(Photo by Ariel Hermoni (GPO) / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
During meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top officials in Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appealed for a shift to less intense combat operations, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Productive meeting today with @yoavgallant to discuss Israel’s ongoing campaign to defeat Hamas, to include objectives, phasing, and protecting civilians.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Tyler Wisely, left, and Spc. Brandon Ball, right, put on their operational camouflage pattern coats as they prepare for a deployment response exercise at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, March 13, 2019. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Thomas Grimes).
A defense contractor may have rigged test results on how bug repellent Army Combat Uniforms were, officials say, leaving soldiers in insect-heavy places vulnerable to illnesses like the Zika virus and Lyme disease.

They say if you can find a way to do what you love and get paid doing it, you’ll never work a day in your life. There are few things I love more than We Are The Mighty and Taylor Swift (I have a tween daughter, after all). Consequently, I constantly find myself looking for ways to justify all the reading I do about her and one of my favorite Chiefs’ players, Travis Kelce (I mean, I am from Kansas City… this tracks). We recently brought you this excellent piece about Kelce’s grandfather being shot down three times during WWII.

The Israeli army, equipped with superior technology, faced significant losses in the recent campaign in the Gaza Strip. This article delves into the complexities of urban warfare, shedding light on the unexpected challenges that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) encountered.
The Shocking Losses in Gaza
On December 13, the Israeli Ministry of Defense reported a staggering toll of 10 soldiers killed in a 24-hour period in the Gaza Strip. Among them was a colonel leading a forward base, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Terminal Autonomy
The Ukrainian military has received an initial batch of a new kind of relatively low-cost, long-range, one-way attack drone. While it’s just one of a number of types in various stages of development or operation intended to hit targets deep inside Russia, it provides a good example of how Ukraine is doing anything it can to gain long-range strike ‘combat mass’ and evolving what is still a relatively new weapons frontier in the process.

An M2A2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle assigned to 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National Guard at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., May 10, 2018. (U.S. Army photo/Pfc. Antoine Rolle).
Yet again, the online combat game “War Thunder” has seen a leak of sensitive military documents related to the M2A2 Bradley fighting vehicle into one of its game forums. 
In this case, the leak is information that isn’t legally classified but holds nuts-and-bolts-level details that the Army considers sensitive.

The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, passed by both houses of Congress, outlines the forecasted strength of the U.S. military in fiscal year 2024. Under end strength levels outlined in the bill, the number of active duty troops will shrink to 1,284,500. Down nearly 64,000 troops in the last three years, America’s military will be the smallest it has been since before the start of WWII, shining a spotlight on the military recruiting crisis.
Men apply at an Army recruiting office in New York, June 1940 (National Archives)
The last year that the military was smaller than 1.

We weren’t born with eyes on the backs of our heads. That much is obvious. We can only see and absorb as much information as our eyes and brains allow. We’re limited. But through technology, we can slim the odds of missing a chance (which could be the buck of a lifetime). Trail cameras are one of the simplest ways to keep eyes on game paths and other common areas where activity is frequent.

North Korea announced that it had tested a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM, with an estimated range of 15,000 km, to “send a strong warning to hostile forces.”

North Korea’s central news agency KCNA said today that leader Kim Jong-un directly supervised the test launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that took place on December 18. The Hwasong-18 missile reached a maximum altitude of 6,518.2 km, flew 1,002.3 km, and accurately crashed into the target in the eastern sea of ​​North Korea after 4,415 seconds.

White House officials said the US only has enough resources left for one Ukraine aid package this year, and Congress needs to approve new amounts.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on December 18 that the Pentagon’s finance official, Michael McCord, wrote a letter to parliamentarians saying “the government has allocated the remaining money.” to supplement US supplies and replace what is being shipped to Ukraine.”
“We only have one more aid package left before the additional authorization is exhausted,” Mr.

FILE: Airmen pose with an MQ-9 Reaper for a photo at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., Nov. 19, 2019. (Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado/U.S. Air Force).
A Dec. 17 U.S. airstrike near Jilib, Somalia is believed to have killed one militant with al-Shabab, a terrorist group that has pledged allegiance to al-Qaida, according to U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM. 
U.S. military officials have not provided any information about the militant .Voice of America reported that the airstrike targeted a high-ranking al-Shabab leader, who has not been identified.
The U.S.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — As the Army is building a next-generation platform for soldiers to shoot targets, it’s angling to make three modular versions to serve different functions for various units.
The Army is modernizing its Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), which provides fully automated support for planning, coordinating and conducting fires. While the system has been around for nearly a quarter century and still works, officials believe now is the time for a substantial update.

