HG S2 (Intel Bot)

At U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico last week, Global Military Products and Polaris Government and Defense joined a live-fire event showcasing the Scorpion Light mobile mortar system, also known internationally as the Alakran. The demonstration took place during the Marine Gunners Symposium and was observed by a group of Marine gunners. The Scorpion Light system, […] The post U.S. Marine Corps tests Scorpion light mortar system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine’s defense technology incubator Brave1 has launched a renewed grant program aimed at accelerating the development of advanced weapons, including ballistic and surface-to-air missiles. The initiative, announced at the recent event “Decisive Innovations: Ukraine’s Next Steps in the Technological War”, provides up to 150 million hryvnias ($3.6 million) for projects focused on explosives, missile systems, […] The post Ukraine targets new HIMARS-style weapons with $3.6M grants first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has released new images of its OA-1K Skyraider II in training, highlighting progress by the 492nd Special Operations Wing as the aircraft continues to log flying hours in formal instruction. The OA-1K Skyraider II serves as a cost-effective, crewed platform designed to support special operations personnel in austere and geographically isolated […] The post U.S. Air Force showcases OA-1K in special ops training first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A second B-21 Raider nuclear-armed stealth bomber could fly before the end of the year, according to a Defense One report. “I believe it will happen before the end of the year, but we’re not going to ever give them an artificial date that they have to make if it doesn’t bring the test program […] The post Second B-21 stealth bomber poised for test flight in 2025 first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

In less than two years since launching its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, the U.S. Department of the Air Force has flown a prototype platform, underscoring a shift in how the service develops and fields new weapon systems. The unmanned aircraft, designated YFQ-42A, was developed with General Atomics and conducted its first flight at a California […] The post U.S. Air Force prototype uncrewed fighter jet takes flight first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A tragic accident struck Thursday evening when a Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet from the Tiger Demo Team crashed during rehearsals for Air Show 2025, killing the team’s commander. The crash occurred at approximately 7:25 p.m. local time at Radom Airport. Witnesses described the jet suddenly nosediving over the runway and striking the ground […] The post F-16 fighter jet crashes in Poland, pilot killed first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russian forces have claimed their successful strike against a launcher of Ukraine’s Neptune coastal defense missile system. According to reports, Russian reconnaissance drones operating near the village of Liubytske in the Zaporizhzhia region identified a Neptune launcher as it prepared to fire. Within minutes, Russian forces directed a 9M723 Iskander-M ballistic missile with a fragmentation […] The post Russia hits Ukraine’s Neptune missile launcher first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

