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.

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.