Lawmakers are close to enacting a defense policy bill that would mandate the establishment of an “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection” for public viewing in the National Archives.
The House-Senate conference version of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act directs steps that federal agencies must follow to help create the repository.

In 2019, Collin Meisel and Jonathan D. Moyer wrote “Preparing for China’s Rapid Rise and Decline” for War on the Rocks, looking at how “China’s rapid transition toward a downward trajectory will pose a unique set of national security challenges for the United States that could prove even more difficult than those posed by China’s rise.” In light of China’s economic slowdown, we asked Collin to look back on the piece and its recommendations. Read more below. Image: Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. D.

BISim is working to increase the AI capabilities of its VBS software, which is in widespread use. (Bohemia Interactive Simulations)

Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim) is continuing to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and is seeking to develop a more visualisation-agnostic capability, Pete Morrison, BISim’s chief commercial officer, told
Janes
at I/ITSEC 2023 in Orlando.

“We’re focusing on AI and in particular how we can enable our customers to train for the next Ukraine,” Morrison said.

Rohde & Schwarz, a prominent technology company, has bolstered the digital independence of the German Armed Forces.
The post Rohde & Schwarz elevates Germany’s defence with communication tech appeared first on Army Technology.

An MV-22 Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 166, in Kuwait, Sept 24, 2020. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Skiver.
The Marine Corps and Air Force have grounded their fleets of Osprey tilt rotor aircraft in the wake of a crash of an Air Force plane that killed eight crew members Nov. 29.
The bodies of six of the crew have been recovered from the crash off the coast of Japan. The other two aboard are presumed dead.
The crash was the third fatal mishap for the twin-rotor, vertical takeoff aircraft in just over a year, including two involving Marine Corps Ospreys.

BAE Systems demonstrated its new counter unmanned aerial systems Armoured Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) during a live fire in Kingman, Arizona. (BAE Systems)

The newly designed 120 mm mortar variant of the Armoured Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) will make its debut at the annual Maneuver Warfighter Conference in September 2024, Bill Sheehy, AMPV programme director at BAE Systems

told
Janes
on 30 November.

The first of 28 Royal Netherlands Air Force AH-64D Apaches to be converted to the latest AH-64E standard seen at its rollout in March 2022. (Netherlands Ministry of Defence)
The first Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters to be remanufactured to the latest AH-64E Apache Guardian standard have arrived back in the Netherlands.

It is believed that a Harvard-led team of researchers, funded by US Defense, have achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing technology.
The post US DARPA-funded research leads to quantum computing breakthrough appeared first on Army Technology.

The Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, brought the United States fully into WWII. Although America adopted an official war policy of defeating the Axis in Europe first, Pearl Harbor had to be avenged. On April 18, 1942, the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo did exactly that. Less than two months later, one plane got its own revenge after witnessing the devastation in Hawaii.
The XBT-1 (top) and XBT-2 (bottom) served as the bases of the SBD (U.S.

Norman Lear, most known for his TV producing as the creator of such shows as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude, Sanford and Son, Diff’rent Strokes, Mary Hartman, Mary, One Day at a Time and Good Times has passed at the age of 101. Lear worked as a tireless activist as well. He received many awards, including six Primetime Emmys, two Peabody Awards, the National Medal of the Arts, Kennedy Central Honors and the Golden Globe Carol Burnett Award.
Lear left this earth on December 5, 2023, surrounded by his loving family.

Global defence emissions, soldier protection, AI and cybersecurity trends, and Russia’s nuclear plans for Belarus, all in the latest issue.
The post Military emissions: Global Defence Technology 144 appeared first on Army Technology.

Roughly 1,400 apprentices and 1,300 graduates will join the UK defence giant in its largest-ever early careers hirings intake.
The post Signal: BAE Systems to hire 2,700 apprentices and graduates appeared first on Army Technology.

Mark Pomerleau, DefenseScoop
Following an award early next year, the Army plans to carve out a basic and advanced variant of its Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node program.

David C.

Jack F. Matlock Jr., Responsible Statecraft
Amb. Jack Matlock on Israel, Ukraine, and why he couldn’t repeat the most inspired passages of his July, 4, 1982 speech.

