Marine recruits Parris Island are using the MantisX Blackbeard system for marksmanship training. (Pfc. Ayden Cassano/U.S. Marine Corps).
Recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, are using off-the-shelf technology for marksmanship training to better prepare them for the more advanced rifle test they must pass when they join the fleet, Marine Corps officials said.
Officials at Parris Island initiated a pilot program for which they purchased about 700 MantisX Blackbeard systems for simulated rifle training as part of a test pilot program, Corps officials said.

USN
There are growing indications that the U.S. and U.K. are about to launch strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in retaliation for more than two dozen attacks against commercial shipping since Nov. 19, including one earlier this morning.
“UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been holding a conference call with his cabinet about the likelihood of British and US military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen,” the BBC is reporting.

PM Rishi Sunak briefing cabinet tonight as UK and US weigh military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen
Follow live https://t.

KYIV – In this interview today in Riga, Latvia, President Zelenskiy allowed himself to talk more than normally allowed by his secret patrons from Washington D.C. and London. More specifically, Mr. Zelensky said:
1) There is no money to pay pensions for 12 mln pensioners (editor’s note: 18.5 mln pensioners in Ukraine).
2) 70% of the financing sent to Ukraine on paper was left in the USA and paid to US military contractors and various agencies.
3) Any military supplies sent to Ukraine were based on grants but based on credits. Thus, the debts of the country have increased.

A Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General report released Thursday found that the Pentagon has not thoroughly monitored the transfer of some of the U.S.’s most advanced weapons and devices sent to Ukraine. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Cydney Lee).
The Pentagon has not thoroughly monitored the transfer of some of the U.S.’s most advanced weapons and devices sent to Ukraine, an Inspector General report released Thursday found.
Pentagon Inspector General Robert P.

The Navy’s experimentations with robotic systems in Central and South America have revealed capability gaps in the service’s ability to manage drone operations at command centers and work with large swaths of data, according to a top officer.
In 2023, the service’s 4th Fleet — assigned to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility — kicked off a series of experimentations aimed at integrating unmanned aerial vehicles, surface ships and subsurface vessels with manned platforms.
Less than a year into the effort, 4th Fleet Commander Rear Adm.

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.

IAF
As the war in Gaza continues, Israel has released a carefully selected stream of photos and videos showing some of its most capable assets in action. One interesting recently published photo provides a very rare view inside the cockpit of an F-15A ‘Baz’ fighter, shedding some light on the extent of the upgrades that these aircraft have been put through by the Israeli Air Force (IAF).
Before we discuss the photo, it’s important to note that Israel’s aging F-15A-to-D fleet is still seen as a prized resource by the IAF.

Italy looks to be leveraging a forecasted increase in defence spending to modernise its military capabilities, including the FH70 artillery.

A photograph released on 10 January 2024 shows a Rafael SPYDER All in One air-defence system launching a Python missile in a test. (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems)
Rafael and the Israel Ministry of Defense’s (MoD’s) Directorate for Defense Research and Development have completed a successful test of the All in One (AiO) variant of the company’s SPYDER air-defence system, it was announced on 10 January.

In 1922, when 25 Army officers met in San Antonio and decided to insure each other’s vehicles, they couldn’t have imagined that their tiny company would one day serve millions of members and become a fully-integrated financial services organization. In the 100 years since, USAA has remained at the forefront of military community support, from banking to loans to insurance and beyond.

The military, for the most part, has told you what to do and has provided you with the training. Now that you are transitioning out, whether separating or retiring, the world is your oyster. If you are not sure what it is you want to do career-wise after the military, here are 5 places to go to assist.
1. CareerOneStop
(CareerOneStop)
This website is sponsored by the Department of Labor, so you know it will be loaded with great information. Here, you can take a skills assessment where, once finished, occupations will populate based on how you evaluated your skillset.

The Pentagon’s new National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) incorporates a number of actions that will drive the department to apply artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to monitor its vast supply chain of industrial assets — and strengthen internal and external cybersecurity pursuits to protect it.
Department officials released the highly anticipated, 60-page document on Thursday.

Raytheon: During extended exercises, the radar system demonstrates its capability in protecting air bases effectively.

In the aftermath of World War II, Berlin, Germany, was grappling with immense challenges when Operation Gold laid the foundation for espionage activities in the 1950s. The United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a high-stakes game of spy versus spy, turning Berlin—a city divided by the pressures of the Cold War—into the key battleground for this audacious CIA plan. The mission aimed to tap into the Soviets’ underground communication cables and eavesdrop on their secrets.

