Workers at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant prepare 155 mm artillery rounds to be filled as a part of the load, assemble, and pack operation. (US Army)
It has been more than a year since the US Army announced its ramp-up of 155 mm ammunition was under way. Now, the Pentagon has to find a way to more than double its production output by the end of the year as the war in Ukraine marches on.

Lee Hsi-ming, Taiwan’s Plan for Victory: An Asymmetric Strategy to Use the Small to Control the Large: All of Taiwan Should Understand the Overall Defense Concept (Linking Books, 2022). In 1874, the Japanese Meiji government dispatched a punitive expedition to Taiwan. Its leaders sailed with instructions to exact retribution on indigenous islanders who, in 1871, had captured and executed a group of shipwrecked sailors.

HMAS
Waller
sails through Sydney Harbour as the boat prepares to berth at Fleet Base East, Sydney. Commissioned in July 1999, HMAS
Waller
is the third of six RAN Collins-class submarines.
(Commonwealth of Australia)
Although planning is well-advanced for the Life of Type Extension (LOTE) planned for all six of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) conventionally powered Collins-class submarines, some question marks hang over the schedule and implementation of the multibillion-dollar programme.

A model of AVIC’s new AR-500W rotary-wing UAV displayed at Singapore Airshow 2024 shows that it is armed with a substantial missions and weapons payload. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s (AVIC’s) AR-500 rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed for naval (including carrier-borne) operations appears to be now armed with missiles and a heavy gun.
The model of an export variant of the UAV, the AR-500W, was unveiled during the Singapore Airshow 2024 held from 20 to 25 February.

The RQ-7B Shadow was deployed during JPMRC 24-02 at a brigade level. (US Army)
After the US Army announced it would not buy any more RQ-7 Shadows, an11th Airborne Division official told Janes that the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) could not be used in cold temperatures.
The Shadow is not approved to operate at temperatures below -20ºF, Lieutenant Colonel James Jones, assistant G3, the assistant officer in charge of operations for the 11th Airborne Division, said in an interview.

MD Helicopters has changed the designation of its MD 530F to the TH530 or AH530 depending on whether it is a trainer or a light combat platform. (MD Helicopters)

MD Helicopters (MDH) has relaunched its MD 530F rotorcraft as the TH530 and AH530 for the military trainer and light attack markets respectively, a company spokesperson confirmed to
Janes
.

US Congressional Budget Office’s 10-year projections for US defence spending, interest payments, and total deficit. (Congressional Budget Office/Janes)
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its regular 10-year budget and economic report on 7 February, projecting growing deficits, public debt, and costs attributable to an ageing population while revenue remains largely the same by 2034.

A Republic of Singapore Air Force Heron 1 UAV, seen at Paya Lebar Air Base in September 2023. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will be replacing its fleet of Heron 1 and Hermes 450 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as part of the service’s renewal plans.

Australian authorities want to acquire a new class of six optionally-crewed ships for the country’s Navy as part of a cooperative effort with the U.S. Navy. The plan is for these vessels, each of which will have 32 vertical launch system cells, to provide additional distributed magazine depth at a lower cost to bolster the capabilities of the country’s larger surface combatants.

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Why Russia Can’t Stop Ukraine’s Western Aid
Current situation in Ukraine
Since the war began in February 2022, the Russia-Ukraine war is about to last for a year. Both sides of the war have paid a heavy price, but in comparison, Ukraine has been affected more seriously and is irreversible.
The Ukrainian army has launched 9 rounds of mobilization so far, and most of the men of school age have been sent to the battlefield. According to information previously disclosed by the Israeli intelligence agency, the number of Ukrainian army casualties has reached 537,000.

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service has responded to the violent death of a Russian military helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine last year. As if they didn’t exist already, suspicions will now fall even heavier upon the Kremlin and its potential role in the demise of Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who was found dead from gunshot wounds in Spain last week.
“In Russia, it is customary to speak either good of the dead or nothing at all,” said Sergei Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), when asked about Kuzminov.