The Israeli army announced that it only used high-precision smart bombs to bomb the Gaza Strip, denying that nearly half of the bombs were unguided.

“All the bombs we use are highly accurate,” an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer confirmed on December 18. “We did not use any unguided bombs. All have precise navigation systems, including GPS navigation, cameras or computers on the fighter.

Chinese internet
China’s shadowy miniature spaceplane appears to have deployed at least six objects into orbit while conducting its latest mission, its third. The reusable space vehicle, which is understood to be broadly comparable to the U.S. Space Force’s X-37B, clearly has military applications, although the exact nature of its payloads remains mysterious.
The Chinese spaceplane, named Shenlong (meaning Divine Dragon), has placed the objects in Earth orbit since it was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on December 14.

An artist’s rendition of Akaer’s proposed Montenegro MKI satellite launch vehicle. (Akaer)
The Brazilian companies Akaer and CENIC have signed separate contracts with the country’s innovation agency, Finep (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos), to build small launch vehicles capable of placing multiple nano- and micro-satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO).
Finep, which is part of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, has awarded a total of BRL370.46 million (USD75.4 million) for the project – BRL185.34 million (USD37.

HMS
Somerset
seen at Haakonsvern Naval Base on 14 December after receiving its NSM outload. The NSM launcher hardware is fitted in the space forward of the bridge previously occupied by Harpoon.
(Royal Norwegian Navy)
The Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset has become the first UK Royal Navy (RN) warship to receive the Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace Naval Strike Missile (NSM) surface-to-surface missile system.

In July 2022 US Special Operations Command selected L3Harris Technologies’ Sky Warden for its Armed Overwatch programme. The capability was based on the Air Tractor AT-802U. (L3 Harris)
US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) may be planning to purchase too many aircraft under the Armed Overwatch programme, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a 14 December report.

In the ever-evolving landscape of international conflicts, the United States faces a daunting challenge in responding to Houthi attacks on cargo ships. The initiation of Operation Protect Prosperity, announced by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, reflects a carefully crafted coalition of ten nations united against the escalating threats posed by Houthi forces in Yemen.

Ukraine currently cannot intercept Russian guided glide bombs, but the F-16 fighters they are about to receive can prevent Russian aircraft from using them.

PS01, a social network account specializing in reporting on the war in Ukraine, on December 19 posted a video of Russia dropping a FAB-1500 guided bomb south of Tiahynka village on the west bank of the Dnieper River, Kherson province. Video shot from a drone (UAV) shows the 1.5-ton bomb creating a large halo of fire covering the village.
PS01 said the Russian air force dropped an average of about 100 bombs in this area every day.

The Spruance class destroyer USS Deyo (DD 989) makes it’s transit through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red SeaPublic Domain

The Middle East conflict has been expanding for weeks with launches on U.S. military post in the Middle East and rocket launches on ships in the Red, but on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced a further expansion of a multinational maritime security force to protect ships in the Red Sea from missile and drone attack from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

South Korea’s induction of the Light Armed Helicopter into service will allow it to field advanced warfighting capabilities, such as manned-unmanned teaming. (Janes)
South Korea has planned to replace its legacy rotary-wing combat aircraft with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Light Armed Helicopters (LAHs) within seven years.
A spokesperson of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) told Janes that the LAHs will “replace South Korea’s [MD Helicopters] 500 and [Bell] AH-1s … by 2031”.

USN Secretary Carlos Del Toro touted the EW capabilities of the EA-18G Growlers. (US Navy)
Recent global conflicts highlight the increasing use of electronic warfare (EW) in military operations, US Navy (USN) Secretary Carlos Del Toro said on 12 December during a keynote speech at the Association of Old Crows’ (AOC’s) 60th Annual International Symposium & Convention at National Harbor, Maryland.

Austria has expanded its contract with Rheinmetall to include another 300 military trucks from the HX family of vehicles.

A. Horton & H.H. Seck, WaPo
Though dozens of congressional Republicans protested the move, the Army says it will begin work in coming days.

