Raw Intel

The American tradition in the relationship between officers and enlisted personnel is not mostly the norm for Western Armies. Some more than others, but roughly the norm. It was not always so in Western Armies - and in isolated cases, in our military either. Partially due to the revolutionary nature of our nation's birth, but mostly due to the example set by many of its earliest leaders and mentors, the habits established in the 18th and 19th centuries in our military fit a military of a free republic well. That relationship resulted from the benchmark set by great leaders whose actions set the example for others to follow. One of those leaders was Andrew Jackson. Most…

If you've missed having David Larter on the Navy beat, well you're in for a treat. Though everyone's favorite former OS2 is no longer a defense journalist, like most Sailors, he doesn't leave his love of the sea or affection for his Navy behind. Returning to Midrats, but this time with a little California sunshine kissing his cheeks, David will be with us for the full hour Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern. We will cover the waterfront from Ukraine, fleet size, how we treat our Sailors, global food security, China, and the things navalists should be thinking about, but aren't. Join us live if you can, but it not, you can get the show later by subscribing to the podcast. If you u…

A lot of you are experiencing official discrimination on a regular basis and share what you are going through with me. The vast majority of it I don't share because it is sent on background to me as people are terrified of being found out by the diversity zampolits. The most scared people - even more than those in the military - are those in academia. It isn't just the college admission process, it is the red in tooth and claw discrimination in hiring faculty giving special consideration to some racial and ethnic groups while at the same time taking specific negative action against other racial and ethic groups. I've written way too much in a rambling way on the topic ov…

Does your opponent respond the same - or to the same degree - to identical incentives and disincentives than you do? Are you mirroring? Do you want your opponent to think a certain way because it is convenient to you and your priors? Are you doing your best to structure your actions such that they are conveniently aligned with your peacetime path of least resistance, or are they mindfully structured with your opponent's view of warfighting? That kept coming to mind yesterday during our conversation with our guest Toshi Yoshihara on Midrats discussing his new book Mao's Army Goes to Sea: The Island Campaigns and the Founding of China's Navy, and for the second half of th…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $26.4 million modification to exercise options for Machinery Control System production shipsets in support of both the DDG 51 modernization program and DDG 51 new construction. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by November 2026. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in […]View the full article

Americas Canada’s promised $400 million National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for Ukraine remains grounded, with delivery shrouded in uncertainty. While the Liberal government touted the acquisition in January 2023, National Defence now admits plans are still being worked out with the United States, including crucial details like delivery timelines. Crew Training International won a […]View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps is moving forward with full-rate production of its new Amphibious Combat Vehicle armed variant, the ACV-30, awarding nearly $300 million in contracts to BAE Systems and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. According to recent announcements from the Department of Defense, the Marine Corps has placed firm orders for 31 ACV-30 vehicles from […] The post U.S. Marines buy more ACV-30 combat vehicles first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China is preparing to equip its navy’s submarines with a new scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missile, known as the YJ-19. Mockups of the YJ-19 hypersonic missile, publicly displayed for the first time during the parade in Beijing attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, point to […] The post China to arm submarines with new hypersonic missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia’s once-deep reserves of armored vehicles are shrinking rapidly, with new open-source assessments showing dramatic reductions in stored tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and artillery systems since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Yet analysts caution that the data should not be interpreted as evidence that Moscow has run out of equipment altogether. OSINT […] The post OSINT data shows Russia’s tank reserves shrinking but far from exhausted first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A U.S. Army intelligence aircraft was tracked flying over the Black Sea on Sunday, conducting a surveillance mission in support of U.S. defense operations, according to publicly available flight data. Data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft, operating under the call sign BRIO66, flying racetrack patterns off the coast of Romania near Constanța before heading southeast […]View the full article

Delphinus Engineering Inc., based in Newtown, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $14.5 million contract to develop, fabricate, produce, integrate, and test a new sonar array and lift system for Canada’s Victoria-class submarines. According to a Department of War contract announcement, the award includes Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds fully allocated to Canada and may grow […]View the full article

The Pakistan Air Force on January 3 conducted a successful flight test of the indigenously developed Taimoor Weapon System, confirming the missile’s performance during an air-launched trial, according to an official statement. The service said the Taimoor Air-Launched Cruise Missile is designed to engage land and sea targets with precision at a range of up […]View the full article

A drone strike attributed to Iran struck Kuwait International Airport, damaging part of a passenger facility and injuring several workers, according to regional media reports citing airport and security sources. The incident occurred at Kuwait’s main civilian aviation hub, where airport operations were briefly disrupted following the impact. According to initial media reporting, the unmanned […]View the full article

The United States Air Force, in partnership with Northrop Grumman and Bechtel, is accelerating development of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile system by prototyping a new launch silo tube, the companies announced on Friday. According to Northrop Grumman, the launch silo tube serves as the central element of a new modular infrastructure concept that is […]View the full article

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has completed the initial flight series of a new J85 engine-powered variant of its Firejet unmanned aerial system, the company said. Developed in coordination with the U.S. Army’s Target Systems Management Office, the new configuration — designated Mk1 Firejet — represents the second major variant of the Firejet platform and […]View the full article

A man’s man, a man of God, and someone who really knew, “What would Jesus do?“ ... Kapaun defied orders to evacuate, knowing it meant he would most certainly be captured. He pleaded with an injured Chinese officer to call out to his fellow Chinese to stop shooting, an act that spared the lives of wounded Americans. As Kapaun was being led away, he came across another wounded American in a ditch and an enemy soldier standing over Sgt. Herbert Miller, ready to shoot. Kapaun pushed the enemy aside and helped Miller as they were taken captive. They arrived days later, by foot, at the village in Pyoktong, where a POW camp eventually was established. “This is the valor we hon…

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief has approved a formal development concept for the country’s rocket forces and artillery through 2030, setting out a blueprint that prioritizes domestic weapons production, targets strike capability reaching 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), and commits to phasing out Soviet-era artillery systems that can no longer be repaired or modernized. General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of […]View the full article

A Russian fighter jet parked on a runway in occupied Crimea burst into flames overnight, and Ukraine’s military intelligence agency says its drone operators are responsible. Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, known by its Ukrainian abbreviation GUR and distinct from the country’s domestic security service, announced Saturday morning that its Department of Unmanned Systems struck […]View the full article

A British-made uncrewed helicopter has flown faster than 100 miles per hour while carrying real cargo, and the company behind it says that single test run marks the opening move in a summer packed with flight trials meant to prove the aircraft is ready for military logistics work. Certo Aerospace, a UK aerospace company developing […]View the full article

Ukrainian company Drone Fight Group has deployed an HMMWV, known popularly as “Humvee”, converted into a remotely operated vehicle using its Kaban system, delivering three units to Ukrainian military formations, the company said. The vehicles went to the 3rd Army Corps, the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment “Achilles” and the 49th Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed […]View the full article