Amidst escalating geopolitical tensions and strategic imperatives, GlobalData predicts a substantial increase in US defence spending.

Precision timing is paramount in the military. From coordinating infantry charges across no man’s land in WWI to ensuring that a raiding special forces team gets off the X before enemy reinforcements can arrive, watches are a critical piece of kit for soldiers today and throughout history. The stories behind military timepieces and their connections with certain units can exponentially increase their value on the collector’s market. As a result, many of these rare and historically significant watches are out of the reach of most enthusiasts. However, Praesidus Watch Co.

The British Army began World War I with only two machine guns per infantry battalion. One gun was a spare, meaning the effective ratio was one per 1,000 soldiers. Historian John Ellis summarized, “For the British commanders, on the eve of the First World War, the machine gun simply did not exist.” The inability to grasp the changing technological character of ground combat cost British forces dearly early in the war.

A model displayed at the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March shows the new Al-Sayliyah site of the Project 401 Special Forces Training Centre. (Janes/Jeremy Binnie)
Qatar’s Project 401 Special Operations Training Centre revealed its second site during the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March.
The new site adds to an existing 300 m range and simulator facility in the southwest corner of Camp Al-Sayliyah, west of Doha.

We now have our first look at debris that fishermen recently recovered off the coast of Alaska and turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. authorities are reportedly looking into the possibility that this could be the remains of another spy balloon like the Chinese one that the U.S. Air Force shot down off the coast of South Carolina last year. You can read more about what is already known about this more recent incident here.
User @rayendzz23 on TikTok, who appears to be a member of the crew of a fishing vessel, posted one video last week showing what was retrieved.

MilitaryView

Top 10 Most effective Air Defense Missile Systems in 2024
Discover the latest innovations in air defense with our list of the Top 10 Most Effective Air Defense Missile Systems in 2024. Explore the cutting-edge technologies and strategic importance of these systems in modern warfare.
Many experts agree that the Air Force is the most crucial part of any military today. When we look at the wars of the last few decades, we can say that getting control of the air has become the top goal of every army, but it is not easy to do.

For the first time, we have gotten the chance to see inside the Russian factory where license production of the Iranian Shahed-series one-way attack drone is taking place. A video showing the assembly line at the plant reveals many dozens of Shahed drones — named Geran (geranium) in Russia — taking shape, spelling bad news for Ukraine, which has come under sustained attack from these weapons since October 2022.

Russian media published a video from the “Shahed” UAV assembly shop pic.twitter.

An aerial view of a new barracks complex at Fort Stewart, Ga. The 20 barracks accommodate 72 soldiers each.
Soldiers can now tell the U.S. Army exactly what it’s like to live in barracks and housing. The service launched it’s annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey Monday, looking for anonymous, Army-wide feedback about the housing experiences of Soldiers and their families.
This year’s survey was sent to more than 110,000 tenants in Army privatized, government-owned, and government-leased housing.

MilitaryView

How the US Army prepared for the use of nuclear weapons during the Cold War?and is it ready now?

What the American military will have to remember to fight in the face of nuclear danger

During the Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s, the US Army had some conceptual work on how to operate on the battlefield in the event that the Soviet Union began using tactical nuclear weapons.
However, especially after the collapse of the USSR and the end of the “Cold War,” the American military did not, in principle, prepare for hostilities that the use of nuclear weapons could accompany.

Go to https://bit.

MilitaryView

Why T-14 Armata tanks did not participate in the war in Ukraine?
Rostec leaders said Russia did not send the T-14 Armata to fight in Ukraine due to its high cost, even though this tank has many outstanding features.

“The Russian army already owns the T-14 Armata main tank,” Sergey Chemezov, leader of Russia’s Rostec defense corporation, said on March 4. “The Armata surpasses all existing tanks in terms of features, but it is a bit expensive.”
Mr.

The Air Force updated a broad agency announcement and offered additional insights into the service’s vision for adapting AI capabilities on the battlefield.
The amendment to the BAA, published Feb. 29, revises a key technical area and adds three subsections to the document that was originally issued in August 2023 regarding “artificial intelligence and next generation distributed command and control.

