“We’re taking every measure to make sure we can defend them, and if necessary, respond decisively,” Blinken said. “Not at all what we’re looking for, not at all what we want, but we’ll be prepared if that’s what they choose to do.”
“If any country is looking to widen this conflict or take advantage of this very unfortunate situation that we see, our advice is ‘Don’t.’” Austin said. “We maintain the right to defend ourselves and we won’t hesitate to take the appropriate action.”
The warning from U.S senior officials comes three weeks into the Israel-Hamas war as they look to end the conflict diplomatically with the help of other countries.
Over the weekend of Oct. 21, world leaders from Arab, African, and European countries met in Cairo for a peace summit to discuss how to de-escalate the war, but failed to reach a consensus.
Israel continues to strike targets in Gaza and, according to local Hamas-run agencies, 5,000 people have died so far in Gaza.
The United States has deployed additional military assets to the Middle East to deter other countries and organizations, such as Iran and Hezbollah, from escalating the conflict.
“We’re going to do what is necessary to make sure our troops are in a good position,” Austin said. “They’re protected, and that we have the ability to respond.”
“No one should take advantage of this moment to escalate further attacks on Israel, or further attacks on us, on our personnel,” Blinken said.
Meanwhile, the United States is not the only country sending naval power to the Middle East. China has reportedly deployed six warships to the area.
According to a report from the Global Times, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, the warship deployment is a routine mission and not an interference in the current Israel-Hamas war.
Beijing’s special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, has called for a ceasefire and reiterated China’s support for a two-state solution.
China has not directly condemned Hamas’ brutal attack against Israel that reportedly killed 1400 Israelis in south Israel on Oct.7.
Now the question remains: When will Israel launch its ground incursion against Gaza?
World’s largest aircraft carrier to support Israel against Iran
Once again, Israel is at war, forced to fight for the protection of its citizens against an enemy that has explicitly stated it is hellbent on the nation’s destruction. And just as in previous wars, the fighting risks boiling over into a full-scale regional conflict.
Israel’s war against Hamas is already yielding gains. Hundreds of Hamas targets, including command centers and weapons depots, are already smoldering piles of rubble. Most of the fighting is focused in Israel’s south, along the Gaza border. But the Israel Defense Forces are also monitoring a potential second front in the war, this one with Hezbollah to the north. Israel said that suspected Hezbollah fighters have already launched mortar rounds.
To deter Israel’s other enemies from joining the fray, namely Iran, the United States deployed the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier and a number of guided missile destroyers to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The Ford is the world’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier. The ship is longer than three football fields, is home to some 5,000 sailors, and carries a deck of warplanes capable of toppling governments.
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) is sending support to the region, including F-35s, F-15s and F-16s. The USAF is also augmenting its A-10 Warthog fighter squadrons in the region. A-10s are great at close air support. The older craft is often described as a cannon with wings, and could experience a bit of a renaissance in the Middle East if called into action.
The added mass of warships, fighter jets and support craft are clearly a show of force. So far, the deterrent seems to be working. Iran isn’t mobilizing its forces against Israel.
But the relationship between Iran and its terrorist proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, is well-established. Iran gives money, weapons, and training to the terrorist groups. It’s why some in the West are accusing Iran of playing a central role in the recent attacks. After all, senior members from Hamas and Hezbollah said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Forces helped plan the attack.
The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that Iranian security officials green-lit the attacks during an in-person meeting the previous Monday.
The U.S., France, and other countries haven’t specifically blamed Iran for the attacks. Iran’s supreme leader denied his country had anything to do with the massacre of innocents, but celebrated it nonetheless.
Iran’s involvement aside, there’s also a claim that another familiar foe had a part in training Hamas: Russia’s Wagner Group.
Ukraine’s Center for National Resistance (CNR) said information out of Belarus shows that when Wagner fighters left the country earlier this year and traveled to Africa, it was to train Hamas fighters on how to use unmanned aerial systems on the battlefield. According to the CNR, of all Hamas’ allies, only Russia has the tools and battlefield experience to teach Hamas how to use drones to drop bombs on tanks or as guided artillery.
