AI Made the List—but Humans Still Did the Killing
news
foreignpolicy.com
IrregularChat: AI & Autonomy
1h ago
The review examines *NAZA*, an Israeli documentary featuring 24 anonymous Israel Defense Forces soldiers who describe their involvement in Israel’s AI-assisted military campaign in Gaza. The film focu
Reuters provides a rare look aboard the USS George Washington, a U.S. aircraft carrier deployed near the Strait of Hormuz amid an ongoing war with Iran. The carrier, sent from Japan in late August to
President Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv on 20 February 2023 was described by White House officials as unprecedented for a modern US president. Unlike previous visits to wartime Iraq and Afghanist
Matthew Ford argues that military innovation has become an institutional substitute for strategy, repeating the “hammer-and-nail” problem identified by John Nagl in Iraq. The US military entered the S
Matthew Ford argues that contemporary military innovation has become a strategic dead end, repeating the institutional error identified by John Nagl during the Iraq War: armed forces interpret new pro
U.S. forces are scheduled to leave their remaining bases in Iraq by Wednesday, completing a withdrawal agreed to in 2024. The departure is being celebrated by Iran and its allied Iraqi militias as a m
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) warns President Trump against believing claims that Russia is nearing defeat in Ukraine. The memo argues that reports from U.S. intelligence offici
Twenty-Five Years Later, We Still Ask Too Much of the Military
news
justinmc.substack.com
IrregularChat: Modern Warfare
Aug 31
The essay argues that, 25 years after 9/11, the United States still asks too much of its military. The author recalls being a teenager when the attacks happened and describes the fear and anger that f
The Pentagon has reportedly hired several conservative military veterans with large social media followings for undisclosed government roles, raising questions about transparency and Defense Secretary
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has framed the Trump administration’s campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a defense of U.S. sovereignty and protection for American troops. But Pr
Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient, has been named a special assistant to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to the Pentagon. Meyer will serve as a special government employee
A U.S. Army armored unit recently tested an M1 Abrams tank equipped with a 7.62x51mm M134 Minigun, replacing one of the tank’s usual secondary machine guns. The test was conducted by the 1st Armored B
Concerns are mounting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is removing or sidelining senior military officers who question his directives, with critics arguing the moves threaten the military’s traditi
Peter Newell argues that the Pentagon’s recent acquisition reforms are a major step toward speed, but they still leave a critical gap: no one is responsible for steering innovation toward the right pr
The U.S. Army is phasing out the M4A1 carbine from its Close Combat Force and replacing it with the XM8, a shorter and lighter carbine based on SIG Sauer’s MCX-SPEAR platform. The first XM8 delivery w
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Zana retired on June 1, 2024, after completing a final guard shift at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. The watch marked the end of a 37-year
An April 2026 investigation revealed that 519 UK military personnel, contractors, intelligence staff, and relatives had publicly exposed movement data through Strava at highly sensitive sites, includi
The Art of Statecraft in an Age of Strategic Failure
news
warontherocks.com
IrregularChat: Modern Warfare
Jun 30
Frank Hoffman’s review argues that the recent U.S. war against Iran exposed major failures in American statecraft and strategy. He defines sound statecraft as the integrated use of all national tools
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks used her Defense News Conference remarks to explain the Pentagon’s Replicator initiative as part of a broader push to accelerate innovation for warfighter ad
Atlas
news
theatlasnews.com
IrregularChat: Research/PAI
May 29
Atlas’s situation report highlights several major political, diplomatic, and security developments across multiple regions. The most prominent story is the escalating U.S.-Iran confrontation: Vice Pre
Newly released Navy logs suggest that a portable counter-drone electronic warfare system, Northrop Grumman’s DRAKE, was deployed during the mysterious 2019 swarm incidents off Southern California. The
U.S. Southern Command chief Marine Gen. Francis Donovan said the era of massive troop deployments and sprawling forward operating bases, common during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, is increasingly da
NASA’s X-43A remains a landmark in hypersonic flight. In 2004, the unmanned experimental aircraft reached Mach 9.6, or about 7,346 mph, making it the fastest air-breathing aircraft ever flown. Using a
