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.

The new vessels will be an improved variant of the FBG’s OPV
Turva
, which was commissioned into service in 2014.
(John Pagni)
Polish shipbuilder Baltic Operator held a steel-cutting ceremony for the first of two Modified Turva-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) on order for the Finnish Border Guard (FBG) at Gdansk Shipyard on 12 December.
Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku was awarded a contract for the two newbuilds in June 2022.

US Air Force maintainers prepare to load AIM-120-C-7 AMRAAMs on a USAF F-15 on Okinawa in 2016. A proposed new sale of AIM-120 and AIM-9 Sidewinders to Japan has the goal of improving the ability of JASDF’s F-15, F-35, and F-2 fleets to meet current and future threats and protect US personnel in Japan, according to the US State Department. (US Department of Defense)
The United States State Department has approved the possible sale of air-to-air missiles for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).

The Formidable-class frigate, RSS
Steadfast
, is seen here in the Singapore Strait.
(Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)
Singapore’s ST Engineering Marine has received a contract to undertake a part of the mid-life upgrade (MLU) work that will be carried out on the country’s Formidable-class frigates.
ST Engineering Marine is a subsidiary of ST Engineering. Under the contract, the company will design and engineer the class’ new marine and electrical systems.

Jim Cowen, Defense Opinion
The U.S. military is undergoing a serious readiness crisis, as the armed forces experience major difficulty recruiting young Americans to serve.

Tucker, DefOne
IW proponents are wrestling with how to bring their domain into a new era—and to convince others it’s still needed.

Theresa Hitchens, BrDefense
The U.S.

Byron Callan, Aviation Week
The coming year will most likely see a continuation of two competing narratives that have reshaped defense expectations in 2023.

Osborn, Warrior Maven
A standout feature of the SR-72 is its ability to reach hypersonic speeds up to Mach 6.

The systecon UK contract covers a three-year period to 31 October, 2026, with the possibility of a two-year extension until 31 October, 2028.

The head of the European Commission has called for EU countries to commit funding to European systems rather than to US-made equipment.

In total, four defence contractors or teams are competing for the CTT programme, which will replace thousands of trucks in the US Army.

The Dawon 4×4 all-terrain vehicle (pictured above) features a 4,400 cc Caterpillar diesel engine pushing out 200 bhp and 800 Nm of torque, an Allison automatic transmission, and Dana’s differential unit. (DACA War Trucks)
Indian defence vehicle manufacturer DACA War Trucks has proposed its Dawon 4×4 all-terrain vehicle to the Indian Army, the company’s co-founder Yash Srivastava told Janes in mid-December.

Amur Shipyard has received a new licence that will enable it to build Gorshkov-class frigates. (Russia’s Northern Fleet Press Service)
Amur Shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur has received a new licence to carry out the construction, maintenance, and sale of weapons and military equipment, Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade for the Khabarovsk Territory has announced.
According to the statement, issued on 7 December, licensed products also include warships of Project 22350 Gorshkov class.

The Akash Air Force Launcher (pictured above) carries three Akash anti-aircraft surface-to-air missiles on a wheeled tractor-trailer combination. (DRDO)
The Indian Air Force and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have demonstrated the enhanced capability of the Akash semimobile surface-to-air (SAM) missile system to intercept four unmanned aerial targets from a single firing unit, the DRDO said in a social media post on 17 December.

Time is not on Taiwan’s side. A U.S. Air Force General predicts potential conflict with China in 2025, while the retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff suggests China’s accelerated modernization could advance its ability to seize Taiwan to as early as 2027. Worse, in current wargame simulations run by experts at RAND, the United States fails in preventing Chinese forces “from overrunning Taiwan’s defense forces.

JeanUrsula via Getty Images/US NAVY
My inbox has been flooded with people wanting to know why the United States has not retaliated against Houthi forces in Yemen after repeated anti-ship attacks near the Bab el-Mandeb strait — the critical funnel that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf Of Aden. It’s an entirely fair question and the answer is not as simple as some would make it seem. So let’s dig into it.
One prevailing viewpoint is that the Houthis will ‘only understand force’ and that the United States needs to hit them back.

The Confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery. (Photo courtesy Arlington National Cemetery).
A monument to the Confederate States of America that stands in the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery will be taken down this week.
The large memorial, sitting on what was created as a Union cemetery in the 1860s, will come down on Friday, Dec. 22. Initial site work has been done, and fencing has gone up around the work area, in part to protect nearby spaces in the cemetery. The monument is being removed as part of a federal mandate. The U.S.

U.S. Army AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter assigned to 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB), June 3, 2019. (U.S. Army).
Two U.S. Army Apache helicopters that collided with each other in April, killing three soldiers, were traveling through a mountain pass in Alaska at the time of the crash.
Those new details come from the Associated Press, which shared the Army’s findings on Friday, Dec. 15. According to Department of Defense regulation, the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, which led the investigation, does not release its recommendations.