If this information proves true, it will bolster the argument that Russia and its allies in the Middle East are working to sow even more chaos in the world. To what end is up for debate. Russia may be trying to distract the world from its war in Ukraine. Or it could be working with other adversary nations to draw the U.S. into direct conflict.
Whatever the case may be, the attacks on Israeli civilians galvanized the Jewish state and its allies. In a joint statement, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S. all expressed their “steadfast support for the State of Israel,” and the “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism.”
Tech guru Hillel Fuld talks about Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel
Saturday, Oct. 7, was the single deadliest day for the Jewish people since World War II. More than 700 people in Israel are dead: Jews, Arabs, Europeans, Americans and others.
A compilation of Hamas clips shows how the terror group invaded southern Israel yesterday. First they bombed Israeli observation towers and weapons systems on the border, then fired hundreds of rockets as terrorists on paragliders flew over the border. Moments later, Hamas… pic.twitter.com/D4iIoCV51q
In a nation as small as Israel, there can’t be an attack like this without every resident being personally impacted in some way. Hillel Fuld is one of those Israelis.
Fuld is a guru in the tech world and one of Israel’s most ardent supporters. One of his brothers was killed by a Palestinian terrorist five years ago. Another brother works in the Knesset, Israel’s legislative body.
Like most in Israel, Hillel served in the military. He also has four sons, one of whom could be drafted in the next few months.
Straight Arrow News’ Ryan Robertson had the opportunity to speak with Hillel briefly on Monday, about 48 hours after attacks, to gain his insights about what’s unfolding in Israel.
Below is a transcript of the conversation that has been slightly edited for clarity.
Robertson: Hillel Fuld. Thank you so much for joining us today. Take me back to Saturday morning, if you would. You know, here in the states, we woke up and it was just crazy, but it’s different in Israel.
It was Shabbat morning. It’s Sukkot, it’s a holy day. Simchat Torah was starting that evening, it’s a time of joy. People were celebrating, and you woke up to this, this tragedy. Just take me back to that and kind of walk me through it.
Fuld: So let me just correct you first. In Israel, Simchat Torah, is actually combined with Shemini Atzeret, two holidays that are combined in Israel. So, Saturday morning was actually Simchat Torah, and we were dancing with Torah scrolls, which is what Jews do on Simchat Torah. And mid prayers, as we hugged the Torah scrolls, there’s a screech from the women’s section, “Azakah!” Which means alarm, which means siren.
On the way to synagogue five minutes before that with my kids, I had heard Iron Domes above me, which, sadly to say is not something that’s so uncommon, it by no means there’s a war starting. And so, I didn’t really make much of it. And when they screamed that there’s a siren, that was strange. And we all obviously rushed to the bomb shelter.
Smoke and flames rise following Israeli strikes in Gaza, October 9, 2023. Source: Reuters.
Fuld: The problem is that because it was a holiday, there were hundreds of people in synagogue and the bomb shelter was not created for hundreds of people. And so, there was not even close to enough space there. So, the woman went in the men stood by walls and tried to protect ourselves the best we can. And that was just the beginning. And then, siren after siren after siren after siren. Members of communities, sons getting called up one after the other, one after the other. Rabbi’s son gets called up one after the other. And we knew something was very, very serious.
The rumors started to circulate, obviously. As far as observant Jews, we don’t use our phones. So, we were all basing on rumors. And that’s very dangerous. And so, I kind of wanted to believe inside that the rumors could not be true, because how could that – How could that have happened, what people were saying? And for whatever reason, everyone around me was trying to kind of calm me down. I was like, how do I calm down? What happens if these rumors are true? What happens if I come back from Sabbath, I turn on my phone, and there are 75 casualties. For some reason, that number was the craziest number I could imagine. 75 dead, like I….Well, you know. You know what happened. And it’s, it’s been an absolute zoo since.
