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313: Iran Supreme Leader Orders Direct Strike on Israel + IDF Tough Response to Hezbollah + US SECDEF: US Will Help Defend Israel + AP Report: F-16s Arrive in Ukraine + More Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

For review:
1. Iran Supreme Leader Orders Direct Strike on Israel.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered a direct strike on Israel for the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. Israel has not commented on the incident.
2. IDF Tough Response to Hezbollah. The IDF confirms that top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Shukr has been managing Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel, including the deadly strike in the Druze Village of Majdal Shams over the weekend that killed 12 children.
3. US SECDEF: US Will Help Defend Israel.
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Washington would come to Israel's defense if needed, hours after Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran early Wednesday.
4. Associated Press Report: F-16s Arrive in Ukraine.
Ukraine has received the first F-16 fighters, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press. A Ukrainian lawmaker also confirmed Ukraine had received a small number of F-16 fighter jets.
5. US to provide Ukraine advanced munitions for F-16 Fighters. A senior US official recently told The Wall Street Journal that the warplanes will feature the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). Additionally, the Ukrainian F-16s will reportedly have AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles for air-to-air engagements.
6. Russia considers deploying offensive missiles that can strike Western Europe.
Move is in response to US announcement of “episodic deployments” of conventional missiles to Germany in 2026.
7. USAF Secretary (Frank Kendall) announces formal “pause” in the effort to field a new stealth fighter.
Secretary Kendall did not specify how long the pause will be to begin development on the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Program.
8. IDF procuring Iron Sting 120mm mortars in deal worth $220 million.
Iron Sting 120mm rounds have laser and GPS guidance systems, that enable precision targeting, while minimizing collateral damage.

312: Diplomats Work to De-escalate Israeli Response to Druze Village Rocket Attack + Kyiv Post Opinion Article - Is Peace Coming to Ukraine? + US Army Fixed-Wing ISR Program Ready in 12-18 Months + More Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

For review:
1. Diplomats Work to De-escalate Israeli Response to Druze Village Rocket Attack.
Israeli officials suggested that the response would be serious but not lead to an all-out conflagration (conflagration = an extensive fire which destroys a great deal of land or property).
2. Spain to provide another Hawk Air Defense System to Ukraine.
Spain will send another Hawk air defense system to Ukraine in September, Minister of Defense Margarita Robles told her Ukrainian counterpart (Rustem Umerov), last week.
3. UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) will expand the ability to produce gun barrels by partnering with Sheffield Forgemasters.
The initiative will help maintain the flow of L119 Light Guns and AS90 self-propelled howitzers into Ukraine.
4. Kyiv Post Opinion Article - Is Peace Coming to Ukraine?
Opinion piece written by Timothy Ash on signs leading to potential peace talks before the end of the calendar year.
5. Royal Australian Navy to receive new Landing Craft Light (LCL) vessels.
The LCLs will transport up to 4.5 tons of payload or up to 30 personnel and will provide a ship-to-shore connector capability.
6. US Navy creates a new position for overseeing investments in the surface and submarine industrial bases.
US Navy Statement: “The Direct Reporting Program Manager for the Maritime Industrial Base (or the DRPM for the MIB) will play an instrumental role in realizing Secretary Del Toro’s vision to engage in a whole-of-government effort to rebuild the Nation’s comprehensive maritime power." The US Navy announced Frederick “Jay” Stefany as the DRPM.
7. US Army Fixed-Wing ISR Program Ready in 12-18 Months.

311: Israel PM: Hezbollah Will Pay Heavy Price for Druze Village Rocket Attack + Greece Joins F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Club + Boeing to Purchase Spirit AeroSystems - Shaking Up US Army FLRAA Program + More Jul 28, 2024