WSJ
Japan incident killing eight is latest involving hybrid helicopter-plane and leads to global grounding of fleet.

GlobalData’s defence desk has worked tirelessly to bring all the latest development in the defence space over the past year.

The RSF has taken control of Sudan’s main cities and western Darfur region as the eight-month conflict escalates.

The US State Department has cleared Greece to purchase 35 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters for $1.95bn from Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky.

“The number of people killed on Oct. 7 and after the Oslo Accords are the same,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly proclaimed in a closed-door meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last week. This tone-deaf statement garnered widespread criticism in Israel. Nonetheless, it is part of an effort by Netanyahu to affirm his hawkish bona fides and salvage his political future at a time when an overwhelming number of Israelis hold him responsible for the failures that led to Oct. 7.

Greetings from the North Pole! Santa here, once again giving you a sneak peek into my holiday gift list for some of the movers and shakers in the U.S. national security world. When I started working on my list this season, I discovered that nearly all of my favorite four-stars from the past few years have now left the building. I hope they’re enjoying their retirement, as their successors toil endlessly on all the problems of today’s world.

On this show, Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss the so-called “new Washington Consensus” – a reaction to decades of trade liberalization and free market economics that, some warn, has undermined national security and left the United States and others vulnerable to economic coercion. In a recent article, Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman spell out the rationale behind new restrictions on foreign trade and investment and warn that “nothing less than a transformation of the U.S.

Paul Noel Chretien, a Public Interest Declassification Board Board Member and retired Central Intelligence Agency Officer, moderated a discussion with Tim Naftali, a clinical associate professor of History and Public Policy at New York University; Matthew Connelly, a professor of History at Columbia University; Warren Finch, the former director of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library; and Mark Lawrence, the director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. The conversation explored the role of presidential libraries, the issues they face, and the future of these institutions.

The upgraded Type 12 SSM will have a range of 1,000 km. The original version (pictured above) has a range of 200 km. While the original Type 12 SSM was designed as a land-based anti-ship missile, the upgraded variant can be launched from land, aircraft, and surface combatants. (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)
The Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) has accelerated the deployment of the upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile (SSM) by a year, the MoD said in a press release in mid-December.

Third-in-class
Al-Qadeer
(F 909)
was handed over by TKMS to the Egyptian Navy on 15 December.
(Michael Nitz, Naval Press Service, 2023)
German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) handed over the third Al Aziz (MEKO A-200EN)-class frigate on order for the Egyptian Navy during a ceremony held in Bremerhaven, Germany on 15 December.
The vessel, named Al-Qadeer (F 909), is the third of four MEKO A-200 frigates ordered by Egypt from TKMS in 2018, and the final ship in the series to be built in Germany.

In an ambitious play to capture the ATF contract, Northrop introduced its cutting-edge YF-23. This prototype, which seemed to have come straight out of a science fiction epic, evoked images of heroes like Michael Biehn or Sigourney Weaver.
In the unforgiving arena of military power during the tense 1980s, the Cold War escalated toward its most explosive climax. The United States, aware of the fierce struggle with the Soviet Union, injected its genius and financial resources into an unparalleled technological arsenal, seeking to maintain its war supremacy.

The current US shipbuilding workforce will not meet future US Navy needs. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
The US needs to significantly augment its shipbuilding workforce to meet the country’s construction and maintenance demands, US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro noted on 14 December during a keynote speech at the 3rd Naval Nuclear Submarine and Aircraft Carrier Suppliers Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ukraine MOD
Though Ukraine says it is in desperate need of military equipment from the U.S. and allies, the White House says it has only enough money left for one more aid package, to be announced this week.
After that, “we will have no more replenishment authority available to us,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, including from The War Zone, Monday.

USN
As expected, the U.S. military has kicked off a new multi-national maritime coalition to respond to escalating missile and drone attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen. The Houthis’ actions, including new attacks just today, have seriously disrupted commercial shipping in and around the Red Sea. The War Zone was the first to report over the weekend that the announcement of this initiative, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, was imminent.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J.

The joint China-Russia strategic air patrol on 14 December involved a core of four bombers and 13 other Chinese-Russian aircraft, which joined the flight at various times and places. A Chinese naval destroyer operating in the area was also likely involved in the drill. A bilateral US-Japan air exercise was also conducted over the Sea of Japan (East Sea) at the same time.