A crowd gathers after a rocket, launched from the Gaza Strip landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank October 9, 2023. Source: Reuters.
Fuld: And I, on a personal level, just kind of made it my role to try to spread as much optimism as I can. And maybe that’s me, you know, using that as a coping mechanism. I don’t know, I’m not a psychologist, but that’s what I’ve been occupying myself with. But it’s, to say it’s tragic is the understatement of the century. I mean, the deadliest day since the Holocaust, as far as the Jewish nation is concerned. And, you know, people talking about the Yom Kippur War, the deadliest Day in the Yom Kippur War, I think was 310 casualties. We’re at 800. So just for perspective, this is this is a historic, historic tragedy.
I just know one thing. What you see is not what you get. This is not what it seems.
Hillel Fuld
Robertson: This is not your first experience with terrorism. You have personal, many people in Israel have personal experience with it. But you and your story are somewhat unique. Can you kind of just explain a little bit, your backstory with your brother?
Fuld: Sure. So, we’re from New York originally, been in Israel for 30 years. My older brother… We’re five boys. Ari was one older than me. So, I’m number four. I have a younger brother number five, who’s in the Knesset, in the Parliament. And Ari was one above me, and he was a very outspoken Israel advocate for many years with millions of people who read and watched this stuff. And on the eve of Yom Kippur, five years ago, he was shopping for his family, about 20 minutes outside of Jerusalem and a 16-year-old Palestinian kid came and stabbed him in a main artery in his neck.
Ari ran after the terrorist, basically with no blood in his veins. Quite supernaturally. And he chased the terrorist and got in a shooting position. Jumped over a wall first and got in a shooting position and shot him. He did not kill him, but he saved a woman who the terrorist was about, I don’t know a few inches from, which was his intended next victim. And then Ari obviously dropped dead. And he got a national hero award from the State of Israel.
The stories five years later still flow in like, you know, the amount of people that he touched in his life and influence and impacted. He really, one person I would say, really changed the lives of millions of people. And it’s, on the one hand, obviously, tremendous tragedy on a personal and family level and for the nation of Israel. But I’m not going to lie and say that there is not some serious pride here. My grandmother, rest in peace, was a survivor of Auschwitz. And I always say if I told her one day that your grandson would be a national hero of the State of Israel, your other grandson would be in the Parliament of the State of Israel and your other grandson would be whatever, however you want to describe me. She wouldn’t know what to do with that information.
And so, it’s historic times we’re living in. I’ve got to take a wider perspective, despite the personal pain. We’re doing what we can, but we’re dealing with savage — I don’t want to say animals, because it’s highly offensive to animals, but savage beings that have no humanity. Period. And they will stop at nothing. They are driven 100% by killing as many Jews as possible. And I think if I am going to try to maybe squeeze some lemonade here out of the lemons, I’ll say that at least now the world sees their true face. And I want to believe that is something I hope that the world will not forget; in two days or three days or four days when Israel hopefully does what it needs to do in Gaza.
Robertson: Based on what you just said, I think I know what your answer is going to be for this next question, but it kind of leads me into it. There is some debate in Western media about the proper terms to use for Hamas soldiers, are they militants? Are they terrorists? What’s the right term?
Fuld: The answer to that question is: by the very question, we know that the moral compass of Western society has gone out the window a long time ago. The fact that we’re even discussing people that abduct women, children, Holocaust survivors, and we’re even discussing what to call them? Like, what – there’s no discussion. They’re terrorists. Period, full stop, and anybody who has any debate about that needs to seriously check their moral compass.
Robertson: I want to get back to something you said earlier. You said when you were at synagogue, you’re on your way there and you heard Iron Dome going off. And as sad as it is, that’s part of life in Israel: hearing the Iron Dome intercepting missiles. It wasn’t necessarily a cause of alarm for you.
A lot of observant Jews, they’re not connected to social media during that timeframe. What sort of concerns do you have, as far as like, is the Israeli government’s ability to secure borders and protect its people based on what happened Saturday morning? I mean, there’s people on gliders like, you know, ultralight gliders coming in, fences were blown up. There’s now reports of terror tunnels, and some of the connections ….