FILE: Soldiers with the Massachusetts National Guard, stand in formation during a a deployment ceremony in Taunton, Mass. Nov. 26, 2017. (Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Hughes/ Massachusetts National Guard).
Things have apparently gotten so out of hand at a suburban Boston high school that some local school committee officials want members of the National Guard to patrol the halls.
Four members of the Brockton School Committee have sent a letter to the city’s Mayor, Robert Sullivan, asking him to convey their request to Gov. Maura Healey to deploy state guardsmen to Brockton High School.

A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) produced by North Korea and recently used against Ukraine by Russia relied on more than 290 foreign-sourced components, many of them originating from U.S. manufacturers. This is the alarming result of a study by Conflict Armament Research (CAR), a U.K.-based investigative organization.
More concerning, perhaps, is the fact that according to CAR’s study — which you can read in full here — those U.S. components were manufactured within the last three years.

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Australia presents multi-billion dollar naval reform.

Australia announced a multi-million-dollar review of its navy this Tuesday, which, according to senior officials, responds to “growing geostrategic uncertainty.”

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told reporters the review would give the navy its largest surface fleet since World War II.
The plan’s total cost for the next 10 years is estimated at $35.25 billion.
The renewal of the Australian naval fleet aims to double the number of warships more than.

U.S. officials are assessing whether a drone strike in Somalia killed two Cuban doctors who were being held hostage on the ground.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado).

U.S. officials are assessing whether a drone strike in Somalia killed two Cuban doctors who were being held hostage on the ground.
The Feb. 15 drone strike against al-Shabab took place near Jilib in southern Somalia, according to U.S. Africa Command. There was no announcement of the strike when it occurred but the command released a statement after accusations surfaced of the two hostage deaths.

The Silicon Valley-headquartered Defense Innovation Unit released a new solicitation in its search for computer hardware to support forward-deployed forces.
The request for proposals is for DIU’s FrontierNode project, which comes at a time when the Department of Defense is looking to boost its command, control, communications, computers and intelligence capabilities. The Pentagon is pursuing a Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJAD2) concept, which aims to better connect networks, data, platforms, sensors and shooters across the U.S. military and partner forces.

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Can Europe Defend Itself Without the United States?
Introduction
Europe is facing a critical question: can it defend itself without the United States? This article delves into the complexities surrounding Europe’s military capabilities, its reliance on the United States, and the challenges it faces in developing its own defense systems.
The Current State of Affairs
1. A Race Against Time
Europe is in a race against time to arm itself, with assessments suggesting it may be at least a decade away from being able to defend itself without help.
2.

Northrop Grumman has released a striking visual of the top section for the U.S. Air Force’s new LGM-35 Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) flying off in a test. This is a critical part of how the missile functions, with this “shroud” needing to safely detach before the nuclear warhead underneath can be released onto its target. The successful test comes as the Sentinel program has been facing serious challenges and billions of dollars in cost overruns, though these issues are largely tied to infrastructure modernization demands and not the missile itself.

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The reason why the Ukrainian army fell at Avdeevka
The Ukrainian army’s loss at Avdeevka can be attributed to inflexible tactics, changes in senior personnel, and ammunition shortages, according to experts.
Avdeevka, a strategic stronghold in Donetsk, was the site of a major battle between the Ukrainian and Russian armies. On February 18, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared complete control over the city, marking a significant victory for Russia. The battle revealed several issues within the Ukrainian army that contributed to its defeat.

(Marine Corps photo/Task & Purpose composite).
The U.S. Marine Corps tasked Recon Marines with setting up the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) in the late aughts, making them the first modern-day Marine Raiders. That’s not to be confused with the World War II Marines, the original Raiders.
But, the WWII Marine Raiders would later form the Recon Marines. It’s arguably one of the best full-circle unit lineages in the U.S. military.

