Raw Intel

Castelion, a hypersonic missile developer based in Torrance, California, has raised $1 billion in a Series C funding round that values the company at $13 billion. The round includes $800 million in equity financing and $250 million in committed financing for a revolving credit facility, the company said Aug. 19. JPMorganChase’s Strategic Investment Group, Andreessen […]View the full article

A touching story about a man who went to Iraq and embedded with the unit his son was serving with when he was killed. . After he buried Darrell "Skip" Griffin Jr. and after the sympathy calls faded, the elder Griffin, like every American who has ever lost a beloved soldier, struggled to resume life's normal rhythms. But this is where Griffin's journey veered from others and took a twist so unique that it made the U.S. Army bend its rock-hard rules. The 55-year-old accounting consultant, who opposed Vietnam and had never served in combat, traveled to the epicenter of the Iraq war. There, he would trace his son's last days. The result, "Last Journey: A Fathe…

Packed away in one of my boxes is a speech I outlined back in 2004. It was concerning a concept, a word, that with the last few generations we seem to have forgotten about.This forgetfulness manifests itself in different ways and in different degrees throughout history’s path. This isn't the first time - but in our living memory it is acute.It was on a word that is both a concept and a worldview; stewardship. I can’t find my outlined speech, but I was reminded of it Friday when I read this line from David Brooks article, Why Our Elites Stink: … today’s elite lacks the self-conscious leadership ethos that the … old boys’ network did possess. If you went t…

Some of you are keeping an eye on the latest Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, so if I may, let me put down a few markers here: 1. The Caucasuss have never been in the American sphere of influence. 2. The Caucasuss are not even tangentially adjacent to American national security concerns. With that set up, here's the summary from Anders Åslund at The Atlantic Council; The big lesson of the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace settlement is that military power rules. In a matter of weeks, the use of force has achieved what decades of diplomacy failed to deliver. The only two relevant international players in the South Caucasus region are Russia and Turkey. The…

If you think Critical Race Theory in high schools is of questionable utility, then you will love what has come to the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen. With the CNO endorsing one of the most high-profile race essentialists, Kendi, to the Navy at large there are no guardrails to the most divisive, and in many ways racist ideas from being brought into all levels of our Navy. You can call it “racial essentialism,” CRT, or just plain racism … but what we’ve tried to warn everyone about for over a decade and a half is here with bells on. There is bad news, and there is good news. First, the bad news; do you know who Claudia Rankine is? Neither did I until a little birdie…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $102.4 million deal for production and delivery of hardware components and spares of the Apache Attack Helicopter Modernized Target Acquisition Designation/Pilot Night Vision Sensor System. The Apache Arrowhead (also Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor or M-TADS/PNVS), is an integrated targeting and night vision system developed by Lockheed Martin for the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is July 31, 2024. General Atomics won a $69.9 million deal that provides non-recurring engineering and program manageme…

Americas Leidos won a $12.5 million contract modification for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory Autonomous Littoral Connector (ALC) project. The ALC project integrates autonomy onto connectors (vessels) to deliver equipment, fuel or supplies from ship-to-shore and throughout the littoral environment; improves autonomous beaching, well deck ops, payload integration; conducts an Amphibious Assault Direction System spiral; and adds autonomous navigation to multiple vessels. This modification provides for the execution of Option 7, Contract Line Item Number 0015, for an additional vessel (AV) and design, build and test of AV #1. Work will take place in Virginia and is e…

Americas Lockheed Martin Space won a $25.7 million contract modification for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. Work will be performed in Utah,Colorado, California, Florida and various places below one percent (0.2%). Work is expected to be completed July 1, 2025. The Trident II Strategic Weapon System (SWS) is deployed aboard Ohio-class (Trident) submarines and consists of: the Trident II (D5) Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM); Reentry System; and supporting Shipboard Systems. The Pentagon announced on August 1 that the L3Harris and Air Tractor team has won the Armed Overwatch program. Armed Overwatch will provide Special Operatio…