Fuld: I’m not equipped to answer that question. If I’m being honest. We don’t know anything yet. I could tell you what kinds of conspiracies, I’d rather not. I just know one thing. What you see is not what you get. This is not what it seems. That I could tell you unequivocally. Because any soldier that’s ever been on the border with Gaza knows that if a bird flies by, they are alerted.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, in southern Israel, October 9, 2023. Source: Reuters.
Fuld: There is no way that 400, or however many hundreds of Palestinians on tractors, blowing up the border wall came through without anybody noticing. It’s just not a thing at all whatsoever. Zero percent chance that happened. So, I don’t know what happened. I know that Hamas pulled one over everyone. For two years, they’ve been planning this. I know that there were the Egyptians tried to warn… again because I don’t know. What I do know is that it is not what you think is… what you see is what you get, because there is no way this happened without something more than just Hamas’ sophisticated abilities. Which, you know, they are sophisticated.
What they’ve developed in years of us just letting them be, they’ve definitely developed very sophisticated weapons. But that was not enough to pull this off. I don’t know the answer to that question. But we’re going to find out soon.
Robertson: You bet. This morning, the military, I mean, it’s mobilized. Reserves, hundreds of thousands of reserves are being called up. Just from a like a boots on the ground perspective for folks in the West who haven’t seen anything like that, don’t know what that looks like, kind of walk me through that process from a citizen of Israel.
Fuld: What specifically are you asking about?
Robertson: Well, I mean, are you seeing soldiers? Are tanks rolling down the street? Or is your neighbor packing up his bag to go serve? I mean, what sort of impacts personally has the mobilization had on your life and on your family’s life?
Every five minutes I’m hearing about another person that I know that was killed.
Hillel Fuld
Fuld: I mean, I live in a town in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, there are no tanks on the streets. Butnevery five minutes I’m hearing about another person that I know that was killed.
I just heard about a childhood friend’s son was killed. I just heard about my late brother’s best friend’s son was killed. You know, so if terror didn’t touch most people in the country till now, now everybody knows someone who was killed. You know, someone did ask me, “Are you planning on leaving Israel?” That thought did not even crossed my mind, and it wouldn’t ever cross my mind.
Despite everything that’s going on, I still believe Israel is the safest place for a Jew to be today. I know it’s a funny thing to say. But it’s statistically true. It’s historically true. There’s no debate about it whatsoever. Even with the horrible tragedy that we’re experiencing right now. But other than that, other than hearing about friends who are losing their relative and loved ones, and obviously hearing the booms, hearing the Iron Dome, hearing the bombing of Gaza, it’s not necessarily deeply impacting my kids. They’re here in my house, thank God. One of my kids was away for the Sabbath, so I had to go pick them up which is a little scary, but thank God. I mean it hasn’t, I don’t want to jinx anything but, we’re here at home safe. When someone knocks on the door, I definitely check twice before I open it. But other than that, thank God we’re safe.
Robertson: In America obviously there’s the Second Amendment. In Israel, there’s been an increase of purchase certificates for personal weapons at home. Have you felt a need to arm yourself? To protect yourself from, the potential threat of more Palestinians invading?
Fuld: My brothers are all armed. They all officially live over the green line, you know, in the quote unquote settlements. I am not armed. I never owned a gun, and I have no intention of owning a gun. If I’m being totally kind of transparent and honest with you, I don’t like guns. You know, we all fight our battles. My battle, I view, is in front of the keyboard.
I was in the Army. I served in the military; I was in artillery. I dealt with shooting cannons, and, from my perspective, for as long as I live, I never want to smell that gunpowder again. Because it’s, I don’t want to use the word trauma, but it’s not something I want in my life ever again.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes in Gaza, October 9, 2023. Source: Reuters.
Robertson: Israel has mandatory service, you have two sons, correct?
Fuld: I have four sons.
