A New Staff is Still a Staff
news
justinmc.substack.com
IrregularChat: AI & Autonomy
5d ago
The article critiques Secretary Hegseth’s “State of the Force 2.0” announcements, especially Project Agincourt, a proposed pathway toward a four-star command overseeing autonomous weapons. Although He
The Pentagon has announced plans for a new four-star combatant command, tentatively called Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM), focused on integrating autonomous and robotic systems across the U.S
The Netherlands has announced the Digital Autonomous Work Environment for Government (DAWO), a major initiative to reduce public-sector dependence on foreign technology providers, particularly Microso
The article argues that rapid advances in frontier AI are outpacing voluntary safety testing and exposing serious weaknesses in current evaluation practices. Recent whistleblowing, calls from Anthropi
The article argues that the White House’s new framework for testing frontier AI models is unlikely to provide effective oversight in its current form. Developed after recent cybersecurity incidents in
Abu Dhabi-based Marlan Space and Loft Orbital have announced a $1 billion consortium to expand the Altair satellite constellation from 10 to 50 AI-powered satellites. The project, unveiled at the Inte
The report argues that AI-enabled decision support systems (AI-DSS) could significantly improve coalition military operations by helping allies and partners share information, make faster decisions, a
Deception is the Point
news
justinmc.substack.com
IrregularChat: Modern Warfare
Sep 6
The article argues that deception has long been a decisive military tool and remains highly relevant today. It begins with World War II Allied deception operations—especially Bodyguard, Fortitude, and
The article reports that the Linux kernel is seeing a sharp rise in the number of CVEs fixed per release, largely tied to increased analysis by AI and LLM tools. Historically, kernel releases averaged
D-Day: Behind enemy lines with a typewriter
news
ww2ondeadline.substack.com
IrregularChat: Tech
Aug 29
On D-Day, several war correspondents parachuted into Normandy alongside airborne troops, carrying typewriters instead of weapons. Time correspondent William Walton jumped with the 82nd Airborne while
zai-org/GLM-5.3-Flash · Hugging Face
news
huggingface.co
IrregularChat: AI & Autonomy
Aug 26
GLM-5.3-Flash is a multimodal language model released by Z.ai and hosted on Hugging Face under the organization zai-org. It is the first natively multimodal model in the GLM-5 series and is designed f
Magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) is a method of producing thermonuclear fusion power by using strong magnetic fields to confine extremely hot plasma. It is one of the two main branches of controlled
Germany has opened a new drone security centre in Saxony-Anhalt to help counter the growing threat posed by unauthorised drones. The facility is designed to research and test technologies that can det
The article argues that military effectiveness depends not only on superior equipment, but on how easily users can modify, repair, and improve systems in the field. Using a personal training memory, t
#487 — Is AI Already Conscious?
news
podcasts.apple.com
IrregularChat: AI & Autonomy
Aug 7
This episode of *Making Sense with Sam Harris* features Sam Harris in conversation with Cameron Berg about one of the most provocative questions in AI: whether current systems are already conscious, o
Checking your browser - reCAPTCHA
news
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
IrregularChat: Research/PAI
Aug 6
This study re-examines field data on mammal abundance in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) by reconstructing radiation doses and comparing them with established dose–response relationships. The autho
Two UK universities, the University of Kent and the University of Greenwich, have agreed to merge and create what is being described as Britain’s first “super-university.” The new institution will be
The article explains that the European Union has made it mandatory for companies to label content generated by artificial intelligence. The new rule is aimed at increasing transparency and helping use
A federal case in Atlanta is testing the use of privacy-focused smartphone software and the limits of airport searches. The US Department of Justice is seeking to prosecute Atlanta resident Sam Tunick
A Euronews article highlights an interactive map that predicts how climate change could reshape global agriculture by the end of the century. The map is designed to show which regions are likely to fa
A major investigation has revealed new evidence that Morocco’s domestic intelligence service, the DGST, used Pegasus spyware to monitor journalists, human rights defenders, politicians, and foreign of
Iraq has launched an unusually aggressive anticorruption campaign that has led to major arrests and the seizure of large sums of money, drawing public attention to the country’s long-running corruptio
The article argues that Army protection must shift from a passive, reactive model to an active, layered approach that disrupts enemy decision-making before fires begin. Its central recommendation is t
A global workspace in language models \ Anthropic
news
anthropic.com
IrregularChat: AI & Autonomy