Paul De Lia, AvWeek
We have all seen the grim images of tanks rolling through muddy fields and buildings reduced to rubble by missile strikes.

John Venable, The National Interest
The Air Force today would struggle to execute another Desert Storm, much less take on a peer adversary like China.

The US Congress voted against providing any further military aid to Ukraine under a $106bn supplementary budget.
The post Ukraine funding in crisis as US votes against military aid appeared first on Army Technology.

The German Bundeswehr has replaced its 50 Dingo 2 protected vehicles with the same number of A4 units after its previous donations to Ukraine.
The post Bundeswehr replaces Dingo 2 vehicles donated to Ukraine with A4 variant appeared first on Army Technology.

Assuming Israel succeeds in breaking Hamas’ political hold on the Gaza Strip, the postwar priorities for Israel and the United States are likely to revolve around reconstruction of the strip and a renegotiation of the relationship between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Since taking office in January 2021, the Joseph R. Biden administration has deprioritized final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. President Biden and his team concluded, likely correctly, that there was not much chance of success.

Kerry Anderson  Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man Is Left Behind, Taylor Baldwin Kiland and Judy Silverstein Gray. A deeply researched, personal, and fascinating look into the stories of wives of POWs and MIAs during the Vietnam War who tirelessly advocated to bring home their husbands — and the long-term impact they had on the U.S. military and society. One author is a former Navy officer and the other a retired Coast Guard officer, both with experience writing on military topics, while Taylor has personal connections with some of the families highlighted in the book.

Vrgineers’ new carbon fibre, lightweight XTAL 3 CAVU mixed reality HMD utilises a streamlined architecture to improve performance. ( Vrgineers)
Vrgineers has developed a new version of its mixed reality (MR) XTAL head-mounted display (HMD) and displayed it for the first time at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC 2023) in Orlando.

Damen Naval marked the official start of the construction phase of the Type 126 frigates programme with a steel-cutting ceremony on 5 December. Pictured (from left to right): Damen Shipyards Group’s CEO Arnout Damen and Lürssen CEO Friedrich Lürssen. (Damen/Felix Matthies)
Damen Naval held a steel-cutting ceremony for the first Type 126 multi-purpose frigate on order for the German Navy at NVL Group’s Peene-Werft shipyard in Wolgast, Germany, on 5 December.
Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group was awarded a EUR4.

The US Air Force said that the Bell Boeing CV-22B involved in the mishap was an aircraft from the 353rd Special Operations Wing. The unit operates its CV-22Bs from Yokota Air Base near Tokyo. (US Air Force)
The US Air Force (USAF) and US Navy (USN) grounded their respective V-22 fleets on 6 December, the services said in separate statements. The grounding follows the 29 November crash of a USAF CV-22 near Yakushima, Japan.

In an unprecedented move, 99 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) joined the operation from 1 December.

Exercise Global Dexterity has brought together the mighty C-17A Globemasters from the US, UK and Australia on tactical air mobility training missions. This tactical event, deployed to RAAF Base Amberley, took place between 27 November and 8 December, consolidating the strategic alliances between the RAAF 36 Squadron and the US PACAF 535 Airlift Squadron, displaced from Hawaii.

USAF
The U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps have all now grounded their respective V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor fleets. This follows a fatal crash involving an Air Force CV-22B off the coast of Japan’s Yakushima Island on November 29. An investigation into the accident is still ongoing, but has found evidence already that a “materiel failure” may have been the root cause.
The CV-22B, which was using the callsign Gundam 22 at the time, was conducting a routine training mission when it went down.

A CV-22 Osprey assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command prepares to land during an aerial demonstration at Wittman Regional Airport, Wis., July 30, 2021. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Miranda Mahoney.
Air Force Special Operations Command said it was grounding its fleet of CV-22 Ospreys in the wake of a crash that killed eight crew members Nov. 29.
The bodies of six of the crew have been recovered from the crash off the coast of Japan. The other two aboard are presumed dead.

Russia Channel 1 screencap
In a news segment broadcast on Russian television Wednesday, a reporter gave a tour of an M2A2-ODS Bradley Fighting Vehicle recovered from the battlefield in Ukraine. Russia claims the effort to retrieve the vehicle intact was a challenging one.
Broadcast on Russia’s Channel 1, the segment also shows several masked members of the Russian recovery crews examining the vehicle as they seek to gain insights about the Bradley. Unlike U.S. foreign materiel exploitation (FME) programs, however, this was all showcased for public consumption. U.S.