Show notes

1. Boeing to Purchase Spirit AeroSystems - Shaking Up US Army FLRAA Program.
Bell (winner of the FLRAA competition), intends to step away from Spirit AeroSystem as the fuselage provider for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft after the Boeing acquisition is finalized.
2. Israel PM: Hezbollah Will Pay Heavy Price for Druze Village Rocket Attack.
Following the deadly strike, PM Netanyahu spoke to the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community Sheikh Muafak Tarif, the Prime Minister’s Office said, and vowed that Israel would not sit idly by.
3. Greece Joins F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Club.
Greece has officially signed off on the procurement of 20 x F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, becoming the 19th country to operate the Lockheed Martin-made fifth-generation jet, according to defense minister Nikos Dendias.
4. Royal Australian Navy Admiral is concerned about dry dock and port facilities in Western Australia for the AUKUS submarine effort.
The military and government needed to “get going” on crucial work to ready Western Australia for AUKUS submarines or risk falling behind, Rear Admiral Wendy Malcolm said at the Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference.
5. US to announce a new Three-Star Joint Force Headquarters in Japan.
US Defense Official: "Secretary Austin (US SEC DEF), plans to announce that the United States intends to reorganize US Forces Japan as a Joint Force Headquarters, reporting to the Commander of U.S. INDOPACOM."
6. Latest update (23 July 2024) from the Congressional Research Service on the Navy Medium Landing Ship (LSM) (Previously Light Amphibious Warship [LAW]) Program - Background and Issues for Congress.

310: Israel - Saudi Arabia Normalization Still Possible + Armor Not Dead: Netherlands & Denmark Sending Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine + Armor Not Dead: Italy to Have New Tanks in Three Years + More Jul 27, 2024

Show notes

For review:
1. Israel - Saudi Arabia Normalization Still Possible.
A normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is still possible before the US presidential election, a top Israeli official told reporters Friday, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the matter with US President Joe Biden during their Thursday meeting at the White House.
2. Germany to receive the Arrow-3 Air Defense System by 2025.
Germany will be the first country besides Israel to field the system. The $4 billion deal includes launchers, interceptors and the Green Pine radar system.
3. Armor Not Dead: Netherlands & Denmark are sending 12 x Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine, by the end of Summer.
4. NATO to Develop Medium Lift Helicopter.
NATO has awarded three Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) contracts to Airbus, Leonardo and Lockheed Martin, to study “potential integrated platform concepts.” NATO plans to have a new class of medium lift helicopters between 2035 and 2040.
5. Armor Not Dead: Italian Army to have new Panther Tanks & Lynx Armored Vehicles in three years.
6. In addition to ISR payloads, Australia to develop lethal capabilities for Boeing-made MQ-28 Ghost Bat Drone.
7. USAF releases accident report for the 04 January 2024, B-1 Bomber crash at Ellsworth AFB, North Dakota.

309: Gaza Post-War Plan Discussions in Abu Dhabi + Sudan Ceasefire Talks in Switzerland + Ukraine's Foreign Minister Visits China + Canadian Army Procures Tactical Vehicles for Light Forces + More Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

For review:
1. Gaza Post-War Plan Discussions in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Officials from Israel, the United States and the United Arab Emirates reportedly held a secret meeting in Abu Dhabi last week to discuss plans for a postwar Gaza.
2. From Farnborough Air Show: Israel Aerospace Industries announces air-to-surface missile named Wind Demon. The missile can be launched from various aerial platforms such as helicopters or warplanes. The missile's warhead weighs over 20 kilograms and has a range of 200 kilometers.
3. US to Broker Sudan Ceasefire Talks in Switzerland.
The war in Sudan has continued for more than a year and is between the regular forces under Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by al-Burhan's former Deputy Mohammed Dagalo.
4. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Visits China.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Guangzhou, China on Wednesday.
5. German-firm Rheinmetall received formal order to build an ammunition plant in Ukraine. Rheinmetall did not reveal the value of the contract beyond saying it was “in a low three-digit million euro range."
6. Canadian Army Procures Tactical Vehicles for Light Forces.
Canada awarded GM Defense a contract to deliver 90 Light Tactical Vehicles- 54 personnel variant & 36 cargo variant.
7. From Farnborough Air Show: Boeing will compete for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Increment 2 effort in support the USAF Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Fighter program- unless it is a "Fixed-Price Contract."
Under a fixed-price contract, a company agrees to create a system for the military at a set price tag. If the program busts its budget, the company is on the hook for cost overruns.

