The Pentagon’s IPO for War: Now With 100% More Cowbell

The Pentagon’s acquisition system is being overhauled into a “Warfighting Acquisition System,” turbocharging weapons production, slashing bureaucracy, and empowering officials to deliver arms at “wartime speed.” Portfolio Acquisition Executives now wield sweeping authority, startups are courted like prom queens, and the defense industrial base is being rebranded as Silicon Valley with missiles.

So much for the “peace president”—Trump’s arsenal of freedom looks more like an IPO for war, where venture capital meets missile launchers and bureaucrats cosplay as battlefield commanders.

Forging the Arsenal of Freedom

Related:

FoRGED Act Documentation

1 vs. 29: South China Sea Electronic War Ends with US GPS Loss and Retreat (PH)

Over the vast expanse of the South China Sea, a war without gunfire quietly unfolded, its unique impact capturing the world’s attention. On June 30th, a brief yet meaningful tweet from the official Weibo account of China’s Southern Theater Command—“Thick smoke deep in the blue sea, good night”—sparked a massive online reaction, leaving netizens speculating about the secrets behind it.

1 vs. 29: South China Sea Electronic War Ends with US GPS Loss and Retreat

Related:

China-U.S. Electronic Warfare Erupts, Seen as China’s GPS Interference Rehearsal to Counter Land-Based Missiles

It can be said that China’s electronic warfare capabilities are now on par with those of the United States. However, it is noteworthy that almost every medium-sized or larger Chinese vessel is equipped with some level of electronic warfare and electronic countermeasure capabilities, a strength attributed to China’s latecomer advantage and its powerful electrical systems. This is precisely what U.S. warships lack.

Report: Unregulated Data Brokers Sell Military Family Info For Pennies

Report: Unregulated Data Brokers Sell Military Family Info For Pennies

“It is not difficult to obtain sensitive data about active-duty members of the military, their families, and veterans, including non-public, individually identified, and sensitive data, such as health data, financial data, and information about religious practices. The team bought this and other data from U.S. data brokers via a .org and a .asia domain for as low as $0.12 per record. Location data is also available, though the team did not purchase it.”

UK-supplied missiles used to strike civilians in Lugansk + Evidence Of ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoy Use By Ukraine Emerges

Ukraine’s military used UK-supplied long-range missiles to target civilians in the Russian city of Lugansk, resulting in several children being injured, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense and local authorities.

Later, however, it [Joint Center for Control and Coordination] clarified that the strike involved two Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles and a US-made ADM-160B decoy missile.

UK-supplied missiles used to strike civilians in Lugansk – authorities

Related:

Evidence Of ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoy Use By Ukraine Emerges

The ADM-160B has a stated maximum range of around 500 miles and reportedly has the capability to mimic the radar signatures of various different kinds of aircraft. It is designed to follow a preprogrammed route, which can include loitering over designated areas.

In 2012, the Air Force also began acquiring ADM-160C variants, also known as MALD-Jammers or MALD-Js, which added an active radar jamming capability. Further improved variants of the MALD, which the U.S. Navy has also been acquiring, have since been developed as you can read more about here.

It is worth noting that in December 2022 the Pentagon announced new aid for the Ukrainian armed forces that included what was only described at the time as a “counter air defense capability.” That U.S. military assistance package was also a so-called “drawdown,” meaning that all the items it contained would come straight from existing U.S. military stocks.

If the Ukrainian military has indeed begun receiving MALDs, this would not be the first time the Pentagon has transferred higher-end weapons and other equipment and not initially disclosed it. The sudden appearance of MALD wreckage would also fit the same general pattern of how it first emerged that the U.S. military was supplying its Ukrainian counterparts with AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM) last year, which was eventually confirmed.

How long-range Storm Shadow missiles could help Ukraine destroy the Crimea bridge

Britain is sending Ukraine Storm Shadow missiles in a significant upgrade to Kyiv’s arsenal, allowing it to hit targets that have long been out of reach, including the Crimea bridge.

How long-range Storm Shadow missiles could help Ukraine destroy the Crimea bridge

H/T: Emil Cosman

Related:

Ukrainian Armed Forces Carried Out Powerful Missile Attack On Luhansk (Video, Photo)

New report unveils how CIA schemes color revolutions around the world

For a long time, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has plotted “peaceful evolution” and “color revolutions” as well as spying activities around the world. Although details about these operations have always been murky, a new report released by China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and Chinese cybersecurity company 360 on Thursday unveiled the main technical means the CIA has used to scheme and promote unrest around the world.

New report unveils how CIA schemes color revolutions around the world

H/T: The Most Revolutionary Act

US military ends search for balloons shot down over Alaska and Lake Huron

Military says objects are thought to have landed in difficult terrain, after hobbyists suggested one could belong to them.

US military ends search for balloons shot down over Alaska and Lake Huron

Most likely, we’ll never know if they really did shoot down a pico balloon. They’re too embarrassed.

Related:

Did an F-22 shoot down an Illinois hobby group’s small radio balloon?

A military spokesperson tells NPR it’s their understanding that the FBI has spoken to the hobbyist group in question — the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade, based just north of Chicago — in an apparent attempt to determine whether their small balloon might have inadvertently caused a big ruckus.

When the prediction showed K9YO-15 heading from Alaska over the Yukon, [Dan] Bowen said, “we really hoped it wouldn’t be intercepted. But we knew the moment that the intercept was reported, whose it was and which one it was.”

Asked if he believes the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade’s balloon was shot down, Bowen didn’t hesitate.

“Yes. Absolutely,” he said. “You know, I would say with 98% certainty.”

The Sino-American Tech Trap

Technology is ground zero in the conflict between the United States and China. For the American hegemon, it is about the leading edge of geostrategic power and the means for sustained prosperity. For China, it holds the key to the indigenous innovation required of a rising power. The tech war now underway between the two superpowers could well be the defining struggle of the twenty-first century.

The Sino-American Tech Trap