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.

U.S. Central Command brought technology expert Michael Foster on board to serve as its chief data officer — one of the latest moves by Centcom to beef up its digital prowess and add tech talent to its workforce.
In his new role as CDO, Foster will “lead will lead data efforts across the organization’s headquarters, components, and subordinate units,” according to a press release.
He was tapped for the job in November, per the release.
Foster is a military and intelligence community veteran with a technical background.

December 7, 1941 is infamous for the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. However, across the Pacific and also on the other side of the international date line, the Japanese conducted near-simultaneous attacks on other Allied bases and territories in a bid to achieve dominance in the theater. While many military leaders anticipated the war with Japan, the ferocity of these attacks caught the Allies off guard and put the Japanese in a position of advantage at the start of the war.
1.

The Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, killed nearly 2,500 people and devastated U.S. military forces based in Hawaii. However, in the midst of the death and destruction, heroic servicemen performed acts of bravery to fight back against the attackers and save their comrades. Fifteen men were awarded the Medal of Honor, America’s highest military decoration, for such actions on that infamous day.
These are the 15 Medal of Honor recipients from Pearl Harbor
1. Capt. Mervyn S.

The Latvian MoD has signed a EUR600 million contract with Diehl for IRIS-T SLM air-defence systems. (Diehl)
The Latvian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Diehl Defence have announced that they signed a contract on 30 November for the delivery of the IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) air-defence system to Latvia. The EUR600 million (USD649 million) contract was signed by Latvian National Armaments Director Mārtiņš Paškēvičs and Torsten Cook, senior vice-president of Diehl Defence’s ground-based air-defence business unit.

A trial held at Radnor Range, Wales, in October demonstrated how a blend of live and synthetic environments can be used to assure artificial intelligence. (Crown Copyright)
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 4 December that they have developed, alongside a consortium of companies, a new test and evaluation (T&E) capability for the assurance of autonomous systems under Project Zeus.
Led by Radnor Range, the new capability blends live and synthetic evaluation techniques to create a fast and more efficient approach to the T&E of autonomous systems.

Sweden has now received back into service seven NH90 search-and-rescue helicopters following an upgrade programme. (Swedish Air Force)
Sweden has received back into service the final NHIndustries (NHI) NH90 – Helikopter (HKP) 14 in national service – search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter upgraded to the final operating capability (FOC) standard.

US officials predict that Israel’s ground campaign may end in January 2024 after the attack on the southern Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the coming weeks may shift to a more localized and less intense offensive strategy targeting Hamas members and leaders in the southern Gaza Strip, officials said. US officials said on December 5.
These officials predict that the current phase of the IDF’s campaign against the Gaza Strip is expected to end in January 2024.

The Israel Defense Forces  (IDF) have reported that during an operation in the northern Gaza Strip, troops from the 460th Armored Brigade and the 50th Battalion of the Nahal Brigade found one of the largest weapons caches so far known.

The weapons depot, located near a health clinic and a school, contained a significant arsenal. This included hundreds of RPGs, dozens of anti-tank missiles and explosives, long-range rockets, several dozen grenades and several drones.

Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics
Lockheed Martin is flying the first production F-35s equipped with refreshed computer hardware and software, bringing the fighter one step closer to new and…

Ukraine’s adviser said the country faces the risk of failure in a conflict with Russia if the US continues to delay military aid to Kyiv.

“If the aid being debated in the US Congress continues to be delayed, we may stand still in the fighting,” Andriy Yermak, chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said at the Institute. American Peace Research during a visit to Washington on December 5.
According to Yermak, without additional US aid, Ukraine will not be able to regain the territory under Russian control and faces “a great risk of failure in the conflict.

A file photo of an Italian Reaper unmanned aircraft. The country is upgrading its fleet to the latest Block 5 standard. (GA-ASI)
The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana: AMI) has flown its first Block 5 version of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
The manufacturer announced the milestone on 5 December, saying the first flight of the remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) took place some weeks earlier on 9 November.

Unclassified documents on the AN/APQ-187 programme indicate a production run of 211 radars, including 69 for the USSOCOM MH-47G fleet.
The post RTX to continue USSOCOM Silent Knight Radar production appeared first on Army Technology.

