Author: Defenceline Webdesk

The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy.  This conversation with Dr. Orlando J. Pérez, professor of political science at the University of North Texas at Dallas, is the 517th in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.” Examine the scope of China’s involvement in Cuba.  China’s involvement in Cuba has expanded fastest in energy. Over the past year Cuba connected 49 Chinese-built solar parks to its grid, pushing solar from under 6 percent of generation to more than 20 percent. Beijing has committed to 92 parks by…

Michael Peck, Navy Times The

Operation Epic Fury, which ran from 28 February to 5 May 2026, consumed the United States’ guided munitions stockpile faster than its industry could replace them. Meanwhile, Iran had fully activated its vast inventories of loitering munitions and ballistic missiles to stress the air defence systems of the US and its Gulf partners to the point where, arguably, cracks began showing both from America’s technical capacity to sustain its warfighting in those moments and in the patience and confidence of its allies in the capitals of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Yet, despite high-level…

In the first week of July, in Mumbai’s Mankhurd, torrential monsoon rains triggered a building collapse that buried five children beneath the debris, transforming one of the city’s wettest July days in half a century into a humanitarian tragedy. Streets disappeared beneath floodwaters, transport networks ground to a halt, and emergency services struggled to reach stranded residents.  Thousands of kilometers away, London faced an entirely different manifestation of the same crisis. During the June 2026 heatwave, temperatures exceeded 36 degrees Celsius. As commuters fainted inside sweltering Underground trains, climate activists covered Tube stations with stickers reading, “Heatwave, sponsored by Shell,”…

Mark Castillon, Armed Forces Press How Half-Hearted Power Costs America Lives, Money, and Influence Source link

Rafale aircraft firing 68 milimetre rocket, designed to to intercept and destroy Shahed-style attack drones. Credit: DGA. France has validated a C-UAS package for Rafale fighters, which will launch 68mm rockets at Shahed-type attack drones The move captures a trend among allied militaries hoping to intercept attack drones at the earliest opportunity and at the furthest point of engagement Besides the 68mm Aculeus laser guided rockets, the Thales package comprises the TALIOS targeting pod, modified to track small and slow-moving objects France’s armaments directorate (DGA) has validated the integration of a counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) package that will adapt the…

On July 15, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese laid out how his government plans to manage artificial intelligence (AI) and ensure the rapidly advancing technology works in Australia’s interest. In a major speech at the University of Sydney, Albanese declared that AI “is a bigger challenge and a bigger opportunity than social media,” and that Australia must move now to determine its “social license” and capture the opportunities it presents. Key to the government’s plans is the immediate establishment of an Office of AI within the prime minister’s own department and the creation of new national standards for AI. This news…

Mike Cherney, WSJ Ships have been pulled from Middle East to form more flexible expeditionary squadron Source link

BATS is designed to defeat hostile drones. Credit: Hamara/Shutterstock.com. BAE Systems has completed integration and deployment testing for its Anti Threat System (BATS), a counter-drone technology developed by the company’s Digital Intelligence business.   The field-based tests mark an important stage in the project’s development, following an accelerated eight-month timeline from initial concept to field trial.  Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more The BATS system is designed to provide layered protection against hostile drones by detecting, tracking, identifying and countering uncrewed aerial threats.   Its…

MWI The global security environment is reshaping, forcing military planners to contend with the prospects of large-scale conflict. That has led to