Stuart Scheller, The Federalist John Waters’ novel “River City One” explores the difficulties veterans face readjusting to an America that has lost its way.

High intensity warfare in Europe and the Middle East is driving acquisitions of missiles and missile defence systems.
The post Signal: missiles market will grow by 50% over next decade – report appeared first on Army Technology.

Finland has begun receiving 91 6×6 CAVS vehicles it has ordered from Patria, with an option for up to 70 more. (Patria)

Production and delivery of the 6×6 Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) for Finland began during the fourth quarter of 2023, Liisa Nevalainen, CAVS project director in the Land Systems Division of the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command’s Joint Systems Centre, confirmed to
Janes
on the last day of SAE Media Group’s Future Armoured Vehicles Survivability (FAVS) 2023 conference held in London from 13 to 15 November.

The Boxer HWC and AIFV could be based on Australia’s Boxer CRV. (Rheinmetall Defence)
Lieutenant Colonel Karlheinz Boehnke, Multi-Role Armoured Vehicle (MRAV) Boxer representative in the German Army Concept and Capabilities Development Centre, gave an update on the Bundeswehr’s plans to form medium brigades on the second day of SAE Media Group’s Future Armoured Vehicles Survivability (FAVS) 2023 conference held in London from 13 to 15 November.
He said the Bundeswehr would have four medium brigades, including the Franco-German Brigade and one formed with the Netherlands.

EOS has secured a contract to supply spares of its R600S remote weapon system (pictured) to a South East Asian military. (Electro Optic Systems)
Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has secured a contract worth AUD28 million (USD18.2 million) to supply spares of its R600S remote weapon system (RWS) to a South East Asian military, a spokesperson for the company told Janes on 15 November.
Under this contract, EOS will provide “gimbals and sensor units” for the R600S to the customer, the spokesperson said.
“The R600S is mainly used for ground-to-ground combat against a range of targets.

The war in Ukraine has been simultaneously described as the first networked war and a “return of industrial warfare.” Lockheed Martin repurposed a diaper factory to make HIMARS launchers, the Ukrainian prime minister claims his country buys 60 percent of DJI’s Mavic drone production, and the conflict has introduced the term “FrankenSAM” for the cobbled together systems — like a Soviet-era Buk launcher firing Sea Sparrow missiles donated by NATO navies — defending Ukrainian air space.

“We kiss the foreheads and the arms of the shrewd and astute planners and the courageous Palestinian youth.” On Oct. 10, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his unambivalent support for Hamas’ attack against Israel. Yet he swiftly repudiated any Iranian involvement, claiming, “Those who attribute the acts of the Palestinians to outsiders fail to understand the Palestinian people. They have underestimated them.

An F-35A fires an AIM-9X missile from the its external wing against an aerial drone target at Point Mugu Test Range, California. (US Air Force)
The US State Department has approved the potential sale of Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II+ short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missiles (AAMs) to South Korea.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on 15 November that the possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) is worth USD52.1 million and features 42 AIM-9X Block II+ missiles, training missiles, guidance units, and associated equipment.

Edge unveiled the MANSUP-ER, an extended-range version of Brazil’s National Surface Anti-Ship Missile, at the Dubai Airshow. (Edge Group)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces has signed a letter of intent covering a AED1.2 billion (USD327 million) order for anti-ship missiles, local defence group Edge announced during the Dubai Airshow on 15 November.
It said the order would cover the National Surface Anti-Ship Missile (MANSUP) that was originally developed for the Brazilian Navy and the extended-range MANSUP-ER version that was unveiled by Edge at the Dubai Airshow.

The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat at MidAmerica Airport, Illinois. Boeing is using the MQ-28 to experiment UCAV-related technology, and the aircraft may find further use as tactics, techniques, and procedures testbeds. (Janes/Zach Rosenberg)
The US Air Force (USAF) is to set up an experimental squadron in 2024 to experiment with force structure in advance of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) acquisition, Thomas Lawhead, the service’s assistant deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration, and requirements, told at a Mitchell Institute talk on 15 November.

