Testing new weapons in an ongoing challenge for US Army leaders in the face of the outbreak of coronavirus, and the service’s Air and Missile Defense Cross-Functional Team (CFT) is experiencing testing delays with its Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) and Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defence (IM-SHORAD) vehicle.    Brigadier General Brian Gibson, the head of the CFT, told  Jane’s  on 22 April that his team’s top four development efforts – which also includes Raytheon’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS...

The Royal Swedish Navy (RSwN) is concentrating on maintaining operational readiness at sea as the service responds to the coronavirus crisis.    The RSwN Koster-class minehunting vessels HSwMS  Ulvön  (foreground) and HSwMS  Koster  are pictured at sea during the service's recent national anti-submarine warfare exercise ('ASWEX') off Gothenburg. 'ASWEX', which took place in strategically critical waters, went ahead despite the continuing Covid-19 crisis.  (RSwN)    “The main steps are really to up...

US Army soldiers were slated to begin a third soldier touchpoint with a militarised version of the new Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) in late July at Fort Pickett, Virginia, but the service is now delaying that event until the October-November timeframe due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.  IVAS programme leaders briefed reporters on 17 April about schedule changes to their effort to modify Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 headset, in part, by linking the goggles to Nett Warrior and One World Terrain. The service has been billing the p...

The spread of the novel coronavirus is unlikely to abate any time soon and the US European Command (USEURCOM) is weighing how to proceed with large-scale exercises like ‘Baltic Operations 2020’ (‘BALTOPS 2020’’), designed to shore up training and military readiness against public health and safety concerns.  US Air Force General Tod Wolters, the commander for USEURCOM and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), fielded reporters’ questions on 16 April about Covid-19 and his area of responsibility. One challenge for him is deciding if...

US Army acquisition officials are navigating the ongoing challenges of producing and testing new weapon systems during a global pandemic, and said they have identified several lines of effort that may be affected.  Bruce Jette, the army’s assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics, and technology, and Army Futures Command head General Mike Murray hosted a virtual media round table on 3 April to discuss their ongoing assessment of Covid-19 and the defence industrial base. The duo emphasised that their analysis is evolving day to day and th...

The Venezuelan Coast Guard’s third coastal patrol ship (Buque de Vigilancia de Litoral - BVL)  Naiguata  (GC 23) has sunk following a collision with a passenger ship northwest of La Tortuga Island, near Caracas, on 30 March.   Naiguata  during its launch ceremony in June 2009.  (Navantia)  The collision resulted in serious damage to the Guaicamacuto‐class (Avante 1400) patrol vessel, which was on a maritime patrol exercise at the time of the accident.    According to Venezuelan Navy officials, the Portug...

The risk of cyber-attacks against government targets, as well as disinformation campaigns, is on the rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the requirement for increased work-from-home (WfH) arrangements creating increased demand on telecommunication networks and healthcare information systems increase their data throughput.  French technology firm Thales announced on 26 March that the company’s Cyber Threat Intelligence team had identified increased activity through Trojan viruses and ransomware in Android Covid-19 tracking apps, and large-...

The EU has warned member states to remain vigilant on foreign direct investment (FDI) and the movement of capital from third countries during the current coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in an effort to protect strategic industries.  “The Covid-19 related emergency is having pervasive effects on the economy of the E U. As part of the overall response, the European Commission also singled out the issue of foreign direct investment screening. Among the possible consequences of the current economic shock is an increased potential risk to strategic...

The Finnish Border Guard (FBG) is expecting to make a number of new acquisitions in the coming years, although rising operational costs continue to take a toll on the force, FBG officials have said.    FBG OPV   Merikarhu  has been decommissioned after returning from its final operation in the Mediterranean in November 2019, where is was deployed with the EU's Frontex mission.  (John Pagni)  Briefing local media on the FBG’s 2027 strategy and vision for land, air, and maritime border security and safety at sea in...

The United States has shown no signs of letting up in the air war against both the Taliban and the Islamic State in Afghanistan, figures released by Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) show.  A US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II rolls into the attack at the supposed height of the war in Afghanistan more than a decade ago. Figures released by AFCENT over recent months show record-breaking numbers of missions are being flown where weapons are released. (US Air Force)  According to the latest Combined Forces Air Component Commander (CFACC) 2013–201...

