Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

This week, continuing in the vein of some of our previous strategy and military theory primers, I wanted to off a basic 101-level survey of the strategic theory behind efforts, in a sense, directed against the state itself, both violent approaches (what we might call ‘terroristic insurgency’) and non-violent approaches (protest). It may seem strange to treat violent insurgency and non-violent protest together but while they employ very different methods, as we’ll see, they share a similar theoretical framework, attempting to achieve some of the similar effects by different means, both working within the state, against the state (or its…

A gearbox failure forced a Marine Corps V-22 to make an emergency landing on Feb. 3, days before Navy leaders briefed lawmakers on fixes being implemented for the troubled tiltrotor aircraft.A MV-22B with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing landed in the Tactical Flight Training Area on Oahu, Hawaii, “after experiencing an in-flight malfunction,” according to an emailed statement from the aviation wing.None of the crew was injured but the aircraft will “require maintenance actions and repairs” before returning to its home station, the statement said. An investigation into the mishap is ongoing. A gearbox failure was the root cause of…

Measuring the frequency of words and themes in a document can offer insights, reveal underlying messages, and even illuminate what’s on the minds of its writers. The 2026 National Defense Strategy is meant to help align ends, ways, and means, and to signal goals and values. But to find the truth, sometimes you just have to count. This kind of content analysis can act like an X-ray for a document, unveiling structural DNA that the authors themselves might not realize they’ve left behind. The cold, hard math of the text itself can reveal overall priorities or even a “Say-Do” gap. For…

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org The Air Force is working with Collins Aerospace and Shield AI to develop the software Collaborative Combat Aircraft will use to fly missions alongside manned fighters, the service revealed Feb. 12—and drone-maker General Atomics was quick to announce it has already flown its YFQ-42A aircraft with Collins’ system.  Shield AI, meanwhile, said Feb. 13 it expects to start flight testing its software on Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A drone “in the coming months.”  The two companies are developing “mission” autonomy software, which will allow CCAs to take complex action when given basic directions from a pilot in…

Aselsan will conduct the first live tests of the aselBUOY passive sonobuoy from an unmanned aerial vehicle in the coming weeks. The information comes from Aselsan’s CEO Ahmet Akyol in an interview with Naval News during World Defense Show. Speaking to Naval News at the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, Mr Akyol said the UAV integration is currently in the testing phase and results will be visible soon. The announcement marks a new phase for the aselBuoy program, which has been in development for approximately ten years. According to Akyol, all initial tests and development activities have been completed,…

Pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev’s recent comments have sparked buzz in the MMA community. In a recent interview, he showed interest in fighting “El Matador” at the UFC White House. The 34-year-old said: “I like this idea [of facing Ilia Topuria] if UFC wants it…I’m ready.” [via Telegraf] 🚨😳 Islam Makhachev states he wants to fight Ilia Topuria on the UFC White House Card in June.“I like this idea, if UFC wants it…I’m ready.”👀 Dana White previously said the UFC have started to put together matchups for the White House card and will possibly be done by the… pic.twitter.com/CpRKiZa1La— Home of…

WASHINGTON — Airspace security company Fortem Technologies will protect 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in the US from hostile drones under a “multimillion-dollar order” from the Department of Homeland Security, the company announced today. Under the contract, Fortem will provide counter-drone systems, dubbed DroneHunter, at 11 World Cup venues during the premier international soccer competition beginning June 11. Fortem’s DroneHunter interceptors use nets to trap unwanted quadcopters and other unmanned aircraft in midair, aiming to remove hostile drones without showering debris on bystanders below. America’s World Cup sites will also use non-kinetic counter-drone technology, like signal jamming, to ward off…

The new Fareham centre advances naval training and autonomous systems for UK defence. Credit: BMT. BMT, a maritime-orientated high-end design house and technical consulting firm, is set to open a new Digital Innovation & Simulation Centre (DISC) at its Fareham site in the UK. The new facility aims to provide advanced simulation and digital assurance capabilities for the broader UK defence sector as it transitions towards synthetic and blended training methods. Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more Located in the Spectrum building at…

Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told agencies Thursday to get a move on with the administration’s quest to excise labor unions from most federal agencies, seemingly in defiance of multiple federal court orders blocking the initiative.Last March and August, President Trump signed a pair of executive orders citing a seldom-used provision of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act to ban unions at most federal agencies under the auspices of national security. Though most agencies implicated in the two edicts terminated their contracts with federal employee unions last summer, a smattering of agencies still recognize their workforces’ labor representatives…

US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson February 12, 2026 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met today with Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšić. Deputy Secretary Landau reaffirmed U.S. support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s political stability and economic prosperity. The two also discussed advancing shared economic priorities, including the Southern Interconnection gas pipeline project, which will strengthen Bosnia and Herzegovina’s energy security and provide access to U.S. natural gas. NEWSLETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list …