Weekly Update
25 February - 3 March 2023
China-Russia-Belarus-Iran-N.Korea grow closer together. The UN’s senior nuclear diplomat heads to Iran, while the U.S. tries convincing Russia to not abandon New START. Think Tanks and even the Pentagon acknowledge issues around the Defense budget and consolidation of the industrial base. NASA confirms it can knock an asteroid off-course. SpaceX and NASA launch Crew-6 to the ISS.
Watch: Broken Defense Supply Chain
Listen: Chinese Strategy in Space
Weekly News Round Up
Military
Drones flying deep into Russia for attacks (AP)
President Biden: “No F-16s for Ukraine, for now” (VP)
Denmark ends a public holiday to boost defense budget (BBC)
U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth says “it’s time to prepare for China conflict” (DN)
United States warns China against giving weapons to Russia; looks like China listened (WP)
Belarusian President Lukashenko to visit China (AlJ)
China refused U.S. Defense Department call about spy balloon (S&S)
U.S. administration unveils its first national cybersecurity strategy (AX)
U.S. President Biden signs waiver to increase defense production and supply chain resilience (DoD)
U.S. Senators introduce American Security Drone Act (USS)
$53B CHIPS Act to benefit the U.S. Defense Department (WSJ)
Pentagon considers Defense Budget reform (DN)
Army redesigns its artillery units (AT)
U.S. Cyber Command to create own intelligence hub (C4)
U.S. Marines Corps’ new logistics concept uses forward bases and drones (USNI)
U.S. Army green lights prototyping of Electric Reconnaissance Vehicle (BD)
Australia to produce components for all new Apache attack helicopters (BD)
DARPA to design, build, and fly high-speed, no-runway aircraft (DO)
U.S. Air Force and Air Company plan to produce jet fuel from air (TH)
United States to sell $500M in anti-radiation missiles to Australia (BD)
U.S. State Department okays $100M sale of Javelin missiles to UK (RT)
French defense group Thales will hire record high 12k staff this year (RT)
Boeing to produce U.S. Air Force E-7 ‘Wedgetail’ to replace AWACS (ASF)
Leidos taps executive from Rolls Royce as next CEO (DN)
AeroVironment wins Future Tactical UAS contract (ME)
BAE shows off new 800km vertical take-off and landing drone (BD)
Apollo is in talks to buy aerospace equipment and parts developer Arconic, which has a market value of ~$2.6B (BBG)
Space
NASA proves you can knock an asteroid off trajectory with DART mission (SA)
United Launch Alliance may be up for sale (AT)
United Launch Alliance launch delayed until May (C4)
Chinese taikonauts conduct secretive space walk (SN)
China unveils concept for manned lunar lander (SN)
NASA and SpaceX launch Crew-6 with international crew to ISS (RT)
Near Earth Asteroid, Ryugu, is rich in organic molecules (SN)
NASA names new associate administrator for science, Heliophysics director Nicola Fox (SN)
RocketLab reconsiders catching rockets with helicopters (SN)
In-orbit servicing company Astroscale raises $76M Series G (SN)
Astronomers find new class of water-rich asteroids (SC)
U.S. DoD wants to connect cellphone to satellites (SN)
U.S. Space Force plans call for smaller satellites (USNI)
Raytheon wins $250M contract for missile-tracking satellites (SN)
Nuclear Power & Weapons
Pentagon: Iran can refine enough material for fission bomb within 2 weeks (TH)
IAEA Director-General to head to Iran to discuss enrichment (ABC)
Putin suspends Russia’s participation in last U.S.-Russia nuclear treaty (ABC)
United States calls for Russia to stay in New START treaty (DN)
Small modular reactors could reshape coal country (WP)
Biden administration offers $1.2B for distressed, shut down nuclear plants (RT)
Illinois bill to allow new nuclear reactors passes committee vote (WCIA)
U.S. Air Force fires 6 leaders at Minot Air Base over failed nuclear safety inspections (CNN)
Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Energy, and other cool tech
Drone company Skydio raises $230M Series E at $2.2B valuation (TC)
Elon Musk is building an OpenAI rival to fight 'woke AI' (TI)
Figure exits stealth, shows off humanoid robot (TC)
Scientists announce organoid intelligence, lab-grown connected neurons (CNN)
Drugs
U.S. Coast Guard seizes $20M worth of drugs in Arabian Sea (T&P)
2.3 Tons of cocaine wash up on French coast (TG)
Colorado considers okaying ‘overdose prevention centers’ (KDVR)
Broken Defense Supply Chain
The Ukraine War, and U.S. materiel support to it, has exposed dangerous cracks in the U.S. Defense Supply Chain. Much of the problem stems from the consolidation of the defense industrial base (in 1980, there were 51 primary defense contractors, today there are only 5).
The Wall Street Journal explore what’s broken and what’s at risk in this short (< 10 min) video.
Critical Technology Tracker
Western democracies are losing the global technological competition, including the race for scientific and research breakthroughs, and the ability to retain global talent—crucial ingredients that underpin the development and control of the world’s most important technologies, including those that don’t yet exist.
China’s global lead extends to 37 out of 44 technologies that the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is now tracking, covering a range of crucial technology fields including defense, space, robotics, energy, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced materials, key quantum technology, and other areas.
ASPI’s Critical Technology Tracker is the must-read for this edition.
Chinese Strategy in Space
Namrata Goswami appeared on The Space Show this week and did a knock-out job of discussing China’s grand strategy and perspectives on competition—particularly as it applies to space. Well worth the listen, here, or where ever you get your pods.
Long Range Weapons for Ukraine
A friend asked this week if I thought the west should restrict sales of long-range weapons to Ukraine.
No, I do not believe we should for several reasons.
First and foremost, Russia started this war. Attacks against targets in Russia are absolutely legitimate targets and well within the bounds of Jus In Bello (justice in war).
Targets in Russia support the war (logistics) or provide direct attacks (airbases, long range attacks, etc).
Russia will continue to fight until the cost of the war is so great, either in terms of emotional toll on Russians or in terms of material costs, that it can no longer afford to. Russia has done an excellent job of hiding the costs from its population. Reminding average Russian citizens that their youth are dying for an illegal war is critical to communicating the toll and inflicting emotional toll on the national psyche.
Ukraine has weapons that can reach Russia now. They had them in 2013 and in 2021. They didn’t use them then to attack Russia; it’s a silly, logical fallacy to assume they will after the war.
There are things worse than the very low (yet still real) risk of nuclear escalation in Ukraine.
Lighter Side
The U.S. is in a news arms race after NASA fires rocket into Dimorphos asteroid
Meanwhile, in Isfahan, Iran:
If you’re working in the areas covered by this newsletter: defense tech, VC, space, aerospace, etc, then please reach out. You can email me here or find me on LinkedIn. Enjoy the spring weather and…
Keep building!
Andrew