Jul 8
Anthropic’s post describes evidence that Claude, a modern language model, has developed an internal “global workspace” called the J-space. This is a small set of neural patterns, discovered using a Ja
Japan has unveiled an expanded national robotics strategy aimed at deploying about 10 million additional robots by 2040. The plan, announced by Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa, now
A Swiss pilot project testing removable solar panels installed between railway tracks has completed its first year with encouraging results. The 100-metre installation in Buttes, canton of Neuchâtel,
scmp.com
news
scmp.com
IrregularChat: Counter UxV
Jun 17
China’s largest ground-based arms manufacturer, Norinco, is showcasing anti-drone air defence systems and advanced artillery equipment at the Eurosatory defence exhibition in Paris. The display reflec
defensenews.com
news
defensenews.com
IrregularChat: Counter UxV
Jun 16
The French Army presented an upgraded Leclerc XLR main battle tank at the Eurosatory defense exhibition near Paris, highlighting a roof-mounted cage armor designed to counter drones. Similar “cope cag
In October 2022, the Biden administration imposed export controls through the Commerce Department’s BIS to limit Chinese access to advanced computing chips used to train and deploy AI models. At the t
French fighter jets taking part in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace, Latvia’s military said on June 8, marking the first time a drone has been interce
St. or Saint ? – GeoNames Blog
news
geonames.wordpress.com
IrregularChat: Research/PAI
Jun 7
The GeoNames Blog post discusses whether the names “St.” and “Saint” should be standardized across place names. The author explains that GeoNames currently uses both forms, depending on the location,
Hartford Convention - Wikipedia
news
en.wikipedia.org
IrregularChat: Debate Octagon
May 17
The Hartford Convention was a series of meetings held in Hartford, Connecticut, from December 15, 1814, to January 5, 1815. It brought together New England Federalist leaders to discuss grievances ove
The article explores China’s “white monkey” economy, in which foreigners are hired to make businesses seem more international, credible, or prestigious. These jobs are often unregulated and exist in a
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
news
2009-2017.state.gov
IrregularChat: Modern Warfare
May 7
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a nuclear agreement reached on July 14, 2015, between Iran and the P5+1 countries—China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United S
Simulacra and Simulation - Wikipedia
news
en.wikipedia.org
IrregularChat: Modern Warfare
May 6
Jean Baudrillard’s *Simulacra and Simulation* (1981) is a philosophical essay about the relationship between reality, symbols, and society. It argues that modern culture and media have replaced direct
Vespa 150 TAP - Wikipedia
news
en.wikipedia.org
IrregularChat: Modern Warfare
May 3
The Vespa 150 TAP was a French anti-tank scooter developed in the 1950s for use by airborne troops. Built by ACMA, the licensed Vespa assembler in France, it was introduced in 1956 and updated in 1959
Utah has become the first U.S. state to explicitly make websites liable for users who hide their location with VPNs under age-verification law. Senate Bill 73, called the Online Age Verification Amend
A real legislative effort is underway in the United States to extend certain legal protections to Americans who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In 2024, lawmakers introduced H.R. 8445, a bil
Mapping the military AI industry | SIPRI
news
sipri.org
IrregularChat: AI & Autonomy
Apr 24
The SIPRI backgrounder explains that industry involvement is increasingly seen as essential to efforts to govern the responsible military use of AI, including UN-led initiatives and the REAIM summit.
Synchronization gear - Wikipedia
news
en.wikipedia.org
IrregularChat: sUAS
Apr 20
Synchronization gear, also called a gun synchronizer or interrupter gear, was a device used on single-engine tractor aircraft to allow forward-firing guns to shoot through the arc of a spinning propel
DXing - Wikipedia
news
en.wikipedia.org
IrregularChat: Dragon, RF, Comms
Apr 20
DXing is the hobby of receiving and identifying distant radio or television signals, or making two-way radio contacts with faraway stations. The term comes from “DX,” telegraphic shorthand for “distan
Dans le nord du Bénin, la France soutient discrètement les forces locales dans leur lutte contre les djihadistes, particulièrement dans les régions frontalières avec le Burkina Faso et le Niger. Lors
France has initiated a significant transition from Windows to Linux desktops as part of its national digital sovereignty strategy, announced by DINUM, the Interministerial Digital Directorate. This sh
Since 2026, the American Meteor Society (AMS) has noted an increase in fireball activity, particularly in higher witness-report thresholds, indicating a potential physical change in incoming material
Orange Drone Guardian, first anti-drone as-a-Service
news
orange-business.com
IrregularChat: sUAS
Mar 28
Orange Business has launched Orange Drone Guardian, the first anti-drone solution offered as a service, aimed at enhancing security against malicious drone activities in France and potentially across