Raw Intel

Morocco is considering the acquisition of up to 400 K2 Black Panther main battle tanks and the Cheongung (KM-SAM) medium-range air defense system from South Korea, according to South Korean industrial sources. The reported plan would mark the first integration of South Korean military equipment into the Moroccan Armed Forces if it moves forward. The […]View the full article

United States Air Force F-15 fighter jets were spotted flying at low altitude over the eastern Aleppo countryside in northern Syria as Syrian government forces moved into the towns of Deir Hafer and Maskana following the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) units from the area. The flights were observed as Syrian army units entered […]View the full article

The SM-2 Block IIIC/CU medium-range surface-to-air missile was showcased publicly for the first time at the Surface Navy Association (SNA) 2026 symposium, bringing new visibility to the next-generation interceptor developed for U.S. Navy surface combatants. Footage from the exhibition shows the SM-2 Block IIIC/CU, designated RIM-66P by Raytheon, displayed as part of ongoing efforts to […]View the full article

The French Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade presented new combat systems shaped by battlefield lessons from the war in Ukraine during an Innovation Day held on January 15, 2026, in Bitche, highlighting France’s effort to rapidly adapt its ground forces to modern high-intensity warfare. The event focused on technologies developed by brigade regiments over nearly two […]View the full article

The United States Army has deployed M1 Abrams main battle tanks to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, confirming a new movement of heavy armored forces into the Middle East as regional tensions remain elevated. U.S. soldiers assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Reaper, were photographed driving an M1 […]View the full article

Lebanon-based manufacturer Frem has revealed new images showing development progress of its next-generation tactical vehicle, Venom, as the company continues work on a prototype designed for special operations missions, CEO David Frem confirmed. The images, shared by Frem, show the vehicle under construction in its Special Operation Vehicle (SOV) configuration, a lightweight variant focused on […]View the full article

An Israeli defense entity has placed its first purchase order for ParaZero Technologies’ DefendAir counter-unmanned aerial system, the company announced, confirming a new procurement of anti-drone equipment amid heightened drone activity identified in recent conflicts. The order represents ParaZero’s first direct contract with a main Israeli defense organization for its DefendAir system and includes delivery […]View the full article

Teledyne FLIR Defense has secured a $32 million contract to supply reconnaissance and surveillance sensor kits for Bulgaria’s Stryker armored vehicles, the company confirmed. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground and covers the integration of advanced sensor systems on nearly 200 U.S.-made Stryker vehicles that Bulgaria is […]View the full article

NATO Air Command confirmed that Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jets deployed to Amari Air Base in Estonia were scrambled at 11:30 a.m. on January 16 to intercept a Russian Be-200 aircraft approaching the Baltic Sea. The interception took place as part of NATO’s routine air policing mission in the region, aimed at monitoring and responding to […]View the full article

One thing my father taught me at an early age was to treat everyone you meet with respect. You never know someone else’s story. You never know what fate has in store for them. The old man with an oxygen tank sitting on a bench outside the commissary. The young JROTC cadet from the family at the end of the street. The guy you bump into while getting another cup of coffee at the VA. Respect. You just never know. “Show them the proper respect.” … that is what I hear in my father’s voice in my head, though he never really had to say it. Just a look was sufficient. Every time I hear another story about people like Clarence Sasser, I’m reminded of how my father insisted I liv…

Russia has equipped a BM-35 one-way attack drone with a Starlink-type satellite terminal, Ukrainian specialists said after the aircraft was shot down and examined this week. According to Serhii Beskrestnov, known by the call sign “Flash,” the recovered drone showed clear evidence of remote control through the Starlink system. “For the first time, the fact […]View the full article

Russia has begun using a previously unseen jet-powered one-way attack drone. Such drones were spotted after a Russian military unit released footage showing the system striking a Ukrainian HIMARS launcher during an operation recorded earlier this week. The video was published by the unit operating the reconnaissance drone and captured the moment the target was […]View the full article

The United States Department of War announced 340 additional awards under the Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) contract on January 15, expanding a massive procurement program that now totals more than 2,400 awards since early December. The latest awards support a contract vehicle with a ceiling of $151 billion. According […]View the full article

The United States State Department confirmed on January 15 that it approved a possible $1.5 billion Foreign Military Sale to Peru for the design and construction of new maritime and onshore facilities at the Callao Naval Base. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it has notified Congress of the determination. According to the agency, the […]View the full article

China moved three newly built Shuiqiao-class Landing Platform Utility barges, also known as invasion barges, through the Pearl River Estuary and into the South China Sea between January 11 and 15, 2026, according to new imagery and tracking data released by SynMax’s maritime awareness platform, Theia. Theia said the second batch consists of three self-propelled […]View the full article

The Japanese Ministry of Defense confirmed that a Russian Navy Vishnya-class intelligence collection ship entered the contiguous zones around Yonaguni Island and Miyako Island between January 13 and January 15 before sailing into the Pacific Ocean. According to the Joint Staff Office, the vessel—hull number 535—was detected moving northeast through the Yonaguni Island contiguous zone […]View the full article

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has been awarded a $988 million contract to modernize the U.S. Navy’s command-and-control and surveillance systems across all classes of surface combatant ships, the company announced on Jan. 12. The award, issued in December, launches a one-year base period with four one-year options and a six-month extension. According to the […]View the full article

Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a secure testing environment for radiation-exposed microelectronics under DARPA’s ASSERT program, the company announced on January 13, 2026. According to Northrop Grumman, the achievement is part of DARPA’s Advanced Sources for Single-event Effects Radiation Testing (ASSERT) effort, which aims to create compact laboratory alternatives to heavy-ion test facilities. The company said […]View the full article

The United States Missile Defense Agency has awarded Iridium Communications a contract on January 15, 2026, for work under the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense, or SHIELD, program. The company said the award carries a ceiling of $151 billion and covers a wide set of work areas intended to field new capabilities for U.S. […]View the full article

Over at WSJ, recent Midrats Podcast guest and former Congressman Mike Gallagher, along with Kevin Wallsten remind us where we were just a year ago in their article, How DEI Caused a Military Recruitment Crisis. So much progress has been made over the last year in a move away from sanctioned sectarianism and institutional racial discrimination that it is easy to forget how bad things were. We should not forget. Much of the progress is based on executive action, not legislation or significant new action in the courts. With the courts, quite a few firewalls have been put in, but not enough. Without proper legislation, we are just one election away from returning to this. Und…