Hosts L Todd Wood and Col John Mills (USA, Ret) discuss CCP naval operations against the Phillipines, Ukraine, Gaza, and the NDAA.

Back To 2-And-A-Half Wars?
What Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Is Doing To The Navy

The post LIVE 7pm EST: Pacific SitRep – CCP Targets Phillipines appeared first on Armed Forces Press.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney. (Photo courtesy U.S. Navy).
The USS Carney once again shot down multiple drones launched from Yemen earlier today.
The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, operating in the Red Sea, engaged a drone swarm launched from parts of Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels, according to U.S. Central Command. The engagement took place early on Saturday, Dec. 16 local time. 
CENTCOM did not elaborate on the details, including what the likely targets were, or how long the engagement lasted.

For decades, the US military has pursued the dream of dominating the skies with hypersonic platforms, a dream that China and Russia are also striving to become a reality. In this scenario of fierce competition, a disturbing question arises: is it possible that a Mach 5 aircraft, the mythical SR-91 Aurora, already existed and that its existence has been hidden from us?

The classified SR-91 Aurora project
Whispers about the Aurora, a supposedly classified hypersonic aircraft, have resonated in aviation circles since the 1980s.

Ukrainian President Volodymry Zelensky
The Ukrainian fight to establish a foothold across the Dnipro River in Russian-held Kherson Oblast has been brutal and futile, troops involved in that mission told The New York Times.
With its counteroffensive in the south and east bogged down into a bloody stalemate, Ukraine has been pushing troops across the Dnipro. The hope is that with enough of a presence there, they can threaten the so-called land corridor to Crimea.

Medal of Honor recipient and retired Marine Sgt. Maj. John Canley has died following a years-long battle with cancer. (Task & Purpose photo composite).
The USS John L. Canley, the Navy’s latest expeditionary sea base, will be commissioned next year in a ceremony at Naval Base Coronado’s Naval Air Station North Island. The ship honors Sgt. Maj. John L. Canley, who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War in 1968. When Canley received the award in 2018, he was the first living Black Marine to be given the Medal of Honor.
The USS John L.

U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Xavier Jimenez/Released)
During his visit to the Middle East next week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will announce the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new international effort deal with Houthi threats, a U.S. military official told The War Zone. That information comes as U.S. and British warships shot down drones the Houthis launched in a wave from Yemen early Saturday morning local time, marking the latest escalation of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 28: A person walks past a homeless encampment in the Skid Row community on September 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. State and local lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, are seeking to overturn lower court decisions which currently block their power to clear encampments with unhoused people. Dozens of leaders, many from Western states including California, have turned to the Supreme Court to overturn the rulings. Skid Row is home to thousands of people who either live on the streets or in shelters. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images).

In the complex geopolitical landscape of East Asia, the vulnerability of China’s oil supply lines through the Indian Ocean has become a focal point for military strategists. This article explores the potential consequences and challenges China could face in a conflict over Taiwan, emphasizing the strategic significance of the Indian Ocean.
The Strategic Importance of Oil Shipping Routes
China heavily relies on oil shipments from the Persian Gulf, with nearly 60 fully loaded crude oil vessels crossing the South China Sea daily.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and another warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several more weeks to maintain a two-carrier presence near Israel as its war with Hamas escalates. U.S. officials said.
It would be the third time the Ford deployment has been extended, underscoring continued concerns about volatility in the region during Israel’s war in Gaza. The United States has two aircraft carriers in the region, a rarity in recent years.
Multiple U.S.

Loren Thompson, Forbes
The world’s biggest aerospace and defense enterprise has chosen its next chief executive officer.

K. Osborn, Warrior M.
The RQ-170 performs joint exercises with military assets such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

Audrey Decker, D1
Lawmakers are delaying the HQ decision in the 2024 defense policy bill.

James Chew, National Defense M.

Robert Redding, Small Wars Journal
Those of us of a certain age grew up thinking that the first space battles would be

YouTube screencap
Two of the world’s largest shipping companies have decided to pause transits into the Red Sea after the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels stepped up vessel attacks this week, including setting two more ships ablaze today.
Both the Danish Maersk and German Hapag-Lloyd shippers placed temporary bans on their ships passing through the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, which has become an increasingly dangerous chokepoint.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait between Yemen and Djibouti has become a dangerous chokepoint of Houthi attacks.

Immerse yourself in warfare with Russia‘s Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B, a titan of air warfare in the modern era.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a fierce drone battle has dominated the skies, with Moscow and Kyiv deploying an arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In this scenario, drones emerge as essential war tools, standing out for their effectiveness and accessibility.
The S-70, a Russian-designed war machine, symbolizes this new era of conflict.

IDF
A top White House leader on Friday tried to downplay U.S. differences with Israel over the future course of its war against Hamas.
While both parties see an eventual transition from wide-scale bombardment and intense ground fighting to a more targeted campaign against Hamas leadership, the U.S. and Israel remain at loggerheads over when that might happen. As civilian casualties mount, the Biden administration wants that to happen within weeks, while Israeli officials say its large-scale ground operation has many more months to go.

FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP via Getty Images/unknown author
Throughout history, from ancient times to more modern conflicts, intimidating the enemy through aggressive noises and sounds has played an important part of warfare. During the Iron Age and Greek/Roman periods, a specific instrument was used to make the loudest, and most fear-inducing sounds possible — the carnyx. 
These valveless, trumpet-like instruments were colossal — standing as tall, or even taller, than the people who played them.

A key element of the Defense Department’s plan to become “AI ready” by 2025 — or fittingly organized and resourced to outcompete adversaries like China and defend against emerging artificial intelligence-enabled threats — is cultivating a workforce with deep expertise in the technology. However, a government watchdog says the Pentagon lacks key information about its employees.

Congress authorized special duty pay for troops in cold weather stations where “the temperature is expected to drop below -20 °F,” based on the 2012 Plant Hardiness Zone Map published by the Department of Agriculture. Still from an Army video by Staff Sgt. Paul Anthony.
Troops who endure freezing temperatures may soon find their hands a little toastier in pockets lined with some extra cash.

U.S. Army Rangers from 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and the Ranger Recruiting Liaison office participate in a 12-mile ruck march with trainees of infantry One-Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Benning, Ga., April 18, 2019. (U.S. Army photo.).
Packs are as essential for the military as bullets and chow. But for decades, two rucks have weighed down more military backs than any others. That’s the O.G. All-Purpose Individual Carrying Equipment (ALICE) pack and the Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment (MOLLE) pack.

PHOTO © 2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION
Satellite imagery suggests that North Korea may be in the process of building an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. Should work be underway to develop a North Korean AEW&C capability, the result could well provide a very useful addition to Pyongyang’s armory, especially the potential to offer advance warning of aircraft and missile strikes launched from the south. On the other hand, such an asset would itself immediately become one of the highest-priority targets for South Korea and the U.S.

Three soldiers and two Marines have been awared Purple Hearts in the surge of attacks on bases in Syria and Iraq. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Dennis Sloan.
Five U.S. troops have been awarded Purple Hearts after being wounded in the latest surge of attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria that began on Oct. 17, service officials confirmed.
Three active-duty soldiers have received the Purple Heart since Oct. 1, said Army spokeswoman Heather J. Hagan.

twitter Screencap
A deputy of a local Ukrainian town council detonated multiple grenades during a packed meeting earlier today, leading to dozens of injuries and at least one confirmed fatality.
The incident took place in a local government building located in the village of Keretsky, western Zakarpattia Oblast, at around 11:30 A.M. local time. Of the 26 individuals injured during the meeting, reportedly centered on financial matters, at least six are thought to be in critical condition.

Public Domain

An overarching tenet for decades in the American national security planning environment was the ability for the U.S. military to simultaneously conduct two-and-a-half major regional conflicts (MRCs).
Translated, this meant that the United States had the military size to generate and project military force for a major conflict in the European area, a major conflict in the Asian area, and a smaller “brushfire” conflict somewhere else.

The German frigate Sachsen (Saxony) (F219), has recently completed installation of the replacement launcher, five years after an erroneous firing of the SM-2 medium-range missile disabled the VLS Mk 41 launcher. This is mainly because Deutsche Marine decided to wait for the scheduled maintenance period to replace the system (i.e., the vessel was needed, and money was tight).

The missile launcher systems are installed at the same time as the ship is built. At Sachsen, this weapon system was damaged beyond repair during a live ammunition exercise.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Army is working with the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and AI Office to develop more interoperable data and communications architectures to enable the seamless transfer of vital combat information between the U.S. military branches and international partners.

Russia launched the Kinzhal hypersonic missile against Ukraine at the same time that Mr. Putin held a year-end press conference and announced that he would pursue a campaign targeting Kyiv.

“A hypersonic missile, Kinzhal, was launched towards the city of Starokostiantyniv in Khmelnytskyi oblast. The missile crashed into Khmetnitsky province only about 10 minutes after the nationwide air defense alert was issued,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat announced on television on December 14.
Mr.

The Pentagon warns that it will have to choose between ensuring combat capacity and supporting Ukraine if the US Congress does not approve the aid budget.

“We have about $4.4 billion left under the President’s Authorization to Mobilize Military Resources and one billion dollars in the fund to buy replacement equipment, to offset the weapons transferred,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said on December 14.
Ryder affirmed that the US military still has the option to spend $4.4 billion to aid Ukraine, but this will be a difficult decision, because funds to support Ukraine are running out.

Welcome to Mid-Afternoon Map, our exclusive members-only newsletter that provides a cartographic perspective on current events, geopolitics, and history from the Caucasus to the Carolinas. Subscribers can look forward to interesting takes on good maps and bad maps, beautiful maps and ugly ones — and bizarre maps whenever possible. *** With Christmas only weeks away, there’s no better time to order some irredentist keychains. Still searching for the perfect gift for that friend who doesn’t think Albania is big enough? Here’s a Greater Albania keychain for under $25.