Russian MOD Screencap
Vladimir Putin made a rare trip to the Middle East today in an attempt to invigorate his relationship with select Gulf nations. He first stopped in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and all along the way his Il-96PU jet was escorted by Russian Su-35S Flankers.
Trips outside of Russia, and especially far from its borders, have been rare for Putin since his all-out invasion of Ukraine kicked off nearly two years ago and a subsequent arrest warrant was filed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him.

In the aftermath of conflict, the critical question looms: Who Will Govern Gaza Post-War? The US and Israel are grappling with this challenge, searching for a reliable partner to ensure stability in the region. Let’s delve into the potential contenders and the intricate web of geopolitical considerations.
US-Israel Collaboration: Seeking a Sturdy Successor
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to Israel and the West Bank underscores the urgency of finding a competent entity to govern Gaza post-war.

GSA image
If you’re in the market for a new addition to your boat collection, or are looking to get in the game with a pretty unique first-time purchase, you might be interested in this vessel which is currently up for auction. Built in the mid-2000s, in a previous life it served as a testbed for the Navy in exploring how uncrewed surface vessels (USV) could help the service’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) perform a range of missions in littoral waters.

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy conducted a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. The engagement was an overwhelming tactical victory for the Japanese who succeeded in sinking four battleships, one former battleship and damaging four more. Planning for the attack was spearheaded by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and began in early 1941. However, his inspiration came from British Navy Admiral Andrew Cunningham the year before.

On December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his “Day of Infamy” speech before a joint session of Congress. In it, he called for Congress to declare war on the Empire of Japan in response to attacks against U.S. military bases in the Philippines, Guam, at Wake Island, Midway Atoll, and Pearl Harbor. Moreover, Japan already declared war on the United States and Great Britain.
FDR addresses Congress after Pearl Harbor (National Archives)
“There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

Brig. Gen. Warren Wells was removed from his job as the Lead Special Trial Counsel on Friday by Secretary of the Army. Department of Defense photo.
The Army fired its top sexual assault prosecutor last week before he filed his first case after a 10-year-old email surfaced in which he appeared to belittle a victim’s claims.
AP first reported that Brig. Gen. Warren Wells was removed from his job as the Lead Special Trial Counsel on Friday by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth.

USAA honors history of rivalry game and the city, bringing giant bag of tea to Boston’s historic sites
America’s best sports rivalry, the Army-Navy Game, is set to debut at the birthplace of the American Revolution, but before the cadets of West Point and midshipmen of the Naval Academy face off on the field – USAA, presenting sponsor of the Army-Navy Game – commemorated the revolutionary showdown in a way that rivals the likes of 1773.

USN
What appears to be the first definitive picture of a U.S.-supplied VAMPIRE counter-drone system for Ukraine has emerged. The last of a batch of 14 of these systems, which use laser-guided 70mm rockets as effectors and are now known to be mounted on Humvees, are set to be delivered to the Ukrainian military before the end of the year. Lower-quality imagery has previously been seen of Humvees armed with 70mm laser-guided rockets engaging targets on the ground.
The U.S.

If you’re a 92%er or a Swiftie you may already know that Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce and big brother, Philadelphia Eagles Center Jason Kelce, come from a long line of military service. But you might not know their grandfather, Willis Gerald Kelce (affectionately called “Bill”) received the Purple Heart for being shot down during World War II.
Grandpa Kelce served in World War II but passed away in 1975 (before the boys were born), so they never met him. In a recent episode of their incredibly funny New Heights Podcast, Jason and Trav discussed their grandfather’s legacy.

The latest World War II miniseries from Steve Speilberg and Tom Hanks follows the “Bloody Hundreth” B-17 bomber group. Screengrab from YouTube.
A new trailer dropped this morning for “Masters of the Air,” the miniseries due in January based in the air war over Europe at the tail end of World War II.
The trailer rehashes much of earlier teasers but appears to add some heavy foreshadowing for those who want to dig into it.

