Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

Terry Gerton You’ve recently published a new management tool, the Operational Readiness and Resiliency Index, or ORRI. My read of it says it kind of starts with the idea that government leaders don’t have a good way to assess whether they have the talent and the capabilities they need to achieve their mission objectives. As you started to think about this, what do you think is missing from the tools they have today? John Mullins That’s an interesting question, Terry. I think historically what we’ve done in planning is we’ve looked at goals and objectives, and we looked at budget…

Immigration arrests reached 1,593 per day in early July in a new push to detain and deport immigrants that has led to deaths in traffic stops. There were more than 43,000 arrests in June, the highest recorded by the Trump administration, according to statistics released Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reflecting new bookings into detention facilities. The June monthly total surpassed the 42,000 arrests in December, which included Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis. If the rate for the first 11 days of July continues for a month it could be even higher, about 49,000 arrests.Arrest numbers reached as high…

Rome, 21 July 2026 – Leonardo, PT ESystem Solutions and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia (MoD) today announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the supply and support of naval helicopters for the Indonesian Navy. The agreement also includes plans to develop local technical assistance, maintenance, completion and training capabilities. If followed by a contract, this could lead to the supply of AW149 helicopters for search and rescue and disaster relief, for both land-based and embarked operations. The programme supports Indonesia’s naval modernisation programme, strengthening its emergency response capabilities. It would also further…

Raytheon receives a $1.8B contract extension for US Navy SPY-6 radars, bringing potential value to $3.3B as production ramps for 50+ ships. RTX press release Raytheon, an RTX business, was awarded a $1.8 billion contract extension for SPY-6 radars for the U.S. Navy, building on the initial hardware production and sustainment contract awarded in March 2022. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $3.3 billion. “This contract extension reflects the Navy’s confidence in our ability to deliver advanced, reliable and scalable radar solutions,” said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon. “Our continued investment…

BAE Systems has unveiled the UK’s first uncrewed autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) at the Farnborough International Airshow. It is designed to extend combat mass for armed forces by complementing existing and future crewed aircraft, delivering additional frontline capability at a lower cost. The prototype aircraft was designed and built by engineers at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire, home of the UK’s sovereign combat air industrial capability. More than 500 BAE Systems employees have been involved in the aircraft’s development to date, working with over 75 large companies and SMEs from across Britain’s world leading aerospace sector.  The first-of-its class…

Team Tempest partners today announced significant progress across a series of advanced technology programmes that are helping to mature the critical capabilities required for the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and support the nation’s leading role within the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). Team Tempest brings together the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), BAE Systems, Leonardo, MBDA and Rolls-Royce in a unique partnership, combining government, industry and technological expertise to deliver the next generation of sovereign combat air capability. Since its launch in 2018, Team Tempest has transformed UK combat air development by accelerating innovation, advancing collaboration and digital…

The US Navy has awarded CoAspire a $70M agreement to develop the CHAOS cruise missile, a low-cost, ground-launched anti-ship weapon for coalition partners. CoAspire press release The U.S. Navy has selected CoAspire’s Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile-Extended Range (RAACM-ER) Ground-Launched variant for its new Coalition Heterogenous Affordable Offensive Strike (CHAOS) program. Under a $70m Prototype Other Transactional Agreement (OTA) with CMG Networks on behalf of Naval Aviation Systems Consortium, CoAspire will design, build, test, and deliver to Program Acquisition Executive for Munitions and its program office, PMX-201, an affordable, ground-launched, mid-range, cruise missile system that can attack both land-based and…

Few subjects appear less central to the intellectual legacy of Africa’s great conceptualizer, Ali Mazrui, than China. Unlike Islam, the West, Pan-Africanism, globalization, or the United States, China never occupied a sustained place in his scholarship. He never wrote a book devoted to China, nor did he establish himself as a specialist on Chinese politics or foreign policy. Yet such observations can be misleading. Mazrui possessed an intellectual curiosity that defied disciplinary and geographical boundaries. Throughout his career, he occasionally turned to China whenever broader questions of race, revolution, modernization, global power, and Africa’s international relations demanded attention. Although these…

FARNBOROUGH, England — BAE Systems revealed a new unmanned fighter jet on Wednesday, boosting Britain’s entry into one of the defense industry’s hottest and most fiercely contested markets.The U.K.’s biggest defense company showcased a model of its new jet, Brontanax, derived from the ancient Greek words for thunder and king, at the Farnborough Airshow. It is about the size of a Hawk trainer and would be ready to start flight testing next year, BAE said.As the global threat level rises and western nations re-arm, defense chiefs say the lesson from the Ukraine war is clear: nations need to control the…

Credit: BoeingDefense Feeds, Washington, D.C. – U.S. Navy selects Kongsberg and Oceaneering for CAMP XLUUV undersea drone as the service accelerates the development of long-endurance autonomous underwater systems capable of operating across vast maritime areas with limited human intervention.The contract awards position both companies to contribute to the Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP) Extra-Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV), a program intended to expand the Navy’s future undersea capabilities.The initiative reflects the growing importance of autonomous systems in naval operations as militaries seek to improve surveillance, intelligence collection and mission endurance while reducing operational risks to crewed submarines and surface vessels.…