A Hermes 900 in maritime configuration. The Indian Navy will induct two Hermes 900 Starliner UAVs by the end of February. (Elbit Systems)

The Indian Navy will induct two Hermes 900 Starliner unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by the end of February, a spokesperson for the Indian Navy told
Janes
on 10 January.

Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 Starliner is manufactured in India by Adani Defence and Aerospace under the name ‘Drishti 10′ for Indian customers.

Venable, TNI
The Air Force’s newest bomber, the B-21 “Raider,” is being built around the most sophisticated and easily maintained stealth technology ever developed.

Banco , et al., Politico
Hezbollah has more capability to strike inside the U.S. than other terrorist groups like ISIS, officials say.

The US State Department has approved a Foreign Military Sales agreement to the Government of Egypt for Light Tactical Vehicle chassis.

Tanzania has ordered two Leonardo C-27J Spartan transport aircraft that it will use primarily for civil support duties. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
Tanzania has ordered two Leonardo C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, the Italian government announced on 9 January.
Signed by the Tanzanian Minister of Defence and National Service, Stergomena Tax, and the Italian Ambassador to Tanzania, Marco Lombardi, the deal will see the Tanzanian Ministry of Defence (MoD) use the aircraft primarily for civil support duties.

The DART AE is a 3.5 m long single-use hypersonic vehicle powered by a SPARTAN scramjet engine that, according to developer Hypersonix Launch Systems, has a top speed of Mach 7 and a range of 1,000 km. (Hypersonix Launch Systems)
Australian firm Hypersonix Launch Systems is on track to deliver its DART AE (Additive Engineering) hypersonic flyer to the US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for testing at the end of 2024.

A painting of Charles Jackson French’s swim is exhibited at the International Swimming Hall of Fame. A new Navy destroyer will be named for French. Image courtesy of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
The Navy will name a new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer for one of World War II’s most remarkable — and most ignored — Naval heroes, Charles Jackson French.
A Black cook aboard a ship sunk at Guadalcanal, French pulled a makeshift raft full of wounded shipmates for eight hours through shark-infested waters by swimming with a tow rope tied around his waste.

Madison Marsh has a bright future ahead of her, with multiple paths still available for the 22-year-old. Marsh was named Miss Colorado in May 2023. She is pursuing a master’s degree at Harvard, is a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, and has obtained a coveted place to train as a fighter pilot.

Next Sunday (January 14), Marsh will compete with other candidates to become Miss America at the Florida ceremony, with different phases of the pageant that include physical preparation stages, an evening dress and a public interview.

Ukraine’s President said the country shot down 70% of missiles and UAVs in recent Russian raids, but Kyiv needs more air defense systems.

“In recent days, Russia launched a total of 500 devices targeting Ukrainian territory. We destroyed 70% of them,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nauseda in Vilnius on January 10, during his visit to this country.
According to Mr.

Israel developed a new Spyder air defense system, putting all parts on one truck, to increase flexibility in dealing with UAVs.

“With the cooperation of the Ministry of Defense, the Rafael group successfully tested a new ‘one-piece’ configuration of the Spyder air defense system. The test included the interception of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with a direct, precise attack,” the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced on January 10.

Among the many risks inherent in the ongoing war in Gaza, perhaps the most dangerous has been the potential for broader escalation involving other regional fronts, pitting Israel and U.S. forces against Iranian-backed proxies in south Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria as well as Iraq. Yet, no less serious are the potential spillover effects of the conflict on Egypt. In particular, the prospect of the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees into the Sinai constitutes perhaps one of the most destabilizing potential outcomes of the conflict.

Marc Selverstone, the director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, co-chair of the Center’s Presidential Recordings Program, and professor of presidential studies, moderated a discussion with Francis Gavin, the Giovanni Agnelli distinguised professor and director of the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University; Sheyda Jahanbani, an associate professor at the University of Kansas; and Fredrik Logevall, the Laurence D. Belfer professor of international affairs at the John F.

