The Wall Street Journal
Russia provided targeting data for Yemen’s Houthi rebels as they attacked Western ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones earlier this year, helping the Iranian-backed group assault a major artery for global trade and further destabilizing the region.
Defense News
China is accelerating its buildup of nuclear weapons, forcing the U.S. to more than double earlier estimates of its pace, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm wrote in a report this week.
The Washington Post
After a series of staggering losses, Hezbollah is putting up a stiff fight against Israeli forces in Lebanon’s south while continuing to rain down rockets across the border, underscoring the group’s resilience and the limitations of Israel’s ground campaign.
SpaceNews
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Oct. 24 launched the NROL-167 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 1:13 p.m. Eastern. NROL-167 was the fourth batch of satellites of a new imaging satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. The number of satellites on this mission was not disclosed.
Breaking Defense
President Joe Biden has just signed a sweeping National Security Memorandum (NSM) to guide military and intelligence use of artificial intelligence, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Oct. 24. The new plan’s guiding principle is a big bet that adhering to American values—like accountability, legality, and individual rights—won’t slow the U.S. down in the AI arms race with China, but help move it faster.
DefenseScoop
The Pentagon’s Chief Information Office has become laser focused on migrating the entire department to using stronger cryptographic algorithms that will keep its networks and operations secure.
Air & Space Forces Magazine
Joshua Niedzwiecki, Vice President and General Manager of Electronic Combat Solutions at BAE Systems, shares how BAE uses mission-based systems (and how those systems will work within the U.S. Air Force’s new Integrated Capabilities Command) to provide an EW advantage to the warfighter’ future fight.
Air Force Times
The Air Force is likely to award Northrop Grumman a second low-rate initial production contract to build the B-21 Raider by the end of the year, company officials said Oct. 24. In an earnings call with investors, Northrop chief executive Kathy Warden said ground and flight testing of the Air Force’s next stealth bomber is on track, and work on the first production B-21s is proceeding as planned.
Defense One
U.S. shipments of ammunition to Ukraine were delayed for at least two months last year because of problems with a U.S. military contract with Germany’s Deutsche Bahn railways, according to a Defense Department Inspector General report.
The War Zone
Poland has taken the next step in the modernization of its air force, with U.S. approval given for a major upgrade of its fleet of F-16 fighters. The program will bring the jets to the F-16V standard and also suggests new weapons may be introduced, too.
The Hill
Former President Donald Trump signaled Oct. 24 that he has a list of potential nominees to serve as Defense secretary if he wins November’s election, hinting at the future of a Cabinet position likely to come under additional scrutiny due to some of Trump’s recent comments. Trump phoned into conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt’s show, where Hewitt rattled off a list of potential nominees, including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
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Aviation Week
The U.S. Air Force is looking for a new, low-collateral weapon to down small drones as part of a broader push across the military to face the growing threat the systems present.
One More Thing
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Stars and Stripes
Straining to conquer a peak in the snowcapped Southern Alps of New Zealand with 16 strangers and $1 million at stake, Master Sgt. Ladeania Jackson felt right at home. Jackson, aka “Punkin Jackson” on the CBS reality TV show, “The Summit,” had survived three episodes of physical and mental challenges as of Oct. 23, with more to come. Her military experience gives her an edge, including her fitness, training in things like map reading and ability to cope with change, she told Stars and Stripes.
