Can you kill a bear with a thousand paper cuts or slay a dragon with an armada of toy boats? Many a wargame I have participated in suggests you can. Beyond rolling dice and questioning salvo exchange models, the challenge is understanding the types of battles and larger campaigns where swarms make a difference. From debates about the viability of Project Replicator to the Ukrainian calls to build a million first person view drones in 2024, there is a rising tide of interest in low-cost, attritable battlefield effects. The swarm is now a “new” theory of victory.

To better cope with the emerging threat from China, the Air and Space forces announced two dozen changes to their force structure ranging from creating a new major command (MAJCOM) and rebranding others to altering how air wings deploy.
Dubbed “Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition, it is a mix of near- and mid-term efforts designed to better position for the future at minimal additional cost, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said at the AIr & Space Forces Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado on Monday. Some of these efforts could take a year or longer to implement.

The DGA has ordered sights from the GME between Nexter and Safran for the Leclerc XLR, which was displayed at Eurosatory 2022. (Janes/Sonny Butterworth)
The Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), the French defence procurement agency, has ordered sights from the temporary company grouping (GME) between KNDS’s Nexter and Safran Electronics & Defense for the upgrade of the Leclerc main battle tank (MBT) to the XLR standard, the two companies announced in a joint press release on 8 February.

Bell’s HSVTOL concepts with folded rotors on display on 21 September 2021 at the Air Force Association’s annual conference. (Janes/Pat Host)
Bell Helicopters tested the high- and low-speed transitions of its High-Speed Vertical Take-off and Landing (HSVTOL) concept on a ground-based sled at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico, the company announced on 8 February.
Bell’s HSVTOL concept entails transitioning from rotary propulsion to jet propulsion in mid-air, a mode of flight never tested before.

A legacy AN/PRC-117G Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform aboard an MV-22 Osprey at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. (US Marine Corps)
The US Marine Corps (USMC) is exploring options for building in a mission module capability into the service’s fleet of tactical radios, as a way to accelerate waveform integration as part of an ongoing massive tactical radio upgrade effort.

In the global aerospace & defence industry, there were 2 M&A deals announced in Q4 2023, worth a total value of $837.6m, according to GlobalData’s Deals Database.

Ukraine is using a network made up of thousands of acoustic sensors across the country to help detect and track incoming Russian kamikaze drones, alert traditional air defenses in advance, and also dispatch ad hoc drone hunting teams to shoot them down. This is according to the U.S. Air Force’s top officer in Europe who also said the U.S. military is now looking to test this capability to see if it might help meet its own demands for additional ways to persistently monitor for, and engag,e drone threats.
Gen. James Hecker, head of U.S.

The U.K. Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is headed to Norway to lead an international task group in one of the largest NATO exercises since the end of the Cold War. This comes after significant controversy over the reason for its departure, as well as a delay in leaving its pier, which has reignited debate over the readiness of the class. 
The carrier left the Royal Navy’s Portsmouth Naval Base for Steadfast Defender 2024 on February 12.

AURORA, Colo. — Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall unveiled his plans to reorganize the department he leads in order to boost overall readiness and ensure the Air and Space Forces have the right capabilities to combat U.S. adversaries — an effort known as Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition. 
During the annual AFA Warfare Symposium on Monday, he and other top officials outlined a total of 24 changes that will be part of the initiative.

The fourth and fifth MQ-28A prototypes have started flight-testing, according to a video released by Boeing. The fifth prototype (on the right) has an IRST system installed on the upper nose surface. This system was not seen on the earlier MQ-28 prototypes. (Boeing)
The Australian government has announced AUD399 million (USD259.5 million) in funding to further develop key systems for the Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and build three new next-generation Block 2 aircraft.

A pair of Ukraine’s prized M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) have returned to the United States, likely for repairs, after sustaining differing degrees of battle damage. Video and photos posted recently to social media show the HIMARS launchers, two of 39 delivered, being unloaded from an Antonov An-124 transport aircraft at Harrisburg International Airport in Middletown, Pennsylvania.

A series of photos of the HIMARS as they were being unloaded was also shared with The War Zone by Keystone Intel (@KSOINT) and you can see them below, as well as the top of this story.

