Raw Intel

At the end of the decade, our last two submarine tenders (AS) will be decommissioned after a half-century of service. This summer, at the last possible moment (natch), we found out what the next step would be. The US Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded General Dynamics NASSCO of San Diego a US$72.66 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to a previously awarded contract to support the US Navy’s AS(X)-class submarine tender next generation design maturation. The DOD said there will also be a US$27.26 million option for additional design maturation efforts, which, if exercised, could bring the cumulative value of this contract modification to US$99.92 million…

Belarus has received a new batch of Su-30SM2 fighter jets, with the aircraft arriving at one of the country’s airbases, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus announced on January 29. According to the ministry, the newly delivered fighters are part of ongoing rearmament of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces. […]View the full article

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured early Saturday by members of the United States Army’s Delta Force during a U.S. military operation in Venezuela, according to U.S. officials cited by CBS News. The officials said the operation was carried out by Delta Force, the U.S. military’s top special mission unit, and resulted in Maduro being […]View the full article

SummaryIn this episode, Sal discusses various pressing topics including the ongoing drug war, military operations, the situation in Ukraine, and the recent controversy surrounding the Pentagon press pool. He expresses gratitude to his subscribers and reflects on the complexities of military decisions, the implications of the war in Ukraine, and the impo… Read more View the full article

India publicly showcased its new Suryastra multiple launch rocket system during rehearsals for the Army Day parade in Jaipur, marking the first public appearance of the indigenous long-range rocket artillery platform. The system was displayed on a wheeled launcher carrying two 370mm Predator Hawk missiles and four 306mm extended-range rockets, highlighting its ability to fire […]View the full article

Latvia has delivered the final batch of Patria 6×6 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, completing a previously agreed transfer of 42 vehicles. The announcement was confirmed in a statement cited by the Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi, referencing remarks by Ukrainian Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal. According to the statement, the latest shipment included 21 armored vehicles. […]View the full article

Still, almost nine years later, the disasters of the summer of 2017 involving the USS Fitzgerald and USS McCain come up in conversation with others, and out of nowhere pops into my mind. As I last did back in 2021, let’s look back to AUG 2017 when I first wrote this. There can be only one FbF today, nothing else comes close. The supplemental preliminary inquiry into the collision involving the USS FITZGERALD (DDG 62) and the ACX CRYSTAL from 17 JUN of this year is out. The report is dated 11 AUG 17. You can get it from the SECNAV’s site here, or read the whole thing posted below. I wanted to pull one extended quote from it for your review. It really got hold of me, as i…

The Netherlands has signed a contract to acquire new short-range air defense systems designed to protect the country against drones, marking a further step in strengthening national and military air defense capabilities. According to a news release dated Dec. 11, the Dutch Ministry of Defense signed the contract in Soesterberg for the procurement of Skyranger […]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

South Korea has begun deploying its Hyunmoo-5 surface-to-surface ballistic missile to frontline military units, military officials said Sunday, confirming that the country’s most powerful conventional strike weapon has entered operational service as part of efforts to deter North Korea. According to South Korean military officials, the missile began entering frontline units in late 2025 and […]View the full article

There was a lot to get excited about at last week’s Surface Navy Association confab, and I’ll get to that in a minute, but it would be wise to temper one’s expectations. 20 years seems like a long time, but in many ways it is not. As we look forward to what our fleet will look like at mid-century, we should look back to what we were all promised in January of 2005 that was going to transform into the Navy of the 21st century. There were four ship classes that were going to be the surface fleet that we were promised at the time, were going to ensure America’s dominance at sea for the next half century. (NB: most of the hypertext links below go to the tags from my OG Blog t…

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

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

President Donald Trump has unveiled a sweeping naval construction plan centered on a new class of nuclear-armed battleships, a move that would revive a ship type absent from the U.S. Navy for more than three decades and reshape future surface warfare. Speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Florida alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco […]View the full article

A Turkish technology company developed a compact anti-jam satellite navigation system designed to operate in contested signal environments, as electronic warfare and GPS jamming become more common in modern conflicts. In a message shared with Defence Blog, Sena Yiğit, representing EDGE Microwave, said the company was established about 1.5 years ago and is focused on […]View the full article

The New Zealand Defence Force has signed a contract with UK–New Zealand company SYOS for a package of autonomous uncrewed land, sea, and air systems, the company announced, marking a step in the country’s effort to expand experimentation and operational development of unmanned technologies. The agreement includes delivery of multiple autonomous platforms alongside technical services, […]View the full article

Leonardo DRS said Tuesday it had been selected as one of 13 companies awarded a place on the Advanced Technology Support Program V, or ATSP5, a U.S. Department of War engineering solutions contract meant to help the military rapidly field emerging technologies. The Arlington, Virginia-based company said the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract carries a total […]View the full article

Saudi airstrikes hit positions near the Saudi border in Yemen’s Hadramout province on Friday amid clashes between forces loyal to the Saudi-backed provincial governor and fighters aligned with the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), according to statements from local officials and the STC. The STC accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out seven airstrikes against its […]View the full article

The United States carried out strikes on multiple Venezuelan military and infrastructure targets on Friday, including air bases and port facilities in and around Caracas, according to local reports. Confirmed targets included Isla Margarita near La Guaira, Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base in Caracas, the port at La Guaira, El Libertador Air Base, Fort […]View the full article

France has deployed Tiger attack helicopters to counter drone threats in the Middle East, French Army Chief of Staff General Pierre Schill said in an interview published Monday. The deployment comes as armed forces across the region continue to face persistent threats from unmanned aerial systems, including one-way attack drones and other low-cost aerial platforms. […]View the full article