstrosity that @GWOTMF is proposing, they instead proposed a gilded 40’ tall porta-potty or an equally large marble camel spider sitting on a RIP-IT can. Either would be less insulting and more reflective of the GWOT experience than this…whatever it is. … This monstrosity needs to be cancelled before we and our posterity are subjected to it. BEHOLD!I’m sorry, but I spent the last nine years of my 21 years on active duty in GWOT. I was on duty getting ready for a briefing in the C5F AOR when 9/11/01 took place, and came home from Afghanistan on my last deployment just a few months before I retired in 2009. I have skin in this game. In those years, I was feet dry in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Heck, throw in Turkey while you are at it. I served with people from dozens of nations. I did a fraction of what others did. Saw but a shadow of what others saw, but that was enough. There is absolutely nothing about this memorial that makes me think of any of it. Lots of grass and water? Sorry, I don’t think so, mate. Nothing in this proposal makes me think of what we started off doing that beautiful New York morning at the dawn of a new century, or ended up enduring in the national disgrace in Kabul two decades later. Nothing about the people we lost or were maimed. Nothing of the trillions of dollars we poured down that bottomless pit. Nothing of the fruitlessness of it all. Who is responsible for this carbuncle on our memory? From The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation website. Lead designer Kengo Kuma, named by Time magazine in 2021 as one of the world’s “100 Most Influential People,” led the project with his team at Kengo Kuma & Associates. They worked closely with the Foundation’s Design Team, including the Board of Directors and the Design Advisory Council, a body consisting of more than 20 Gold Star family members, veterans, and active-duty service members, who came together to inspire, educate, and advise on the importance of the Memorial. After listening to more than 30 hours of stories from the Design Team key themes emerged that began to give shape to the design. Kuma isn’t even an American. He’s Japanese, and his firm is located there. What is his larger philosophy? Kuma's stated goal is to recover the tradition of Japanese buildings and to reinterpret these traditions for the 21st century. Kuma lectures extensively and is the author of numerous books and articles discussing and criticizing approaches in contemporary architecture.[7][8] In 2008 Kuma's Anti-Object: The Dissolution and Disintegration of Architecture [d], was published in English by the Architectural Association.[9][10] The book, which was first published in Japan in 2000,[11] calls for an architecture of relations, respecting its surroundings instead of dominating them. … Describing his practice, Kuma said "You could say that my aim is 'to recover the place'. The place is a result of nature and time; this is the most important aspect. I think my architecture is some kind of frame of nature. With it, we can experience nature more deeply and more intimately. Transparency is a characteristic of Japanese architecture; I try to use light and natural materials to get a new kind of transparency. Museums, design, and architecture, especially memorials, are too important to leave to architects and designers. You will find few more self-referential and arrogant people than this gaggle. Spoken word poets are more thoughtful of the wider world around them. …and one of the leads on this project in Kuma’s firm has all the right credentials…a masters in architecture from…Harvard. Of course. I don’t care if they have awards. Their organizations give out awards based on their own insular standards. Just read the above. There is no concern for anyone but themselves. If not properly controlled and directed, they create things that only please themselves and those who want to seem, edgy. Think that is too rough? Just look at all the awards received by the architect responsible for one of the ugliest government buildings in DC, a city full of ugly buildings: the CFPB building next to the White House. For most of the last century, the architects who have the most awards from their profession, who came from “the best” schools, who partnered with the “best organizations” have littered the public spaces with countless eyesores. If you want something grounded, beautiful, and has a feeling of “place”, you have to look where “the right people” don’t mention. It isn’t just an American or Japanese problem. That entire profession is worm-ridden with vandals. Don’t forget what they did during the renovation to the Museum of Military History in Dresden. Well, that was an American architect, so maybe the U.S. is the center of the problem. No American outside of the 8th Air Force has done so much damage to German beauty. I am more than happy to be the skunk to these peoples’ picnic. In 2024, I said my piece about the new National Museum of the United States Navy. Over two decades ago, I said my piece about the Flight 93 memorial. That aged quite well. You simply cannot let these people continue to uglify our public spaces. Beauty matters. Respect matters. Context matters. Place matters. Three thousand years of knowledge about what is timeless, what endures, and what is fleeting matters. Finally, let’s just be blunt about the elephant in the room. If you have not already noticed, from above and from the perspective walking up to it—the proposed GWOT memorial is in the shape of a crescent—just like the Flight 93 Memorial. Yes, the symbol of Islam that led armies against the west for fourteen centuries—including the attacks of 9/11/01. The same symbol twice in memorials for the same war? Really? No one is supposed to notice? That is not by accident. As it was intentional, this entire proposal must be cancelled. Those involved must be relieved of their duties and new people assigned. If it is not by accident, then the tone-deafness and gross incompetence should result in the same treatment. If it goes into production, shame on all of us. There is a more personal reason it should never be built. If for no other reason, fellow GWOT veterans, we need to speak bluntly and clearly to each other. Yes, the war was long…but our sacrifice in killed, wounded, missing, etc, is but a fraction of those lost in Vietnam, Korea, WWII, and WWI—wars that were all much shorter in a nation with a much smaller population. If we must have a memorial, it should be a more humble monument over in Section 60. That should be enough. 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