308: Israel Prime Minister in Washington D.C - Will Address Joint Session of Congress + Royal Australian Navy Destroyer Employs Naval Strike Missile at RIMPAC 2024 + US Army Reports 6 Month Schedule Delay in JLTV Production + More Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

For review:
1. Royal Australian Navy Destroyer Employs Naval Strike Missile at RIMPAC 2024.
Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Sydney (DDG-42) successfully fired a Naval Strike Missile and sank former amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA-1) in the waters off Hawaii during the biennial Rim of the Pacific 2024 exercise.
2. China & Philippines open a direct line of communication between respective presidential offices to prevent escalation of events during territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
3. Israel Prime Minister in Washington D.C. (Monday).
PM Netanyahu will address a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday and will meet with President Joe Biden in the White House on Thursday.
4. At Farnborough Air Show, Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) partners (Italy, Japan, & UK), unveil a concept of the future crewed fighter. The concept design is a delta wing shape, with increased wingspan ,compared to previous iterations.
5. At Farnborough, USAF Secretary comments on the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter program.
6. US releases Arctic Strategy document: 2024 National Strategy for the Arctic Region.
7. US Army Reports 6 Month Schedule Delay in JLTV Production.
According to PEO Combat Support & Combat Systems Support Spokesperson: AM General’s initial delivery of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), has been delayed by six months- due to challenges starting up a new production line.

307: Israeli Response: IAF F-35s and F-15s Strike Houthi Port Facilities in Yemen + Estonia Sends Mistral Air Defense Systems to Ukraine + USAF to Restructure Acquisition Plan for Sentinel ICBM Program + More Jul 20, 2024

Show notes

For review:
1. Israeli Response: IAF F-35s and F-15s Strike Houthi Port Facilities in Yemen.
At least a dozen IAF aircraft, including F-35 stealth fighter jets, F-15 fighters, reconnaissance aircraft and refueling planes were involved in the attack — the latter of which was due to the target being some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) from Israel.
2. Estonia Sends Mistral Air Defense Systems to Ukraine.
Estonia's Ministry of Defense confirmed on 06 July 2024, a shipment of French-made Mistral short-range anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. Mistral (missile) has a speed of 900–950 meters per second (around Mach 2.7), allowing it to effectively target helicopters, UAVs, attack aircraft, and cruise missiles.
3. Denmark to procure Wisent 2 armored support vehicles for the Royal Danish Army's 1st Brigade. The Wisent 2 has a lifting capacity of up to 32 tons and is designed for recovery operations for Leopard Tanks and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.
4. USAF to Restructure Acquisition Plan for Sentinel ICBM Program.
Due to severe program cost overruns, the Air Force is required by law to formulate a new acquisition strategy that could contain an alternate approach for developing Sentinel’s infrastructure.
5. USAF comes to terms with Boeing over E-7 Wedgetail Program.
Andrew Hunter, (USAF top acquisition official), said Boeing and the Air Force were eventually able to hammer out a deal due to the service’s investment in upgrading mission systems aboard the Wedgetail that will ultimately make it more attractive to potential international customers.
6. Department of Defense (DoD) resumes receiving F-35 deliveries after one-year pause.
The DoD halted deliveries due to software problems with an upgrade known as Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3). Consisting of features like a more powerful processor and greater memory, TR-3 essentially serves as the backbone for a suite of forthcoming upgrades known as Block 4.

306: Houthi Launched Drone Hits Tel Aviv + France to Train New Ukraine Combat Brigade + US Pairs Navy SM-6 with Army Radar in Indo-Pacific Test + Manned Attack Helicopters Dead? + More Jul 19, 2024

