Category: War & Conflicts

This Marine unit now has its own tool to blast drones out of the sky

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One of the Marine Corps’ newest operational formations recently fielded a crucial “workhorse” air defense system to counter enemy drones and other aerial threats.

Leathernecks with the 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in Hawaii received the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, as the newly formed unit positions itself to counter threats in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a Marine Corps Systems Command release.

“The rapid rise of UAS, used for surveillance, targeting and attacks, has made advanced air defense systems like MADIS critical to protecting our Marines and preserving our combat effectiveness,” said Lt. Col. Craig Warner, Future Weapons Systems product manager. “MADIS not only detects, tracks and defeats aerial threats but also serves as a powerful deterrent, signaling to adversaries that their aerial assets will not succeed against U.S. forces.”

All services continue to face a growing drone threat in every area of operations. In 2018, the Marines responded by beginning to build capacity for a “layered defense,” one that would eventually use the MADIS, Col. Andrew Konicki told Marine Corps Times. Konicki manages the Corps’ Ground-Based Air Defense program office.

Marine officials have called the MADIS, built by Kongsberg Protech Systems USA, the “basic building block of the LAAD battalions’ ground base air defense capability.”

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For non-air defenders, MADIS allows Marines to focus on their mission instead of the sky, giving Marines one major threat they no longer have to worry about.

“MADIS creates its own [anti-access, area-denial] bubble,” Warner said.

The system replaces a cumbersome legacy platform Marines have long used to defend the skies. The Man-Portable Air Defense System, or MANPADs, includes a fire unit vehicle, section leader vehicle and the Stinger shoulder-fired missile as its primary weapon system, according to the Marine Corps.

Some version of that platform has been in place since the Army and Marine Corps first developed anti-aircraft protection measures against fast-moving aircraft in the 1950s.

MADIS, meanwhile, removes the need for a Marine to ever exit their vehicle, manually sight in and destroy an enemy aircraft.

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle-mounted MADIS allows users to track and detect both friendly and enemy aircraft and select kinetic options, such as missiles or gunfire, and non-kinetic options, such as signal jammers or lasers, before disabling the threat.

The MADIS, which uses two JLTVs, includes multiple systems, such as radar, surface-to-air missiles and command and control elements. Each vehicle complements the other.

“In layman’s terms, one detects, and the other attacks,” according to a Marine release.

The new unit fielding the MADIS, the Hawaii-based 3rd MLR, is the Corps’ first operational littoral regiment. The service seeks to establish two additional regiments in the Pacific, with the 12th MLR slated for Okinawa, Japan, and the 4th MLR planned for Guam.

The new regiments are a slimmed down version — about 1,800 to 2,000 Marines — of the traditional infantry regiment, with missiles instead of conventional artillery, their own landing craft, anti-air battalions and other features purpose-designed for littoral combat. A conventional Marine infantry regiment can contain up to 2,200 Marines.

A light version of the MADIS, aptly named the L-MADIS, saw its operational debut in July 2019, when Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship Boxer used the system, mounted on a Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle, to shoot down an Iranian drone, Marine Corps Times previously reported.

Marines with 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, watch for nearby drones using a Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System. (Lance Cpl. Micah Thompson/Marine Corps)

The light version is “uniquely aligned” to the Marine Expeditionary Units, smaller than an MLR with a broader range of missions. The MADIS can handle the air defense needs of larger formations and can synchronize and coordinate with the L-MADIS, Konicki said.

The Corps’ Fiscal Year 2024 budget request included $130 million for 13 MADIS Increment 1 systems.

In 2022, the Marines held an industry day to develop capabilities for the next version of MADIS to defeat larger drones.

“Fielding MADIS to [3rd] LAAB is only the first step,” Konicki said. “What MADIS is today will not be the same system 12, 24, 36 months from now.

Through 2035, the Corps is planning to field a total of 190 MADIS systems to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense battalions — which are separate from the Littoral Anti-Air Battalions — and the 3rd, 4th and 12th MLRs.