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 into a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** In the past few years, China’s economy has been struggling. Even since the Chinese Communist Party rolled back pandemic-era restrictions last year, consumer spending has stalled and economic growth slowed — the International Monetary Fund is predicting 4.6 percent growth in China next year, down from 5.4 this year.

IMI Systems
Photos confirm that India is the first known export customer for the Israeli-made Rampage missile, an air-launched, precision-guided, high-speed weapon, which is an adapted guided artillery rocket, similar to the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS).

What a scumbag!

Congress is currently debating further funding (theft) of the Ukraine war. Even the Ukrainians themselves have declared there is massive corruption and billions being skimmed from the ‘aid’.
Ukraine has lost the war, and further funding is good money after very bad.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The Army plans to expand the vendor pool for its Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance program. In the meantime, the service needs Congress to pass supplemental funding to scale up procurement of the first iteration of the kamikaze drones, according to its top weapons buyer.
For LASSO, the Army wants man-portable, tube-launched, unmanned aerial systems that have an electro-optical/infrared sensor, precision flight control, and the ability to fly, track and engage non-line-of-sight targets and armored vehicles with precision.

Army veteran Dalton Medlin died in Ukraine on Sept. 27 while serving with “Chosen Company,” a group of foreign volunteers that is attatched to Ukraine’s 59th Motorized Brigade. (Photo courtesy of Vicki Dulaney).
More than 30 American veterans have died in Ukraine since February 2022, but not all have returned home.

The US State Department has given the green light to a military sale to the Republic of Korea. This agreement involves ammunition and equipment for the F-35 worth approximately $271 million.
Sale details and main contractors
The Republic of Korea has requested the acquisition of a variety of munitions and equipment, including 39  AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles ( AMRAAM ), 88 KMU-556 tail kits for the GBU-31v1 Joint Direct-Attack Munition (JDAM), and 118 GBU-53 increment 2 small diameter bombs (SDB-II), among others.

The Army’s next-generation ground system to collect and disseminate sensor data will break off into two variants — basic and advanced — once a single vendor is selected early next year.
The Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN) is considered a critical modernization component for the Army’s multi-domain operations (MDO) concept because it will integrate various types of data from numerous platforms to help commanders make sense of a fast-moving and complex battlefield.

起動起來（鍾武昌）/ Youtube Screencap
Taiwan has completed flight testing on the last of its F-16 fighters to be upgraded to the F-16V standard under the Feng Zhan (Phoenix Rising) program. With this milestone, the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) is now on track to wrap up the F-16 modernization effort before the end of this year, by which time the last of 141 aircraft will have been upgraded. Taiwan was the first F-16 operator anywhere in the world to field combat-capable F-16Vs.

Last Phoenix Rising program flying yellow viper finished her test flight.

Businesses in Belarus, China, Serbia, Turkey, the UAE, and Uzbekistan have been targetted by the new UK sanctions.
The post UK’s latest Russia-Ukraine war sanctions target international suppliers appeared first on Army Technology.

Cubic has overcome the challenge of simulating the use of combustible charges and the recoil-assisted breech in its M777 155 mm howitzer simulator solution. An M777 is shown here in action with US forces. (US Army)
Cubic Defence is expecting a low rate initial production (LRIP) contract for its 81 mm mortar solution from the US Army, and has secured an interim 105 mm Light Gun simulator contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). The company has also made progress in developing its indirect fire simulation solutions, according to representatives.

AVIC’s unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Wing Loong II (Gongji-2 or GJ-2). (Janes)
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is improving the capabilities of its Wing Loong II unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to handle multiple applications.

During a recent flight demonstration of the UAV for the state-owned newspaper,
Global Times
, Li Yidong, chief designer at AVIC Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), said the applications of the Wing Loong series of UAVs “are still expanding”.

One of the craziest stories of the Revolutionary War took place in modern-day Wheeling, West Virginia. A group of allied British forces and Indian troops held a siege of Fort Henry, Virginia. The approximately 200 attackers outnumbered defenders 10-to-1. But the nearly successful siege failed when a teenage girl rushed from the fort to a nearby cabin and back, carrying an apron full of gunpowder. It became known as the “Gunpowder Exploit.”
The formation of Fort Henry
Painting by J.A.