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,…

I am sure that most navalists have had a moment or two in the last few months where they’ve wanted to shuffle down to the basement to get their ready sackcloth and ashes and roll in the doom. The news can lead you that way. Let’s check in with Paul Berger at WSJ; In the first major speech to Congress of his second term, President Trump vowed to resurrect American shipbuilding. Four months later, Trump’s ambitious plans to reverse decades of maritime-industry decline are sputtering. Are they? Maybe sputtering or trying to find their footing in the chaos. It’s the first few months of an administration dealing with a low-boil naval conflict in the Red Sea, year two of the wa…

The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is continuing its evaluation process before making a final decision on whether to acquire surplus F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets from Kuwait, despite reports claiming the deal had been abandoned. RMAF chief General Datuk Seri Muhammad Norazlan Aris, in comments to the New Straits Times, rejected speculation that the plan […] The post Deal not dead: Malaysia still assessing Kuwaiti F/A-18s first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine is ramping up its use of helicopters as part of its air defense network, after frontline units proved their effectiveness in intercepting Russian long-range drones, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. As Militarnyi reported, Syrskyi highlighted that helicopter crews have become a critical element of Ukraine’s layered air defense strategy, often outperforming expectations in drone […] The post Ukraine deploys more helicopters to hunt Russian drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

French airborne forces deployed a wide range of unmanned aerial systems during the recent FURY 25 exercise, emphasizing the role of low-altitude drone operations in high-intensity combat scenarios. The 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment (1er RHP) shared a detailed account of the drill, highlighting both operational capabilities and experimental systems. In a statement published by 1er […] The post French paratroopers test combat drones at FURY 25 first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Kraken Technology Group has secured an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement from U.S. Special Operations Command to design and prototype advanced uncrewed maritime platforms. On November 21, 2025, Kraken Technology Group announced that it has been awarded an OTA agreement by United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The agreement supports the rapid development and prototyping […]View the full article

Korea Aerospace Industries has signed two new contracts to deliver Surion multirole helicopters to South Korean government agencies, extending the platform’s role in public safety, disaster response, and maritime security missions. According to K-DEFENSE NEWS, KAI signed separate agreements on December 15 and December 17 to supply one Surion helicopter each to the Korea Coast […]View the full article

Those who are selling a short, fast, and successful war are selling a lie. It seems every generation thinks they have found a way to fix the problem. Over and over, from Europe in 1939 to Europe again in 2022, the quick and successful war that was briefed devolved into a consuming slog. You can win a consuming slog, but you have to be able to mobilize and industrialize your way through it—and you need to start doing that years before the war starts. The fleet that showed up in 1943 did not start in 1941—it began in 1936, 1938, and 1940. A decade and a half after President Obama’s “Pacific Pivot”, we still talk a big game about being ready for the next Great Pacific War w…

The United States Air Force has awarded Boeing a $13 million contract to upgrade infrared countermeasure systems on C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft operated by Canada and Australia under a Foreign Military Sales program, according to a contract announcement released Feb. 18, 2026. The award covers upgrades converting existing Block 10 defensive systems to the […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has awarded BAE Systems a contract to support and modernize the AN/ALQ-221 Advanced Defensive System installed on the U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft. According to BAE Systems, the contract was issued by Robins Air Force Base in Georgia and includes ongoing field service support, system repairs, and software updates designed […]View the full article

Turkish Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned combat air vehicle successfully detected a passenger airliner at a range of 110 kilometers during a performance validation test of the ASELSAN KARAT Infrared Search and Track system. The result was disclosed through ASELSAN’s monthly publication, a-Bülten, confirming that one of the KIZILELMA’s three primary sensor systems has cleared a significant […]View the full article

U.S. Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum have begun training with the Bumblebee V1, a first-person-view counter-drone system that its users are already discovering does considerably more than shoot down enemy unmanned aircraft. The training brought together soldiers from different units across the division to operate a system that Joint Interagency Task […]View the full article