Robertson: Four sons. Sorry. As a dad. I mean, what’s going through your mind right now? This war is starting, you have four sons?
Fuld: I mean, listen, at some point. I have to, I have to look up to the heavens, right? I have to, I have to tap into my faith. Because if I’m going to only look at this from a, let’s call it “human perspective,” then I won’t be able to deal with the anxiety, right?
My oldest son is 19. He’s in a pre-military academy. Now, he’s probably drafting in the next couple of months. To say I’m not terrified, that would be a lie. My second son, you know, is not far off, about a year. My twins are 12. They have some time. But the thought is paralyzing. It’s terrifying, of course.
Robertson: Before Saturday, from an outside observer, there was a lot of divide in Israel about, you know, you said, quote, unquote, settlements earlier. There’s this idea of the two-state solution. And there’s just a lot of division within Israel. What to do with the Palestinians? What to do with West Bank, and what to do with Gaza? Like, do we deal with them together or separate? What’s the feeling now? Is there more of a unified feeling now?
Fuld: I think the feeling here is no different than the feeling globally, and that is that the Palestinian cause is rest in peace. Thank God. So, if I’m going to find a little cup half full of perspective, I don’t think anyone in their right mind — and when I say that, I don’t mean “anyone.” There are people, there are still people marching the streets of New York supporting the Palestinian cause — excuse me for saying it this way — but if you’re supporting the cause of people that just abducted old women and children, and I don’t even want to think what they did to them, then you are a terrorist. Full blown. I’m not even ashamed to say that anymore. I would have said it a little more moderately about three weeks ago. And I would have said, “You’re supporting terror.” But now if you’re supporting the Palestinian cause, today, after what you’ve seen, that’s just full-blown terror support. I don’t think anyone in their right mind thinks that two-state solution is on the table.
I think everyone understands the reality, which is what I’ve been screaming and yelling, and Ari, my older brother, late brother, used to say all the time, which is this is not about land. If they wanted land, they would have had land years ago. W gave them Gaza, they had land. This isn’t about land. They say it. It’s about time we listen to them. This is about dead Jews, period. I think the world now understands that.
And again, maybe this is me trying to be cup half full, but to me, maybe that’s something positive that came out of out of all of this. Which is the mask that the Palestinian people have worn for so long, has now been removed and the world sees it just as clearly as I see it, as my brother saw it. And I think that that’s extremely important diplomatically and politically.
Robertson: Bibi Netanyahu said, we’re committed to it. There’s support within the U.S. I mean, Nikki Haley and other presidential candidates have said, you know, “finish them.” President Biden has said, “Israel has the right to support itself from terrorists. Full stop.”
Is this unfortunately, the tragedy that needed to happen and you kind of spoke to a little bit of it, the cup half full? Is this the tragedy that needed to happen in order for Israel to kind of take the gloves off, go into Gaza and clean house?
Fuld: I mean, I can answer that from a few different perspectives. As a Jew, I want to believe that we are a nation of mercy and of compassion. And we pray in our prayers 100 times a day for peace. Peace is the most fundamental pillar of Judaism. And so, I believe, somewhere deep down, we’ve been naive. We’ve been really naive thinking, maybe they’ll change. Maybe there’ll be a moderate leader. Maybe there’ll be an uprising. Maybe, maybe they’ll change. And so, you know, the thought of going into Gaza and flattening Gaza, that’s not a Jewish concept. Right? And so, I think we’ve kind of avoided the topic altogether. And just the whole disengagement. I mean, I could talk about this for hours. It’s an absolute travesty, and a historic mistake of unprecedented proportions, as far as I’m concerned.
But unfortunately, this is what needed to happen. And I still don’t know if we’re going to do what needs to be done. I hope to God that we do. I don’t even know what needs to be done, because I’m not a military strategist. And, the one thing that people need to understand is that in every war in history, innocent people are killed.
