Here’s a question: If you could add $200 billion to the defense budget — or wave a magic wand and pass every needed reform to defense procurement, personnel, business and budget processes, and other areas crying out for change — which would you do? For many defense professionals, the answer is obvious: Show me the money. With crises breaking out around the world, from Ukraine to Gaza to the South China Sea, some observers of U.S. defense strategy warn that the United States isn’t spending enough on its military.

The GM200 MM/C mobile radar in the compact antenna test range at Thales Nederland. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)

Thales Nederland has tripled its radar production over the last few years,
Janes
learnt while attending the company’s handover of the first Ground Master 200 Multi Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) in Hengelo, Eastern Netherlands, on 14 February.

US Army Medevac UH-60L Black Hawk seen at Kandahar Airfield. DARPA is exploring new ways to produce battlefield medicines at front-line bases and outposts. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
A new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) programme aims to accelerate drug manufacturing in austere environments, such as forward operating bases (FOBs), generating data and processes to evaluate new paradigms for real-time regulatory approval.

Hessen
departs Wilhelmshaven naval base on 8 February, bound for the Mediterranean.
(Bundeswehr/Julia Kelm)

The German Navy has despatched its Type 124 Sachsen-class air-defence frigate FGS
Hessen
(F 221) to the Mediterranean ahead of the launch of the European Union’s (EU’s) new naval operation to protect merchant shipping against attacks by the Ansar Allah group (commonly known as the Houthis) in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Artist’s impression of the Boeing E-7/E-7A Wedgetail in UK Royal Air Force colours. The USAF’s E-7 version is largely based off the UK’s version. (Boeing)
The US Air Force (USAF) is “having a hard time getting a price agreement with Boeing” on purchasing E-7 Wedgetails, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall told reporters on 13 February.
The service intends to purchase 26 E-7s through 2032 to replace the Boeing E-3 as its sole airborne early warning aircraft type. Two E-7s are on contract.

The Russian Navy’s Ropucha-class Project 775 LST
Tsesar Kunikov
(158).
(Yoruk Isik)
The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (GUR) claims that its Group 13 unit has conducted a successful attack against the Russian Ropucha I-class tank landing ship (LST) Tsesar Kunikov using Magura V unmanned surface vessels (USVs).
Video footage released by the GUR on its Telegram channel on 14 February shows USVs approaching a Ropucha I landing ship and at least two detonating against its port side. The LST is then shown listing heavily to port before sinking.

A digital twin of the French Army’s VBCI infantry fighting vehicle is being developed by KNDS and Arquus that will eventually become their key offering for the modernisation and maintenance of the army’s vehicle fleets. (Nexter)
KNDS and Arquus will develop a digital twin demonstrator of the Véhicule Blindé de Combat d’Infanterie (VBCI) 8×8 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in support of the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and Defence Innovation Agency.

The U.S. Space Force’s top officer says the scale and scope of Russian and Chinese threats to American assets in orbit, including demonstrated abilities to conduct very close proximity operations, is “of paramount concern.”
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman’s comments came today ahead of the disclosure of a still largely unknown serious national security threat, which still-unconfirmed reports say may involve a Russian space-related capability. You can read more about that is known about that threat now in The War Zone‘s earlier reporting.
“Very concerning.

FILE: Sailors stand in formation during a pass in review graduation ceremony at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill., Sept. 6, 2019. (Petty Officer 1st Class Spencer Fling/U.S. Navy).
The Navy has updated its uniform policy so that sailors are now allowed to put their hands in their pockets.
Now take a deep breath.
“The restriction on placing hands in pockets while in uniform is rescinded,” according to Navy Administrative Message 031/24, which was released on Wednesday.

AURORA, Colo. — Congress’ inability to approve a budget for fiscal 2024 has forced the Air Force to put a number of command-and-control modernization efforts on the back burner, the service official charged with the initiative told reporters Wednesday. 
Federal agencies have been operating under a continuing resolution since the beginning of October, meaning spending for the Defense Department and other agencies has largely been frozen at fiscal 2023 levels. The budget instability has caused Brig. Gen.

