Raw Intel

As we go through today's post, I'd like everyone to keep in mind an intangible that impacts not just our Navy in the eyes of the people we serve, but our government as a whole that our Navy is part of: most of our major naval bases are located in the heart of heavily populated urban areas. The Tidewater Area around Norfolk, VA; And on the West Coast, San Diego; For good and bad, what our Navy does impacts the millions of people who are our neighbors, family, and friends who live cheek-to-jowl with the fleet. When things go wrong, they are downwind. There is the former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) burning two years ago and drenching the San Diego with at least two decade…

I really can't stop thinking about how smart this is. A dirty little secret is that one of the largest deltas out there in the maritime sector between what we know what will be needed in wartime vs. what we have invested in at peace is mine warfare. Since WWII more US Navy ships have been damaged by mines than any other weapon, and yet from money to promotion prospects, MIW is always put in the dusty corner. Without even diving in to the capability mire of defensive MIW - even more neglected is offensive MIW. How do you create a capability for this for the USA and her allies when it is almost non-existant? Yes, I have been a critic of mission modules the last few decades…

Americas Marvin Land Systems won a $14.7 million deal for M1 Abrams tank auxiliary power units. The ordering period end date is September 19, 2024. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2023 through 2024 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan. […]View the full article

SM-2 Launch, DDG-77 (click to view larger) Variants of the SM-2 Standard missile are the USA’s primary fleet defense anti-air weapon, and serve with 13 navies worldwide. The most common variant is the RIM-66K-L/ SM-2 Standard Block IIIB, which entered service in 1998. The Standard family extends far beyond the SM-2 missile, however; several nations still use the SM-1, the SM-3 is rising to international prominence as a missile defense weapon, and the SM-6 program is on track to supplement the SM-2. These missiles are designed to be paired with the AEGIS radar and combat system, but can be employed independently by ships with older or newer radar systems. This article cove…

Fourteen years since the announced “Pacific Pivot”, the last month we’ve been subjected to a very public debate about how much support for Ukraine in her war with Russia is impacting our ability to prepare for potential war with China in the Pacific. Though history prefers to throw a curveball more often than not, the one scenario that is seen as the most likely trigger for the next Great Pacific War is Taiwan. Should this war come—and if we prepare properly for it, it very well may not—are we ready to make any attempt to take Taiwan a debacle for People’s Republic of China (PRC) a debacle, or are we under-preparing to the degree that we will slouch our way into a long dr…

The first CV90 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) built for the Czech Army has rolled off the production line in Sweden. Representatives of BAE Systems Hägglunds formally presented the vehicle in Örnsköldsvik to Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová and Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson. The Czech acquisition of the CV9030CZ Mk.IV, widely used by NATO allies, […] The post First Czech CV90 rolls out of Swedish plant first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Poland’s Ministry of National Defence has signed a major contract worth more than 2 billion złoty ($550 million) for the delivery of mobile communications nodes to support the second phase of the country’s Wisła air and missile defense program. The agreement, signed on September 24, 2025, at the headquarters of Wojskowe Zakłady Łączności Nr 1 […] The post Poland signs $550M deal for mobile communications nodes first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

On Oct. 22, the Republic of Korea Navy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) unveiled the first Changbogo-III Batch-II class submarine, the Jang Yeong-sil (SS-087), at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard, and displayed the Haeseong‑5 anti‑ship missile as a central part of the ceremony. The missile, shown alongside the new submarine, is presented as a […] The post South Korea unveils new supersonic anti-ship missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan involving air-launched munitions and related support equipment valued at an estimated $82 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said it has delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the proposed transfer. According to the notification, Japan has requested up to twenty-eight GBU-53 […]View the full article

Poland has begun serial production of a new 6×6 armored tactical vehicle known as Heron, according to ZBiAM. The production launch is taking place at Huta Stalowa Wola S.A., one of Poland’s key state-owned defense manufacturers. The Heron vehicle is built on a chassis supplied by Tatra Defence, which is part of Czechoslovak Group. “Heron […]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

Airmen from the 102nd Security Forces Squadron conducted use-of-force training using a virtual reality system at Otis Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, on Feb. 8, 2026, employing immersive simulations designed to replicate real-world security and law enforcement scenarios, according to an official unit release. The training used the Street Smarts Virtual Reality system, which places […]View the full article

Ukrainian military pilots have again raised concerns that the service life of their flight equipment may expire before the operational lifespan of their aircraft, particularly across MiG-29, Su-27, and L-39 fleets. The issue was highlighted by the “Sonyashnyk” (Sunflower) community, a group closely linked to Ukrainian military aviators, which pointed to ongoing reliance on legacy […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate conducted two successful rocket launches into space during the ongoing full-scale war with Russia, reaching altitudes of over 100 kilometers and 204 kilometers respectively, according to Fedir Venislavsky, Chairman of the Subcommittee on State Security, Defense and Defense Innovation of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence. Venislavsky […]View the full article

SummaryA shorter than usual UNCLAS Read Board Podcast, with look around current naval developments, military actions in the Strait of Hormuz, the state of the Royal Navy, and Japan’s growing ties with its Western Pacific neighbors. Chapters00:00: Introduction and Overview of Current Naval Issues 03:24: The State of the Royal Navy 06:04: Japan’s Military D… Read more View the full article

Northrop Grumman completed a successful flight test of its Jackal precision strike missile on June 1, demonstrating the core systems that will define how American ground forces deliver long-range strikes in the most contested environments they are likely to face. The test validated the missile’s automated turbojet engine startup, autopilot-controlled flight, and high-speed maneuvering, confirming […]View the full article

Ukrainian forces destroyed three Russian explosive drone boats attempting to attack the Ukrainian coastline in the early hours of June 23, with Bayraktar TB2 combat drones delivering the strikes that sank the uncrewed vessels at sea, marking one of the relatively rare instances in the current phase of the war where the Turkish-built aircraft have […]View the full article

Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, won a contract worth $199 million to provide research and development engineering support for the Sentinel program, the effort to replace the nation’s aging fleet of Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, with work continuing through July 2029. Sentinel, formally designated the LGM-35A, represents the Air Force’s […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded ThinKom Solutions an Other Transaction Agreement worth up to $49 million to deliver and test a mobile high-power microwave weapon designed to counter drones. The agreement was issued by the Army’s Program Manager for Advanced Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Effects, part of Portfolio Acquisition Executive Fires. Initial funding covers one of […]View the full article

Anytime I read about anti-ship missiles for the US Navy, I get interested. Lets face it, nobody should be surprised when a new idea for the 25 year old Harpoon gets canceled, the Boeing missile is a great weapon against a previous generation of ships defense systems, but it is not the way ahead in the future. Bill Sweetman is reporting Raytheon is going to introduce another previous generation anti-ship missile upgrade and sell it as the future. Hmm... At the U.S. Navy League exhibition in Washington this month, Raytheon Missile Systems will unveil an upgrade to the BGM/UGM-109E Tomahawk Block IV land-attack cruise missile that will make it a multirole weapon cap…