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A Texas lawmaker has sparked hopes to award the Medal of Honor to an Air Force pilot killed while protecting classified information during the Vietnam War. Air Force Maj. Robert A. Lodge was shot down during Operation Linebacker I while flying with the most advanced radar system of the day. Rather than bail out of his burning plane and risk capture, he drove his F-4D Phantom II into the ground, keeping the technology and his knowledge of it out of enemy hands.
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Logistics and supply chains are everything in warfare. Without “beans and bullets,” it is difficult, if not impossible, to be successful in warfare. Of course, military supplies have become much more advanced since World War Two, when America pursued its “Arsenal of Democracy” strategy, which helped win the global conflict. The Russo-Ukraine war has seen a depth and breadth of logistical needs in Europe not seen since the 1940s.

The supply requirements in Ukraine and Russia have been under-reported during media coverage of the war.

Most Western fighters are designed around the assumption that air superiority comes first and logistics follow. The Gripen was designed around the assumption that Sweden would be fighting for survival against a larger adversary while its air bases were under constant attack.

That distinction matters.

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen was built from the outset to operate from austere environments in a dispersed manner. Highways and improvised airstrips are just some of the places from which this fourth-generation warplane can operate.

SAAB JAS 39 Gripen Fighter. Image Credit: SAAB.

Washington appears to be searching for an Epic Fury off-ramp. With public patience fading, costs mounting, missile stockpiles dwindling, and naval assets tied up, the administration likely recognizes that it’s time to pivot. Doing so will require political tact and a claim to victory, even if a decisive strategic victory remains elusive. The most likely outcome is a managed de-escalation, followed by declarations of victory.

Washington Wants Out of Iran War

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Is This How Putin Plans to Fight Back In Ukraine?: Amidst slowing gains on the front lines and an increasingly aggressive drone campaign by Ukrainian forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin is said to be planning a “Hail Mary” winter offensive that, he hopes, will turn the tide and put Ukraine back on the defensive. After more than four years of war, in what was meant to be a weeks-long “special military operation,” Moscow is now facing a growing list of challenges.

In 2022, Scott Sweetow wrote, “Of Roadside Bombs and Drones: Putin’s Looming Insurgency Problem,” where he argued Ukraine’s fight against Russia would rely on a combination of conventional and asymmetrical insurgent tactics. Four years of combat later, we asked Scott to revisit his arguments.Image: National Information Warfare Center PacificIn your 2022 article, you argued that Ukraine’s tech-driven resistance could rapidly evolve into an insurgency-style force.

Even Putin’s Biggest Hawks Believe Russia Can’t Win In Ukraine: Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing increasing pressure both at the front and within the country.

The Russian army’s offensive has been stopped, resources are being depleted, and Ukrainian drone strikes are hitting the logistics and economy of the Russian Federation increasingly hard.

Putin at November 2023 Science Fair Russian Government Photo

Reports confirm that even prominent Russian war hawks are increasingly admitting that Moscow cannot achieve an outright military victory in Ukraine.

U.S. Special Operations Command is on the hunt for new technologies to enable a variety of robotic platforms to detect and process adversary signals.
SOCOM’s program executive office for tactical information systems and the SOFWERX innovation hub are spearheading a new market research effort to see what industry has to offer.

Despite reports that U.S. missile stocks are running low, the Americans launched 49 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iranian targets over the last 48 hours. Targets included enemy air defense systems and radar installations. The new American offensive sparked over the downing of an Apache helicopter gunship earlier this week. The crew was rescued, but the shoot down infuriated President Donald Trump, who ordered the execution of strikes by American warships in the region.

At Least 1,000 Tomahawks Have Already Been Employed

Tomahawk Block IV Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

China’s Type 004 aircraft carrier is the fourth of China’s growing fleet of aircraft carriers. It’s also a representation of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) evolving into a true maritime power. Whereas the previous carriers China developed were essentially experiments upon which the PLAN could learn how to conduct complex carrier operations, the Type 004 is a fully loaded combat system prepared to dominate the seas beyond China.