Raw Intel

Americas General Atomics won a $65.5 million order, which provides for the procurement, transportation, and installation of Ground Control Stations (GCSs), materials, support equipment, as well as associated training, engineering, non-recurring engineering, and integrated logistics support. Additionally, this order procures 18 mission kits, spares, ground support equipment, and communications gear for site setup in support of the operational capability of the Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary Medium Altitude Long Endurance MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper air vehicles and GCSs for the Navy. Work will take place in California. Expected completion will…

Are you familiar with the case of Lieutenant Ridge Alkonis, USN? Much to my shame, until this AM I was not. Let's get everyone up to speed. From Andrew Jeong at WaPo; While stationed in Japan in May 2021, Alkonis was driving home with his family and their Australian labradoodle after a visit to Mount Fuji, near Tokyo. They had gone to an area about 8,000 feet high and accessible by car. After parking, the family hiked on a mostly flat trail for a few hours, Brittany Alkonis said. On their way home at 1 p.m., Ridge Alkonis was talking to his oldest daughter as he drove. But mid-sentence, Alkonis suddenly fell unconscious, his family said. The vehicle, going about 25 mph,…

Americas Bell Textron won a $48.3 million deal, which provides for the installation of Structural Improvements and Electrical Power Upgrades Phase II Part 3 kits, as well as ground and flight test for one AH-1Z and one UH-1Y aircraft for the Navy. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland; Fort Worth, Texas; and Amarillo, Texas, and is expected to be completed in August 2025. The AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engine attack helicopter based on the AH-1W SuperCobra that features a four-blade rotor system, uprated transmission, and a new target sighting system. It has upgraded avionics, weapons, and electro-optical sensors designed to find targets at long ranges and attack …

There is still a lot of fighting to be done in the Russo-Ukrainian War, but important lessons can already be drawn from the first 10-months of conflict. One of the most hyped "new" domains of war the last three decades has been what is generally referred to as "cyber." Its growth in interest and buzz paralleled the decline and neglect of a more traditional form of modern war, Electronic Warfare. This Sunday we're going to do a deep dive in what we are seeing, what we thought we should have seen but haven't, and how this should inform present support and future policy in the area of cyber. Our guest for the full hour this Sunday from 4-5pm Eastern will be Shashank Joshi, D…

Now and then the algorithm on YouTube rolls things in to my view it knows I cannot ... NOT ... watch. So, of course I watched an iconic scene and then remembered the man passed only 4.5 yrs ago and I have a FbF on him. Worthy an encore, no? Yes, he was THAT Brit officer holding the tanks in A Bridge Too Far. Even if the 25-year-old Captain in the Grenadier Guards had wanted to say a prayer, his voice would have been drowned out by the throbbing of the five Chrysler engines that powered his 40-ton Sherman tank. The young officer would have had good reason to call on the Almighty, because his troop of Shermans was about to cross the most dangerous bridge in Europe. There …

One thing we touched on during last Sunday's Midrats was the growing unease that the Russo-Ukrainian War would not end before the stockpiles of preferred weapons and the ammunition they use runs out. There has been discussions about both sides of the war burning through their stockpiles at unsustainable rates while the war seems to be expanding. The Russians are having issues even with their assumed relatively deep bunkers - but much of that is bottlenecked by an early 20th Century logistics train on a 21st Century battlefield. Their problems keeping their army equipped is not the more interesting story. The Ukrainians would have run out of weapons and ammunition months a…

Every few years another article comes up concerned about the politicization of the military. Throughout human history this has been a “concern” – and rightfully so. In the founding of our own republic this was a top concern to the point we are not really supposed to have a standing army (though we do), we put a civilian at the head of it, and … well, here’s the applicable part; Article I, Section 8, Clause 12(AKA “The Army Clause”: “The Congress shall have Power To . . . raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years,” Our standing Army is still too large, but that is a topic for another day. It is welcome an…

This was only a matter of time given the events and personalities in the last couple of years. The foundation has been built over the last decade for something much larger to be built. It is a cliché, but it is true; nations don't have friends - they have interests. Saudi Arabia is rich in two things; hydrocarbons and problems. They have a human capital problem, a religious problem, and a Persian problem - not to mention their troublesome neighborhood. All both support and threaten the power of thee House of Saud. They need good friends who will help them on the outside with trade and military assistance, but will not interfere with their delicate domestic concerns. In p…

From the NDAA to some rather positive words from the SECNAV on some of our favorite maritime areas of concern, so far December has produced a few positives to think about - if you don't think too much about the Army-Navy game on Saturday... This week's Midrats free for all will start here and then we'll work our way around the national security landscape. As always, open topic, open phones ... so come join us for the conversation Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern. Join us live if you can, but it not, you can get the show later by subscribing to the podcast. If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or y…

