Raw Intel

Russia’s state defense corporation Rostec confirmed it has delivered new Zubr short-range air defense systems to military units, deploying them to protect critical infrastructure from unmanned aerial threats, the company said in a statement. According to Rostec, the newly delivered systems were developed by its High Precision Systems holding and are now entering operational duty. […]View the full article

Japan’s Ministry of Defense reported that four Chinese Navy vessels transited from the East China Sea into the Pacific Ocean between January 27 and 28, passing through waters near Okinawa and the Miyako Strait, in a movement monitored by Japanese air and naval forces. According to a statement released on January 28 by Japanese Defense […]View the full article

The Italian Army has taken delivery of its first Lynx infantry fighting vehicles, marking the formal launch of the Army Armoured Combat Systems program, Leonardo and Rheinmetall announced on January 27. According to Leonardo, the first four Lynx vehicles were delivered to the Italian Army at the Multifunctional Experimentation Center (Ce.Poli.Spe) in Montelibretti by the […]View the full article

As we discussed in the opening of last Sunday’s Midrats Podcast, I really have no idea why we keep publishing significant national security related documents on Fridays…but it is what it is. As it has been four days, there has already been more than a few opinion pieces written about it and to be blunt, a lot of it is a bunch of hot garbage. Even though I think everyone should agree with me, and one day you will, I would ask—after reading the rest of this post—that you read the National Defense Strategy yourself. It isn’t that long, and if you’ve already read the National Security Strategy we reviewed in the fall, nothing will be shocking. Let’s start with one of my fa…

United States Army paratroopers from the 11th Airborne Division conducted a mass tactical airborne operation in Hokkaido, Japan, in late January 2026 as part of North Wind 26, a bilateral winter training exercise with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, U.S. Army Japan confirmed. The operation took place at Hokudai-en in northern Hokkaido and involved soldiers […]View the full article

The United States Marine Corps has begun training and certifying small attack drone operators at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, as part of a new course focused on the combat employment of first-person view (FPV) drones. The course, hosted by 1st Marine Division Schools, trains Marines to operate small attack drones for identifying and […]View the full article

United States and Bahraini forces conducted a live-fire counter-drone exercise in Bahrain on January 26, 2026, during which a U.S. mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle fired a Mobile-Low, Slow, Small-Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (M-LIDS) interceptor at a fixed-wing aerial target, U.S. Central Command reported. The training event took place inside the U.S. Central Command […]View the full article

United States Army aviation units assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade staged multiple CH-47F Chinook and AH-64E Apache helicopters at Katterbach Army Airfield in Germany on Jan. 26, 2026, as crews worked to clear flight lines during a heavy winter storm, the service confirmed. According to U.S. Army imagery and unit statements, helicopters from […]View the full article

Sailors aboard the littoral combat ship USS Wichita (LCS 13) completed multiple major engineering repairs while deployed in the U.S. Fourth Fleet area of operations, restoring propulsion and power systems and keeping the ship fully mission capable, the U.S. Navy said. According to the Navy, the Freedom-variant warship’s crew repaired a ship’s service diesel generator, […]View the full article

The United States Marine Corps has approved its first fully National Defense Authorization Act–compliant 3D-printed drone, marking a new step in fielding low-cost, adaptable unmanned systems built entirely by Marines for operational use, the service confirmed. The drone, known as HANX, was developed by the 2nd Marine Logistics Group and received interim flight clearance from […]View the full article

The United States Navy completed a major transition by fully integrating additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, into frontline fleet operations, cutting part lead times by up to 70 percent and placing printed components aboard aircraft carriers, submarines, and surface combatants, the service confirmed. According to Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the shift moved […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Amazon Web Services a $581.3 million contract to provide cloud services for the Air Force’s Cloud One program, according to a contract announcement released this week. The contract was issued by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, and covers the delivery of […]View the full article

Israel’s Ministry of Defense has signed a multi-year contract worth approximately $183 million to procure air munitions from Elbit Systems, the ministry announced this week. The order was issued by the Defense Procurement Directorate (DPD) and formally signed by Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram. The agreement covers the supply of air-delivered munitions […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has moved at least 42 heavy transport aircraft into the Middle East between January 18 and January 26, 2026, according to open-source flight tracking data and analyst reports monitoring U.S. military air movements. Data compiled from publicly available flight trackers shows that 41 C-17A Globemaster III aircraft and one C-5M […]View the full article

The United States Air Force’s 92nd Air Refueling Wing announced that Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington will conduct an active threat response exercise on January 29, 2026, as part of routine emergency readiness training for personnel across the installation. According to the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, the exercise will involve base-wide participation and is […]View the full article

The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed that SYOS Aerospace has been selected to advance to the next stage of Project NYX, a program to develop “wingman drones” designed to operate alongside British Army Apache attack helicopters, the MOD announced last week. The selection places SYOS Aerospace alongside major defense firms invited to submit prototype […]View the full article

Of all the theories out there about if/when/where the People’s Republic of China may decide to claw back more territory they “lost” during their century of humiliation, there is one common thread that is there, but is not given the attention it deserves: demographics. The demographic collapse we are all about to see over the next few decades will arrive in East Asia first, then Europe. The greatest impact on the globe will be in East Asia, simply by the numbers, if nothing else. Demographics are one of those things you really cannot spin your way out of. You can’t catch up. A baby is born and reaches adulthood—or it does not. You can try to hide numbers and lie to your b…

Taiwan has begun the first dive tests of its domestically built submarine Hai Kun (SS-711), marking a new phase in the island’s indigenous submarine program. According to Taiwan’s Liberty Times and other local outlets, the submarine conducted its initial submersion test on Sunday, moving beyond surface and harbor trials that have taken place over the […]View the full article

Sweden’s Armed Forces detected two Russian Su-35S fighter jets and one Tu-22M3 bomber flying over the Baltic Sea on January 23, prompting a response by Swedish Air Force quick reaction alert aircraft. According to a statement published by the Swedish Armed Forces, the aircraft were identified by Sweden’s incident readiness forces, which were scrambled to […]View the full article

Elbit Systems confirmed on January 26 that it has received a $228 million contract to supply Iron Fist Active Protection Systems for the U.S. Army’s Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle upgrade program. According to the company, the contract expands ongoing deliveries of the Iron Fist system as part of the Army’s effort to improve survivability of […]View the full article