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.

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.