Soldiers stationed at Fort Liberty say a slow down in trash collection has led to overflowing dumpsters across the base. Photo from “@Fancy_fancy_bear” on Instagram.
Troops interviewed by Task & Purpose at Fort Liberty confirmed that overflowing dumpsters of garbage are strewn across the North Carolina base with virtually no communication from officials on the situation or potential clean-ups.
Several confirmed the authenticity of trash photos posted on social media sites including the Instagram page, “fancy_fancy_bear.

New legislation proposed by a bipartisan group of House lawmakers would require the Defense Department to brief Congress on how anomalous health incidents are affecting military and civilian personnel, and to also form a strategic plan to help prevent and respond to future risks. 
In 2016, State Department officials in Havana, Cuba, started reporting experiences with mysterious, unexplainable medical symptoms impacting their capacities to serve. Intelligence and military staff operating in the U.S.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III meets with soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division and U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s 7th Army Training Command supporting combined arms training of Ukrainian armed forces battalions in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Feb. 17, 2023. (Sgt. Jordan Sivayavirojna/Army National Guard).
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to resume his duties on Tuesday after being hospitalized over the weekend for the third time in as many months, doctors at Walter Reed National Military Center said.

Marines from the service’s new software factory have delivered several applications that troops can use for tactical or back-office purposes, according to the officer leading the organization.
The Marine Corps Software Factory (MCSWF) was stood up in 2023 as a three-year pilot to hone and demonstrate troops’ coding skills, show that there’s a demand for the concept and that it can be scaled. It’s co-located with the Army Software Factory in Austin, Texas, one of the nation’s top technology hubs.

Estonia’s recent acquisition of the Blue Spear anti-aircraft missile system from Israel has sparked discussions and raised questions about the country’s defense strategy. This cutting-edge missile system boasts an impressive range of 290 kilometers, presenting a significant deterrent against potential threats in the Baltic Sea region, particularly to the Russian naval base in St. Petersburg. However, amidst the excitement surrounding this acquisition, some notable nuances and uncertainties warrant closer examination.

We have what what appears to be the first look at a U.S.-supplied VAMPIRE counter-drone system in action, doing what it was intended — shooting down one of Russia’s Iranian-designed Shahed-type kamikaze drones. This system uses laser-guided 70mm rockets, originally designed for air-to-surface use, as surface-to-air weapons.
The Ukrainian Navy released a video yesterday, seen in the social media post below, showing a VAMPIRE system in use somewhere in the country’s southwestern Odesa region.

Footage of Ukrainian naval forces downing a Russian Shahed-131/136 attack drone over Odesa.

The pilot of a U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II has reportedly downed multiple Houthi drones during the militants’ sustained anti-shipping campaign that’s been focused on the Red Sea, along with barrages of drones sent to strike Israel. Until now, we had heard accounts of U.S. and allied warships bringing down Houthi drones and missiles, as well as aerial kills by U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets and undisclosed land-based fighter aircraft. The latest revelations also shine a light on the AV-8’s air-to-air capability, something that The War Zone has explored in the past.

Rheinmetall shoulders the burden of a new factory to produce ammunition in Lower Saxony, ensuring German is self-reliant.

JSC Vektor Serp-VS6 (left) and RM (right) at WDS 2024, which can be combined to create an integrated detect-and-effect C-UAS solution. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)
Russian manufacturer JSC Vektor has unveiled a new counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February.

Bohemia Interactive Simulations discussed the burgeoning appetite for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in military operation decision making.

The Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı UAV that was unveiled on 9 February. (President of the Republic of Azerbaijan)
Azerbaijan unveiled its Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on 9 February when President Ilham Aliyev visited what was described as the Azerbaijani Air Forces’ (HHQ’s) UAV academy.
The Ministry of Defence reported that Aliyev was briefed on the facilities that have been created at the academy for training personnel and viewed an Akıncı taking off and landing.

Hydrogen fuel cell used in the Kia hydrogen fuel-cell all terrain vehicle. (Janes/Sunil Nair)
Kia Motors showcased its all-terrain vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel-cell technology at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February. Previously, the vehicle was shown at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023 as the EV9 military concept car.
The vehicle is powered by the same hydrogen fuel-cell stack that powers Hyundai’s Nexo passenger cars.