Australia is investing $72 million to establish domestic production of 155 mm M795 projectiles at Maryborough, reducing the country’s dependence on foreign ammunition supply chains for a critical artillery munition used across its ground combat platforms. The Albanese Government has signed a $72 million contract with Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions, a joint venture between German defense […]View the full article

An Estonian defense technology startup is launching a communications module designed to keep military drones and unmanned vehicles connected when adversaries are actively trying to cut those links, set to debut the product at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris from June 15 to 19 alongside a major expansion of its battlefield command platform to cover air, […]View the full article

The Pentagon is seeking to buy dozens of autonomous cargo boats to resupply U.S. Army units scattered across the Pacific islands in any future conflict with China, Naval News reported, citing a Defense Innovation Unit solicitation that calls for sea drones capable of delivering shipping containers through some of the most contested waters on earth […]View the full article

The U.S. Army’s top civilian official visited a West Virginia munitions laboratory last week to personally assess how quickly America’s defense industry can ramp up production of the rockets and propulsion systems that power the Army’s most critical weapons, as the military pushes to rebuild stockpiles depleted by years of foreign assistance and accelerating global […]View the full article

You simply cannot buy PR like this. For the last couple of days, I’ve had a big smile on my face for the good people from Saronic. Bravo Zulu fellas. Bravo Zulu. Via Brandi Vincent at Defense Scoop: The American military deployed an autonomous Corsair maritime drone built by Saronic to find and recover two soldiers who were stranded near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after their Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed during a patrol operation, U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins told DefenseScoop. The confirmation of this unique rescue mission comes as military tensions are surging in the Middle East amid the United States-Iran conflict. It marks the U.S. military’s first publicized use of an autonomous surface vessel to locate and retrieve downed aircrew in real-world warfare, following years of experimentation with different types of sea drones. “The surface drone that assisted in last night’s rescue of the Apache crew off the coast of Oman was a U.S. Navy Corsair unmanned surface vessel operated by U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59,” Hawkins said. In that rescue operation, he told DefenseScoop, the maritime drone picked the two pilots up “and transported them to another location on the water where they were then hoisted up to a helicopter for further transport.” Simply outstanding. They’ve only been in theater for a few months, and they are still trying to figure out how to make the system work. Absolute top shelf. As I like to say: get these things forward and show what they can do. Five out of Five. Promote ahead of peers. Let’s look again at the stats for the Saronic Corsair; I’d love to see the full performance sheet on what speed it needs for that max range. My guess, if it is anything like my bay boat, that would be in the neighborhood of 25 knots in a reasonable seastate...but that is a long post beyond the scope of today’s discussion. As always, let’s go to the chartroom. For this specific argument, let’s head to the Chinese coast. That red arch is roughly 350 nautical miles from the Chinese coast. Review the threat envelope. The only things missing here are the anti-aircraft and anti-ship missile batteries on the mainland, but you get the idea. Regulars here know one of my hobby horses is the absolute horror show I see that will result at the very start of a Great Pacific War should that come. Here’s an example from a post of mine from a few years ago: There is one thing we know for absolute certainty should war come west of the International Date Line. Aircraft from reconnaissance to strike will be thrown in the