The US military has resumed airstrikes in Afghanistan after the Taliban launched attacks against Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the south of the country.  A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle dispenses flares during the supposed-height of the Afghan conflict in 2010. Despite a peace deal having been signed on 29 February, the US resumed air strikes just four days later in response to Taliban attacks on ANDSF checkpoints in Helmand province. (US DoD)  The resumption of airstrikes after an 11-day cessation was announced by...

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is proving out the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) capabilities of its aviation training vessel, MV  Sycamore  , during its deployment with Operation 'Bushfire Assist'.     MV  Sycamore  working with HMAS  Choules  during Operation 'Bushfire Assist'.  (Commonwealth of Australia)  The operation is the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF’s) contribution to the government’s ongoing bushfire-related rescue-and-recovery operations across th...

Police forces in Spain have seized what is believed to be the first known submarine used to transport drugs into Europe from Latin America.  Personnel from the Spanish Guardia Civil refloating the 'narco-submarine' following its seizure. (Guardia Civil)  The submarine has been taken to the port of Aldan, in the northwestern region of Galicia, after being captured with two of its crew near the beach of O Foxo on 24 November.  The seizure was carried out by the National Police in unison with the paramilitary Guardia Civil – which contributed a...

Europe must take greater collective responsibility for its own defence but this should not come at the expense of the trans-Atlantic NATO alliance, senior government and industry representatives said at the Berlin Security Conference (BSC) 2019.  Italian Eurofighters have been deployed on NATO air policing missions. Senior government and industry leaders from Italy and elsewhere made the call at the Berlin Security Conference for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence while maintaining support for the NATO alliance. (NATO)  Sp...

The United Kingdom has sent fighter aircraft to Iceland for the first time since a diplomatic spat between the two countries over the Nordic nation’s banking crisis scuppered a previous planned deployment in 2008.  A pair of RAF Typhoons taxi to their parking apron after arriving at Keflavik Air Base on 13 November. (Crown Copyright)  An undisclosed number of Royal Air Force (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s from 1 (Fighter) Squadron and 100 personnel were deployed from their home station of RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland to Keflavik Air Base on 1...

Threat intelligence is an important resource for armed forces in combating cyber threats from a defensive and offensive perspective. Industry is pursuing a range of technological evolutions to bolster the capability, aiming to predict attacks and develop a better understanding of the cyber capabilities and vulnerabilities of individual technology types.  Cyber threat intelligence is particularly complex, with elements tied to predicting and preventing attacks.  Raytheon’s cyber security operations centre. Threat intelligence plays a key rol...

The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has reached record-high levels, with the United Nations recording from 1 July to 30 September 2019 the highest number of dead and wounded civilians in a single quarter since it began systematic documentation of such incidents in 2009.  Afghan security forces near the crater left behind by a car bomb at the Green Village in Kabul on 3 September 2019. (STR/AFP/Getty Images )  In its latest quarterly report, which was published on 17 October, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said t...

The United Kingdom is to extend operations of three Royal Air Force (RAF) Boeing Chinook heavy-lift helicopters that have been deployed to Mali since July 2018, the government announced on 9 July.  Having supported French operations in North Africa since mid-2018, the three UK Chinooks will remain in-theatre for a further six months at least. (Crown Copyright)  The Chinook HC.5 (fat tank) helicopters and almost 100 personnel that have provided intra-theatre air mobility support to French forces engaged in the Operation ‘Barkhane’ regional cou...

US and NATO forces have been demonstrating a new amphibious command-and-control (C2) construct at the ‘BALTOPS 2019’ military exercise which is being held from 9–21 June. This construct is being developed to support larger, more complex amphibious operations, such as those enabled at ‘BALTOPS 2019’ by greater amphibious participation this year.  Marines disembark from raiding craft during an amphibious demonstration at Palanga Beach, Lithuania held as part of ‘BALTOPS 2019’. (Lee Willett)    Being held in the Baltic Sea, amongst the 50-...

Senior US commanders have underscored a greater focus on sea lines of communication (SLOCs) and the development of a larger allied amphibious presence to secure them as central elements of the US-led ‘Baltic Operations 2019’ (‘BALTOPS 2019’) exercise.    Spanish marines and armoured amphibious assault vehicles, deployed from the US Navy’s Whidbey Island-class LSD amphibious assault ship USS  Fort McHenry  , come ashore on Palanga Beach, Lithuania, in an amphibious demonstration during ‘BALTOPS 2019’.  (Lee Willett)...