According to Russian sources, Ukraine has destroyed or damaged all three bridges over the Russian river Seym
The Associated Press
As Kyiv’s incursion into western Russia entered its third week on August 21, Ukrainian forces either destroyed or damaged all three bridges across the Seym River in western Russia, according to Russian sources. … While Ukraine celebrates its success on Russian territory, the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine is close to capturing another key center: the city of Pokrovsk.
Biden approves secret nuclear strategy with refocus on Chinese threat
The New York Times
President Biden in March adopted a top-secret nuclear strategic plan for the United States that for the first time reorients America’s deterrence strategy to focus on China’s rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal. The shift in course comes as the Pentagon expects China’s stockpiles to rival those of the United States and Russia in size and variety over the next decade.
The wait for Iran’s retaliation against Israel “could be long,” says a spokesman for the Revolutionary Guard
Reuters
It will be a long time before Iranian retaliation against Israel occurs, said Alimohammad Naini, spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, on August 20. The Middle East is preparing for Iranian retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it was behind the murder.
FBI concludes Iran tried to hack Trump, Biden-Harris campaigns
The Washington Post
The FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies have confirmed that Iran was responsible for recent hacking attacks on the Trump and Biden-Harris presidential campaigns, the agencies said in a joint statement on August 19.
GAO: US must improve monitoring of arms deliveries to Ukraine
Defense One
According to a report released on August 20 by the U.S. Department of Defense and the State Department, talks on some of the most important arms deliveries to Ukraine are not going well.
Families of Air Force members must be prepared for events like 9/11 as the shift toward a possible conflict in the Pacific occurs, says service chief
Military.com
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin told soldiers in a recent memo that officials are focused on updating family and mental health resources for soldiers and continue to emphasize the urgent need to prepare for a possible future conflict in the Pacific.
Air Force prepares to purchase new long-range drones for Task Force 99 in the Middle East
DefenseScoop
The Air Force is seeking to procure a new unmanned system for Task Force 99, with a particular emphasis on endurance and range. The unit, established in October 2022 at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to use unmanned platforms for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities and technology experimentation, has several goals, including improving airspace surveillance, locating hard-to-detect mobile targets and creating dilemmas for adversaries, officials said.
Lockheed and Istari jointly demonstrate digital aircraft certification
Defense News
Istari Digital, a startup led by former Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper, is working with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to demonstrate the ability to digitally certify an aircraft before it is built, a process that could facilitate the development and testing of military aircraft in the future.
Pentagon announces 5 additional funded RDER projects, including a priority marine project
Break through defense
The Pentagon’s Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve has so far successfully delivered at least seven technology projects to the services, ranging from high-altitude balloons to underwater communications, including five not previously associated with the high-velocity acquisition initiative.
NATO activates first small C-UAS contract in fight against drone proliferation
Break through defense
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has officially activated a three-year framework agreement with Danish drone detection company MyDefence over the air, offering Alliance members the opportunity to purchase the company’s Wingman drone detection solution.
The Pentagon delivers new pieces to Guam’s air defense puzzle
Defense News
The Missile Defense Agency is preparing for a first test of an initial capability to protect the strategically important Pacific island of Guam from air and missile threats, underway later this year, according to Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, the agency’s director.
Protecting military space technology from malicious actors
Federal Intelligence Network
With new technologies come new ways for criminals to gain access to your software. Nothing is more advanced than military space technology, so security measures must be top-notch and updated just as frequently. To find out how that works, Lt. Col. Laila Barasha, materials manager for the U.S. Space Force’s Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) ground segment, joined Tom Temin at Federal Drive.
First SpaceX spacewalk: Commander of the private Polaris mission describes the bold plan
NBC News
SpaceX is preparing to launch its next private mission later this month, which will be the first attempt to send astronauts into space. … Extravehicular activities, or EVAs, have been a staple of NASA’s astronaut missions for years, such as when the agency needs to perform maintenance outside the International Space Station. But no private company has attempted such an EVA before.
