Good morning!
It’s been a wild week. Smoke from Canadian wildfires is choking out the Eastern seaboard. Ukraine has kicked off its long-awaited counteroffensive. Russia is fighting itself. The SEC is cracking down on crypto with suits against both Binance and Coinbase this week. Sequoia has read the room and decided to spin-off its investment business in China (and its investment business in India and southern Asia). The Eurozone has slid into a recession. The United States and United Kingdom have signed an ‘Atlantic Declaration.’ Mike Pence has thrown his hat in the ring for president and bad-mouthed Trump, before saying he’d still work with Trump. Jamie Dimon has declared he’s not running for president. Trump has been indicted over handling of classified material. And footballer Lionel Messi will be playing for Inter-Miami.
Weekly News Round Up
Military
Europe, Russia, the Arctic, NATO, and the war in Ukraine
Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive has begun (WP)
U.S. Chairman: tanks, F-16s coming but not in time for Ukraine offensive (MT)
Pentagon is reading a new $2 billion Ukraine air defense package (BBG)
Ukraine has sabotage agents in Russia, is giving them attack drones (CNN)
U.S. Secretary of State: no Ukraine cease-fire without Russia’s withdrawal (MT)
U.S. Space Force deputy visits Europe to explore NATO interoperability (ASF)
Russia begins Baltic Sea drills one day after NATO (RT)
Russian Wagner group mercenaries capture Russian brigade commander (T&P)
Ukraine dam collapse triggers emergency as Moscow and Kyive trade blame (MT)
Ukraine war shows value of pre-positioned war stocks in Europe, Pacific (USNI)
U.S. had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream pipeline (WP)
… Zelenskyy denies Ukraine involvement in blasts (Pol)
Stockholm will allow NATO basing in country even before it joins (RT)
China, Korea, and Asia
U.S. Defense Secretary discusses upgrading ties with India to counter China (AP)
U.S. Defense Secretary continues to try meeting with Chinese counterpart (DN)
China placing secret spy base in Cuba, focused on U.S. (WSJ)
U.S. Navy release video of destroyer’s close call with Chinese warship (CBS)
China’s Defense Minister defends country’s response to ‘provocation’ (DN)
S. Korea, Japan scramble jets due to China-Russia joint air patrol (AlJ)
Taiwan activates air defense as China aircraft enter zone (RT)
Canada boosts Indo-Pacific naval deployments, military engagements (DN)
U.S., Japan, South Korea announce push to boost missile defense data sharing (BD)
Indonesia kicks off multilateral naval exercise, includes Russia, China, U.S., and others (RT)
Makin Island ARG, 13th MEU deployment marks amphibious shift to the Pacific (USNI)
Singapore Defense Minister warns of unchecked military spending, regional arms race (DN)
U.S. and South Korea will jointly probe North Korean railed spy satellite wreckage (YNA)
Middle East and Africa
Iran claims to have created hypersonic missile named Fattah (TG)
U.S. Navy says Iran fast-attack boats ‘harassed’ ship in Strait of Hormuz (AP)
U.S. sanctions group of people and firms from Iran, China, and Hong Kong tied to Iran ballistic program (AP)
Al-Shabab killed 54 Ugandan soldiers in Somalia attack (AlJ)
Deadly fighting escalates in Sudan as truce expires (AlJ)
Islamic State financing insurgency in Congo (WP)
U.S. Defense modernization and innovation
Pentagon struggling on zero trust (BD)
New ICBM delayed at least a year, GAO says (DO)
Block V Virginia-class subs delayed 2 years due to staffing problems: GAO (BD)
Pentagon announces Guillot as nominee to command NORTHCOM (AFT)
Defense Innovation Unit eyes first flight of hypersonic testbed (C4ISR)
Army transitions ERCA, LTAMDS from rapid prototyping to major capability acquisition (BD)
Army seeks bomb-carrying drones like Ukraine’s (DO)
Army’s 82nd Airborne Division stands up a new battlefield tech unit (AT)
Army follows other branches in reorganizing IT efforts (DO)
Army’s Joint Munitions Command gets new commander (S&S)
Air Force chief: multiyear missile buys would stabilize industry (DN)
Air Force tests magnetic navigation for GPS-denied environments (ASF)