If you haven’t had a chance to read the new Chief of Naval Operations’ (CNO) opening comments upon taking the job earlier this week, take a moment to give it a read. We all like bulleted lists, so let me pull this out of the middle By the time my tenure ends, I want to be judged by the results we achieve together, plain and simple. Platforms delivered and repaired on time. Fully manned and combat ready ships. Ordnance production meeting contracted demand. Backlogs in repair parts eliminated. Sailors trained to the highest levels of mastery. I’d like to focus on the second bullet, “Fully manned and combat ready ships“. The CNO’s duties are defined in 10 U.S. Code § 8032 - Chief of Naval Operations. Specifically, look to para (b)(1) of the above. (b) Under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of the Navy, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations shall— (1) subject to subsections (c) and (d) of section 8014 of this title, prepare for such employment of the Navy, and for such recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping (including those aspects of research and development assigned by the Secretary of the Navy), training, servicing, mobilizing, demobilizing, administering, and maintaining of the Navy, as will assist in the execution of any power, duty, or function of the Secretary or the Chief of Naval Operations; So, yes, the buck on “fully manned …” falls squarely in his lap. Let’s be clear and honest with each other—the events of the summer of 2017 were just one example, but we have accepted poorly manned ships—really institutional Sailor abuse—for the entire time I’ve been associated with the US Navy—roughly four decades. The LCS Manning CONOPS. “Optimal Manning.” 100-hour work weeks. etc, etc. We all know the drill of the little tricks we play with each other and ourselves to explain away why we refuse to man our ships so they cannot just take care of themselves and not be a danger to themselves and others, but also not degenerate into eyesores and floating retention issues. Can we properly man our Navy? Sure. It just takes honesty and will. I had a great exchange with a reader I’ve been exchanging notes with for a VERY long time, and much of the below, with his permission, came from him. He is a much more efficient writer and knows the manpower wrinkles better than anyone. If the CNO and those on his staff want to attack “fully manned”, they should digest the below…as should we all. A lot of entities, both inside OPNAV (N1, N8 and N9) and outside OPNAV (OSD Comptroller, CAPE (hissss…booooo), SECNAV, and Fleet Forces Command) have significant influence on the funding of the Military Personnel, Navy (MPN) account. In theory, the CNO should have heft inside the OPNAV lifelines. Outside, notsomuch. What about the final number of what our ships, squadrons, submarines, and other misc commands need to properly serve their nation? The Navy Manpower Analysis Center (NAVMAC) has an excellent process for determining the manpower requirements—a precise number by rate, rating, and NECs driven by the Required Operational Capability and Projected Operational Environment (ROC/POE) as issued by SECNAV. So, what it takes to fully man a ship, squadron or submarine is KNOWN. This isn’t a secret. This isn’t something we need a commission and a POM cycle to research. CNO said one of his metrics for success is "fully manned and combat ready ships." Well, we can get there if, again, we have the easy part, the will. The hard part will be honesty. Honesty about how we had been doing manning in the past, and why. Yes, that is needed. Just “moving on” will not do. If not exposed to fresh air and light, the bad habits of old will only bloom again when a new leader comes on the scene who desires to rise on the backs of institutional Sailor abuse, as was once, “The way we’ve always done things.” He’s the CNO. He can rise no further. This is his run. If I may Admiral Caudle, “Go Pack Go!” First, define our terms. What's needed is CNO's definition of "fully manned". Is it: Fully funding the known requirement? Fully funding what is necessary to meet the current FIT/FILL goals by deployment (which add up to significantly less than fully manned to the NAVMAC determined requirement)? Can we find a case in the last 30 years when OPNAV submitted a budget that fully funded the MPN account (total #s by paygrade - Top 6) to reflect the NAVMAC determined afloat manpower requirement? I don't believe we have. Ever. When a ship gets their "fair share" (# by rate and rating) of the available pool of Sailors, many will say that the ship is fully manned - after all, they got their fair share of what's available; that is, of what's been funded. A key factor is that NAVMAC's ship manning documents are UNCLAS and available to all. If I'm a Work Center Supervisor on a Flight II DDG, I can, in effect, read in great detail what the Navy has stated is the right number of Sailors who should be assigned to my ship and what skill sets/experience they should have. You know what you actually have, but you also know what you should have...and yet you are being told you are “fully manned.” Is that a mistake, spin, or a lie? We say that people are our #1 asset—our comparative advantage—and they are, but are we putting our money where our PR is? If not, why? If you do the math, to fully fund the MPN requirement in a Navy budget with a fixed topline, you will likely have to fund a great deal less of many other requirements out there which seem to be higher ranked in importance than “our #1” (or to be fair, #2 on the CNO’s list above). CNO stated on Day 1 that he wants fully manned ships; the OPNAV budget does not currently reflect CNO's metric for success if fully manned means manned to the Ship Manpower Document (SMD)-determined requirement. How, and defined by what, will the CNO and his staff—with the top-cover from the SECNAV one would hope—focus money and effort towards “fully manned?” We will find out in the next few months. Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

Russia has carried out a naval drone attack against Ukraine’s Simferopol reconnaissance ship in the Danube delta. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the strike was carried out by naval drones believed to have been launched from occupied Crimea or pre-positioned at the mouth of the river. The ministry did not release further details on […] The post Russian naval drones strike Ukraine’s recon ship first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. State Department has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale of AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and related equipment to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) on behalf of Belgium, Italy, and Romania. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the possible $103.9 million deal on Tuesday. According to […] The post U.S. clears $104M Sidewinder sale to NATO allies first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

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

Footage released by Russia shows a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying over the Black Sea equipped with a rarely seen intelligence-gathering system. The video, filmed from the cockpit of a Russian Su-35S fighter, highlights the Poseidon carrying the AN/APS-154 Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS), one of the Navy’s most secretive radar pods. The […] The post Russian fighter intercepts U.S. spy plane with secret sensor first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

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

On August 28, 2025, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of Ukraine confirmed that its special operations forces carried out a coordinated drone attack against a Russian Project 21631 Buyan-M small missile ship. The vessel, a known Kalibr cruise missile carrier, was operating near the Temryuk Bay area off the coast of temporarily occupied Crimea. According […] The post Ukraine hits Russian Kalibr carrier in Azov Sea first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

As Ukraine continues to use low-cost homemade drones to ignite Russian oil refineries, Moscow unleashed one of its most destructive missile and drone barrages on Kyiv in months, striking civilian neighborhoods in the heart of the capital. In the overnight assault of August 28, Russia fired hundreds of weapons — including ballistic and cruise missiles […] The post Ukraine’s cheap drones hit refineries, Russia bombs Kyiv first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

