Raw Intel

The Japanese Ministry of Defense is preparing to take disciplinary action against numerous members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), including Chief of Staff Admiral Akira Saito, over an illicit payment scheme involving submarine maintenance contracts. The decision follows revelations that Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) created slush funds through fictitious transactions and used the […] The post Japan to discipline Navy chief over bribery scandal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

"Like who?" That is a tough question; it seems easy, but it isn't. What defines a leader and what qualities should a young leader emulate? Books have been and will be written about such things - but often it is better just to point at a man and say, "This." A dozen or so years ago when I first published this story, friend to the blog who sneaks into comments now and then, URR, reminded me that we lost one of "them." Someone who inspired people throughout his life. The core of his character is perhaps best discovered in one of his best-known acts. For the full story of The Warriors of Hill 881S, spend some time here. Like many of his generation - proper recognition of his …

The U.S. Army has awarded Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. a $19 million contract for the production of M136 Vehicle Launched Anti-Tank Scatterable ammunition canisters, a key component of the service’s mobile mine-laying capability. The contract, funded through fiscal 2024 Building Partner Capacity accounts, will support production of the widely used Volcano system, with completion expected […] The post Northrop Grumman wins new deal for rapid minefield system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Griffon Aerospace, a U.S. defense firm known for its aerial target systems, is promoting a new variant of its MQM-172 Arrowhead drone configured as a low-cost, one-way strike weapon. While originally developed as a realistic target drone for military training, the company now markets the platform’s adaptability for loitering munition roles with configurable payloads and […] The post Griffon Aerospace pushes low-cost strike drone for U.S. Forces first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) conducted operations with the Guyana Defence Force Defiant-class patrol vessel GDFS Shahous (1039) in the Caribbean Sea off Guyana’s eastern coast on November 22, 2025. According to U.S. officials, the deployment supports U.S. Southern Command missions, Department of War-directed operations, and presidential priorities focused […]View the full article

Ukrainian military intelligence says two Russian fighter aircraft were disabled during a fire at a military airfield near the city of Lipetsk overnight on Dec. 20–21, in what Kyiv describes as a sabotage operation carried out by the resistance movement inside Russia. According to a statement from the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, the incident […]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

The United States Marine Corps has awarded Oshkosh Defense LLC a $16,8 million contract modification supporting procurement of Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires) carriers used in the Navy and Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, according to an official contract announcement released Feb. 20, 2026. The work will be performed across multiple U.S. […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russian forces have resumed offensive operations across several front-line sectors. The statement follows reports of increased battlefield activity as weather conditions improve in eastern Ukraine. The renewed offensive activity reflects a continuation of Russia’s military objectives, with Ukrainian officials warning that Moscow is maintaining its operational tempo. According to […]View the full article

Textron Aviation Defense LLC has been awarded a five-year U.S. government contract valued at over $150 million to continue providing sustaining engineering and program management services for the T-6A, T-6B, and T-6D aircraft fleets operated by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Army. The work will be performed in Wichita, Kansas, and the contract modification […]View the full article

Northrop Grumman announced on May 7 that the B-21 Raider Combined Test Force cut its 180-day test plan to 73 days and secured $11.8 billion, with half the missions completed. “The B-21 Raider Combined Test Force, a partnership with the U.S. Air Force, cut a 180-day test plan to 73 days, securing $11.8B with half […]View the full article

Every warship in the U.S. Navy practices shooting down the kind of supersonic cruise missiles that China and Russia have spent decades perfecting, and the Navy paid nearly $100 million to keep that practice running for another five years with the only American target missile that can actually replicate what those weapons do. The Naval […]View the full article

A British laser weapon capable of destroying drones for roughly $13 a shot is on track to be installed aboard Royal Navy destroyers in 2027, making the UK the first European NATO member to field an operational shipborne directed-energy weapon, and the system’s makers used a major NATO industry forum in Portsmouth last week to […]View the full article

Footage of Stryker armored vehicles rolling off a cargo ship at a Thai port has been circulating on TikTok this week, and an open-source account tracking the videos says it points to a fresh shipment of American military hardware arriving in Thailand. The account, run by a user posting as Hem on X under the […]View the full article

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Defense Research Institute Inc., of Anniston, Alabama, has been awarded a $41.57 million contract modification to build 559 warhead cases and 559 fuzewells for the U.S. Navy’s Tactical Tomahawk missile. The modification, designated P00016, adds the work to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract, N6893619C0039. It covers production and delivery […]View the full article

The Biden Administration is still filling out the mid and lower echelons of their national security and defense team, but the major players are in and the “people are policy” effect is kicking in. If you were paying attention to the 2020 election, you have a general idea where things are going, but it is always best to wait to see what is put out … because that is what good staff people do; wait for higher Direction and Guidance, and then form your actions to align with them. This week, everyone has something to chew on, President Biden’s Interim National Security Strategic Guidance. As I like to do with such documents, I look for larger themes through the use of…

Watching our great Anglosphere partner New Zealand continue to debase herself in the face of the communist Chinese government should be as frustrating and disappointing to all free, liberty minded people as it is to me. Sophie Richardson puts the New Zealand government on report; New Zealand has signed on to a number of key initiatives led by other countries criticising the Chinese government’s ... Yet these remarks tend to be in the passive voice, sending a mixed message of wanting to criticise without irking Beijing. That squeamishness is reflected in other recent policies and remarks, including Labour’s peculiar position in the parliamentary debate over whether t…

I remain firm in my stance that Ike Eisenhower is one of the most impressive leaders this nation every produced and deserves to be in any Top-5 lists of great Americans. Perfect? No. Great? Yes. "To be well read..." - how often have you heard this phrase used? It is usually used as a way to make sure a curious mind does not - through conscious acts of commission or omission - put itself in a echo chamber. It has a secondary benefit; you find jewels you may not have found otherwise. Classic case last night when I found myself digging around for news the new German government and a whole host of problematic decisions. There happened to be an intersection with yesterday's n…

Last Wednesday I had a few observations on Jerry Hendrix's latest article over at National Review, “The Navy’s Littoral Hubris.” Yesterday in comments, a man familiar to readers here, former Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work, weighed in with some counterpoints that I feel need to be brought above the fold for your consideration. With his permission, I've copied his comments in full. There are the bones of one hell of a book here in six short paragraphs. Bob, over to you; As he always does, my good friend Jerry writes a compelling, well written post. However, I think he misses an important point. The problems the Navy has faced has less to do about technological hubri…

BAMS Operation Concept (click to view full) The world’s P-3 Orion fleets have served for a long time, and many are reaching the end of their lifespans. In the USA, and possibly beyond, the new P-8 Poseidon Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft will take up the P-3’s role. While the P-8’s base 737-based airframe offers strong service […]View the full article