While the SpaceX Starship aka Megarocket might sound like something from Space Balls or an Atari game, it’s actually Elon Musk’s brainchild of the future. And that future is Friday. After a somewhat successful first flight of the Starship system (successful: it took off; less than ideal: it exploded way too early) on April 20, 2023, today SpaceX got the equivalent of, “I’m okay with it, if that’s what you want to do,” from the Federal Aviation Administration for a second launch.

Canned biscuits may have made the term “Doughboy” popular in modern times, as have clever eateries across the country. But the origin of doughboy actually goes back much further than its bakery connotation would have you believe. In fact, the word Doughboy has been around since at least 1846 – more than a century before the Pillsbury version was ever introduced. 
Doughboys was a common nickname for infantry soldiers through the Mexican-American and First World Wars.

U.S. Navy photo
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner downed a drone launched from Yemen while in the Red Sea. However, its source and intended target remains unclear with U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity providing The War Zone different assessments.
The incident was first reported by Reuters, but additional details have emerged since.
One U.S. official told The War Zone that the drone was launched by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen and that it was attacking the vessel.

In a recent discovery, maps, notes, and a cache of weapons seized from Hamas operatives shed light on the group’s extensive plan to launch a prolonged attack in the heart of Israel. This revelation paints a picture of a meticulously crafted strategy aimed not only at causing immediate harm but also at triggering a broader conflict in the Middle East.

Boeing capture
Qatar’s F-15QA Advanced Eagle has made its formal public debut in style this week. Unburdened by any stores, without its conformal fuel tanks, and with the help of its advanced fly-by-wire technology and its pair of powerful F110-GE-129 engines, the big jet has been wowing the crowds at the Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates.

“If it bleeds, we can kill it.” That’s the promise Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) makes to his special operations team in the 1987 movie, “Predator.” True to his word, the Predator bled and subsequently died. Horror film villains who also bled and died include the Xenomorph from the “Alien” franchise and Ghostface from the “Scream” series.
In the interest of ending the global threat to teens trying to be teenagers everywhere in the world, the U.S. military could help end horror film murder rampages before they begin.

On two clear nights in early November, current and former government astronomers and other guests (including DefenseScoop) each got multiple chances to peer through the eyepiece of the United States’ 26-inch aperture “Great Equatorial” telescope at the Naval Observatory in Washington to observe Saturn and distant galaxies and stars with their own eyes. 
It’s not often that the observatory opens its doors to let groups from the public come in and engage with its powerful tools — but this rare opportunity was part of its celebration of that telescope’s 150th anniversary.

A U.S. Senator called for an audit of the the VA-run Veterans Crisis Line after a report of a staffer’s failed intervention that ended in a suicide. Photos by Staff Sgt. Lisa Crawford and Lance Cpl. David Flynn.
A U.S. Senator is demanding an investigation into the national Veteran Crisis Line after one of its phone counselors failed to properly intervene in a veteran’s suicide attempt, ending in the veteran’s death.

(Thomas Barwick/Getty Images).
It isn’t a coincidence that you see veterans among the ranks of top executives for Fortune 500 companies or sitting on the boards of successful firms. The military creates a base foundation for success that directly translates into the professional world through leadership, discipline, and teamwork skills. It comes as no surprise to see veterans rise to the top or choose the life of entrepreneurship.
Starting a new journey is a challenge that starts with a dream and ideas scribbled on a notepad.

FILE – This Nov. 13, 2013 file photo shows the main gate of Camp Pendleton Marine Base at Camp Pendleton, Calif. (Lenny Ignelzi, Associated Press).
Marine Pfc. Avery L. Rosario will be tried at a general court-martial on charges of sexual assault of a minor and violating liberty restriction after a 14-year-old girl was found in his room in June, Corps officials have announced.
Rosario is assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 5 at Camp Pendleton, California. The girl was discovered in his room on June 28.

(Israel Defense Forces via AP)
The IDF says it has uncovered proof that Al-Shifa hospital has been used as a Hamas military headquarters and that it killed several Hamas fighters during its overnight raid of Gaza’s largest largest hospital.
“An operational command center, weapons, and technological assets [were] found in the MRI building of the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City,” the IDF said on Telegram Wednesday. “IDF troops are continuing the precise and targeted operation against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Shifa Hospital.