Beyond continued upgrades to software, power consumption and capabilities for the system, Marine officials released a request from industry for proposals on a smaller, dismounted version of the MADIS capability earlier this year, Konicki added.

System fielding by the LAAD battalion will begin in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, according to the release.

Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.

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12/18/2024
What’s at stake in Germany’s election at home and internationally?

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Poll in February triggered after Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses confidence vote.

Germany faces an early election following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government.

Europe’s biggest economy is in trouble and there are also deep political divisions.

So what is of most concern to voters?

And why is the outcome so important internationally?

Presenter:

James Bays

Guests:

Ulrich Brueckner – Professor of European studies at Stanford University in Berlin

Suzanne Lynch – Chief Brussels correspondent at Politico

Mujtaba Rahman – Managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group

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12/18/2024
Combatant commands mishandled classified mobile devices, audit finds

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Three U.S. combatant commands and the Defense Department’s IT support agency failed to follow cybersecurity protocols when handling classified mobile devices, according to a Defense Department Office of the Inspector General report released Monday.

The heavily redacted report, titled the “Audit of Cybersecurity of DoD Classified Mobile Devices,” said U.S. European Command, two subcomponents of U.S. Special Operations Command and the Defense Information Systems Agency didn’t maintain an accurate inventory record of devices, a misstep that could leave sensitive information vulnerable to cyber threats.

“Security for DoD mobile devices is essential for safeguarding national security, protecting classified data, and ensuring the integrity of the DoD’s missions,” Pentagon Inspector General Robert P. Storch said in a release. “Securing these devices is not merely a technical priority; it’s a critical operational mandate that enables the DoD to fulfill its mission safely and effectively.”

The audit looked at 43 devices from the Defense Information Systems Agency, 21 devices from the U.S. European Command, four devices from the U.S. Special Operations Command Headquarters and five devices from the U.S. Special Operations Command Central.

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The audit found that the organizations kept incomplete device records, which should include the name and defense agency of the user, type of device, serial number of device, phone number, classification of data stored on device and the conditions for when and how the device is to be used.

Those in charge of managing and tracking the devices came up short, the report found, partly due to their inability to handle the uptick in mobile device usage after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, an event that forced many into a telework situation.

The report also found that the inventory records for the Defense Information Systems Agency and U.S. Special Operations Commands Headquarters in some cases had the wrong information for devices.

The DOD Office of Inspector General recommended the U.S. European Command and U.S. Special Operations Command immediately fix inventory records to reflect all classified mobile devices, revamp the classified mobile device program and its training and revisit the reason for each individual’s use of a classified device to determine if they need it, among other recommendations. Both agencies complied with the recommendation, according to the report.

The audit further called for the Defense Information Systems Agency to fix its inventory records and develop a new process for keeping accurate inventories. The agency responded that it would devise a way to keep its inventory records up to date.

The report also asked the Defense Department to nudge agencies under its umbrella to follow the report’s recommendations.

The DOD Office of Inspector General has made several pushes to address cybersecurity weaknesses, releasing a special report in March highlighting weak passwords and a bucking of multifactor authentications for Defense Department contractors. The report found that between 2018 to 2023 five audits revealed DOD officials were unable to properly check whether contractors were following cybersecurity requirements.

Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.

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12/18/2024
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,025
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Here is the situation on Sunday, December 15:

Fighting
- Russia has begun using North Korean troops in significant numbers for the first time to conduct assaults on Ukrainian forces battling to hold an enclave in the country’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
- Ukraine’s air defences shot down 58 of 132 Russian drones, the Ukrainian air force said. It said 72 Russian drones were “lost” due to the use of electronic warfare interference tactics. There were no immediate reports of damage.
- Russia’s air defence systems destroyed 15 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Ministry of Defence announced. Thirteen of the drones were downed over the Black Sea and one each over the Russian border regions of Kursk and Belgorod, it added.
- A nine-year-old child was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Belgorod, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Two other people, including another child, were injured in the attack.
A Ukrainian serviceman and drone pilot of the 12th Special Operations Brigade ‘Azov’ inspects a Ukrainian unmanned aerial system before an aerial reconnaissance mission in Donetsk [Maria Senovilla/EPA]
- Ukrainian drones carried out an attack on the Steel Horse oil facility in Russia’s Oryol region which is a crucial source of fuel supplies for Russian troops, Ukraine’s military announced.
- Ukrainian drones struck a “fuel infrastructure facility” in Orlov, the local governor said, causing a fire to break out. Governor Andrei Klychkov said 11 drones had been shot down over the region. No casualties were reported.
Politics and diplomacy
- Zelenskyy said he had instructed his government to set up mechanisms to supply food to Syria in the aftermath of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. Since al-Assad’s fall, Russia’s wheat export to Syria has been suspended.
- Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, 54, has been appointed to head the operational and tactical group Donetsk, replacing General Oleksandr Lutsenko, the military announced, as Russia makes swift advances in the Donetsk region.
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12/15/2024
US Navy warship will make its first port call in 8 years in Cambodia

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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A U.S. Navy warship will make a port call next week in Cambodia, China’s close ally in Southeast Asia, the first such visit in eight years, according to a Cambodian statement Friday.

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said the littoral combat ship Savannah will dock at the port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand on Dec. 16-20. Savannah carries a crew of 103, the ministry said.

The visit was scheduled after a U.S. request for a port call, it added, and would “strengthen and expand the bonds of friendship as well as promote bilateral cooperation” between the two nations.

The United States has not yet announced the visit and there was no comment from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital.

Relations have long been rocky and Washington has criticized Cambodia’s government for political repression and human rights violations. The U.S. has also been concerned about the upgrading of a Cambodian naval base near Sihanoukville, which it believes will be utilized by Chinese vessels to serve Beijing’s strategic interests in the region.

The U.S. and others have also expressed concerns about China’s navy establishing a base at Ream, which would give it easier access to the Malacca Strait, a critical shipping route between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The Ream base, on Cambodia’s southern coast, is not far from Sihanoukville.

Controversy over the Chinese activity at Ream initially arose in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, where it would be able to post military personnel, store weapons and berth warships.

Cambodia’s government has denied such an agreement, emphasizing that the country’s constitution did not allow foreign military bases on its soil. Still, Chinese work on the base has continued.

Savannah will not dock at the naval base, though the defense ministry said the planned port call will include “a working meeting with the commander of the Ream Naval Base,” meetings with provincial officials and “a friendship sports competition between the crews of the U.S. Navy and the Cambodian Navy.”

On Wednesday, Cambodia’s foreign ministry noted “positive momentum of bilateral ties and cooperation” and “the reinvigoration of military-to-military cooperation” between Cambodia and the U.S.

In early June, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia and held talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other senior officials. He also met with Cambodian alumni of U.S. military training programs. The prime minister graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

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12/14/2024
US Navy warship will make its first port call in 8 years in Cambodia

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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A U.S. Navy warship will make a port call next week in Cambodia, China’s close ally in Southeast Asia, the first such visit in eight years, according to a Cambodian statement Friday.

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said the littoral combat ship Savannah will dock at the port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand on Dec. 16-20. Savannah carries a crew of 103, the ministry said.

The visit was scheduled after a U.S. request for a port call, it added, and would “strengthen and expand the bonds of friendship as well as promote bilateral cooperation” between the two nations.

The United States has not yet announced the visit and there was no comment from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital.

Relations have long been rocky and Washington has criticized Cambodia’s government for political repression and human rights violations. The U.S. has also been concerned about the upgrading of a Cambodian naval base near Sihanoukville, which it believes will be utilized by Chinese vessels to serve Beijing’s strategic interests in the region.

The U.S. and others have also expressed concerns about China’s navy establishing a base at Ream, which would give it easier access to the Malacca Strait, a critical shipping route between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The Ream base, on Cambodia’s southern coast, is not far from Sihanoukville.

Controversy over the Chinese activity at Ream initially arose in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, where it would be able to post military personnel, store weapons and berth warships.