battle at D-0 at as high of a rate as maintenance and refueling will allow. It will continue at a pace, ignoring cute concepts as “crew rest,” until an operational pause is needed in order to allow fuel and parts to catch up or we run out of aircraft and pilots. While that is going on, American airman will be bailing out and ditching over the western Pacific due to everything from malfunctioning engines and avionics, combat damage, running out of fuel, or just plain getting lost. The ocean is vast, one-man life rafts are very small. Unlike previous wars, we will not have our submarines performing lifeguard duties. They are too few, too large, too expensive and have a higher and best use elsewhere … underlined by the bottom topography in the yellow zone. IYKYK. Speaking of the yellow zone, unlike in the Vietnam War, we will not have surface ships performing lifeguard duties offshore with their helo detachments either. They too are too few, too large, too vulnerable in the yellow zone, and have a higher and best use elsewhere. For the absolute worse reasons, we will not be procuring what would be exceptional for this job, seaplanes like the Japanese US-2 I discussed in the previously linked article. When the next Great Pacific War comes, and better than average chance it will—for reasons we probably do not expect—the mission to rescue downed airmen lost at sea, in volume over wide expanses of contested seas, must be done. The American people and their elected representatives will not tolerate a shrugging of the shoulders and a “we didn’t expect this” response. What could do it if historical methods either cannot or should not be used? Did this unexpected rescue of the Army pilots by the Saronic Corsair serve as one of those “taps on the shoulder” pointing us toward what we should be getting more of rather than less? So, what can we do besides keep a folder full of excuses as to why we abandoned our airmen to drift at sea, abandoned? Well…how about a string of pearls of Unmanned Surface Vessels (USV) like Saronic’s Corsair stationed inside that arc? They are too small to be engaged by Chinese long range strike assets. Of course, there are a lot of known-unknowns here: How long can they stay on station, standing by for a mission, before they have to be recalled for refueling/service? How can they be modified to be a better recovery platform for downed airmen? How do we develop a CONOPS for airmen to know if they cannot make it back to the carrier or land base where to divert for rescue by USV? (A more primitive version of this has already been done. See the WWII Luftwaffe's rescue buoy (Rettungsboje)). I could come up with about ten more points, but those were the first three that came to my head. These are about the same size as my center console bay boat I fish out of, and can be launched, well, by almost anything the Navy has. We have a criminally underutilized Navy Reserve. This would be a perfect mission for a revitalized Navy Reserve. If the Corsair isn’t enough boat, well, the next size up is the Mirage. Forget at sea rescue…I want to turn that into a mine layer…but perhaps that is another post for another day. We have a mission that needs to be filled. Good news: a Corsair or Mirage can be configured for other missions as well, but I think we’ve demonstrated that we have a modification needed. We would be fools not to take advantage of this gift. 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

Ukraine struck a Russian defense electronics factory for the second time in five weeks on Tuesday, hitting the same Cheboksary facility with domestically developed Flamingo cruise missiles, demonstrating both the growing reach of Ukrainian long-range weapons and the persistent vulnerability of Russian military industry to attacks that Moscow’s air defenses cannot reliably stop. The target […]View the full article

Norway’s largest defense company has completed the acquisition of a California missile startup that makes interceptors and strike weapons designed to be produced by the thousands rather than the dozens, bringing a proven American mass-munitions manufacturer into the European defense industrial base at a moment when NATO is scrambling to close the gap between its […]View the full article