The U.S. Army showed off a containerized counter-drone weapon system armed with a four-round launcher loaded with laser-guided 70mm rockets at an exercise in Saudi Arabia earlier this year. This system looks well-suited for providing an additional layer of defense against lower volumes of drones that is readily deployable, even at remote and austere locations.
The Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, brought the laser-guided rocket-armed system out to the Red Sands 23.2 exercise back in September, according to pictures released yesterday. Red Sands 23.

Of all the possible threats to the United States’ homeland security across domains, there is one that the dual-hatted chief of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command is acutely concerned about: attacks on critical infrastructure from cyberspace.
“Candidly, I worry a lot about the cyber domain and the unknowns in the cyber domain because the vast amount of our critical infrastructure that we rely on to project power from the homeland is not in DOD or federal entities.

The Pentagon’s next-generation drones known as “collaborative combat aircraft,” may have a longer reach than the military’s manned fighter jets, according to a leader of Air Force Futures.
The service is still working through the requirements for the initial CCA systems — which they’re aiming to move into production by fiscal 2028 — and many details of the program are highly classified. However, on Wednesday a senior official provided additional insights into the latest thinking.

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. *** Last Monday, resistance fighters in Myanmar seized the city of Kawlin in the Sagaing Region, long a stronghold for the armed resistance to the country’s military junta. This is the first district capital seized by the resistance since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown by the military in February 2021.

NATO
NATO’s next airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform will be the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail, the alliance has announced. The aircraft will kickstart a much-needed overhaul of the aging NATO AEW&C fleet, made up of the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). The U.S. Air Force is also procuring the E-7 to replace its E-3 fleet at least partially, with the United Kingdom doing the same, while Turkey already operates the type, so commonality with the NATO force will continue.

In World War II, a V-2 rocket slammed into the ground outside of a 14-year-old boy’s London home. It exploded and sent a burst of wood, glass and metal shrapnel through the house. Eric Horne, luckily, suffered only minor wounds. But in one of those wounds, in his cheek, a piece of the rocket embedded itself only to be discovered 77 years later as the retired police officer looked in the mirror.

It was the old Air Force commercials that claimed science fiction is what they do every day, but the latest high technology to come from U.S. military research came from the Department of Defense, or more specifically, DARPA. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the U.S. government’s scientific and technological innovation squad, has developed an energy tech that can power machines thousands of miles away.
Power is not only the name of the game, it’s literally the name of this new laser-based technology. DARPA calls it the Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay, or POWER.

As Sweden ramps up defence spend, its modest donation of 8 Archer artillery systems to Ukraine balances military aid with national security.
The post Sweden’s Archer artillery at work in Ukraine appeared first on Army Technology.

Contracts for the supply of general-purpose aircraft munitions and precision-guided munition systems have been awarded to EDGE’s entities.
The post UAE’s EDGE secures over AED 4.5bn in defence contracts at Dubai Air Show 2023 appeared first on Army Technology.

A group of soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., are preparing a lawsuit against the Army for alleged sexual abuse they suffered from an Army doctor. Photo by Capt. Brian Harris.
A group of soldiers is preparing a lawsuit that will ask the Army to pay $5 million per person in damages over sexual abuse they say they suffered at the hands of an Army doctor at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
In August, the Army preferred court-martial charges against Maj.

Marine recruit Francis J. Flannery, now a private first class, sights in on his rifle on the Inchon rifle range at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. (Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa/U.S. Marine Corps).
Even though Pfc. Francis J. Flannery had never fired a weapon before he joined the Marines, he became the second person in the history of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, to score 249 on the rifle range – just one point shy of perfect.

MBDA Germany’s subsidiary, TDW, will restart its production of PARM anti-tank mine systems for the German Bundeswehr.
The post TDW ramps up PARM anti-tank mine production to supply Bundeswehr appeared first on Army Technology.