At the Pentagon, a defence co-operation agreement was signed by the US Secretary of Defense and the Swedish Minister of Defence.
The post US and Sweden sign defence alliance appeared first on Army Technology.

The Munich-based sensor technology company, Hensoldt, will acquire ESG, a 50-year-old systems integrator, to integrate its sensor portfolio.
The post Signal: Hensoldt acquires ESG systems integrator appeared first on Army Technology.

The TS-01 system’s operating infrared and visible light launch control ranges are claimed by Norinco to be 3,500 m and 4,000 m respectively, while its maximum strike range is 3,000 m. (Janes)
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has inducted a new anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) system developed by China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco) known as TS-01.
According to footage released by state-owned China Central Television (CCTV), the 78th Group Army of the PLA’s Northern Theater Command inducted an unknown number of TS-01 ATGW systems.

The fall is an ideal time for a visit to Taipei — as the military planners for the People’s Republic of China plotting a cross-strait invasion know all too well. Weather and ocean states in October, much like in March through April, provide Beijing a favorable window to attempt an invasion of Taiwan. This October, American and Japanese forces conducted an operationally focused bilateral exercise, rehearsing missions that would have been unthinkable a few short years ago but that now prove vital when deterring Chinese aggression. Resolute Dragon 23.

The U.S. military spends untold time, energy, and effort preparing for its future wars. Yet periodically, real wars intrude to shatter hypothetical concepts and show how the ever-changing interaction of doctrine, technology, and leadership affects the character of war.

The UAE has requested to purchase SRC’s tripod-mounted AN/TPQ-50 counter-fire radar, currently operated by the British Army and US Army. (Janes/Patrick Allen)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested to purchase 18 manportable AN/TPQ-50 Lightweight Counter Mortar Radars (LCMRs)

from the United States (US).

The Sukhoi Su-24M (NATO code – Fencer) supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft / interdictor of Russian Air Force in flight. (Photo by: aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The Ukrainian Air Force claims to have shot down a Russian Su-24M Fencer swing-wing attack jet flying over the western end of the Black Sea near the famed Snake Island. There is unconfirmed speculation that a U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missile might have brought the Su-24M down.

China leads the global consumer drone market, with Shenzhen company DJI holding around 70% of the market share and offering affordable drones.

The Ukrainian war has marked a decisive turn in the strategic use of cheap, small drones on the modern battlefield. Work is underway to transfer its production from the Chinese factory to the American one.

Pentagon plans to boost domestic drone production.
The Pentagon seems to have an ace up its sleeve to revolutionize the future war: a host of thousands of compact, low-cost drones.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced Tuesday that 14 different vendors will study what infrastructure and other capabilities are needed to create a moon-based economy in the next 10 years.
The 10-Year Lunar Architecture, or LunA-10, capability study aims to define the analytical frameworks for an infrastructure that will be key to laying the foundations for a future self-sustaining lunar economy. The goal of the study is to better understand what a moon-based economy could look like, and therefore what investments will be needed to realize it.

IDF screencap
Despite warnings from U.S. officials about limiting civilian casualties and the length of its campaign, Israel on Tuesday announced it has expanded operations that have been relegated to the northern Gaza Strip and encircled and entered a major southern city in Southern Gaza.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Chief of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) General Staff his troops are in the “third phase” of ground operations and “are now encircling the Khan Yunis area in the southern Gaza Strip.”
Khan Yunis is located in the southern end of the Gaza Strip.

CENTCOM / capture via X
Earlier this week, Iranian-backed militants in Iraq fired 122mm artillery rockets at U.S.-led coalition forces in neighboring Syria using an improvised array of launchers disguised inside a modified tanker truck. A video clip, seen in the social media post below, has emerged showing this vehicle in action.

Video showing the moment rockets were launched from a moving fuel tanker(transformed into a rocket launching pad) in Nineveh, Iraq. Rockets targeted a U.S landing base in Syria pic.twitter.

U.S. Navy experts are leading a diverse variety of research and development pursuits to strategically prepare for the approaching era of post-quantum cryptography — and to reap the benefits of next-generation quantum technologies for defense and national security missions.
“I think it’s going to be exciting to see what happens here,” Dr. Dan Gunlycke, the Naval Research Laboratory’s lead for quantum computing and technical director of the Naval Quantum Computing Program Office in the Department of the Navy, told DefenseScoop on Tuesday.