Host L Todd Wood speaks with Yifa Segal, chief-of-staff to the former Israeli ambassador to the United States on the ring of fire surrounding The Jewish State, Hamas, situation on the ground in Gaza, and Hezbollah to the north.
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An Israeli Air Force F-35I seen being loaded with JDAM precision-guided bombs for use against targets in the Gaza Strip. (Israeli Air Force)
A court in the Netherlands has ruled that the country should stop all exports to Israel related to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme.

The La Fayette modernisation programme will extend the frigates’ service lives out to around 2030. (Naval Group)
Naval Group has officially concluded the French Navy’s La Fayette-class frigate (Frégates de type La Fayette: FLF) modernisation programme following redelivery of the third and final refurbished frigate to the fleet.

Announcing the milestone on 12 February Naval Group said that FS
Aconit
(F 713) was redelivered to the French Navy after completing a six-month refit followed by a series of dockside and sea trials.

Tobias Menzies as Edward Stanton in ‘Manhunt.’ (Image courtesy Apple TV+).
Hours after President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre, John Wilkes Booth became one of the most wanted men in the world. For nearly two weeks he was on the run as the Union military scoured the area looking for the man who successfully assassinated the president.
Now the story of Lincoln’s murder and the hunt for Booth is coming to TV. Apple TV+ will premiere Manhunt next month on March 15, and just released the first trailer for the miniseries.

Azerbaijan is reshaping its procurement dynamics through indigenous production and partnerships as it increases its defence budget.

All graduating Marines from Marines Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and San Diego can take 10 days of leave before checking into their next school. After their 10 days of leave, newly graduated Marines will attend the School of Infantry (SOI) where they will continue their military training. Below you will find an overview of what to expect after Marine boot camp at the School of Infantry (SOI).
What is the School of Infantry (SOI)?
This is the training that marks the transition from entry-level Marine to combat-ready Marine.

Australia revealed that three of its soldiers, with previous experience of operating Block I Boxers, helped design Block II Boxer vehicles.

Colin Demarest, C4ISRNET
More than a dozen coders handpicked from across the U.S.

Giorgio Cafiero, RespStatecraft
Experts disagree over whether an American withdrawal would spark a major resurgence of the once-powerful militant group

Joe Buccino, RCDefense

India’s state-run Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited unveiled the Dhanush 155 mm/52 calibre towed howitzer (pictured above) at Defexpo 2022, held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. This is one of the gun options available to the Indian Army. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved the procurement of the towed gun system (TGS) for the Indian Army.

In the Caribbean, Australian-made goods are often synonymous with quality. For emergency management teams tasked with saving lives and property, quality is key and that’s why they’re choosing Barrett Communications.

The GA-ASI XQ-67A OBSS in a hangar at an undisclosed location. (GA-ASI)
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) unveiled a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS), on 8 February.
“[GA-ASI] is very excited to introduce the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station to the world for the first time,” the company said in a statement.
“Without getting into specifics … we are stepping through that programme methodically and working closely with our government partners to hit all of the markers for the project and deliver on our promises.

What is stopping China from invading Taiwan? In the past, it was overdetermined that Beijing would not use force to compel reunification. Not only did China lack the capabilities to execute a swift and decisive conquest of the island, but China’s leaders since 1979 used to believe that peaceful unification was both possible and vastly more preferable to military solutions. Today, however, the military balance of power has shifted decisively, enabling an amphibious invasion from a capabilities standpoint in the not-too-distant future, while prospects of peaceful unification have faded.

The past, famously, is a foreign country. Unfortunately, it often seems that “foreign wars” fought before 1900 are too distant to find their way into our policy analysis. And without understanding the Seven Years War, we can’t fully understand the possible benefits of strategic patience in Ukraine today. As leading military historian Paul Lockhart recently noted, the overwhelming majority of military historians in the United States focus on topics since 1900. Even fewer, roughly 20 percent, study military history before 1815.

The Bell 360 Invictus prototype for the US Army’s FARA competition is substantially complete, pending first flight in late 2024. (Bell Flight)
The US Army cancelled the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programme, the service announced on 8 February. The FARA contest was intended to provide the army with an armed scout helicopter, taking on a role left unfilled following the 2020 retirement of the Bell OH-58C.