The article argues that passive defenses, especially antidrone nets, should become a standard part of U.S. military protection against the growing drone threat. Drawing lessons from the Iraq and Afgha
nbcnews.com
news
nbcnews.com
IrregularChat: IWAR
Apr 19
The U.S. military disciplined service members in two separate Afghanistan-related misconduct cases. In the first, six Army soldiers received administrative punishment for burning Qurans and other reli
Courtney Williams, a former member of Delta Force, the U.S. Army's elite unit, shares her tumultuous experience in a male-dominated environment that often prioritized appearance over capability. Recru
Frashokereti - Wikipedia
news
en.wikipedia.org
IrregularChat: Modern Warfare
Apr 7
Frashokereti is a key concept in Zoroastrianism, representing the doctrine of a final cosmic renovation where evil is vanquished, leading to a restored universe in perfect unity with Ahura Mazda, the
link.defensenews.com
news
link.defensenews.com
IrregularChat: Counter UxV
Apr 7
The U.S. Army is moving forward with plans to develop a new grenade launcher, the Precision Grenadier System (PGS), aimed at replacing the M203 and M320 models. The PGS will incorporate advanced techn
Iranian state media has reported that a U.S. fighter jet, initially identified as an F-35, was shot down over the country, but images of the wreckage suggest it was an F-15E Strike Eagle. The Iranian
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has requested the resignation and immediate retirement of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, signaling a shift in leadership aimed at aligning with Hegseth's and Pre
A joint investigation by Bellingcat and De Correspondent reveals that Polar, a fitness app, exposes sensitive information about users exercising at secretive locations, such as military bases and inte
Strava's heatmap, which visualizes exercise routes logged by its users, has raised security concerns after revealing the movements of military personnel within bases in countries like Afghanistan and
A recent investigation has raised concerns about a fitness app, Strava, potentially exposing the identities of British Special Air Service (SAS) operators. Nick Waters, a former British Army officer a
The article discusses security concerns surrounding the popular fitness app Strava, which uses GPS data to track activities of users, primarily cyclists and runners. A report by French newspaper Le Mo
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has streamlined the process for Veterans to learn about their education benefits following the Supreme Court's 2024 Rudisill decision, which affects 1.04 millio
armytimes.com
news
armytimes.com
IR: Off Topic Guild
Mar 3
In 2026, bipartisan support is growing for the Major Richard Star Act, which aims to allow approximately 54,000 wounded veterans to receive both their full military retirement pay and Veterans Affairs
The Radia WindRunner is poised to become the largest cargo aircraft ever constructed, capable of transporting six fully assembled Chinook helicopters. Measuring 109 meters in length and featuring a pa
The Washington Post highlights the emergence of an unregulated industry where for-profit consultants, like Combat Craig, coach veterans on maximizing their disability claims with the Department of Vet
The article "Ascend the Cognitive Hierarchy—Don’t Waste Time in the Data Layer" by James Mingus and Zak Daker, part of an eight-part series on Army transformation, emphasizes the need for military lea
Andy Baker (national security advisor) - Wikipedia
news
en.wikipedia.org
46Yfd7MDnWyGPnUToU4dvZvT2veU1atNOkHUVExTcVM=
Feb 8
Andy Baker, born May 22, 1980, in Sonoma, California, is the current Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States, having assumed office on May 23, 2025. He graduated from the University of C
The article "The End of Battlefield Secrets: Addressing the OSINT Gap in U.S. Special Operations" emphasizes the necessity for U.S. Special Operations to prioritize open-source intelligence (OSINT) in
AN/TWQ-1 Avenger
news
en.wikipedia.org
MAMSFw5Ck3MvleEz/BAzCQIlty11xrkUMtTdOgvhj24=
Jan 23
The AN/TWQ-1 Avenger is a self-propelled surface-to-air missile system developed by Boeing, providing mobile, short-range air defense since its introduction in 1989. It features a combination of FIM-9
The article "The End of Battlefield Secrets: Addressing the OSINT Gap in U.S. Special Operations" emphasizes the necessity for U.S. Special Operations to prioritize open-source intelligence (OSINT) in
Lawrence’s Shadow: How Afghan Resistance Can Topple the Taliban
news
smallwarsjournal.com
ziBm5Tg9ThDZV1GNEQeWi3lFLRefY9g9Pkj/+AMljEw=
Jan 11
The article discusses how the U.S. can exploit the current vulnerabilities of the Taliban, which is facing economic collapse and internal strife, to support fragmented anti-Taliban insurgency efforts.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to issue monetary awards of up to $25,000 for high-performing civilian employees, effective by January 30, 2026. In a memo, he