Small unit leaders such as fire team leaders and squad leaders have tremendous influence within an organization. They have the potential to greatly impact the effectiveness and morale of a unit. It is common to attain this responsibility early in one’s military career. For example, someone who enters the Marine Corps at age 18 can find themselves as a fire team leader (in charge of a four-man team) by age 20, and a squad leader (in charge of a 13-man squad) by age 22. Learning how to be a good leader requires humility and setting the example.

As the Defense Department looks to modernize how it spots, tracks and defeats hypersonic missiles and other advanced threats, focus should remain on deploying sensors in multiple domains and orbital regimes, according to a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
While designing and deploying that architecture, Pentagon leaders should prioritize persistent coverage in the Indo-Pacific and capabilities that provide fire-control quality data, the document notes.

There’s nothing worse than getting your schedule and realizing you’re on duty Christmas Eve. Sure, there are ways to make it all happen while you’re at work, but the best part about Christmas is seeing the magic through your children’s eyes; not experiencing loads of guilt and overwhelming sadness about missing it. For many military families, first responders, and other helpers, this is just par for the course. Turkey on Friday after Thanksgiving, celebrating birthdays a day late or two days early – you know the drill.

Rafael / capture via X
The first look at Israel’s Spike FireFly coaxial rotor loitering munition drone being used during the current conflict appears to have emerged. A new video combines two views of the weapons in use, most likely shot in the West Bank city of Jenin.
The first scene shows the drone, known in Hebrew as Moaz and made by Israel’s Rafael, slowly descending into a courtyard in a dense urban neighborhood. A second scene at the 11-second mark shows the FireFly hovering. We don’t know if these are two scenes from the same event, or two separate ones.

A F-15EX assigned to the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, flies behind a KC-135 assigned to the 465th Air Refueling Squadron, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, Oct. 15, 2021. In-air refueling allows fighter aircraft to stay airborne for longer periods of time without having to land to refuel. (U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Mary Begy).
The U.S. Air Force may be poised to return F-15 Eagles to Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa, in the form of the service’s new F-15EX Eagle II.

The Department of Defense issued a call for proposals Monday as part of a broader push to turbocharge domestic fabrication of microelectronics and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign suppliers.
The Pentagon plans to award up to $280 million next year for Microelectronics Commons projects, according to a press release. Funding for the program supports six technology areas: secure edge and Internet of Things computing; 5G and 6G; AI hardware; quantum; electromagnetic warfare; and “leap-ahead” commercial technologies.
“The U.S.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Army is looking at baking in adaptability to its systems from the beginning — while also working hand in hand with multiple offices across the service — to ensure capabilities remain relevant in the highly dynamic electromagnetic spectrum.
Electromagnetic spectrum operations have gained significant prominence in recent years, after decades of neglect from the U.S. military and conflicts that did not place a premium on agility within this invisible space.

Marine veteran Graham Dale, who was born in Ireland and became an American citizen, was killed in Ukraine on Dec. 9 while repelling a Russian attack. (Photo from the cover of ‘The Green Marine: An Irishman’s War in Iraq’ by Graham Dale and Neil Fetherstonhaugh).
A U.S. Marine veteran born in Ireland who later immigrated to the United States has been killed in Ukraine while repelling an assault by Russian troops that had broken through his unit’s line, a fellow American veteran told Task & Purpose.
Graham Dale was killed in close-quarters fighting on December 9.

Westward Shipping News
The first look at the British Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset sporting its new Naval Strike Missile anti-ship cruise missile armament has emerged today. Somerset is the first of a total of 11 Royal Navy warships, a mix of Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers, that are set to receive these more modern weapons as a replacement for their aging Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles. NSM offers a particularly significant boost in capability for the Type 23s, the youngest of which is just over two decades old.

For 68 years, NORAD, one of the most badass military commands in the country, has taken on a very different, special mission: tracking Santa.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a bi-national organization (United States and Canada) charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America. That’s right, literally anything and everything coming into U.S. and Canadian Air Space is on NORAD’s radar, including Santa Claus and his reindeer.

Greece is set to become a Black Hawk operator, with the purchase of 35 helicopters approved by the US government. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
The US government has approved the sale of 35 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Greece for USD1.95 billion.
The Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval, announced by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 15 December, covers the helicopters, as well as equipment, weapons and ammunition, spares, support, and training.