MilitaryView

GE Aerospace’s DMRJ Engine: Powering Future Aerospace Innovation
The company GE Aerospace, a subsidiary of General Electrics, has carried out a pioneering test of an advanced propulsion system, fusing rotary detonation and ramjet technologies. This development marks a milestone in hypersonic propulsion, promising more efficient, faster and cheaper aircraft and missiles.
Technical details of rotary detonation engine and its performance
The rotary detonation engine (RDC) proposed by GE Aerospace differs radically from traditional combustion engines.

MilitaryView

Goodbye to the Warthog: The Post-A-10 Era begins
Goodbye to the Warthog: The Post-A-10 Era begins at SAt Davis-Monthan Air Force Base; it’s time to say goodbye to the Warthog, the famous A-10 aircraft. This marks the beginning of a new era in military aviation. Let’s explore this transition.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has fired two ballistic missiles from launchers disguised as standard shipping containers that were hosted aboard one of its sea base-like vessels. This particular combination, which has not been seen to date, greatly expands the reach with which those weapons could be used to strike potential targets by surprise, especially given that shipping containers can be embarked on any vessel that has the space to accommodate them.

Eight Marines received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for their exceptional performance in their respective special duty assignments, ir B-billets, as recruiters, drill instructors, combat instructors and Marine Security Guards. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ethan Miller.
Four Marines were named the top performers across the service’s special duty ranks, which includes drill instructors, recruiters, combat instructors and Marine security guards. The four were recognized at a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps just outside Washington, D.C.

As the Pentagon’s ambitious Replicator initiative comes into fruition, it’s being informed by — and simultaneously informing — the military’s existing governance structures and policies for making and using lethal autonomous weapons, senior officials say.
The ultimate aim of Replicator, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and others leading it, is to establish a replicable process via which the department can adopt innovative technologies at a much more accelerated pace than ever before.

The long-delayed Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), first promised to Ukraine in February 2023, has finally arrived on the battlefield. This marks the introduction of a powerful new standoff strike capability for Kyiv, something we have explored in depth in the past.

It looks like that the newly to Ukraine delivered GLSDB missiles are already in use. Russian channels share this video which apparently show a tail section.
The operational range of these missiles is 150 km (90 miles).
Source: Telegram / Ratnik2nd#Ukraine pic.twitter.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — As the Pentagon prepares for a potential conflict with China, it finds itself in the midst of a revolution with vast implications for warfighters, according to the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet.
“We are in the middle of another epochal change. And that is the dawn — and I do mean the dawn — of the information revolution,” Adm. Samuel Paparo said Wednesay at the annual WEST conference.

The Chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee has turned heads with a public plea for President Joe Biden’s administration to declassify information related to an unspecified “national security threat” that has been described as “serious” and “destabilizing.” Multiple reports now say the matter has to do with raw intelligence on a Russian space-related capability of some kind, although we cannot independently confirm that at this time.

TWO SOURCES CONFIRM ‘NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT’ NARRATIVE

Image by Alisdare Hickson

Two sources so far have confirmed to CDM that the ‘national security threat’ being talked about in Congress is allegedly a ‘nuclear weapon’ being placed in orbit by the Russian Federation.
Such a weapon could be used as an electromagnetic pulse to essentially destroy American electrical infrastructure.
Millions would die for lack of food, clean water, medicine, etc.

Defense Department leaders have long recognized the need for more unified information-sharing platforms across the military services. However, as global conflicts increasingly occur without regard to territorial borders, efforts to overcome the technical barriers separating siloed information enclaves among NATO allies and other coalition partners are taking on new urgency and momentum.
Read the report.
Central to those efforts is the renewed vision for creating interoperable “Mission Partner Environments” (MPEs), asserts a new Scoop News Group report sponsored by GDIT.

If you’ve served in the military, or know someone who has, chances are you’ve been frustrated about the mystical world of military benefits. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, except the haystack is the size of Texas and the needle is a specific form in triplicate.
Enter MyVetBENEFITS, the superhero app we’ve all been waiting for. Forget the endless, soul-sucking internet searches. With MyVetBENEFITS, you’re just a few taps away from uncovering the benefits that Uncle Sam’s been hiding from you.