The Army is creating a new program of record for fiscal 2025 aimed at theater-level signals intelligence.
The Theater Signals Intelligence System, or TSIG, has been designated to transition into a program of record and will be a new start for the Army in 2025.
“That’s really to provide the tactical commanders at echelon above corps with a forward deployable and remotely or even locally controlled signals intelligence systems and supporting potential contingency operations,” Brig. Gen.

Jay Tension holding an aft cap in front of the tank he shot at Fort Moore, Georgia on Tuesday. Courtesy photo.
When Jay Tenison thought about the things he wanted in the final days of his life, one was to fire the cannon on a tank, one more time.
Tenison, 39, spent four years as an Army tanker, deployed to Iraq and served five years in the reserves as an engineer.
On Tuesday, over a decade after his last time in a turret, he got to fire a round from a tank one last time.
Tenison shoots a live round at Fort Moore in Georgia. Courtesy photo.

“Yippee-ki-yay, it’s the holidays!” As the year draws to a close, many of us find ourselves in a familiar situation—scrambling for those last-minute gifts, and our wallets singing carols of despair. Plus, military life often means you are rushing to the post office to drop packages off hoping they will get to loved ones in the nick of time. While it may not be as thrilling as a certain action-packed holiday movie, the quest to save on holiday spending can be just as heart-pounding.

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville lifted his hold on more than 400 military nominations Tuesday after months of protest over a Pentagon policy to pay for abortion travel.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) lifted his hold on over 400 military nominations except for Four Star generals.
The lift was announced on Tuesday. Using a Senate rule, Tuberville had held the promotions of every general and admiral in the armed forces since February in protest of a Department of Defense policy that pays for out-of-state travel for service members seeking abortions and other reproductive health care.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The Army has proposed multiple drones for the Pentagon’s Replicator initiative, and the service’s acquisition chief thinks the odds are good that at least one of them will get tapped.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks first announced the Replicator effort in August, with the stated goal of delivering thousands of relatively low-cost, “attritable” capabilities in 18 to 24 months to help counter China’s military buildup.

Submarines and aircraft carriers embody the offensive spirits of their nations in very different ways. Aircraft carriers bring “4.5 acres of sovereign American territory” anywhere they go. And submarines bring death from beneath the waves.
Typically, submarines and carriers avoid each other. Submarines typically hunt for easier targets and carrier aircraft can’t pursue submarines effectively if they get under the water.
But every once in a while, a submarine gets a real chance at sinking an aircraft carrier and will risk the boat to do so.

Dr. Mark Pomar, a senior national security fellow at the Clements Center for National Security, moderated a discussion with Alexander Podrabinek, a Soviet and Russian human rights activist, journalist, and writer. The conversation explored the drivers of the return of totalitarian rule in Russia. The two also discussed the role of propaganda in shaping domestic opinion and the ongoing Russian resistance to authoritarianism. Image: Wikimedia Commons
The post Russian Opposition to Totalitarianism appeared first on War on the Rocks.

In a surprising development in the program, Boeing has reportedly been dropped from the competition to build a successor to the U.S. Air Force’s E-4B Nightwatch ‘Doomsday Plane.’ If true, the latest move would appear to leave the door wide open for Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to provide the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) that will supersede the E-4B, which is based on a Boeing 747-200 airframe. However, the new aircraft platform will almost certainly still be a Boeing product.

The Veterans Beer Club was founded in April 2016 by three retired Marine Corps veterans: Phil Kendro, Brian Grana and Kevin Cortes. Their plan was to keep in contact with fellow veterans and to bring veteran-friendly civilian workforce members in the community together. They held their initial meeting at Second Chance Brewing Company in Rancho Bernardo in June 2016. The VBC has expanded nationwide with numerous chapters in the United States and thousands of social media followers. We got to speak with Phil and Kevin about their experiences.

During WWII, the Soviet Red Army fielded 2,000 female snipers. Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the deadliest of these snipers, is credited with 309 confirmed kills; other kills of hers were not witnessed by a 3rd party and thus, unconfirmed. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army opened its infantry branch to women in 2015, laying a path for female snipers. On November 5, 2021, an unidentified female of the Montana National Guard graduated from the U.S. Army Sniper Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. Two years later, she is followed by the first female sniper in the active duty component.
On November 3, 2023, Sgt.