The US Navy is buying more John Lewis-class oilers to meet deployment refuelling needs. (General Dynamics NASSCO)
As the US Navy (USN) continues to deploy its surface fleet to hot spots around the globe, the service must hone its ability to rearm and refuel those ships at sea, according to USN Secretary Carlos Del Toro.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro told reporters Wednesday that he’s looking to boost investments in high-powered lasers in future budget submissions as the service pursues new tools to defeat drone swarms.
“I’m very, very excited by it,” Del Toro said of directed energy technology during a meeting with journalists on the sidelines of the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium.
His remarks came against the backdrop of Houthi kamikaze drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea that are putting military and commercial vessels at risk. The U.S.

via X
Iranian-backed Houthi militants have become the first in the world to fire anti-ship ballistic missiles in anger, a threat that has been a hot topic of discussion for years. The group has also been making use of an increasingly diverse arsenal of anti-ship cruise missiles, and layering in kamikaze drones on top, in dozens of attacks in and around the Red Sea in the recent months. Despite all this, details about the Houthi anti-ship missile arsenal remain obscure, and recently the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank put together a useful guide to these weapons.

Image by U.S. Secretary of Defense

The conduct of Secretary of Defense Austin calls for his resignation. He is in line for succession to the presidency of the United States, and would be materially involved in any national security crisis the nation might endure.
There are a multitude of crises all around the world at the moment that could require his undivided attention.
Yet, he chose to not be transparent about his health to the American people or even The White House, according to the regime.
I don’t believe the Biden administration.

Sgt. 1st Adam Klakowicz is both a Green Beret and skateboarder, with skating serving as the remedy for a long career in special operations. Photos courtesy of Adam Klakowicz.
Staff Sgt. Adam Klakowicz’s heart was pounding with adrenaline as he stepped off the ramp of a Chinook helicopter a few miles outside of Kabul, Afghanistan. It was August 2008, and he was conducting his first combat mission. He and his fellow Green Berets and Afghan Commandos secured the immediate area before pushing into their target compound.

Pentagon officials responded to a claim by Fox News that Taylor Swift is a U.S. government’s psychological operation or PsyOp. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images).
No, Taylor Swift is not a Pentagon PsyOp. But she is a mastermind.
“No one wanted to play with me as a little kid, so I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since, to make them love me and make it seem effortless,” she sings in her song “Mastermind.”
For the millionth time in her career, Swift has to defend her success because of a man.

A technical analysis of the advanced Russian S-500 air defense system and its ability to confront F-22 and F-35 fighters.
Development and capabilities of the S-500 Prometeo anti-aircraft system
Within the framework of the State Armament Program, GPV-2027, in Russia, the modernization of anti-missile defense systems has been prioritized. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu indicated that modernization efforts will be completed by the end of 2023, including the production of the S-500 Prometheus.

GD Electric Boat
The first Columbia class submarine stern section has been delivered to General Dynamics Electric Boat. The massive component will serve as the propulsion section of the inaugural Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine, the USS District of Columbia. The vessel is the first of a planned 12 boat fleet designed to replace the existing 14 Ohio-class boomers in what the Navy says is its top-priority acquisition program.

Think of Operation Bolo as a high-stakes poker game in the sky, a clever plan conceived amidst the Vietnam War when the United States Air Force was facing a daunting challenge. By late 1966, despite their advanced technology, they were losing F-105 Thunderchief fighters to the enemy’s Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles. Something had to change.
Enter Col. John J.B. Stone.
He devised a devilishly simple strategy: trick the enemy into thinking they were engaging one type of aircraft when, in fact, they were facing another.

This graphic depicts an E-4B Nightwatch aircraft being scanned and digitally rendered to better illustrate the multi-day effort, by the company Mass Virtual, to build a 3-dimensional, virtual depiction of the Boeing 747 for training purposes. (Graphic by Josh Plueger/U.S. Air Force).
The Air Force’s E-4B Nightwatch, commonly referred to as the ‘Doomsday Plane,” is officially entering The Matrix.

The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is on track to reach full operational capability (FOC) by Sept. 30 — or the end of fiscal year 2024, DefenseScoop confirmed on Tuesday. 
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks formally established the office in July 2022 as the Defense Department’s newest one-stop hub for investigating official reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) that could threaten U.S. national security.

Barry Corbin is one of the most prolific actors, especially in popular TV series of our times. Corbin got his start in acting in Shakespeare in the 1960s. Corbin studied theater at Texas Tech, then took a break from school and joined the Marine Corps in 1961. He served two years in the Corps and returned to Texas Tech.
Corbin’s big break for TV came in 1979 as Sheriff Fenton Washburn on the smash evening soap opera hit Dallas. He appeared on the show during its first five seasons on air.