“Echo Four, cleared wet contact right hose,” crackled the radio in Paul’s helmet. He gripped the controls on his CF-5A Freedom Fighter a little more tightly, focusing on the steel basket that would deliver much-needed fuel to his little jet.
The basket bobbed gently behind the wingtip-mounted pod on the military Boeing 707 tanker in light turbulence. Paul, or “P.I.” as he was known to his friends on 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron in Bagotville, Quebec, Canada, ignored the rush of the cloud deck that was barely 1,000 feet below their formation.

Offutt Air Force Base, in Nebraska is home to U.S. Strategic Command. (Charles Haymond/U.S. Air Force).
A retired Army officer passed secrets via a dating website to someone claiming to be a woman in Ukraine in online chats that mixed teasing sweet talk in broken English with specific requests for classified information, federal prosecutors claim.
“Beloved Dave, do NATO and Biden have a secret plan to help us?” read one note, according to court documents. “Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room?? It is very interesting,” said another.

MilitaryView

Ukraine announced it had sunk a $65 million Russian warship
Ukrainian intelligence announced that it coordinated with the country’s navy to sink the Russian warship Sergey Kotov worth $65 million.

“Special unit Group 13 of Ukrainian military intelligence attacked a Russian patrol ship in a coordinated operation with the navy,” the General Directorate of Military Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) announced on March 5. “The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine supports this campaign.

Ryan sat down at the Pentagon with Gen. Gary Brito, who leads U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, to talk about strengthening Army professionalism, which Gen. Randy George, the chief of staff of the U.S. Army, has identified as one of his key priorities. Whether you’re a solider, Department of the Army civilian, a contractor supporting the Army, or just someone interested in the future of America’s Army, this episode is for you. Image: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jilian Mueller
The post Gen.

The Dept. of Veterans Affairs will not ban a picture of a sailor kissing a young woman on V-J Day from its facilities. Photo from Library of Congress.
The Department of Veterans Affairs disavowed a memo from a senior official requesting that VA facilities remove any displays of a famous photo commemorating the end of World War II. The picture captures a sailor kissing a woman in New York City’s Times Square on V-J Day. Modern views of the picture include criticism that it may capture a non-consensual moment.

The “Paras” of the British Army’s 16th Air Assault Brigade Combat Team now have Israeli-made computerized sighting systems for their L85A3 rifles. The main purpose of the SMASH X4 sights from Smart Shooter is to give the Paras a new way to help tackle enemy drones, a now long-standing threat that has come into sharp relief in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The 16th Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, the British Army’s highest readiness unit, shared pictures of personnel training with the new SMASH X4 sights on social media. The U.K.

MilitaryView

Gliding Bomb War : Russia Can launch a Hundred a Day
Ukraine has sought to counter this threat, initially with the acquisition of JDAM gliding bombs from the United States and more recently with French Hammers, although aid has faced domestic political obstacles in the US.
In the context of the prolonged conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the air forces of both nations have intensified their operations, evidencing significant progress in the application of air strategies and the use of cutting-edge technology.

Ukraine continues to strike blows against the Russian Black Sea Fleet, with the latest victim the Project 22160 patrol ship Sergei Kotov, the target of an overnight attack involving uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), or ‘drone boats.’ The same vessel had come under USV attack before, with Russia claiming to have foiled an effort to sink it last July before the warship was reportedly damaged again in September.
The incident is said to have taken place near the Kerch Strait that separates Russian-occupied Crimea from the Russian mainland.

When we think of military service members and their transition back into civilian life we rarely consider the veterans who become artists. There are common professions and tradecraft jobs for veterans, but becoming a painter is not usually one of them. These veterans served and then found their calling and passion in a career as an artist. Many of these have made history with their works and have positively influenced our culture.
Take a look at these timeless artists who served their country
Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post 1943 cover featuring Rosie the Riveter.

Norway has exercised a contract option for three additional TPY-4 early warning multimission radars. (Lockheed Martin)
The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) is procuring three additional TPY-4 multimission ground-based radars from Lockheed Martin after exercising a contract option with the company.
According to an announcement by the NDMA on 3 March, the additional radars will be stationed in Senja, Målselv, and Nordkapp to enhance surveillance in the northern region of the country.

The Gaza UAV scale model displayed at DIMDEX 2024. (Janes/Ajay Shankar Pandey)
The Iranian defence industry displayed its multirole Gaza-armed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the DIMDEX 2024 exhibition held in Doha, Qatar, from 4 to 6 March.
The Gaza UAV is a turboprop-powered remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) designed for military and civilian missions. It has an endurance of over 24 hours at minimum payload, with a maximum speed of 350 km/h, a cruising speed of 215 km/h, and a loitering speed of 190 km/h.