A MANTAS T-12 USV, front, operates alongside Royal Bahrain Naval Force fast-attack craft RBNS
Abdul Rahman Al-fadel
during operations in support of Task Force 59 in the Gulf.
(US Navy)
Anxious to avoid gifting an operational advantage to China, the US Navy’s senior officer in the Pacific said the service will maintain a veil of secrecy over the pace at which it is ‘operationalising’ new unmanned systems capabilities and concepts in the Pacific Fleet.

Customers of the future HYDEF interceptor capability continue to narrow down their requirements for the future hypersonic air defence system.

The drone donation announcement has demonstrated Canada’s support to assist Ukraine in its battle against the Russian invasion.

The Super Tucano that was demonstrated at Air Force Base Accra in Ghana on 19 February 2024. (Ghana Air Force)
The Ghana Air Force hosted an event to promote the A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to the defence minister and other senior officials and officers on 19 February.
The demonstration was put on by Embraer, the Super Tucano’s designer, and Sierra Nevada Corp (SNC), which produces the aircraft for US Foreign Military Sales customers, at Air Force Base Accra and was live-streamed by the air force via YouTube.

General Dynamics European Land Systems – Steyr signs a significant agreement with the Austrian Ministry of Defense.

The Aerospace Times Feipeng Company Limited’s FP-981C vertical take-off landing unmanned aerial vehicle. (Janes)
China is developing a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for short-range cargo transport tasks.
A representative of the Aerospace Times Feipeng Company Limited said the UAV, called the FP-981C, is being developed to transport cargo and supplies in “complex environments”.

H I Sutton, USNI N.

Mark Pomerleau, DefenseScoop
Since delivering Project Overmatch capabilities to Carrier Strike Group 1, additional strike groups have been equipped.

Seth Cropsey, RealClearDefense

Daniel Larison, RespStatecraft
The administration wants to ‘show force’ to assure allies it’s not overstretched, but here’s how that can backfire

Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven
A U.S.

Hadean has secured a contract with DASA to populate the British Army’s virtual training space by using a large language model.

The Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) tapped Scale AI to produce a trustworthy means for testing and evaluating large language models that can support — and potentially disrupt — military planning and decision-making.

The trusted global agency for open-source defense intelligence today announced the next phase in its evolution of product management and innovation excellence to drive enhanced decision support solutions. WASHINGTON DC (February 20, 2024) – Janes, the OSINT agency – today announced key management changes to provide even greater focus on product innovation to continue to support Janes customers’ evolving intelligence requirements.

The U.S. Air Force deployed its first Minuteman missile in 1962. There’s no getting around this basic point, that America’s intercontinental ballistic missile fleet is a Cold War relic. At the height of the Cold War, there were more than 1,000 silos dotting the western United States. The latest iteration, the Minuteman III, was first deployed in 1970. Over the last 40 years, the Air Force has spent billions on replacing guidance systems, rocket motors, and power systems, in addition to patching up aging launch facilities and maintaining an outdated command and control system.

An artist’s impression of the future Hunter-class frigate for the Royal Australian Navy. Canberra has announced plans to reduce its procurement of nine of the type to six. (Commonwealth of Australia)
The Australian government has announced a major expansion of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) surface combatant fleet. Under plans announced on 20 February in response to an independent review of RAN surface combatant capability, Defence Minister Richard Marles said the RAN will more than double the size of its warship fleet to meet future strategic challenges.

The U.S. Navy has fired around 100 Standard family surface-to-air missiles at Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen since last October, according to a recent report. This significant expenditure of resources speaks exactly to the kinds of concerns, as well as broader ramifications, that The War Zone recently explored in detail the context of the U.S. Navy’s future Constellation class frigates and its surface combatants’ magazine depth in general, which you can find here.