Cambodia’s government has denied such an agreement, emphasizing that the country’s constitution did not allow foreign military bases on its soil. Still, Chinese work on the base has continued.

Savannah will not dock at the naval base, though the defense ministry said the planned port call will include “a working meeting with the commander of the Ream Naval Base,” meetings with provincial officials and “a friendship sports competition between the crews of the U.S. Navy and the Cambodian Navy.”

On Wednesday, Cambodia’s foreign ministry noted “positive momentum of bilateral ties and cooperation” and “the reinvigoration of military-to-military cooperation” between Cambodia and the U.S.

In early June, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia and held talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other senior officials. He also met with Cambodian alumni of U.S. military training programs. The prime minister graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

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12/14/2024
These Marine units will field new mobile command vehicle in 2025

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Marines in the service’s newest fighting formation will field a more rugged and capable mobile command vehicle on one of its newest ground vehicles in January.

Under a contract with U.S defense firm Science Applications International Corporation, an initial purchase of 18 mobile command vehicles, or MCVs, will be delivered to Marine littoral regiments’ medium-range missile firing units between January and July of next year, according to a Marine Corps release.

The Corps’ current program budget has another 18 MCVs headed to the service in August through early 2026.

The MCV is platform-mounted to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, which replaces the Humvee in some Army and Marine units.

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As fixed positions on the battlefield become increasingly vulnerable, the release states, mobile systems like the MCV and JLTV are essential to maintaining an edge in the current threat environment.

The MCV combines a shelter integrated on the JLTV platform with upgraded communication capabilities and expanded access to fires command and control networks, according to the release.

Lt. Col. Joshua Faucett, product manager for fire support systems, noted the MCV’s “strategic, operational advantage” in equipping Marines with capabilities critical for a future fight.

“The MCV is a prime example of how we are adapting to meet the needs of the modern battlefield and we’re receiving deliveries less than six months after award — that’s a testament to the hard work of our acquisition team and industry partners,” Faucett said.

The Marines also use the MCV-equipped JLTV for the Marine Air Defense Integrated System and on its new ship-killing missile system, Navy-Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System.

The service requested $340 million in its most recent budget to buy 674 JLTVs, according to a July Congressional Research Services report. Marines received their first JLTVs in early 2019.

Elsewhere in the Corps, personnel at the Marine Depot Maintenance Command production plant at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia, conducted the service’s first organic rebuild of a JLTV engine at a Defense Department depot, according to a release.

The modified Duramax 6.6-liter diesel engine has specialized components and a proprietary engine control module specifically designed for combat conditions.

However, those features also make testing and repairing vehicles more challenging.

Experts noticed earlier this year that the vehicle was burning through engines faster than they’d planned. But the Army, as the main buyer of JLTVs, controls the new engine inventory. And the Marines must pay about $61,000 for each.

“The hardest part wasn’t rebuilding the engine itself — it was communicating with the computer,” said Jim Dupree, a heavy mobile equipment mechanic at the depot. “Once we cracked that, everything else fell into place.”

By rebuilding worn engines in-house, the depot could save as much as $40,000 per unit.

The new ability also lets the Corps remain ‘Semper Gumby,’ or Always Flexible, by having another supply line.

Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.

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12/14/2024
Trilateral joint venture to manage GCAP warplane work from London

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ROME — The British, Japanese and Italian firms partnered on the sixth-generation Global Combat Air Programme fighter announced on Friday the launch of a joint venture dedicated to the program which will be headquartered in London, have an Italian CEO and be up and running by mid-2025.

BAE Systems, Italy’s Leonardo and Japan’s JAIEC will each have a third share of the design and construction of the new fighter, which is expected to operate with drones and be in service by 2035.

JAIEC is a firm jointly funded by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies.

Basing the firm in the UK will ensure “maximum alignment and collaboration” with the UK-based GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO) which teams the three government customers on the program.