Night Predators – Military Motivation
✓

The RTAF is seeking to replace its ageing F-16A/B combat aircraft fleet since 2020. These aircraft have been in service from 1988. (Janes)
The Royal Thai Force (RTAF) has detailed plans to acquire a wide range of unmanned capabilities, missiles, and a priority procurement of new fighter aircraft in its 2024 White Paper.
The new White Paper – released on 29 February – lists a series of short-term acquisitions and improvements.

WATCH Rep. Matt Gaetz prompting Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to reveal his own double standards and hypocrisy in relation to his medical decisions and actions affecting 8,600 military members.

WATCH Rep. Matt Gaetz prompting Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to reveal his own double standards and hypocrisy in relation to his medical decisions and actions affecting 8,600 military members. pic.twitter.

An Anka MALE UAV equipped with sensors and weapons at IDEX 2023, Abu Dhabi. This UAV was armed with MAM-L munitions and a ŞİMŞEK aerial target on the port hardpoint (not visible in this photograph). (Janes/Akshara Parakala)
The Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara: TNI-AU) has announced that it will add two additional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadrons to its operational forces.

Sometimes, people just need to learn the hard way and their rank does not protect them from the hard facts of life. Those moments when the power-tripping senior is obliviously heading toward disaster, confidently incorrect in their assumption, is unceremoniously humbled, are those once-in-an-enlistment moment that are the chef’s kiss of life. Sing it with me, Kelly Clarkson: For a moment like this, some people wait a lifetime.
Here are our favorite memes of the week to help retention:

Seek cover. Keep a low profile. Avoid all working parties. Take no initiative. Evade all higher ups.

Images released by Babcock in February 2024 showing progress being made on the hullform and superstructure of the future HMS
Venturer
at its facilities in Rosyth, Scotland.
(Babcock International)
Thales has successfully completed factory acceptance tests (FATs) for the first Type 31 mission system, the company announced on 28 February.
UK shipbuilder Babcock, leading the ‘Team 31′ consortium, is delivering five Type 31 Inspiration-class general-purpose frigates based on the Arrowhead 140 design for the Royal Navy (RN) under a GBP1.25 billion (USD1.

Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Kregg Griffiths is covered by his mentor during a chief petty officer pinning ceremony aboard amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7). Fifteen new chief petty officers were pinned in front of friends, family and the Iwo Jima crew during the ceremony. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Megan Anuci/U.S. Navy).
In the U.S. Navy, the Chief’s Mess is the cornerstone of every unit. It’s the vital link between the lower enlisted and the higher echelons of the command.

The Carl-Gustaf M4 – pictured above – can be fired from the shoulder from the prone position with the soldier’s body at an angle of at least 45° to the axis of the bore, or from a mount on an armoured personnel carrier. A heavy‐duty, detachable bipod is used when firing from the prone position. (ECDI)
Swedish defence company Saab has started the construction of a new Carl-Gustaf manufacturing facility in India, Saab said on 4 March.
Saab is building the new facility in Jhajjar, in India’s northern state of Haryana, approximately 80 km from New Delhi, the company said.

US marines conduct cold-weather training in preparation for NATO Exercise ‘Nordic Response 2024′ in Setermoen. (US Marine Corps)
With the kick-off of Exercise ‘Nordic Response 2024′ in February in the Norwegian Arctic, NATO is including Finland forces for the first time as a new official allied member and has transferred the Land Component Command headquarters for the exercise to the US Marine Corps’ II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF), another first.

The overhaul of HMS
Victorious
will allow the boat to carry out deterrent patrols until the next generation of SSBNs, the Dreadnought class, enters service.
(Babcock)

Babcock has been awarded a contract by the UK Submarine Delivery Agency to carry out the non-refuelling deep maintenance and life-extension (LIFEX) programme for the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) second Vanguard-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), HMS
Victorious.
The full-cost recovery contract, worth an estimated GBP560 million (USD709.

An artist’s conceptualisation of a swarming drone capability being developed by 216 Squadron. However, since being formed in 2020, the unit, which is tasked with testing future drone swarm technology, has completed no tests or trials either in-house or with industry, the government has disclosed. (Leonardo)
The United Kingdom’s effort to develop and field an unmanned ‘swarming drone’ capability is being stymied by “competing resource priorities”, the government disclosed on 4 March.