Marines release specs for high-tech next-gen combat utility uniform (MCT)
Marines are developing air-launched swarming munitions for helicopters (DN)
Marines mull creation of new robotics job field (MCT)
Marine Corps pushes more technological reconnaissance force (DN)
Marines envision using tomahawk missiles to sink ships from 1,000 miles (T&P)
U.S. Defense Industry News
Air Force claims ‘fantastic’ relationship with Boeing on T-7A after scathing GAO report (BD)
Space Force taps L3Harris to design missile-tracking sensor (C4ISR)
Maxar execs discuss U.S. Army simulation, Project Maven (C4ISR)
Anduril hires former Army official who led rapid tech development (DN)
Navy accepts first upgraded nuclear strategic communications plane from Northrop Grumman (BD)
Lockheed picks engine to bolster interim tanker case for Air Force (DN)
Lockheed and Raytheon back Fortify, a materials science and additive manufacturing startup (FN)
Purdue Univ. opens doors on new hypersonic testing facility (C4ISR)
Space Force awards contracts for 12 new satellites to SpaceX, ULA (BD)
Wilson Aerospace sues Boeing for allegedly stealing IP, counterfeiting tools for NASA projects (CNBC)
Foreign Defense Industry News
EU approved $8.7B of state aid for tech innovation projects (RT)
13-member European consortium completes unmanned ground system project (BD)
U.K. to replace all Chinese-made security cameras on government buildings (Pol)
French rocket and aircraft engine manufacturer Safran is in advanced talks to acquire Raytheon’s flight control unit for ~$1B (BBG)
France taps Naval Group for armed underwater drone study (DN)
Germany’s TKMS signs submarine construction pact with Indian shipyard (DN)
Italian police search former defense exec’s home in corruption probe (DN)
Italy-Azerbaijan energy talks spawn C-27J aircraft sales for Leonardo (DN)
After real-world knock outs, Rafael sees opening for David’s Sling in Europe (BD)
Space
Fixed price satellite contracts earn high grades in Space Force report card (SN)
Military whistleblower claims U.S. has secret UFO retrieval program (NN)
Space Force marketplace links commanders to commercial tracking data (C4ISR)
Space Force to reveal draft for commercial satellite ‘reserve’ service soon (BD)
NASA concerned Styartship problems will delay Artemis 3 (SN)
Russia schedules its Luna-25 lunar lander for August 2023 (Space)
China claims to have produced early-stage blood cells in space for 1st time (CGTN)
Rocket Factory Augsburg successfully hot-fired its upper stage for 280 second (SW)
Rocket maker Firefly Aerospace has acquired launch services company Spaceflight to boost its on orbit servicing capabilities (RT)
Nuclear Power & Weapons
Putin says Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be in Belarus in July (RT)
White House wants to engage Russia on nuclear arms control post-treaty (MT)
U.S. and Iran both deny report of nearing interim nuclear deal (RT)
Kakhovka reservoir can still provide water to Zaporizhzhia plant: IAEA (RT)
France: Nuclear power is ‘non-negotiable’ (ETV)
… France will invest 100 million euros to boost nuclear training, innovation (RT)
Astrobotic partners with Westinghouse to explore nuclear power for space (SW)
Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Energy, and other cool tech
U.S. Senators plan briefings on AI to learn more about risks (FT)
Congress will consider two new bills on AI (RT)
Air Force official’s musings on rogue drone targeting humans go viral (C4ISR)
China cracks down on surge in AI-driven fraud (WSJ)
Apple unveils its Vision Pro AR headset (RT)
Apple acquired Mira, a Los Angeles-based AR startup building headsets for the US military and other companies (RT)
Musk's Neuralink is reportedly worth ~$5B based on private stock trades (RT)
US-China chip war could hurt South Korea’s tech giants — but not for long (CNBC)
Important Reads
Marc Andreessen on Why AI Will Save the World.
Jonathan O’Callaghan covers the startups betting on asteroid mining.
Lighter Side
In the Center of the Trifid Nebula (Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh)
Keep building!
Andrew