No one would claim that World War II was unjustified. There were millions of innocent Germans killed. No one’s going to say, “Oh, but they were innocent.” And you know what? It’s sad when innocents are killed. There’s no question. But as you know, there’s that famous video, the silent majority is irrelevant.
It doesn’t matter how many of these Palestinians dance in the streets and give out candies, there’s many hundreds of thousands — if not more, it doesn’t matter. Because even if the majority does want peace, if they’re sitting there letting Hamas, electing Hamas… then as far as I’m concerned, they’ve gotten their death wish. And unfortunately, they’re going to be innocents who are killed. But that’s, like I said, every war.
I hope we do what we need to do. And again, I’m not going to say what we need to do, because I’m not a military strategist. I don’t know. I know what my heart and my emotions tell me what we need to do. But obviously, that’s not the way to run and conduct a war. So, I hope that we have the smartest people in this country, and I hope that we make the right decision to do what we need to do. Finally. It’s unfortunate that this had to happen for us to reach that conclusion.
Robertson: What else do we need to know? Hillel, what else? What else does that world not know?
Fuld: I mean, this is the deadliest days since the Holocaust for the Jewish people. We need to understand the proportions here. And you know, if you pray, pray. And if you don’t pray, pray. You know, just say the words. Just say the words. It doesn’t hurt. Just say it. We need it. We need it badly.
You know, I’m sitting here talking to you on my phone is exploding from all the infiltrations that have got to Israel from Gaza, from the north from the south. It’s all over the place, and it’s not stopping. So, we need prayers. You know, we do have the strongest, one of the strongest armies in the world. We do know what we need to do, but we still need prayers. So, I guess that’s the last thing I could say is just pray for us because we really do need it.
Robertson: Hillel thanks so much for joining me today. I really appreciate it.
Hamas terrorists used paragliders in their attack on Israel
Hamas terrorists breached the border with Israel by land, sea and air, using motorized paragliders as part of their insertion. Hamas released video of its paragliding unit training for the assault.
The gliders use a single canopy, or airfoil, in combination with a small motor with enough power to get one person airborne.
The paragliders usually travel between 15 and 50 miles per hour, even with a motor. Depending on how they are calibrated, radars and other air defense systems might not pick up paragliders or display them on readout screens.
That is one possible explanation as to how Hamas was able to get gliders into Israeli territory at the start of the attack, but it is not known for certain.
The Israeli government and defense forces have not said much about the intelligence failures leading up to the attack. Egypt said it warned Israel ahead of time that something big was coming from Gaza, however Israel is denying it received such reports.
The Israel Defense Forces were aware of Hamas’ growing capability with paragliders. An IDF post from May 2021 confirmed the success of a strike on a Hamas operative in Gaza. The strike was ordered because the house contained weapons and equipment of the Hamas paragliding unit.
Now, whether Israel was warned about the attacks on Oct. 7 or not, the fact remains that Hamas used paragliders to bring about the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
US military completes several nuclear weapons tests from sea and air
The USS Louisiana is out of the shop and ready to return to work patrolling the seas for the United States Navy. There’s no better way for the crew of an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine to prove their worth than with a test launch of their most valuable weapon, the Trident II.
The test launch had been previously scheduled, and was not meant as a message to any particular country. Launches like this are part of what the Navy calls a Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO). During DASO 32, the Trident II missile the Louisiana launched was just a test munition, meaning it wasn’t armed. It was the 191st successful launch of the Trident, proving the unmatched reliability of the weapon system.
The Louisiana and other nuclear-armed submarines make up part of what’s called the nuclear triad. It’s a layered approach that the United States uses to project power globally, and hopefully to keep enemies in check.
The sea-based leg of the triad accounts for around 70% of U.S.-deployed strategic nuclear weapons. The Air Force takes care of the other two legs of the triad, which include land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and long-range strategic bombers, like the B-52 Stratofortress.
B-52s first started flying in the 1950s, but they’ve been upgraded multiple times since then. The latest variant under development is the B-52J. Its new kit includes an upgraded radar system to better track air and ground targets. The new B-52J will rely on eight new Rolls Royce engines to achieve flight.