Germany is procuring the Trophy APS for its Leopard 2 tanks. (KMW)
EuroTrophy managing director Dan Kalfus gave production and delivery figures for the Trophy active protection system (APS) on the first day of SAE Media Group’s Future Armoured Vehicles Survivability (FAVS) 2023 conference held in London from 13 to 15 November.
Kalfus said 40 Trophy APSs and 500 countermeasures were being produced per month. In addition to being supplied to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the system is being delivered to Germany and Norway.

A rendered image of the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft in NATO markings, showcased at the DSEI 2023 defence exhibition in London. (Boeing via Janes/Gareth Jennings)
NATO has selected the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail to replace its Boeing E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
The alliance announced the selection on 15 November, saying the approval was granted in the same month. Six aircraft will be acquired to begin operations from 2031.

Despite negotiations being ongoing since COP27, they have been slowed down by a lot of disagreements on how the fund will work.
The post COP27: Have we committed to our goals? appeared first on Army Technology.

Sam LaGrone, USNI News
Four Coast Guard service members are injured after their MH-60 Jayhawk crashed during a search and rescue operation in Alaska, the service announced on…

Graham Allison, National Int.

Shaomin Li, The American Spectator
Biden must not be fooled by Xi this Wednesday.
Amid the clash of fundamental values and national security between the U.S.

Bill Gertz, Washington Times
Chinese President Xi Jinping is preparing his military forces for war and directing the rest of the country to prepare for economic hardships that conflict would…

Gia DeHart, RealClearDefense

Fincantieri releases its Q3 financial results, which indicate a “positive progression” despite GlobalData projecting a European slump.
The post Signal: Fincantieri financials demonstrate “positive progression” appeared first on Army Technology.

The UK plans to field a Land GBAD C-sUAS capability starting with 225 SMASH SLS anti-drone fire-control systems for small arms in December.

Russian UAV Lancet has become a constant threat to the Ukrainian army in modern warfare. Recent technological advancements, including a LIDAR system and a self-configuring penetrator (EFP), have further solidified the Lancet’s dominance on the battlefield.
The Evolution of the Lancet
Combat Effectiveness
The Lancet UAV has been targeting various Ukrainian assets since it began combat operations in July 2022. These assets include self-propelled guns, howitzers, air defense complexes, electronic warfare systems, armored vehicles, and high-value assets like MiG-29 fighters.

War on the Rocks is looking for a detail-oriented membership editor who is committed to the clear communication of sophisticated ideas and is excited to work in the field of national security. This is a full-time position (40 hours a week), beginning in Winter 2023. We will only consider candidates who live in the Washington, DC metro area or who are willing to relocate there. Please note this is not a remote work position. We have a hybrid schedule of at least three days in the office a week.

The U.S. Navy confronts a generational challenge: The Chinese Navy now eclipses it in number of ships, with a shipbuilding capacity that outpaces it 200 to 1. While the U.S. Navy’s shifting battle fleet requirement gets the most press, the attendant manpower shortfall gets significantly less attention. The force structure of the Army and Marine Corps expanded to meet the challenges of the Long War.

In August, Meta announced a takedown of the “largest known cross-platform covert influence operation in the world.” Information security officers removed 7700 accounts, 954 pages, and 15 groups linked to individuals employed by Chinese law enforcement. The scope of the operation was stunning. It targeted over 50 platforms and applications including YouTube, Reddit, X, TikTok, Pinterest, and Medium.

The UK Ministry of Defence has placed a £20m order for 5.56mm and 7.62mm small arms ammunition over the next two years.
The post UK places order for £20m small arms ammunition from BAE Systems appeared first on Army Technology.

An artist’s portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)
The Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is “struggling” with “unknown unknowns”, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall told a crowd at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) on 13 November.
“Sentinel is one of the most large, complex programmes I’ve ever seen,” Kendall said.

In the tumultuous landscape of the Middle East, the United States finds itself navigating a delicate balance in response to a series of attacks orchestrated by pro-Iranian groups. Let’s delve into the intricacies of the situation and why the US has opted for a measured approach.
Escalation in the Middle East
Continuous Attacks on US Military Bases
US military bases in the Middle East have become frequent targets, facing relentless missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) assaults since Hamas’s coordinated attack on Israeli territory on October 7.