Show notes

For review:
1. Last Story on US-built Gaza Pier (I think).
2. Houthi-launched explosive drone hits Tel Aviv.
The drone, identified by the IDF as an Iranian-made Samad-3, had been modified to have an extended range, had flown to the country for several hours at a low altitude.
3. Lebanon files complaint with the UN over GPS jammed Southern Lebanon. GPS jamming has taken a toll on Lebanese civil aviation.
4. Manned Attack Helicopters Dead? Great article from Defense News (Elisabeth Gosselin Malo) on Drone Operations in Ukraine and their effects on future manned aviation- particularly rotary-wing aircraft.
5. UK all in on US-made Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM) for AH-64E Apache fleet. In 2023, the UK was cleared by the US State Department to buy 3,000 x JAGM munitions under US Foreign Military Sale (FMS) valued at $957 million- in support of the British Army’s 50 x AH-64s.
6. France to Train New Ukraine Combat Brigade. Brigade will be manned with 2,100 Soldiers and equipped with 128 x VAB armored personnel carriers, 24 x light tanks, and 18 x Caesar 155mm truck-mounted howitzers.
7. US Pairs Navy SM-6 with Army Radar in Indo-Pacific Test.
A US Navy Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) guided by the US Army's Lower-Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTMADS), intercepted a target in a recent test during Valiant Shield 24 in the Indo-Pacific, Raytheon announced in a July 18 statement.
8. US Army 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF), Long-Range Fires Battalion (1 x Battery) participates in Navy Exercise- Resolute Hunter.
The Battery practiced the deployment of a Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) transport erector launcher, including reloading and preparing to fire.
A LRHW battery includes four launchers with two missiles each, a battery operations command vehicle and a battery operations command support vehicle.

305: Israel is Real-Time Proving Ground for Layered Air Defense + US & Armenia Conduct Eagle Partner 24 Military Exercise + India Developing New Light Tank + Boeing Working to Launch Hypersonic Missiles from C-17 + More Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

For review:
1. IDF monitored Hamas' Khan Yunis Brigade Commander's residence for weeks before airstrike. Senior Hamas Commander was reported to have been at the compound for significant periods in recent months,
2. Israel is a Real-Time Proving Ground for Layered Air Defense- Short, Medium, & Long-range systems.
3. US & Armenia Conduct Eagle Partner 24 Military Exercise (in Armenia).
The Eagle Partner 24 Exercise is aimed at increasing the interoperability of units participating in international peacekeeping missions, according to Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan.
4. India Developing New Light Tank for use in mountainous terrain. The "Zorawar" combat vehicle runs on composite rubber tracks, and side-mounted sponsons indicate it is amphibious. It will apparently integrate drones and loitering munitions. The 105mm main gun features an autoloader, meaning only three crewmen are required.
5. US & Australia collaborate on integration of hypersonic missiles on F/A 18F Super Hornets. Testing will occur at Woomera Test Range (WTR) in South Australia
WTR is the world's largest land-based weapons testing facility, covering 127,000 square kilometers (49,000 sq mi).
6. Boeing Working to Launch Hypersonic Missiles from C-17.
The innovative system features an advanced electromagnetic catapult mechanism that enables the rapid launch of up to twelve (12) X-51A Waverider hypersonic cruise missiles.

304: IDF Strikes Senior Hamas Commander in Rafah - Fate Unknown + US Carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN- 71) in CENTCOM AOR + Five Countries to to Purchase US ATACMS + US to Close Down Gaza Pier + More Jul 14, 2024

Show notes

For review:
1. US President and Secretary of Defense Statements on Former President Donald Trump assassination attempt.
2. Israeli Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) press conference at IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv. Prime Minister discusses strike on Senior Hamas Commander and reasons for the Rafah operation.
3. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. General Herzi Halevi has no plans to resign.
Lt. General Herzi Halevi says he will make a decision once “the tasks are completed.”
4. US Navy Carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN- 71) arrived in CENTCOM Area of Responsibility on 12 July 2024- "to deter aggression, promote regional stability, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region.”
5. Five Countries to Purchase US ATACMS.
Morocco was among the five nations covered by a new $227-million contract for the missiles. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland were also included in this order.
6. Jordan and Croatia to purchase UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters (Sikorsky) in a deal worth $251.4 million.
7. Slovenia announces modernization plans during the 2024 NATO Summit. Plans include new artillery systems, air defense systems and armored vehicles.
8. Italy considers new aircraft tanker competition. Two potential contenders are Boeing's KC-46 and Airbus A330 MRTT.
9. Retired CJCS General Mark Milley comments on future US Military organizational structure: “Ten to fifteen years from now, my guess is a third, maybe 25% to a third of the U.S. military will be robotic.”
10. US to Close Down Gaza Pier.
US Central Command tried to reattach the temporary pier to the beach in Gaza on Wednesday (10 July 2024), but were unsuccessful due to bad weather and technical problems.

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