A year after being established, Marine Corps Information Command is focusing on maturing regionally — specifically in the Pacific — with the longer-term goal of global integration and synchronization of information capabilities with traditional military operations.
The MCIC, activated in January 2023, is designed to more tightly link the service’s information forces — including cyber, intelligence and space — in theater with the broader joint force.

The Boys in the Boat is a wonderful, true story of overcoming the odds, facing defeat and winning on a global stage as underdogs against the Nazi superpower of Germany during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The movie, based on the best-selling book of the same name, released in 2013, focuses on the University of Washington’s men’s rowing team as they prepare to compete in the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men’s Eight.

Photo courtesy of imdb.com.
The movie features an experienced cast led by the superb direction of George Clooney.

Members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) paramilitaries carry the bodies of two of their slain comrades during their funeral at the PMF headquarters in Baghdad on January 4, 2024 following a US airstrike in Baghdad. Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the PMF’s factions, said in a statement that “the deputy commander of operations for Baghdad, Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi”, had been “martyred in a US strike”. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images).
A U.S.

Welcome to Rewind & Reconnoiter. Each week, we’ll ask one of our authors to look back at an article they’ve written for War on the Rocks in light of a current news event. Did their argument hold up? Read more below to find out.

Soldiers both past and present have been trained on firing the Thompson submachine gun. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens. Task & Purpose composite image).
Tom Hanks famously depicted Captain John Miller in “Saving Private Ryan” toting his trusty Thompson submachine gun — “Tommy gun” — from the beaches of Normandy far into the interior of France in 1944. 
Though the history of the Thompson submachine gun predates World War II, it didn’t see significant use until then.

After a volcano erupted at the center of the remote Pacific island of Bougainville last summer, Marines had to fly through skies filled with ash, navigate mountain peaks, and avoid typhoons to deliver humanitarian relief to thousands, the commander of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit told reporters Thursday.
“The weather patterns of Bougainville were really pretty exceptionally challenging,” said Commander Col. Matthew Danner. “It’s a very densely covered jungle island with some high peaks in the middle which leads to low ceilings for clouds and stuff.

Via Twitter
U.S. military officials have acknowledged responsibility for a drone strike Thursday in Baghdad that killed a top leader of an Iranian-backed militia group and several others.
“The United States is continuing to take action to protect our forces in Iraq and Syria by addressing the threats they face,” a U.S. defense official told The War Zone when asked to confirm American involvement in the attack that killed Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, deputy head of operations for an Iranian-backed militia working with the Iraqi government.

Aftermath of U.S.

YouTube screencap
While Russia’s tactical aircraft fleet has notably been targeted by Ukrainian forces in recent weeks, leading to a string of claimed losses, the latest such action is perhaps the most brazen yet.
A Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber was apparently set on fire last night by a Ukrainian special forces raid, as it sat at its airbase, deep inside Russia.

A contract for 155mm ammunition was extended from $96.5m to $147.5m by the US Secretary of State, without congressional review.

Nato has acquired 1,000 Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-Ts) for a several European nations to reassert its air defence priorities.

Mass production of Aselsan’s new electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting system, ASELFLIR-500, has begun and it is expected to be integrated onboard the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle and the TCG
Anadolu
multi-purpose amphibious assault ship.
(Janes/Olivia Savage)
Aselsan’s latest electro-optical systems – ASELFLIR-500, DORUK-2, and TULGAR – achieved important production and delivery milestones in 2023.

The Lithuanian MND has completed the first phase of the procurement of JLTVs, with the delivery on 29 December 2023 of the last 50 of the first 200 vehicles ordered in 2019. (Lithuanian MND)
The Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence (MND) announced on 30 December 2023 that it had completed the first phase of the procurement of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), with the delivery of the last 50 of the first 200 vehicles the day before.
The ministry signed a first contract with the US government for 200 JLTVs in 2019 and a second one for 300 vehicles in 2022.

An artist’s impression of the C295 MPA and MSA in Spanish service. (Airbus)
Spain has signed for 16 Airbus C295 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA), the manufacturer announced on 20 December 2023.
The EUR1.695 billion (USD1.853 billion) deal came six months after Jean-Brice Dumont, head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, announced during the Paris Air Show in June 2023 that the Spanish Ministers Council had approved the budget for the acquisition of six MPA and 10 MSA-variant C295s.

Benedict ArnoldPublic Domain

Our republic has experienced treason before, Benedict Arnold and the Rosenbergs come to mind.
As Major General Paul Vallely pointed out in his magnificent recent piece, The Covid-19 Biological War, “There is no way the globalist community could have gotten this far without paying off a multitude of traitors.”
Many of the traitors are inside our U.S. military leadership.
General Mark Milley went behind the back of the Commander-in-Chief to collude with the Chinese Communist Party. That is treason.

Broadwater & Haberman, NYT Col. Earl Matthews, the top lawyer for the D.C.

Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, Naval History Magazine
After participating in the Okinawa campaign, the British Pacific Fleet joined the U.S.

Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics
From the 1950s to present day, American fighter jets have defined the technological limits of their era.

Francis P. Sempa, The American Spectator
It was an early, prescient, and devastating attack on the foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration.

Mark B.

The prisoner exchange was the first since August, involving more than 200 soldiers from Russia and Ukraine.

Bombardier Defense has been awarded a contract by the US Army to provide Global 6500 jets for enhancing aerial intelligence.

Poland has ordered 12 new command vehicles from Polish manufacturer Rosomak to support its 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 MBTs. (Polish Armaments Agency)
Poland has ordered 12 new command vehicles based on the Rosomak wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) to support its 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 main battle tanks (MBTs).
The command vehicles will be used at the battalion level and will be equipped with internal communication subsystems and other basic communication equipment to ensure the secure exchange of classified information, the Polish Armaments Agency announced on 27 December 2023.

Although the US Navy has no difficulty in destroying Houthi attack drones and missiles, the Ministry of Defense in the country is concerned about the fact that the US military uses interceptors costing millions of dollars to hit relatively cheap targets (for example, the price of the SM-2 missile for 2022 fluctuated in the range of 2.1 million dollars, SM-3 Block IB – 11.83 million dollars), while the price of the same drones can range from several tens of thousands of dollars.

In the last few days of 2023, the United States proposed that working groups from the G7 explore ways to seize $300 billion of Russian state assets. Given the news, we are re-releasing a members-only podcast with Philip Zelikow, a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, which was recorded and released on Dec. 19, 2023.  Aaron and Philip discussed the legal grounds to seize Russian assets held in Western banks, Moscow’s potential retaliatory options, and whether a seizure would be escalatory.

Chris, Zack, and Melanie ring in the new year with a discussion on whether or not “The U.S. Needs More Foreign Entanglements,” as writer Andreas Kluth argues. What, exactly, is an entangling alliance? How should the United States manage relationships with some of our more tricky partners? Is it politically possible to extricate ourselves from relationships that no longer serve American interests? Besides giving the usual grievances and attaboys, the gang looks ahead in 2024.

2024 will mark the fifth year of America’s newest military service, the Space Force. Its success has led to increased calls for a new service for the Department of Defense’s fifth recognized domain of warfare, cyberspace. These calls have grown so loud as to have reached the point where current U.S. Senate proposals for the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act include a provision that will task the Department of Defense to study the possibility of an independent cyber force. Despite these calls, many significant challenges and obstacles exist.

The PCP001 vehicles are based on a modified 4×4 Dongfeng EQ2050 vehicle (pictured above) fitted with an 82 mm rapid-deployment automatic mortar system. (Dongfeng Motor Corporation)
The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) Hong Kong Garrison has received at least 13 new 4×4 armoured vehicles, according to video footage released by Chinese state-owned broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) in early January.

The United States and 12 other countries warned that Houthi forces would face consequences if they did not immediately stop their attacks on cargo ships in the area.

“We call for an immediate end to these attacks and the release of illegally detained ships and crews,” according to a joint statement released by the White House on January 3.
“The Houthis will be held accountable for the consequences they cause by continuing to threaten lives, the global economy and the free flow of trade on important sea routes in the region,” the statement said.

Ukraine posted a video destroying Russia’s Yastreb-AV counter-battery radar system right after Moscow confirmed this complex was being deployed on the battlefield.

On January 2, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had deployed the Yastreb-AV counter-fire radar complex on the front lines in Ukraine. This is said to be Russia’s tactical card to counter artillery systems used by the Ukrainian army, including HIMARS rocket artillery, a weapon that has caused a lot of damage to Moscow since the beginning of the war.

Bombardier’s depiction of the HADES prototype aircraft. (Bombardier)
The US Army has purchased a Bombardier Global 6500, with options for two more, to serve as a prototype for the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) deep-sensing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) system, the service announced on 3 January.
The Global 6500 is to be the army’s first service-owned ISR-converted business jet.

Discover the innovative RF vector measurement system using quantum sensors and entanglement. Enhance accuracy with pulse processing, delay lines, and multi-frequency pulses.

Discover Fischer Advanced Composite Components’ patent for a locking binding element and push-pull rod, offering improved locking mechanisms for secure and reliable connections.

Discover the latest patent from Diehl Stiftung & Co KG, revolutionizing cartridge case production with a simplified base part design. Learn more here.

Discover TT Electronics’ patent for a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) with a deflectable membrane and quantum wells, allowing for tunability across multiple wavelengths. Learn more about this innovative laser system and its specific design details.

DOD
NATO has announced a new plan to help various European nations procure up to 1,000 missiles for the U.S. Patriot air defense system. This speaks to the surge in demand for Patriot amongst the U.S.’s allies and partners as of late, notably spurred by the war in Ukraine. The additional supply of Patriot missiles will help backfill stockpiles transferred to Ukraine, and could even eventually help free up further batches for transfer to the country. It also brings Patriot production to Europe, which has wider implications that could benefit the U.S. and the Patriot program overall.

