Hamas claims responsibility for attack in Tel Aviv, Blinken calls for ceasefire in Israel
The Washington Post
Hamas claimed responsibility for a bombing that rocked Tel Aviv on August 18 as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived there to promote a US-backed ceasefire proposal in Gaza, describing the proposal as a possible last chance to restore calm in the Middle East.
How the war between Ukraine and Russia is developing differently on three different fronts
NPR
The front line in the Russian-Ukrainian war is more than 960 kilometers long. However, it can be roughly divided into three separate fronts – in the north, east and south of Ukraine – where the situation is developing differently.
Chinese and Philippine ships collide again in disputed waters and the countries blame each other
The Associated Press
Vessels collided at sea early on August 19 near a new flashpoint in their increasingly worrying row in the disputed South China Sea, damaging at least two vessels in a clash between Chinese and Philippine coast guards. Both sides blamed each other for the collision near Sabina Shoal, a disputed atoll in the Spratly Islands to which Vietnam and Taiwan also have overlapping claims. There were no reports of injuries.
Important Homeland Security radar test back on schedule after anomaly
Defense News
A major test to demonstrate the capabilities of the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Long-Range Discrimination Radar against a live ballistic missile target is scheduled for 2025, after the original test was canceled a year ago.
Pentagon unveils new biodefense supercomputer
Defense One
The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Nuclear Security Administration have established a new biodefense supercomputer system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Inaugurated on August 1, the system is designed to “provide unique capabilities for large-scale simulation and AI-based modeling for a wide range of defense activities, including biosurveillance, threat characterization, advanced materials development, and accelerated medical countermeasures,” according to a statement from Defense spokesman Robert L. Ditchey II.
OPINION: Arguments for an independent US cyber force
DefenseScoop
An independent U.S. cyber force is not just a strategic necessity but an inevitable evolution of military operations, write Daniel Van Wagenen and Kim Irving, executives at Minerva Cyber Technologies with military cyber experience.
Britain launches first military spy satellite with Falcon 9 rocket
Break through defense
Britain has launched its first military spy satellite to capture daytime images and video of the Earth’s surface. The satellite, named Tyche, is the lead system for the £968 million ($1.2 billion) ISTARI programme, which aims to deploy a constellation of multiple intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) satellites, along with future ground systems, by 2031.
Missile Defense Agency considers introducing differential space sensor by 2029
C4ISRNET
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to roll out a new sensor designed to distinguish between complex ballistic missile targets by the end of the decade, according to agency director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins. The discriminatory space sensor (DSS) is an important part of the MDA’s vision for a space-based missile tracking layer, Collins said in a recent interview with Defense News.
Air Force veteran and popular “Famous Amos” founder Wally Amos dies at the age of 88
Military.com
Wallace Amos Jr., known to the world as the founder of the Famous Amos biscuit brand, didn’t really enjoy being famous. … In addition to his serial entrepreneurship and tireless dedication, Amos also served in the U.S. Air Force for four years, spending much of his tour of duty at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, where he would one day return. He died in Honolulu on August 13, 2024, at the age of 88, from complications of dementia.