HMS
Richmond
deploys to the Red Sea to help safeguard international shipping.
(Crown copyright)
The UK Royal Navy (RN) has deployed a third ship to the Gulf to provide resilience to UK naval presence in the region amid ongoing attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on merchant shipping.

The Type 23 Duke-class frigate HMS
Richmond
(F 239) departed Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth, the UK on 6 January and is now en route to the Gulf to support the international effort to protect shipping, the RN confirmed on 9 January.

Apple TV+ released the opening title sequence for the upcoming Masters of the Air, a limited series based on the World War II air war over Europe and the flyers in the 100th Bomb Group. Screen capture from YouTube.
Since you’ll probably hit the “skip” button when the real show finally arrives, here’s a chance to dig into the opening title sequence of the upcoming World War II miniseries Masters of the Air, which debuts January 26 on Apple TV+.

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. *** As the Russo-Ukrainian war nears the two-year mark, we asked three experts to tell us more about the state of the conflict and how it might evolve in the coming months. With dwindling American security assistance to Ukraine and Russia’s ongoing winter offensive, what can we expect in 2024? Read more below.

A newly produced F-35 is seen in its primer colors in Fort Worth, Texas. Lockheed Martin capture
Lockheed Martin has hit a huge milestone in F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production. However, that accomplishment, while outstanding, is complicated by the ongoing saga surrounding the development and testing of Tech Refresh-3 (TR-3) hardware configuration. TR-3 underpins the F-35’s future capabilities, known collectively as Block 4. Delays with TR-3 mean that F-35s are being parked and not delivered after they are constructed, waiting for these features. So is the case for the 1,000th F-35.

In her first major speech since taking helm of the service, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti said she sees unmanned systems and other emerging technologies as a key piece to her vision of the future.
“We will put more players on the field, which means ready players,” Franchetti said Tuesday during her keynote speech at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium. “Platforms that are ready with the right capabilities, weapons and sustainment, and people who are ready with the right skills, tools, training and mindset.

The U.S. Navy celebrates its birthday on October 13, the day that the Continental Congress legally established the Continental Navy. Congress authorized funds for the construction of frigates, the creation of an enlisted and officers corps, and supplies. But America launched two more fleets during the Revolutionary War, one under Gen. George Washington and one under Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold.
The Department of the Navy didn’t exist until 1798, but American forces had three, completely separate, fleets in 1776.

Owen Cooban/U.K. Ministry of Defense
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi forces launched what has been described as their biggest attacks so far against shipping in the southern Red Sea last night, leading to U.S. and U.K. warships and fighters downed 21 drones and missiles. There are no reports of any damage or injuries in the aftermath of the attack, but it’s a clear indication of the high-stakes confrontation now being played out in this vital trade route.
U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that it was “the largest attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date.

Artificial intelligence can enhance an electronic warfare tool that the U.S. military has developed to defeat improvised explosive devices and drones in multiple domains, according to the Navy’s program manager for expeditionary missions.
The Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) Increment One Block One (I1B1) system achieved full operational capability last year. There are mounted, dismounted and fixed-site variants, according to Naval Sea Systems Command. The Northrop Grumman-built equipment is currently used by the U.S.

Estonia has signed a proposal that marks the way towards establishing a defence industrial park for the production ammunition.

Taiwan’s AIDC’s new basic trainer aircraft programme – the design for which is pictured above – aims to compete to replace the RoCAF’s Beechcraft T-34C aircraft by the early 2030s. (AIDC)
Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) has completed the first stage-design of a new basic trainer aircraft, the company announced on 10 January.

Minister of Defence Margarita Robles was joined by the Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force, Air General Javier Salto Martínez-Avial; the Chief of Staff of the Space Command, Brigadier General Isaac Manuel Crespo Zaragoza; and others at the standing up of the new MESPA Space Command at Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base. (Spanish Air and Space Force)
Spain stood up its Space Command (Mando del Espacio: MESPA) on 9 January, formalising the new Spanish Air and Space Force structure.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed a new 7.62×51 mm assault rifle known as ‘Ugram’ for the Indian Army. (Defence Research and Development Organisation/Janes)
India’s state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) subsidiary Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) has developed a new 7.62×51 mm assault rifle known as ‘Ugram’ for the Indian Army, an ARDE spokesperson told Janes on 9 January.