US Army
There is no more money to provide military assistance to Ukraine, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday.
“We have given now Ukraine the last security assistance package that we have funds to support right before New Year’s, right after Christmas,” said Kirby. “And we’ve got to get support from Congress so we can continue to do that.”
The last tranche of aid, the 54th Presidential Drawdown Authority package, was announced on Dec. 27 and valued at up to $250 million.

The MIM-104 Patriot is one of the most widely-used air defense systems in service with the United States and its allies. Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has received three complete Patriot batteries and an additional four launchers; Germany donated two batteries and two launchers, the U.S. donated one battery, and the Netherlands donated two launchers. As the Russo-Ukrainian War continues and escalates, NATO is taking steps to strengthen its defenses, including a contract for 1,000 Patriot missiles.
A Patriot missile system on exercise in Croatia (U.S.

Adam Driver, Marine Corps veteran, and talented actor plays the great car builder Enzo Ferarri in the new biopic Ferrari, which hit theaters this Christmas season. The film, directed by Michael Mann (who has directed many great films and shows including Miami Vice, Heat and Last of the Mohicans) features top-notch performances from a wonderful cast and incredible cinematography. The ensemble includes Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O’Connell and “Dr. McDreamy” himself, Patrick Dempsey.

Driver as Ferrari. Photo courtesy of imdb.com.

In the skies above Ukraine, a new era of air combat is unfolding, thanks to the widespread use of cutting-edge drones in the conflict. Witness swarms of camera-equipped drones engaged in reconnaissance missions, creating a primitive aerial “training” ground as they collide. Amidst this, advanced drones with artificial intelligence-powered radar and state-of-the-art aeronautical engineering disrupt enemy aircraft flights.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Garrett Illerbrunn, a pilot in the 82nd Airborne, suffered a severe head injury from shrapnel in a Christmas day drone attack in Iraq, according to a family friend who set up a GoFundMe page for the soldier. Picture from GoFundMe.
Young said that Illerbrunn was airlifted to a hospital in German.

As U.S. forces face increasingly intense combat in both Iraq and in the Red Sea, a video circulated this week on social media that allegedly shows a large and destructive drone attack on Christmas day that severely injured an Army pilot.

Established in 1917, the National Hockey League has had numerous star players who wore the military uniforms of their respective countries. For these athletes, military service came in many different forms, with players serving in a variety of jobs and branches of the Armed Forces. The majority of these stars who served in the military throughout the league’s history were members of the American and Canadian Armed Forces during World War II.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has given Aurora Flight Sciences the green light to build a full-scale model of the X-65 — an experimental unmanned aircraft designed to be able to fly without flaps, rudders or other exterior-moving parts.
Aurora announced Wednesday that it has successfully completed the critical design review and begun fabricating the drone, part of DARPA’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program aimed at proving and maturing active flow control (AFC) technology.

Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler R. Fraser
The U.S. government is currently auctioning off a 175-foot-long, aluminum-hulled offshore support vessel named Nomad. The ship, which was first built around a decade ago, going up for sale is curious and plans to divest it do not appear to have been previously announced. Originally part of the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office’s Ghost Fleet Overlord program and then turned over to the U.S. Navy, Nomad had been in use since the late 2010s as a testbed for future large uncrewed surface vessels.
The U.S.

USN
A dozen nations on Wednesday issued a joint warning to the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, demanding that they cease attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The warning, however, does not specify what actions will be taken should these attacks continue. There have been 24 since Nov. 19, according to U.S. Central Command.
“We call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews” the U.S.

Col. Dillon Patterson resigned as the commander of the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Air Wing, according to Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Air Force photo.
The commander of the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Air Wing resigned late last month for what the state’s Governor said is a protest of the Pentagon policy that pays for reproductive medical expenses, which includes out-of-state travel for abortions.

The Army has awarded Bombardier Defense a deal for a jet aircraft as part of a prototyping effort for long-range intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and “deep sensing.

The acquisition of radars through an effort between the Netherlands and Lithuania is intended to strengthen security and cooperation.

The new OPVs will complement the navy’s four existing Viana do Castelo-class OPVs, which consist of NRP
Viana do Castelo
, NRP
Figueira da Foz
, NRP
Sines
(pictured above), and NRP
Setúbal. ( Victor Barreira)
An ambitious effort by the Portuguese Navy to deploy six new Viana do Castelo-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) reached a milestone on 29 December 2023 with the award of a EUR299.7 million (USD329.2 million) contract to the local privately owned shipbuilder West Sea – Estaleiros Navais.

Finland has ordered 13 more Sisu GTP 4×4 off-road vehicles in addition to the 31 it is already procuring. (Sisu Auto)
Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen has authorised the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) to order 13 more Sisu GTP 4×4 off-road vehicles worth EUR9.7 million (USD10.6 million), the defence ministry announced in a press release on 27 December.
This is in addition to the 31 Sisu GTPs sold to the FDF in 2020 and 2022.

Through the implementation of alliances, modernisation initiatives, and economic synergy, Brunei is working towards achieving greater heights.