Raw Intel

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on August 31 inspected a newly built missile production complex and signed three new plans to expand the country’s missile manufacturing capacity, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). During the visit, Kim toured an automated assembly line, which state media described as capable of dramatically increasing […] The post North Korea ramps up ballistic missile production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukrainian troops have carried out an unconventional special operation on the Kharkiv front — evacuating a cat from near the line of contact using a ground robotic vehicle. The unusual mission, conducted by the “Khartia” Brigade, highlights the growing use of unmanned ground systems (UGVs) in Ukraine not only for combat tasks but also for […] The post Ukrainian troops use ground robot to rescue cat from frontline first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea and Malaysia have signed a new defense cooperation agreement aimed at expanding their collaboration in arms development, procurement, and joint production, according to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Monday in Kuala Lumpur by DAPA Minister Seok Jong-gun and Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled […] The post South Korea, Malaysia expand military industry cooperation first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A U.S. Navy vessel operating as part of a coalition task force in the Caribbean issued multiple radio warnings on November 24 to an unidentified aircraft approaching its position in international waters south of Puerto Rico. The aircraft, flying at 18,300 feet and traveling at approximately 278 knots, was tracked on a course of 085º—moving […]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

The United States is preparing Misawa Air Base in northern Japan to support the future deployment of F-35A stealth fighter aircraft, as part of a broader effort to modernize U.S. air power in the western Pacific. According to the report by Newsweek journalist Ryan Chan, the Pentagon plans to deploy 48 F-35A Lightning II jets […]View the full article

The United States Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Mexico (SSN 779) arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on February 21, 2026, beginning a scheduled major overhaul intended to extend the submarine’s operational life and upgrade its combat capabilities. The nuclear-powered submarine, crewed by more than 120 Sailors, will undergo extensive modernization work designed to prepare […]View the full article

Ukrainian forces said they repelled a mass Russian assault near Lyman on March 19, breaking up what the Third Army Corps described as the enemy’s largest breakthrough attempt on the Lyman-Borova axis as Russian troops intensify offensive action and continue to suffer heavy battlefield losses. According to the corps, Russian forces attacked simultaneously on seven […]View the full article

In this episode, Sal discusses recent naval activities, U.S. Iran tensions, and the strategic importance of maritime power. The conversation emphasizes the significance of maritime and aerospace capabilities in national security and offers insights into geopolitical choke points, regional alliances, and the future of U.S. military readiness. Key topics:T… Read more View the full article

Turkey unveiled its first domestically built mini-submarine at SAHA Expo 2026, a milestone that Istanbul Technical University-based defense company Datum Submarine Technologies announced after completing the vessel’s first dive tests off the coast of Karamürsel on April 14, 2026. The Multi-Purpose Mini Submarine, developed with support from Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries, completed assembly at […]View the full article

Show LinksUkrainian FP-1/2 drone attacks Russian frigate Admiral Essen at the Novorossiysk Naval Base Ukrainian attack on the Kronstadt Naval Base Attack on Kuwait International Airport Saronic commentary by John Konrad on gCaptain AV-8B closes its story MQ-25A opens its story AUKUS update SummarySal discusses the ongoing Ukraine conflict, its historical cont… Read more View the full article

A drone climbed into 40 km/h (25 mph) gusts above a high desert training range in Oregon on June 22, 2026, carrying a live Bangalore torpedo, a metal tube packed with Composition B4 explosive, and dropped it directly onto a wire obstacle before soldiers detonated the charge from cover. Army doctrine normally assumes half the […]View the full article

An artillery rocket costs a fraction of what it takes to shoot one down, and that math has quietly become one of the grinding problems of the current wars and conflicts. European defense company Destinus previewed a possible answer at the Farnborough International Airshow, unveiling Vorexon, a concept-stage ground-based interceptor built to protect specific high-value […]View the full article

The Royal Navy’s Dreadnought-class submarines share a missile compartment design, a nuclear propulsion technology exchange, and the same missile as the U.S. Navy’s Columbia class, according to a Congressional Research Service assessment cited by the UK Defence Journal. Both submarine programs are now past the point of no return. All four British boats, HMS Dreadnought, […]View the full article

A South Korean politician has provided a small intel dump regarding the situation just prior to the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan. The Navy corvette Cheonan was warned on the morning it sank on March 26 that a salmon-class North Korean submarine and support ships had disappeared from their bases the day before, a lawmaker claims. Democratic Party lawmaker Shin Hak-yong on Monday said on the morning of the North's attack on the Cheonan, "warnings were given by the Second Fleet Command that a salmon-class North Korean submarine and support ships had been out to sea for unknown operations. Right before the Cheonan was attacked, all artillery guns on the nea…

One week prior to the July 4th holiday, and it's time to catch up on the latest events in the maritime security arena ... and an arena it is. We have a new SECNAV nom ... but no one is talking about it. We have the CNO expending T-AKE amounts of personal, professional, and institutional capital defending quaint academic social theory, FORD enjoys a banging time at sea, and the Royal Navy enjoys a Russian air and sea spectacular! ...and that is just the first few things. As always with our free for alls, we have an open chat room and open phone line to the studio for those who join us live ... so don't be shy. Join us live if you can and roll in with your preferred t…

Both the Freedom and Independence Class LCS have been - if we are to be polite - suboptimal in both utility and performance. We've documented that for the better part of 17-years and that record is all available at the LCS tag, so no need to rehash the whole sordid thing again. Well ... maybe just a little bit. Of course we should have adopted Plan Salamander as outlined over 11-yrs ago, but we have what we have. Smart people with hard jobs given enough Sailor sweat and seabags of cash have managed to get the Independence Class to contribute to the presence mission in WESTPAC, but as outlined in Megan Eckstein's latest at Defense News, Freedom remains the more troublesome…

To build the Navy we need, the one thing we have to get right is - and this seems obvious - to successfully build ships. A lot of them. Easy to type, hard to do. While we have had many well-documented troubles this century, we also have some notable successes that give hope we can do it right when we want to. Returning today with another top-shelf guest post, Bryan McGrath picks up the conversation with a reminder of what we did get right, and what we need to do with that institutional capital. Bryan, over to you. When a “Murderers Row” of Navalists (Hendrix, Salamander, Work) all take to the interwebs within the same week to opine on the recent pathologies of American n…

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…

AEGIS-BMD: CG-70 launches SM-3 (click to view full) The AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense System seamlessly integrates the SPY-1 radar, the MK 41 Vertical Launching System for missiles, the SM-3 Standard missile, and the ship’s command and control system, in order to give ships the ability to defend against enemy ballistic missiles. Like its less-capable AEGIS […]View the full article