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“The new joint venture will be accountable for the design, development and delivery of the next generation combat aircraft and will remain the design authority for GCAP for the life of the product, which is expected to go out beyond 2070,” the joint venture’s founders said in a statement.

At a signing in London, Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani said, “Peace must be defended and defending peace has a cost, that’s why synergies among governments and companies are fundamental, nobody can make it on its own … and (the GCAP) is a terrific example.”

BAE Systems Chief Executive Charles Woodburn said the deal was “a culmination of many months working together with our industry partners,” while Kimito Nakae, President of JAIEC said, “As we now embark upon the exciting and important journey towards the success of GCAP, I acknowledge that the way might not always be simple and straightforward.”

But he added, “I believe that through continuing the strong spirit of trilateral cooperation and collaboration that we have fostered up to this point, we will not only deliver the GCAP on time but also at a level that exceeds all of our expectations.”

BAE managing director Herman Claesen said the new joint venture would be open to new entrants like Saudi Arabia, which has shown interest in the program.

“The door is open to other partners to join, and that includes Saudi Arabia, but ultimately it is the call of the three governments,” he said.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

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12/13/2024
Army, Navy conduct key hypersonic missile test

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The Army and Navy on Thursday completed a successful all-up round test of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, potentially paving the way for the services to begin fielding the long-awaited system.

The glide body was developed jointly between the two services. The Army plans to integrate its version of the system, the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, into a mobile ground platform. The Navy will integrate its version, dubbed Conventional Prompt Strike, into a ship-launched capability.

“This test builds on several flight tests in which the Common Hypersonic Glide Body achieved hypersonic speed at target distances and demonstrates that we can put this capability in the hands of the warfighter,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said in a Pentagon statement.

The launch took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Defense Department did not offer further details about the event, which represents the glide body’s second successful all-up round test this year.

Hypersonic systems can fly and maneuver at five times the speed of sound — and the Pentagon has been trying to field them for decades. The Army had planned to make a LRHW fielding decision by the end of fiscal 2023, but delayed that milestone after several aborted tests last year. The service now plans to make a fielding decision next year.

Doug Bush, the Army’s acquisition executive, told reporters this earlier this year that the all-up round test is critical to making sure the system is “safe and effective” and ready to field.

The Navy, meanwhile, plans to start fielding Conventional Prompt Strike on its Zumwalt-class destroyer in FY25 and its Virginia-class submarine in FY29.

Leidos is the prime contractor for the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, and Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for both LRHW and the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike program.

Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter. She has covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. She has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges.

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12/13/2024
Woody Allen puts cook on chopping block over Army training, chef says

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NEW YORK — Woody Allen’s former personal chef claims in a lawsuit that the filmmaker and his wife fired him because of his service in the U.S. Army Reserve and questions about his pay, then “rubbed salt on the wounds” by saying they didn’t like his cooking.

Allen and Soon-Yi Previn “simply decided that a military professional who wanted to be paid fairly was not a good fit to work in the Allen home,” private chef Hermie Fajardo said in a civil complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan.

Allen and Previn knew Fajardo would need time off for military training exercises when they and their home manager hired him as their full-time chef in June 2024 at an annual salary of $85,000, the complaint said. But he was fired the following month, soon after returning from a training that lasted a day longer than expected, it said.

When Fajardo returned to work, “he was immediately met with instant hostility and obvious resentment by defendants,” according to the lengthy complaint.

At the time, Fajardo had been raising concerns about his pay — first that his employers weren’t properly withholding taxes or providing a paystub, then that they shortchanged him by $300, according to the complaint.

Allen, Previn and manager Pamela Steigmeyer are accused in the lawsuit of violating the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and New York labor law, as well as causing Fajardo humiliation, stress and a loss of earnings.

Representatives for Allen did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Fajardo said he was hired after being showered with compliments following a meal of roasted chicken, pasta, chocolate cake and apple pie he prepared for the defendants and two guests. According to the complaint, it was only after Previn fired him and he hired a lawyer that he was told his cooking was not up to par, a claim Fajardo said was untrue.

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12/13/2024