THE WATCH staff The U.S. Air Force successfully detonated a hypersonic missile warhead for the first time, the latest milestone in what one arms-technology expert calls a “national imperative” for modernizing U.S. defense capability. The 780th Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida carried out the ground test for the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on July 7, 2021. Hypersonic weapons are defined as anything that travels faster than Mach 5 — five times the speed of sound. Unlike conventional missiles, hypersonics pose challenges for early detection and interception because of their speed, maneuverability and low trajectories,…
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Defense pact between Poland, U.S. designed to deter Russian aggression THE WATCH STAFF The United States is establishing a significant military presence in Poland as the NATO allies collaborate to defend their homelands and keep a watchful eye on an increasingly assertive Russia. The defense pact between Poland and the U.S. signed in August 2020 represents a pledge by the allies to fight Russian aggression in areas ranging from cyberspace to combating disinformation. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone in mid-February 2021 with Polish Minister of Defence Mariusz Błaszczak to “reinforce the importance of the…
THE WATCH STAFF Sensors allow military forces to see, hear and understand their battlefield environment by producing data related to enemy activities, capabilities and location. A key challenge is how to rapidly process the massive amounts of data into usable information. The United States and United Kingdom recently announced a jointly funded project to automatically process data obtained from sensors and optimize that information for mission success. The project is led by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory, CCDC-Atlantic, and the U.K. Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. It represents a new concept for such research projects…
THE WATCH STAFF The U.S. military is testing wearable technology that could provide early detection of COVID-19. A watch and a ring can detect biometric indicators such as slight changes in skin temperature, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a news release. Military leaders hope the technology, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, can ensure military readiness. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and Defense Innovation Unit are testing the Rapid Analysis of Threat Exposure, or RATE, technology, which consists of noninvasive wearable devices that provide warning of infection up to 48 hours before a person becomes symptomatic,…
THE WATCH STAFF India reported in September 2020 that it had successfully tested hypersonic technology, becoming only the fourth country in the world to do so. It was already among the small group of nations that possess nuclear weapons, and only the People’s Republic of China, Russia and the United States had previously tested hypersonic weapons. Hypersonic weapons are considered unstoppable because they can travel at least five times the speed of sound and are extremely maneuverable, making them hard to strike down with missiles. A statement from India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) noted that the test demonstrated…
THE WATCH STAFF The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is developing robotic vehicles that will operate with manned aircraft in contested airspace. The Skyborg program combines autonomous vehicle technology, seamless connectivity and open architecture to suppress enemy defenses and execute other missions, Forbes magazine reported in August 2020. The program’s name apparently derives from the Star Trek television series and refers to a threat so menacing that “resistance is futile.” The Skyborg program represents a radical approach to air warfare. The Air Force describes the program as a low-cost, teamed aircraft that can “thwart adversaries with quick, decisive actions in…
NORAD and USNORTHCOM commander outlines priorities, highlights capabilities THE WATCH STAFF The United States can expect to see adversaries continue to demonstrate the capability and intent to threaten national interests in this era of renewed power competition, but U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck said that North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) stand ready to meet those challenges and outpace opponents. “USNORTHCOM’s essential role in defending the nation and supporting federal and international partners will be more vital than ever as the command continues to meet its sacred obligations,” VanHerck said in prepared remarks…
Health organization faces backlash for deference to China Indo-Pacific Defense FORUM With the world watching, a global health body deferred to political pressure from the Chinese Communist Party as Chinese officials tried to obscure the genesis of a worldwide coronavirus pandemic. The controversy surrounding the actions of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the pandemic’s early stages led the United States to initially withdraw from the agency. As investigations continue into the origins of COVID-19 and the WHO’s response, more than 108 million people had been infected and 2.4 million had died worldwide by mid-February 2021. QUESTIONABLE INFLUENCE: While publicly…
U.S. military’s innovative Advanced Battle Management System takes leap forward THE WATCH STAFF A “sci-fi awesome” display of U.S. technical ingenuity and military power and precision has turbocharged development of next-generation warfighting capabilities that promise to redefine homeland defense for the hypersonic age. More than 130 teams from government, industry and every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces gathered in dozens of locations in August and September 2020 to further field test the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), which the U.S. Air Force calls the “backbone of a network-centric approach” to 21st century warfare. During the weeklong exercise, or onramp,…
THE WATCH STAFF A leaked database shows a small company has collected personal data on 2.4 million people worldwide to feed intelligence to the Chinese government, media outlets reported in September 2020. The data collected by Chinese firm Zhenhua Data includes addresses, birthdates, marital status, criminal records and political associations, Forbes magazine reported. It was largely harvested from social media profiles on Twitter, Facebook, Crunchbase, TikTok and LinkedIn. About 20%, however, comes from nonpublic sources. Only part of the database was recovered. It contains profiles of 52,000 U.S. residents, 35,000 Australians, 10,000 Indians, 9,700 Britons and 5,000 Canadians. The data…