The Air Force’s modernization of the nation’s nuclear bomber fleet doesn’t stop at just the planes, though. Now, USAF’s nuclear-capable cruise missiles are getting an upgrade, too.
A newly released report from the Pentagon shows the Air Force and Defense contractor RTX completed at least nine tests of the new, and still mostly classified, Long-Range Standoff missile. AirandSpaceForcesMagazine broke the story.
Images of the new LRSO aren’t publicly available, but it is known that the missile successfully performed the basic tasks of a cruise missile: separating from the plane, powering up, arming, and then flying to a designated target.
According to the Selected Acquisition Reports for 2022, which was just released in September, “the first full-system integrated test demonstrating design, manufacturing, and navigation maturing” was completed in October, 2022 by RTX and the USAF. The B-52 was the test platform of choice.
The LRSO will replace the AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile. The B-52 will be the first U.S. bomber to carry the weapon. The B-21 Raider will also carry LRSO missiles. The B-21 is the newest stealth bomber to join the triad. Aside from a handful of images, there isn’t much known about the bomber.
It’s reasonable to assume, like the B-21, the new LRSO will be stealthier than its predecessor. It’s also reasonable to assume that it will be able to communicate with the plane that launched it, and other assets in the battlespace, to sense and potentially avoid threats as necessary.
These capabilities already exist in conventional cruise missiles, but putting them on a nuclear device sends a clear message to would-be enemies: Don’t.
While the name is certainly lacking in creativity, the Pentagon called LSE “one of the most realistic and technologically advanced exercises” ever executed.
LSE certainly lived up to its name. Twenty-five thousand sailors and Marines across 22 time zones took part in this year’s Large Scale Exercise. It’s the second iteration of the event, the first one held back in 2021.
LSE 2023 simulated a scenario where two near-peer adversary nations were acting aggressively, and this virtual situation required a multi-faceted global response from the U.S. Navy and Marines.
LSE combined both live and virtual elements into the training, including everything from aircraft carriers to submarines to shore logistics and maintenance crews.
The advanced technology on the Navy vessels allows them all to connect through a massive virtual network. For instance, with the ease of essentially playing a video game, sailors sitting on a ship docked in North Carolina could interact with their fellow sailors onboard a ship in the Mediterranean Sea to coordinate operations as if both ships were in the same location.
Various virtual and live ships and elements also took part in LSE, as well as a host of virtual combatants from the two near-peer adversarial nations.
While the Navy didn’t say the two enemy nations were meant to simulate China and Russia, USNI News reported the tactics employed by the enemy vessels in LSE were based on “real world events.”
“We’re using their order of battle and their numbers, too. This is very, very realistic. It’s what you’re going to face in a real operations review to determine the adversary and, if necessary, fight the adversary,” Adm. Jamie Foggo told reporters.
The sheer size of Large Scale Exercise is designed to test the fundamental components of how the Marines and Navy will fight in future conflicts. After two decades locked in land-battles, the Marines are going back to their island-hopping roots, relying more on expeditionary tactics to operate from littoral regions.
The Navy will need to counter emerging threats like unmanned systems and new electronic warfare measures, as well as the old favorites like anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, submarines and other surface vessels.
While the warfighting was all virtual, the crew of the USS Porter still had time to perform some real-life heroics during LSE 2023. Four civilian scuba divers, who had been missing for 14 hours, were spotted floating on a small raft about 40 nautical miles off the coast of North Carolina.
The USS Porter sent a small support craft to rescue the divers. Vice Adm. Daniel Dwyer, commander of the U.S. Navy’s second fleet, said, “The fact that Porter was able to conduct the rescue while actively participating in one of the biggest global naval exercises of the year is a testament to the crew’s flexibility and readiness.”
College graduates ditching Big Tech for Big Defense
Thousands of soon-to-be college graduates across the country are getting ready to join the workforce. When it comes finding that employment: Big Tech is out, defense contractors are in.
