Raw Intel

NATO defense officials have confirmed that European allies, led by the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries, currently carry the primary responsibility for Arctic military operations, as the United States lacks sufficient forces and experience for sustained activity in the High North, according to The Times. The assessment follows recent allied exercises and internal NATO evaluations […]View the full article

A Taiwan-based security expert has called on Ukraine to apologize for past transfers of military equipment and advanced technologies to China, following recent remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that criticized the flow of Taiwanese electronic components into Russia’s military industry. Mei Fu-hsing, director of the Taiwan Strait Security Research Center and a U.S.-based analyst, […]View the full article

The United Kingdom has deployed Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar as part of a defensive mission in response to regional tensions, the British government said in a press release on Friday. The deployment involves 12 Squadron, the joint RAF–Qatar Emiri Air Force Typhoon unit, which has moved aircraft to the Gulf region […]View the full article

The Indian Army has flagged off the first batch of Armoured Recovery Vehicles (ARVs) repaired at its newly established Tank Medium Repair Facility in Ladakh, marking the start of frontline maintenance operations at the world’s highest armored repair site. The facility, located in the high-altitude Ladakh region, is designed to provide on-site repair and restoration […]View the full article

The United States Air Force conducted Exercise Dragon Shield at Beale Air Force Base, California, in 2026, testing the ability of maintenance units to launch and recover U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft under simulated contested conditions, the service said in a released update. The exercise focused on the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS), which was tasked […]View the full article

The United States has increased deliveries of weapons systems, ammunition, and military equipment to the Middle East since late 2025, with U.S. Air Force transport aircraft conducting intensified flights from the continental United States to European logistics hubs and onward to bases in Jordan, Israel, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, according to open-source flight tracking and […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has confirmed that the 56th Rescue Generation Squadron (RGS) has received its final HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter, completing the unit’s transition to the service’s newest combat rescue platform, according to a service update released this week. The final aircraft was delivered to Aviano Air Base, Italy, where the 56th […]View the full article

Those who are selling a short, fast, and successful war are selling a lie. It seems every generation thinks they have found a way to fix the problem. Over and over, from Europe in 1939 to Europe again in 2022, the quick and successful war that was briefed devolved into a consuming slog. You can win a consuming slog, but you have to be able to mobilize and industrialize your way through it—and you need to start doing that years before the war starts. The fleet that showed up in 1943 did not start in 1941—it began in 1936, 1938, and 1940. A decade and a half after President Obama’s “Pacific Pivot”, we still talk a big game about being ready for the next Great Pacific War w…

The Norwegian Armed Forces, alongside about 3,000 United States Marines and other U.S. and NATO units, will conduct Exercise Cold Response 26 in northern Norway in March 2026, with allied forces beginning cold-weather training deployments as early as January, U.S. and Norwegian officials confirmed. The exercise is a Norwegian-led, routine winter drill designed to test […]View the full article

Textron Systems said on January 20, 2026, that it has been awarded a $163.4 million contract to deliver 65 COMMANDO Select Mobile Strike Force Vehicles to support Ukraine under the U.S. Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, using the Foreign Military Sales mechanism, according to a company announcement. The three-year, firm fixed-price contract was awarded through the […]View the full article

South Korea has launched a 1.9 trillion-won ($1.29 billion) program to develop a new class of aircraft designed to jam and disrupt enemy air defense networks, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced. DAPA said the project, known as Block-I, will focus on developing large, dedicated electronic warfare aircraft capable of degrading an adversary’s integrated […]View the full article

Japanese defense experts have publicly assessed that South Korea’s navy now holds qualitative advantages over Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, signaling a shift in the balance of naval power in Northeast Asia, according to recent analyses circulating in Japanese security circles in January 2026. The assessment reflects a growing view inside Japan that traditional measures of […]View the full article

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said on January 22 that the Republic of Korea Marine Corps’ amphibious maneuver helicopters have maintained readiness levels above target requirements, following a review of operational performance and logistics support conducted in Daejeon. The meeting, held at DAPA headquarters, brought together representatives from the Marine Corps, Korea Aerospace […]View the full article

Hyundai Rotem is in active discussions to export its K2 main battle tank to multiple countries beyond Poland, according to a report published on January 22 by South Korean brokerage Kiwoom In a research note, Kiwoom Securities analyst Lee Han-gyeol wrote that Hyundai Rotem is holding export talks with Iraq, Peru, Romania, and Saudi Arabia […]View the full article

SummaryIn this episode, the host discusses the recent Greenland kerfuffle, exploring the implications of international relations, particularly between the US and Europe. The conversation delves into the miscommunication between leaders, the dynamics of NATO, and the broader context of US-European relations under different administrations. The host empha… Read more View the full article

As you all know, I love nothing more than quoting myself. So, Front Porch members of long standing by now can say things from memory: Plan Salamander for the U.S. posture toward Europe that I have been proposing in one form or another for a couple of decades+. Here is just one example from 15 years ago. …withdraw all maneuver forces from Asia and Europe except for what is needed at Combined Training and Logistics Bases with our most important allies. No, we don’t leave NATO. I’m a former NATO staff officer who used to give seminars on operational planning at war colleges all over Europe. We just need a 21st century reality check. We still have 80-100,000 personnel there. …

The United States State Department has approved a possible $2.316 billion Foreign Military Sale to Singapore for P-8A maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, MK 54 lightweight torpedoes, and associated systems, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said as it formally notified Congress of the decision. According to the certification delivered to lawmakers, the Government of Singapore […]View the full article

Pakistan’s Navy confirmed plans to expand its fleet to 50 ships during a 2021 address by then–Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, formally outlining one of the country’s largest long-term naval force development programs, according to defense analyst Zarvan Ali. Abbasi stated that the Pakistan Navy intends to induct 20 major surface combatants, including corvettes, […]View the full article

I don’t know about you, but in the arch from Ukraine to Israel, the Red Sea, and Venezuela to the First Island Chain (OK, that is less of an arc than a Nike Swoosh), it is getting hard to keep up on the natsec front. It is fun, and exciting, to keep track of the flashing objects—it is real, you can see it, and it is what we are most comfortable with. If you are looking at the long-term, there are the things in the background, the machine inside the skin, that really matter. It has been a busy year, and the new Pentagon team—younger and more vigorous than its predecessor—is moving fast across a whole host of fronts when it comes not just to people, but process, organizatio…

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Tuesday that several Ukrainian electrical substations critical for nuclear safety were affected by widespread military activity, leading to a temporary loss of external power at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and disruptions to power lines serving other nuclear facilities. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that Chornobyl Nuclear […]View the full article