As the Department of Defense has reoriented to prioritize competition with nation-states over counterterrorism, special operations forces are undergoing a transformation to figure out what it means to meet that directive while maintaining their global counterterrorism mission.
“We’re transforming the SOF enterprise to achieve the goals of the” National Defense Strategy, Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 7.
Author: Michael
HNLMS De Ruyter (F 804), 10.2013 (Michael Nitz – Naval Press Service)
The Royal Netherlands Navy’s (RNLN’s) third De Zeven Provinciën-class air defence and command frigate (luchtverdedigings en commandofregatten – LCF) HNLMS
De Ruyter
(F 804) is preparing to start its sea-acceptance tests (SATs) in late March, following the completion of a major maintenance and capability upgrade.
(Calibre Obscura/Twitter).
It turns out, Ukrainian forces really like the old-school Maxim machine gun. Or at least the Imperial Russian and later Soviet version of it, the PM1910.
Although the Maxim machine gun was originally created way back in the 1880s, today’s war in Ukraine has surfaced a sometimes bizarre mix of weapons and tactics. There are modern drones and troops just as likely to carry tablets as rifles. Mid-century Cold War tanks and armored personnel carriers are taking the field alongside modern rocket systems.
Chinese Nuclear Bomb
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The Pentagon is concerned amid a rise in “troubling” reports that cooperation is increasing between Moscow and Beijing regarding China’s efforts to build new nuclear weapons. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Department of Defense (DOD) made an official accusation regarding the reports.
The Assistant Defense Secretary for Space Policy, John F.
Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson (right) and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell (left) hosted an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Stockholm on 7–8 March, where a plan for increasing and accelerating the production of artillery shells was discussed. (Swedish government/Johannes Frandsen)
European Union (EU) defence ministers meeting informally in Stockholm on 7–8 March discussed a plan for increasing and accelerating the production of artillery shells.
Virginia Class Submarine
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In an effort to expand and overhaul its navy, Australia has signed a deal with the U.S. to purchase 5 Virginia-class nuclear submarines beginning in the next decade. Both U.S. and European officials have disclosed the deal as part of a landmark defense agreement between the U.S., Australia, and the U.K. in an effort to counter China.
The agreement is central to the newly formed AUKUS partnership.
The IRGCN’s converted container ship
Shahid Mahdavi
.
(IRNA)
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) formally took delivery of over 80 vessels on 9 March, including the converted container ship Shahid Mahdavi (110-3) and a new high-speed air-defence vessel.
IRGCN Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri described Shahid Mahdavi as a multi-purpose long-range vessel that is fitted with a phased array radar and an advanced communications system.
The Biden-Harris Administration has submitted the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, requesting $842bn for the US Department of Defense (DoD).
The request this year is 3.2%, or $26bn, more than the fiscal year 2023 enacted level, and approximately $100bn higher than the year before.
Specific details of the DoD’s requested have not been released and are expected to be published on 13 March.
The budget seeks $9.1bn in proposed investments for the DoD’s 2024 Pacific Deterrence Initiative, demonstrating its long-term commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
There is a consensus among the US intelligence community that partnerships with the private sector are the key for the US to maintain the advantage against near-peer and peer rivals in the current security climate.
While the private sector provides militaries with the means to battle for territorial interests with platforms, the edge is given to the power with the most advanced cyber, space and nuclear capabilities that are also informed, maintained, and advanced by industry.
It has been 380 days since the Russian invasion began. On Friday, the Russian forces continue to advance in and around the town of Bakhmut. Russian assault in the Donbas In the past 24 hours, the Russian forces have shifted their weight to the north of Bakhmut. Wagner Group mercenaries captured the small settlement of […]
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