A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** After weeks of rumors, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky finally dismissed Valeriy Zaluzhny as the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces on February 8, 2024.

The Pentagon’s chief weapons tester is increasing its ability to assess threats from radio frequency-enabled cyberattacks.
An emerging vector, these attacks and operations primarily involve gaining access to targets through the RF spectrum by exploiting wireless or “over-the-air” systems.
While the U.S. military is looking to increase its ability to use these types of operations, adversaries are as well.

Two sets of satellites from the Space Development Agency and Missile Defense Agency are scheduled to be launched together Wednesday as the organizations aim to demonstrate capabilities that could be used to detect and track adversaries’ hypersonic weapons and other advanced threats.
One batch includes four L3Harris-built systems that will complete Tranche 0 of SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), which will include a total of eight missile-tracking space vehicles and 19 data transport satellites on orbit.

IperionX has announced that its furnace has passed regulations to begin low-cost production of titanium for the US Department of Defense.

Mission training complexes will be used by General Dynamics Information Technology to train more than 200,000 soldiers.

Maybe the most striking exhibit on the floor of the Air Force Association’s Warfare Symposium in Denver, Colorado was the Air Force Research Laboratory’s MUTANT bending body missile. We profiled the fascinating MUTANT program a year ago, which you can read here. TWZ’s Jamie Hunter got a full update on the swiftly-moving program from AFRL’s Dr. Ben Dickinson on the show floor, including details on the concept’s upcoming test flight program. If successful, MUTANT’s articulating body flight control system could revolutionize missile technology.

Ukraine has claimed the destruction of another warship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Ropucha class landing ship Cesar Kunikov (also written as Tsezar Kunikov) being the latest victim of explosives-laden naval drones off the coast of Crimea. Ukrainian officials claim that the landing ship was sunk in the overnight attack and available imagery shows the vessel capsized.

Veni, vidi, vici.@DI_Ukraine released video of the successful strike on the russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov. pic.twitter.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Deterrence against adversaries’ use of capabilities within the electromagnetic spectrum could be difficult to assess given the secretive nature of the environment and the desire to mask high-end jamming tools and waveforms from the enemy, according to a recently retired flag officer.
“The electromagnetic spectrum, radio frequency, is going to be on fire should we go to combat. The deterrence of what we have versus what they have, it’s going to be hard to measure,” Jeffrey Trussler said at the annual WEST conference.

A still from the video shows an Iraqi soldier setting up an AN/TPQ-49 radar. (Iraq MoD)
The Iraqi military now has the AN/TPQ-49 radar, it was revealed on 10 February when the Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a video showing Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah visiting the Artillery Branch Directorate.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — In order to better integrate so-called non-kinetic capabilities into operations, more expertise may be needed within command organizations to help top leaders comprehend what their options are, according to senior Navy officials.
Non-kinetic effects, or capabilities that essentially don’t blow up or explode — such as cyber, electromagnetic spectrum or space-based tools — are often less understood than their kinetic counterparts.

U.S. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Troy E. Bartley, 57, died on Feb. 11, 2024 in Kuwait. The cause of his death is under investigation. (U.S. Army photo).
The Army Reserve has identified a soldier who died in a Feb. 11 “non-combat related incident” at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait as Lt. Col. Troy E. Bartley.
Bartley, 57, was a dietician assigned to the 3rd Medical Command (Forward), 1st Theater Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve news release says. 
“We lost a husband, father, friend, expert, and leader from this terrible tragedy,” Col. Thomas A.

One of six former German Navy P-3C Orion MPA that are being transferred to the Portuguese Air Force. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
The first of six Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) acquired from Germany arrived in Portugal on 9 February, the Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa: FAP) announced.
Portugal acquired six P-3C Capability Upkeep Program (CUP) Orion aircraft of the German Navy’s Marinefliegergeschwader 3 ‘Graf Zeppelin’ Squadron in September 2023.
The contract is worth approximately EUR45 million (USD48.