Happy birthday to the team responsible for helping nearly every military project get off the ground! Of course, we’re talking about the Seabees. The Seabees were established on March 5, 1942. So, each March 5, the Navy community gathers to celebrate these remarkable sailors. Love them or hate them, there’s no denying the Navy Seabees are a unique and vital part of the military. But what exactly is a Seabee? And how did they form? Read on to find out!
What does A Seabee do?
The name “Seabee” comes from the initials “CB,” which stands for Construction Battalion.

Breaking Defense
Everyone agrees the “tyranny of distance” means any U.S. action against China in the Indo-Pacific will be a challenge for the jets, bombers and tankers.

Steve Cohen, RealClearDefense

Stephen B.

Konstantin Toropin & Thomas Novelly, Military.

Dan Grazier, The National Interest
The fight to save the A-10 has never been about the airplane.

Janes Defence Budgets forecasts that real annual growth rates in China’s total military expenditure, which includes the official defence budget, will fall below 4% before the end of the decade. (Janes)
The Chinese government has proposed a defence budget of CNY1.67 trillion (USD232 billion) for 2024, official state media has reported. The new expenditure represents a nominal year-on-year increase of 7.2%, the same rate of growth announced in 2023.

Former British Army officer Neil Hendry explains how tech startups are using IoT tech in work with NATO military organisations.

CASIC is enhancing its Sky Hawk low-observable UAV for improved stealth characteristics and greater range. This graphic is based on the most recent imagery of the UAV, from February 2024. (Janes)
China’s Tianying (Sky Hawk) tailless low-observable, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has started flight-testing following upgrades to its “main parameters”. According to Chinese state-owned media, the changes improve the UAV’s “stealth” characteristics and “endurance”.

The Netherlands has donated additional materiel and funds for Ukraine, from patrol boats to contributing to an artillery fund.

Headlines would lead one to conclude that the age of killer robots has arrived. In Ukraine, autonomous drone swarmssupposedly hunt for enemies and independently decide what to attack. Because Ukraine and Russia are employing many different types of drones, which are omnipresent over the frontlines, some observers have concluded that drones have fundamentally changed the character of war and are the key factor that will decide who prevails in the conflict.

Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government, spoke about the history of isolationism in the United States, its role in the formulation of American foreign policy, and how the idea is now resurgent in U.S. domestic politics. The conversation is based on Charlie’s most recent book, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World.

The Boeing P-8A Poseidon in Canadian markings. (Boeing)
The US Navy (USN) has ordered 17 Boeing P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft on behalf of foreign customers, according to the US Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) 29 February contract announcement. The Royal Canadian Air Force is to receive 14 P-8s, while the remaining three are destined for Germany. The Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract is worth USD3.4 billion.
Canada and Germany ordered P-8s to replace their respective fleets of P-3 Orions (designated CP-140 Auroras in Canadian service).

The U.S. Coast Guard says it is planning to buy an existing commercial icebreaker to help support operations in the highly strategic Arctic region, a possibility that has been discussed since at least 2015. This comes as work on a new class of Polar Security Cutter heavy icebreakers for the Coast Guard has suffered substantial delays, with the first of those ships now potentially not set to be delivered until 2028. The service currently only has one operational heavy icebreaker, the USCGC Polar Star, which is becoming increasingly difficult to operate and maintain.

A Fort Bliss Army Captain was found not guilty of murder by a Texas jury in the death of a fellow soldier in late 2023.(Photo by Capt. Joselyn Sydnor, 653rd Regional Support Group).
A Fort Bliss Army Captain was found not guilty of murder by a Texas jury in the death of a fellow soldier in late 2023.
Capt. Clevy Muchette Nelson-Royster was riding in a jeep that struck a car driven by Capt. Malcom Xavier Perry. Perry was killed, and both the driver and Nelson-Royster were charged with his death.

Spc. Jeremy Armstrong, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 1st Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, U.S. Army Reserve, eats a meal, ready to eat while he waits on repair parts for his unit at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, June 10, 2021. (Mississippi National Guard photo/Sgt. Taylor Cleveland).
The U.S. military has always had menu options, although no one expects a five-star buffet. But when your leadership tells you to cut those ties and bust open a Meal, Ready-To-Eat (MRE) box after a long day in the field, you can expect that you are now entering the Hunger Games.