Weekly News Update: June 16, 2023
10 - 16 Jun 2023
Good morning!
Former president Trump appeared in court this week after being indicted on 37 crimes related to illegally storing classified materials after leaving office. China’s recovery is stumbling. Lawmakers ratchet up their defense-related work; with the script having flipped and dems appearing hawkish and GOPers weaker and more dovish. Congress also slipped in some language into a resolution stating that we need to be doing more to develop space-based solar power technologies.
Weekly News Round Up
Military
Europe, Russia, the Arctic, NATO, and the war in Ukraine
NATO head pledges “new commitment” in alliance defense spending (TH)
Poland won’t back Danish bid for NATO leadership (WSJ)
Germany government presents first National Security Strategy (DW)
Wagner Group continues to defy Russian Ministry of Defense and President (RT)
Microsoft: cybercrime wave in Ukraine linked to Russia’s GRU (C4)
U.S. announces new $2.1 billion aid package for Ukraine (MT)
Iran is helping Russia to build a drone factory (MT)
Russian tech is slowing Ukraine’s offensive (DN)
Following explosion, Kakhovka dam in Ukraine failed, unleashing wide-spread flooding (RT)
Sweden’s stalled NATO bid disrupts Nordic defense planning (DN)
China, Korea, and Asia
South Korea police arrest dozens for corporate spying after probe (Ynp)
Taiwan sends up fighters as Chinese warplanes cross strait's median line (RT)
North Korea launches possible ballistic missile into Sea of Japan (NHK)
North Korea stole $3 billion in crypto, used money to fund nuclear program (WSJ)
Chinese spy base in Cuba has been there for years (MT)
China claims its military is here for “benevolence” (MT)
U.S. Secretary of State to visit China this week as balloon tensions ease (WP)
Middle East and Africa
Air base in Saudi Arabia acts as test bed for U.S. counter-UAS systems (S&S)
U.S. Air Force uses Middle East to test tech for potential conflict with China (DO)
U.S. Air Force deploys F-22s to Middle East to deter aggressive Russian pilots (TP)
Jordanian military downs UAV carrying drugs in Syria (RT)
Turkey claims to have “neutralized” 53 Kurdish militants in Syria (RT)
Truce expires, fighting resumes in Sudan’s capital (RT)
Congolese militia kills dozens at camp for internally displaced (NYT)
U.S. Defense modernization and innovation
House seeks to expand Pentagon CTO role to include leveraging commercial innovation (C4)
Draft House NDAA would establish Space National Guard (BD)
Lawmakers seek study on hypersonics testing corridors (C4)
SecDef taps Paparo to be next Chief of Naval Operations (NT)
Cyber forces sent to South America on “Hunt-Forward” mission (C4)
Lawmakers: Army must prepare for “electric battlefield” (DN)
Army unveils new light tank (Mil)
Air Force gives experimental designation to plane designed for net-zero emissions goal (S&S)
Air Force Research Lab to double down on high-risk, high-reward research (DO)
Marines ask for $200 million for counter-drone system (MCT)
U.S. Defense Industry News
Senator blocks HIMARS sale to Hungary over country’s opposition to Sweden’s NATO bid (WP)
U.S. pushing India to seal big armed “SeaGuardian” drone buy for Modi visit (RT)
Boeing F-15 deliveries slip at least six months after quality errors (DN)
Pentagon halts F-35 deliveries in July amid software woes (DN)
Army extends contract with BigBear.ai for automated info (C4)
Congress: Army must justify Future Attack-Reconnaissance Aircraft (DN)
General Atomics gets $1.2 billion for carrier launch system (SDT)
Lockheed Martin collaborates with GlobalFoundries to secure defense chip supply (RT)
Auditors reject Oshkosh protest over loss of $9 billion JLTV contract (DN)
Shift5, an onboard data company for commercial and military fleets, raised $33M in funding led by Moore Strategic Ventures (FN)
Foreign Defense Industry News
Head of NATO Defense Innovation Accelerator describes how industry can partner with NATO on disruptive technologies (C4)
The European Investment Fund commits $200 million for defense (BoD)
Denmark considers submarines for first time in nearly 20 years (BD)
Estonia plans $14.5 billion military buying spree (DN)
Germany agrees funds for Israel’s Arrow-3 missile defense (AlJ)
Turkey gets new defense procurement chief (DN)
U.K. vendors unveil tech for powering “Tempest” 6th Gen warplane demo (DN)
Thales to restart production of StarStreak shoulder-launched missile (WSJ)
French aerospace engine maker Safran is nearing a ~$1.8B deal to buy Raytheon Technologies’ aircraft, helicopter, and missile flight control unit (RT)
Taiwan president vows to strengthen Defense Tech to ward off China (MT)
Israeli firm, Rafael, claims first hypersonic interceptor (ToI)
Israel plans first sale of Merkava tank to European country (RT)
Kuwait to buy Turkish TB-2 drones in $367 million deal (C4)
Indonesia to buy Qatar’s fleet of Mirage jets for $795 million (DN)
Ukraine defense firms seek stronger ties with European vendors (DN)
Space
Space Force sees further delays to troubled ground-based GPS segment (C4)
Space Force in talks with allies on how to jointly defend space assets (SN)
Lawmakers pause Space Force plans to buy communications satellite (C4)
In first, Congress includes language on Space-Based Solar Power in law (AT)
U.S. Commerce Department plans industry talks on space traffic (BD)
Europe’s final flight of Ariane-5 flight indefinitely delayed (Sp)
China launches a record-setting 41 satellites on a Longmarch-2 rocket (CN)
U.N. encourages more countries to commit to not testing destructive ASATs (SN)
World Economic Forum offers more debris mitigation guidelines (SN)
Rocket Lab gears up for launch with “mysterious payload” (Sp)
Ingredients for life found on Saturn moon (STD)
Nuclear Power & Weapons
Watchdog: Nuclear states modernize weapons, China grows its arsenal (AP)
U.S. Lawmakers seek clarity on nuclear command and control (C4)
U.S. next-gen nuclear missile slips on supply chain, software woes (C4)
The U.S. is paying billions to Russia’s nuclear agency (NYT)
U.S. seeks informal nuclear agreement with Iran (NYT)
U.N. Atomic watchdog chief visits plant in Ukraine (MT)
X-energy Reactor, a nuclear fuel and reactor engineering company merging with SPAC Ares Acquisition Corp, lowered its deal value from $2.1B to $1.8B (RT)
Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Energy, and other cool tech
The US Energy Department will loan KORE Power $850M to develop an advanced battery cell manufacturing facility in Arizona (RT)
US VC firm and major crypto investor Andreessen Horowitz is opening its first international office in London to support the development of blockchain technologies and startups (RT)
Mistral AI, a 4-week old AI startup building large language models and generative AI, raised a $113M seed round at a $260M valuation led by Lightspeed Venture Partners (TC)
Important Reads
Read insights from the Russo-Ukrainian war on Defense Tech.
Packy McCormick wrote a detailed piece on Varda and their ambitious goal of dominating the manufacturing industry… in space.
Lighter Side
The Largest Satellites of Earth (Image Credit & Copyright: Tianyao Yang)
Keep building!
Andrew