The XLX-C work-class remote-operated vehicle is a new acquisition to enhance the salvage capability of SALMO. It is operated and maintained by a team of SALMO staff and builds on SALMO’s long history of operating ROVs. (UK DE&S)
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has completed the first operation with a newly acquired Forum Energy Technologies (FET) deep-water remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Janes has learnt.

A Pentagon report confirms the effectiveness of modified Mk 48 torpedoes. (US Department of Defense)
The US Navy’s modified Advanced Processor Build (APB) 5+ Mk 48 torpedo is “operationally effective and suitable”, according to the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) FY 2023 Annual Report, released on 2 February.
However, “Mk 48 Mod 7 torpedo reliability has degraded below navy-defined requirements”, the DOT&E noted, recommending the navy determine and correct the causes of the degraded reliability of that modified Mk 48.

DScoop
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said a down-select is expected in the coming months.

L. Thompson, Forbes
On February 8, the U.S.

WSJ
While Chinese shipyards are thriving and primed to build at wartime rates, U.S.

Warrior Maven
Two massive US Navy aircraft carriers are now projecting power in the Philippine Sea in close proximity to one another in what appears to be a deliberate effort to prepare for…

CDR Salamander, CDR Salamander
When looking at the experiences and lessons of U.S. and allied – but mostly U.S.

Ukraine’s allegation that Russia illicitly uses Starlink terminals poses a threat to Musk and SpaceX’s relationship with the US DoD.

The US Army has issued the new helmet to 2000 soldiers, marking the first fielding of the head protective equipment with US troops.

The TLFC received its first two M60T1 MBTs on 10 February. (Nexter)
The first two M60T1 main battle tanks (MBTs) modernised under theTanklara İlave Yetenek Kazandırılması (TIYK) project were delivered to Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) on 10 February.
President of Defence Industry Agency Haluk Görgün, Deputy Minister of National Defence Celal Sami Tüfekçi, Turkish Land Forces Commander General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, and Aselsan general manager Ahmet Akyol participated in the ceremony held in Şereflikoçhisar.

Milkor UAE’s 16 m patrol craft, Commander, at WDS 2024. (Milkor UAE)
Milkor UAE unveiled a new 16 m patrol craft, named Commander, at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February.
Milkor has designed the vessel specifically for the Middle Eastern region and is responsible for the manufacturing of the craft.
Development started in late 2023 and the craft will take another year to be manufactured in full scale ahead of its official launch in February 2025 at IDEX.

RTX will supply 600 of the Coyote counter uncrewed aerial systems to the US Army, with all actions complete within 30 days of funding receipt

The Franco-German holding company KNDS will continue to provide simulator technology to the Swedish Procurement Office for the Leopard 2.

Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) Dassault Mirage 2000-5s (on the far left and far right) operate with QEAF Dassault Rafales and US Air Force Boeing F-15Es over Doha in 2020. The QEAF has since withdrawn its 12 Mirages in service, leading to Indonesia’s interest in procuring the fleet. (USAF/Staff Sgt Justin Parsons)
Indonesia has withdrawn from a contract to procure the Qatar Emiri Air Force’s (QEAF’s) combined force of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft.

The TPY-4 radar. (Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin is positioning its TPY-4 ground-based long-range surveillance radar for the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF’s) air-defence requirements.
Chandra Marshall, vice-president for radar and sensor systems at Lockheed Martin, confirmed the matter during a briefing for media representatives on 14 February. The briefing was held as a run-up to the Singapore Airshow, which will be held from 20 to 25 February.

The clock is ticking for U.S. forces in Syria. In October 2021, an Iranian-made drone slammed into Tanf, just missing the small row of trailers that house U.S. forces deployed at the spartan base. Last month, an Iranian splinter group managed to sneak a drone through U.S. defenses, killing three in a small outpost in Jordan. Daily attacks from the Axis of Resistance have made life hell for U.S. troops in both Syria and Iraq. The recent deaths of three servicemembers are a reminder of the stakes.

Aselsan Gürz SHORAD system shown at WDS 2024. (Janes/Sunil Nair)
Aselsan’s Gürz short-range air-defence (SHORAD) system was displayed at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February. This was the system’s international debut after it was shown at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul in July 2023.