The website Handshake helps match new graduates and soon-to-be graduates with potential employers. Handshake analyzed search traffic on the site and found of the 10 companies students are most interested in working for, there wasn’t a single Big Tech company. Meta, Google and Microsoft are all off the list.
Raytheon, search interest up by 209%.
Nike, search interest up by 103%.
Toyota, search interest up by 101%.
Lockheed Martin, search interest up by 92%.
Chevron, search interest up by 72%.
Capital One, search interest up by 64%.
Morgan Stanley, search interest up by 60%.
Boeing, search interest up by 56%.
Bank of America, search interest up by 42%.
NASA, search interest up by 29%.
There were three defense contractors, however. Raytheon Technologies topped the list of employers, seeing more than a 200% increase in interest.
Handshake said new graduates want stability in their careers, and few industries have been more volatile lately than Big Tech.
On the flip side, defense contractors are seeing an uptick in revenues. The war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East and the mounting tensions in the Pacific over Taiwan all helped propel global defense spending to record levels in 2022.
If current trends continue, global defense spending will likely set new records over the next few years as well. That, in turn, means a career with a defense contractor will likely continue to be appealing to college graduates.
Global military spending hit $2.24T in 2022, Europe sees record growth
According to a study from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the amount of money being spent on militaries around the world reached new heights in 2022. That spending is largely driven by the conflict in Ukraine.
Europe saw its highest increase in military spending over the past 30 years, reaching levels unseen since the Cold War. Global military spending reached a record $2.24 trillion which amounts to 2.2% of the world’s gross domestic product.
The U.S. is still spending the most money on its military, accounting for 36% of the world’s military spending. China accounts for 13%.
The rest are far behind. Russia would be next at 3.9%. The three world powers account for 56% of the world’s total.
Europe saw a 13% increase in military spending compared to the prior year largely because of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine increased its spending by 640%, thanks to donations from abroad. The U.S. is Ukraine’s greatest financial backer. Meanwhile, Russia’s military spending rose by 9% last year.
Other countries with the sharpest rise in military spending, behind Ukraine, include Finland with a 36% increase, Lithuania at 27%, and Sweden and Poland are up 12% and 11% respectively.
Global defense spending soared in 2022, same expected for 2023
2022 was a banner year for defense contractors. If turnout at this year’s International Defense Exhibit in Abu Dhabi is any indication, 2023 will continue the streak of record sales.
Visitors and exhibitors from 65 countries attracted around 130,000 people for the biennial defense fair. IDEX 2023 was the best attended event in years according to its organizers.
The United Arab Emirates alone signed defense contracts totaling over $6 billion at IDEX. According to CNBC, many of the contractors said the war in Ukraine spurred nations to beef up defense spending. One American contractor even called Russian President Vladimir Putin “the best weapons salesman there is.”
Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin are the two largest American defense contractors. Raytheon manufacturers the PATRIOT missile defense system. Lockheed Martin makes HIMARS. Both systems are in high demand in Ukraine, which is leading to an order backlog as NATO allies look to replenish their own supplies.
— Raytheon Missiles & Defense (@RaytheonDefense) January 25, 2023
Lockheed Martin recorded $19 billion in fourth quarter sales last fiscal year. Raytheon had $4.1 billion in the fourth quarter, but its order backlog totals more than $150 billion.
Across the globe, countries spent more on defense in 2022 than ever before. Germany, Poland, and France all implemented massive defense spending budgets worth billions to counter Russia’s growing threat.
Days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany announced it would spend an additional $106 billion on defense. Poland raised defense spending to 3% of GDP, and France’s government said it will increase defense spending by 30% over the next few years.
Japan is raising its defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027 to counter threats from China and North Korea. Both China and Russia said their military budgets are also getting bigger. Russia increased its planned 2023 defense budget by 40%, bringing it to roughly $84 billion.
Of course, this all pales in comparison to the amount the U.S. spends on defense. When President Joe Biden signed the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act in December, he approved allotting more than $816 billion to the Department of Defense.