Last week was the story of the HMS JERVIS BAY and her crew during the Battle of Convoy HX84. When we finished last week, HMS JERVIS BAY was out of the fight and the convoy was scattered - but she did her job. ...and so the pocket battleship ADMIRAL SCHEER, unopposed now, closed in. However, there was a Canadian ship, the SS BEAVERFORD, armed with one 4 inch & one 3 inch gun who turned towards the SHEER and her six 11 inch, eight 5.9 inch guns and eight 21 inch torpedo tubes. What was the BEAVERFORD? JERVIS BAY was lost, and here is where we pick up the story, wonderfully told by Roger Litwiller; What can you say of such men? Such leaders? Such Sailors?Fullbore. First…

December 7th is always a good moment to remember that sometimes the world pivots at its own time and place of choosing. View the full article

I lived and worked with Germans for years. In their young years, my children's second language - mostly to help their father shop - was German. I have a great affection for Germany and Germans - but with great affection comes great expectations. I know that my expectations for Germany is not that out of alignment with many Germans, however those Germans and their view of Germany are not presently holding power. As one does with things one values yet does not meet their potential, honest affection requires one to speak up and if needed take action. The final part of the Merkle administration was problematic, but under the present SDP government led by Olaf Scholz - the Col…

Building a coherent intellectual foundation of an effective military force to be ready to defend the nation and its interests never ends. As a levee against a large and turbulent river must be constantly monitored, maintained, and reinforced – so too must support for reasoned, reality-based, up-to-date, and sound arguments continue against the constant erosion from doe-eyed “war is new” and sharper “this is my hobby horse” idea/concept sellers looking to grow an empire or to reinforce their world view. For every “New Model Army,” “AirLand Battle” or “War Plan Orange,” there is a “New Look” or “Transformationalism.” Let me just put this marker out there: what we call “Ir…

Now that you’re in that time where you’re trying to make that transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas & New Years saturation … give your stomach and mind a break and join EagleOne and Sal for a maritime and national security free for all this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern. As is usual with our free for all format, the studio line is open for you to call in and the chat room will be running for your questions, observations … or even topics you wish we’d discuss but it seems we never get around to. In the course of the hour we’ll try to at least touch on this week’s warship chicken in San Diego, why everyone should care about secure undersea infrastructure, and take anoth…

You go to war with what you have or what you can quickly patch together, the end result of the decision of others who will not have to fight, not have to command, not have to die. There is no time to what-if. There is no time to complain. There is only time to get underway. Duty. Mission. Training. You have what you have, but it is what you do with it that matters. War is not fair. Your enemy will not wait for you to be ready. Time arrives when it want to.November 1940. America is over a year from joining the war. The Blitz is in its 2nd month. Liverpool has been bombed over 200 times already. German U-Boats rule the North Atlantic. In Halifax, a convoy forms. 37 freight…

Life is short, and people are few. That little cornerstone was pointed out to me yesterday when I found out that Raymond Pritchett, AKA "Galrahn" passed away last week. How do you remember a friend and colleague who passes away too early? Everyone has there own way, mine is to tell a story. Here an outline of the Raymond I got to know. I got to know him like most listeners here did - via the maritime natsec online community. Raymond and I used to have fun talking about "the early days" and that is where I'd like to start the story, as in this corner of the world, that is how we got to know Raymond. While everyone is online and communicating via a huge constellation of met…

Raymond, We Will Miss YouView the full article

We started doing the "Long Game" series about the rise of the People's Republic of China to challenge American's place in the world. At the end of that first post in the series in July of 2004, I wrote; Say what you want about the Chinese, they are very focused on their long term strategic needs. They will continue to study the way we do business at sea, and they will make sure they are ready when the call comes. Are we? A lot of folks hear rustling in the woods behind us. There were a lot of us, but few were listening. 18.4 years later, they are now. That is part of the reason it has been since May of this year since I did a Long Game post. I've written a fair bit abou…

Peace is the ultimate goal and is a wonderful thing – but what makes it so special is that peace is not the natural state of things for our species. If you are lucky, you might get a couple of decades of peace before the next conflict of significance. More than that is a blessing few get to enjoy. That is the human benefit of peace, but peace also has a heavy price. As eventually wars come, nations have to be ready for them. From the time the first band of men walked in to your valley, you heard the horses of the steppe archers in the distance, or the tank rumbled through your local gas station – war comes and demands you join it immediately. You go to war with the peopl…

Americas Lockheed Martin Space won a $49.9 million modification for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. The contract award also benefits a foreign military sale to the United Kingdom. Work will take place in Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Maryland and various other locations. Work is expected to be completed on September 30, 2027. Fiscal 2023 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $49,942,303 will be obligated. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Raytheon won a $397.7 million modification from the US Navy to exercise options for fiscal 2023 guided missile as…