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F-15EX Expansion Vs F-35 Dominance in the United States
The US Air National Guard has also added the F-35 Lightning II to its arsenal, complementing its capabilities with this fifth-generation fighter.
The F-15EX Eagle II receives significant support in the US, posing a direct challenge to the supremacy of the F-35, highlighting its performance, integration capability and strategic potential compared to the stealth fighter.
The F-15EX Eagle II: An Outstanding Fighter in the US arsenal
The  Boeing F-15EX Eagle II  has received notable praise from Lieutenant General Michael A.

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The future of Ukraine’s war after the fall of Avdeevka
The fall of Avdeevka to Russian forces marks a significant turning point in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This article explores the implications of this event on the war’s trajectory and the strategic landscape in the region.
The Significance of Avdeevka
Avdeevka, a strategic stronghold in Donetsk, has been a key battleground in the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists. Its capture by Russian forces has major implications for the balance of power in the region.

Ukrainian military officials say that their forces shot down six Russian fighter aircraft in the last three days. While these claims cannot currently be confirmed, it’s significant that Russian military bloggers have also reported at least some of the losses on their own channels. Moreover, the incidents point to the continued vulnerability of Russian tactical aircraft, which have fallen steadily to Ukrainian air defenses as well as to friendly fire.

We love it 💙 pic.twitter.

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Hamas admitted losing 6,000 fighters
Hamas officials said the group lost 6,000 fighters in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the conflict, half the figure given by Israel.

“Mr. Netanyahu is facing difficult choices, and so are we. He may take over Gaza, but Hamas is still standing and fighting. He has not achieved his goal of taking down the leader of Hamas or eliminating group book,” a Hamas official in Qatar told Reuters on February 18, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A Belize-flagged cargo ship, the Rubymar, is now sitting at anchor without a crew in the vicinity of the Bab al Mandeb Strait after being hit by missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen. The Houthis claim the ship is now at risk of sinking, but the full extent of the damage remains unconfirmed. The Yemeni group also reportedly damaged another ship in a subsequent attack and shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone in a series of new incidents in and around the Red Sea.

A British-designed Banshee jet-powered drone, or a design identical to it, has appeared in the conflict in Ukraine for the first time. The uncrewed aircraft is the latest addition to Kyiv’s growing inventory of one-way, standoff attack drones, while the use of the Banshee in this capacity is something that The War Zone predicted in the past.
Photos and a video of the drone began to circulate on social media today. They show the Banshee — or Banshee derivative — after it reportedly crashed behind Russian lines, in Ukrainian territory.

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The US Navy faced the largest battle in the Red Sea
US officials said the fighting with the Houthis in the Red Sea is the largest-scale battle the country’s navy has faced in nearly 80 years.

In a February 18 interview with CBS‘s “60 Minutes” program, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), said Washington had mobilized about 7,000 sailors and the same force. Large warships and aircraft arrived in the Red Sea to respond to raids carried out by Houthi forces targeting maritime routes here since October last year.

Russia may have attained localised air superiority over Avdiivka, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Lord Ricketts has criticised Israel’s ‘Security First’ policy, and predicts a change in government following any ceasefire.

Sewage overflow in a military training barracks restroom found by investigators in a new report on substandard conditions in barracks that junior enlisted servicemembers live in. GAO photo.
The Department of Defense says it’s getting serious about improving living spaces for troops. This past week the department released its Resilient and Healthy Defense Communities Strategy, a multi-part plan to build new, modern housing and support spaces for service members that would replace aging, broken and often mold-filled barracks and other facilities currently in use.

The British Army learns how to fire their new Archer mobile howitzer systems from the Swedish School of Artillery in Lapland.

The signal given by the Defence Acquisition Council indicates a contribution towards India’s self-reliant Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

The UK is to review plans to buy 14 new H-47 ER Chinooks to augment its existing fleet of older model helicopters (pictured). (Janes/Patrick Allen)
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to review its plan to acquire new Boeing H-47 Extended Range (ER) Chinook helicopters later in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, ahead of any decision on final numbers.