TEI displayed its TS1400 turboshaft engine at the World Defense Show 2024. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)
Turkish engine manufacturer Tusaş Engine Industries (TEI) has showcased its TEI-TS1400 and TEI-TF6000 engines at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February.
A TEI official spoke to Janes about the ongoing development of the company’s turboshaft engine, the TS1400, and turbofan engines, the TF6000 and TF10000, programmes.

SIATT in Brazil is expanding its production facilities in co-operation with UAE defence firm Edge Group. The companies have been working together on the MANSUP-ER for the Brazilian and Emirati navies. Edge Group displayed a mock-up of the missile at the Dubai Airshow in November 2023.

HMS Diamond, which had been on station near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for months as the Houthis in Yemen attacked shipping moving through the region repeatedly, is now sporting kill marks from its time on station.

The latest headlines from the #RoyalNavy come from frigate @HMSNORT. She is back in @HMNBDevonport after a year of operations across the Atlantic and High North. We also have updates on @hmsdiamond and @HMS_Richmond in the Red Sea. pic.twitter.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mario Linton, 37th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, left, and Senior Airman Robert Kucholtz, 37th AS loadmaster, give a thumbs up to the 37th AS pilots of a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft during exercise Agile Spirit 21 at Tbilisi, Georgia, July 27, 2021. Linton and Kucholtz showed their enthusiasm after successful navigation of Georgian airspace. Agile Spirit 2021 is a joint, multinational exercise co-led by the Georgian Defense Forces and U.S. Army Europe and Africa. Agile Spirit enhances U.S.

A satellite imagery supplied by BlackSky to the Indonesian MoD. Through BlackSky’s subscription-based services, the Indonesian MoD is guaranteed access and first-priority tasking capacity over their national and regional areas of interest. (BlackSky)
Virginia-based BlackSky Technology Inc has secured a contract to provide the services of its Gen-3 Earth observation satellites to the Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
Under the contract, BlackSky will also provide “ground station capabilities and flight operations support” to the MoD, the company said on 8 February.

The Pentagon’s decision to cancel the large-scale (Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft) FARA helicopter program is more than an unexpected decision, which means the cessation of the development of helicopters to replace all Bell OH-58D Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters and half of the AH-64 Apache strike fleet.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (Department of Defense).
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center this afternoon, the Pentagon announced today. It’s the second time in two months that he has been taken to Walter Reed. 
Secretary Austin was taken to Walter Reed shortly after 2 p.m. Eastern Time “to be seen for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue,” the Pentagon said. 
“At this time, the Secretary is retaining the functions and duties of his office.

In recent years, the U.S. Air Force has undertaken significant changes in its fleet composition, aiming to modernize and optimize its resources. One notable development is the decommissioning of A-10 attack aircraft, a process that has garnered attention and discussion within military circles and beyond.
Decommissioning Strategy: During fiscal year 2023, the U.S. Air Force initiated the retirement of 21 A-10 attack aircraft, marking a strategic shift in its inventory management.

An entrance sign at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. (photo by 1st Lt. Austin May, Area Support Group – Kuwait).
One U.S. Army soldier died today in a “non-combat incident” according to the Army.
The soldier died earlier on Sunday, Feb. 11 at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. The cause of death is being investigated, the military said. 
Per U.S. military policy, the identity of the soldier is not being released until the Army can notify the soldier’s next of kin. The only details the Army gave was that the soldier was assigned to U.S. Army Central. 

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LA Rams Wide Receiver Puka Nacua is having an incredible year. He quickly went from the 177th selection in the 2023 NFL draft to number one in the rookie record books, and just won best catch at the Pro Bowl. That’s reason enough for us all to be talking about Nacua, but it’s something he did off the field that’s garnering a lot of attention. Nacua recently partnered with USAA to give a veteran the surprise of a lifetime: Super Bowl tickets for two.

In the last fortnight, Egypt intensified its military presence in northeastern Sinai, deploying some 40 battle tanks and armored personnel carriers. This move is part of Egypt’s efforts to strengthen security along its border with Gaza.
This military deployment coincides with Israel’s intensification of its military operations around the southern city of Rafah, in Gaza, where a significant part of the Gazan population has taken refuge. This development has increased Egypt’s concern over the possibility that Gazans may try to cross the Egyptian border to flee the Israeli offensive.