There was something in the air about JCIDS in the spring. I’d encourage you to review my Substack from March then come back. I’ll do one of my favorite things and quote myself from the above post. The process has become the product. It is no longer fit for purpose, if it ever was. As we have often discussed, the accretions encumbered acquisition process that has become the greatest impediment to a military prepared to face the world’s threats. No serious person without a stake in the current system supports keeping it. It stifles innovation, is comically bureaucratic, and is intentionally designed to get between those who have to fight our wars and the equipment they need to fight them. I had no idea what I was going to write about until this came through my scan last night via Anastasia Obis over at FNN. Amid a push to streamline and accelerate acquisition, the Defense Department is dismantling its decades-old Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) process and overhauling how the DoD sets and validates military requirements. In an Aug. 20 memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg directed the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to immediately start the “disestablishment” of JCIDS and ordered the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC), which oversees the process, to stop validating service-level requirements to the “maximum extent permitted by law.” Instead of the JROC validating service-level requirements through the JCIDS process, the services will now be responsible for determining and validating its own requirements. I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. …the services will now be responsible for determining and validating its own requirements. For over two decades here and over at the Midrats Podcast, we have begged for something to be done about the dead hand of Goldwater-Nichols and the Cult of the Joint on our military in general, but our Navy specifically. You cannot overstate how much of a groundbreaking development this is. To make it stick, Congress will need to act, but this is unquestionably a step in the right direction of reform. From shortening timelines, decreasing bureaucratic bloat, and even more importantly—increasing accountability—this is superb. This doesn’t mean the nomenklatura and rent seekers whose rice bowls are being overturned and cheese is being moved won’t resist and try to warp reform in their favor, but that is a fight worth having. A good fight. BZ to all who brought us here, and best of luck in fighting for a better system. Many more steps to take, but the journey has started. Behold what we are trying to leave behind. Just look at this slide from a little under a decade ago. Heck, review the entire slide deck. No sane person can defend this. Good riddance. Next, CAPE. Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

Electronic Warfare (EW) has become one of the most decisive tools in modern drone warfare, with jamming now shaping battlefields from Ukraine to Israel’s borders. Aviv Bar Zohar, a leading counter-UAS expert, told Defence Blog that while current EW systems disrupt or disable most GPS-based drones, new navigation technologies are beginning to challenge that advantage. […] The post Expert: Jamming dominates, but drones adapt first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has begun production of the second tranche of its Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Unmanned Aircraft Systems, pushing forward efforts to modernize battlefield intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities. The Army announced that Teal Drones and its Black Widow system are among the vendors selected to manufacture the SRR platform, which will equip the service’s […] The post U.S. Army expands production of short range recon drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Malaysia has canceled its plan to acquire F/A-18C/D Hornet fighter jets from the Kuwait Air Force, according to a report by Malaysian news site Twentytwo13, citing sources familiar with the decision. The outlet said the cancellation stems from multiple factors that made the transfer complicated and ultimately unworkable. Among the primary concerns were aircraft availability, […] The post Malaysia drops plan to buy Kuwait F/A-18 fighter jets first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) has confirmed it is partnering with U.S. defense company Kratos to develop a low-cost cruise missile program based on the MQM-178 Firejet target drone. The project, described as a joint development rather than a commissioned military program, is aimed at both domestic demonstration and potential foreign […] The post Taiwan develops low-cost cruise missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps is increasing its reliance on logistic drones to support front-line units, turning to a combat-tested system already in service with Ukraine. The Tactical Resupply Vehicle 150 (TRV-150), designed by the U.K.’s Malloy Aeronautics, has now reached operational use within Marine Corps logistics units following a series of training and integration milestones. […] The post U.S. Marines expand use of TRV-150 logistic drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has officially fielded the newest version of its Soldier Borne Sensor reconnaissance drone, earning high praise from Soldiers who trained with it for the first time this month. The system, developed under Program Executive Office Soldier, is designed to give troops real-time intelligence while keeping them out of direct danger. Officials said […] The post U.S. Army fields new pocket-sized recon drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Polish defense company MACRO-SYSTEM has unveiled its GNOM loitering munition during live demonstrations at DALO Industry Days and Uncrewed Innovation Day in Denmark. In a statement, the company said: “During the DALO Industry Days and the Uncrewed Innovation Day demonstrations in Denmark, we had the opportunity to showcase our GNOM loitering munition in action. We […] The post Polish firm showcases ground kamikaze drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

At Uncrewed Innovation Day 2025, defense technology firms MDSI and Armadrone conducted a live demonstration of advanced drone warfare integration, showcasing the controlled release of a precision-guided munition from an uncrewed aerial platform. The trial featured Armadrone’s PUNISHER drone carrying MDSI’s precision-guided munition, known as MAILMAN, in a test that emphasized seamless interoperability and accuracy. […] The post Punisher drone tests MAILMAN munition in Denmark first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukrainian military intelligence has taken delivery of a U.S.-made UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, purchased through a nationwide crowdfunding campaign organized in the Czech Republic. The handover marks the culmination of a year-long effort led by the volunteer initiative Dárek pro Putina (“A Gift for Putin”), which raised more than 72.6 million Czech crowns—about $3.2 million—from […] The post Czech volunteers buy Black Hawk for Ukraine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article