FRONTLINE NEWS PORTAL
4 December 2023   (C4ISRNet)
NATO has wrapped up cybersecurity exercises in Estonia, welcoming Japan, South Korea and Ukraine to the proceedings as the alliance seeks like-minded governments to harden their collective virtual defences. Cyber Coalition 2023 focused on sharing threat intelligence and responding to attack scenarios on virtual national critical infrastructure as well as military targets and structures of military nature.
4 December 2023   (CNN)
The Russian military has been ordered by President Vladimir Putin increase its troop strength by 170,000, to 1.3 million, as his “special military operation” against Ukraine entered its 22nd month. The staged increase is being implemented through recruitment rather than conscription.
4 December 2023   (Defense News)
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius’ recent declaration that his country should prepare for the possibility of actual warfare evidently discomfited many citizens. His use of “kriegstüchtig,” an adjective which falls somewhere between becoming “war-capable” and “war-proficient” in his ministry’s policy, nomenclature, has been rejected as warmongering or evidence of the lack of a more pronounced defensive focus.
4 December 2023   (Fox)
The U.S. Air Force project to replace its four E-4B Nightwatch aircraft at a cost of at least $8 billion now has only bidder still in the running. Disagreements over data rights and contract terms mean Boeing is no longer being considered to replace its militarized 747-based “Doomsday” platforms, leaving it to a Sierra Nevada Corporation-Collins Aerospace partnership.
4 December 2023   (Politico)
The Defense Department is warning that U.S. industry is struggling to stay ahead of competitors such as China in the high technology arms race. “It does not possess the capacity, capability, responsiveness, or resilience required to satisfy the full range of military production needs at speed and scale,” the DoD says in the document dated November 27. “Just as significantly, the traditional defense contractors […] would be challenged to respond to modern conflict at the velocity, scale, and flexibility necessary to meet the dynamic requirements of a major modern conflict.”
4 December 2023   (Space News)
The Department of National Defense became the first NATO ally to gain access to the U.S. Space Force’s geosynchronous satellite-based mobile network developed for narrowband voice, video and data. The recently disclosed test in October used tactical radios from two locations in Ottawa to make point-to-point calls, transfer files, and access group chat services on the network.
1 December 2023   (Defense News)
NATO and EU member Estonia’s undersecretary for defence policy worries that some European states’ internal politics threaten commitments to supply Ukraine with more howitzer ammunition. “We are constantly pushing different nations to not give up because the timeline of deliveries is next March,” Tuuli Duneton says. “I wouldn’t say I am entirely pessimistic […] but lot remains to be done.”
1 December 2023   (EuroNews)
The week-log ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip has ended abruptly after the two sides exchange hostages and prisoners and permitted humanitarian aid to flow into besieged Gaza City. Israel resumed its devastating air and artillery strikes today and the Hamas-run health ministry said 178 persons were killed and dozens wounded.
1 December 2023   (Breaking Defense)
Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder has disclosed that her country plans to join France, Germany and Spain next July in developing a six-generation fighter through their Future Combat Air System project. Until then, Belgium will have observer status as of January.
1 December 2023   (Defense News)
Faced with cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and interference with government agencies, NATO plans to upgrade its 2021 artificial intelligence strategy to include generative AI to clarify what is expected from members’ industries, institutions and operational end-users. David van Wheel, the alliance’s assistant secretary general for emerging security challenges, says the review will begin in 2024.