During the holiday season, the Army temporarily suspends operations at basic training and advanced individual training schools. The Army is unique in this way, as it’s the only branch of the military that honors Holiday Block Leave for all recruits in basic training. This break enables recruits, drill sergeants and instructors to take time off during Christmas, rejuvenate, and return in the New Year fully prepared for training duties.
Get answers to all your questions about the Army Holiday Block Leave and related mailroom closures.

Getty Images
The holidays are just around the corner. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year…the list goes on. While that means block leave starting, shorter work days, and less time on base, it also means increased spending. Several months of it. The stress of juggling daily finances on top of seasonal extras can be more than enough to ruin anyone’s holiday spirit. There’s no shortage of things to celebrate, but your wallet can only stretch so far, even on a fixed military income.

News coverage of the U.S. Army’s plan to replace its Cold War helicopter fleet has recently focused on the selection of a successor to the ubiquitous Black Hawk helicopter.

Bell Textron’s proposal to develop a new generation tiltrotor similar in concept to the V-22 Osprey won the competition in December 2022.
However, the Army is pursuing a different helicopter, Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, which it considers its top aviation modernization priority.

Access and buy GlobalData’s databook on the latest filings and grants activity for Cubic here.
The post Cubic sees highest patent filings and grants during August in Q3 2023 appeared first on Army Technology.

The UK MoD’s Defense Intelligence reported in early December that the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) are increasingly risking their most advanced Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft, the Beriev A-50U, to identify enemy air targets in Ukrainian airspace.

The A-50U (NATO codename MAINSTAY-D) features a 9-meter diameter rotating radar radome similar to that of the well-known American Boeing EA-3 Sentry AWACS.

It is feared that Russia is arming its kamikaze drones with powerful explosives. This news has added a new and fearsome dimension to the persistent threat.
The new 40 kg thermobaric warhead: a devastating weapon
Ukrainian internal sources maintain that the  Russian Federation has equipped its  Geran-2/ Shahed-136 kamikaze drones with a new thermobaric warhead. Created with the latest weapons technology, this warhead weighs an impressive 40 kg.
The news was revealed by PEP and EW communications analyst  Sergey Beskrestnov, known in defense circles as “Flash.

The Air Force confirmed the deaths of eight flight crew aboard a CV-22 Osprey that crashed November 29 near Yakushima Island, Japan TOP ROW: Maj. Jeffrey T. Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minnesota; Tech. Sgt. Zachary E. Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Florida; Maj. Eric V. Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah; Maj. Luke A. Unrath, 34, of Riverside, California. BOTTOM ROW: Staff Sgt. Jake M. Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Georgia; Senior Airman Brian K. Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Staff Sgt. Jake Galliher. NOT PICTURED: Capt. Terrell K. Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, New York.

Energy Monitor reports on the latest wrangling over oil and gas at COP28, with the event’s grand hosting made possible by oil and gas money.
The post Emirati oil casts an inescapable shadow over climate talks at COP28 appeared first on Army Technology.

The UK Ministry of Defence has reached its largest equipment deficit since it began publishing its forecast costs for Parliament in 2012.
The post UK Defence reaches its largest equipment deficit with £17bn shortfall appeared first on Army Technology.

A C-GEM offboard active decoy is fired from an Israeli Sa’ar 6 corvette. Rafael has teamed with Hensoldt to offer the German Navy an ECM suite featuring both C-GEM and the Digital Shark onboard jammer. (Rafael)
German sensor house Hensoldt has teamed with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to offer the German Navy a new electronic countermeasures (ECM) suite combining both onboard and offboard jamming components.

Jon Harper, DefenseScoop
SDA plans to purchase and deploy eight satellites for its FOO Fighter initiative.

Loewenson, DNews
The Marine Corps is conducting market research into small drone boats as part of a push to boost the service’s reconnaissance capabilities and prepare for conflict near…

Thompson, Forbes
News coverage of the Army’s plan to replace its cold war rotorcraft fleet has focused recently on selection of a successor to the ubiquitous Black Hawk…

Brent Ramsey, RealClearDefense

Anthony Capaccio, Bloomberg
The U.S.