American industry is heavily dependent upon many minerals overwhelmingly controlled by China, including some used to make batteries for US weaponry. This is a vulnerability that threatens national security, and to prevent it from being exploited America must break this dependence on China.

Article by @MDPurzycki
defenseopinion.com/batteries-crit…
#China #mining #defense

defenseopinion.com/a-maritime-cas… Thanks to @defenseopinion for publishing. A maritime “cash for clunkers” program could provide needed stimulus to US shipbuilding and modernize the ready reserve fleet.

defenseopinion.com/iran-conflict-… Thanks to @defenseopinion for publishing. The US is now arguably a 7-8 carrier navy in a 15 carrier world given the number of flattops that are elderly and/or in long term maintenance.

American defense contracts are overwhelmingly awarded to large companies, resulting in costly and time-intensive production of necessary munitions. As Ukraine has demonstrated, relying more on small businesses can be a dramatic boon to military power.

Article by Nancy Langer of @sbliftoff
defenseopinion.com/small-business…
#defense #smallbusiness #defensecontract

AI mastery is a key to dominance in the modern military landscape, and data centers are the backbone of that. However, rapidly adopting AI means a risk of obtaining many tools without a clear idea of what to do with them. AI projects must be careful and purposeful, and data centers adaptable enough to support them.

Article by Jason Dunn-Potter of @intel
defenseopinion.com/optimizing-dat…
#defense #ai #datacenter

The European Commission recently moved towards reserving two-thirds of an important spectrum band. This proposal exemplifies spectrum’s status as a strategically important yet finite resource, and it must be treated as such.

Article by Jean-Francois Morizur, Ph.D of @CAILabs
defenseopinion.com/why-brussels-s…
#eu #spectrum #satellites

Establishing military AI dominance is crucially important, but the DOD has struggled to confront the numerous complex challenges standing in the way of this goal. If handled correctly, the Pentagon’s new AI acceleration strategy may be the solution.

Article by Zhenia Klevitsky of ITC Federal
defenseopinion.com/the-pentagons-…
#ai #defense #dod

Israel’s missile defense system has been a smashing success, in no small part thanks to US assistance. Now, it’s time for the US to have its own. If Israeli expertise is leveraged, the Golden Dome can become a powerful symbol of American strength and security.

Article by @james_durso
defenseopinion.com/what-trump-can…
#israel #defense #goldendome

The Jones Act sustains domestic maritime capacity, but critics have taken aim at its limits and weaknesses, leading to the question of repeal. While these criticisms should be considered, the act’s strategic importance means reform, not repeal, is the superior choice.

By Steven Wills, Ph.D of @CMS_Washington
defenseopinion.com/fix-the-jones-…
#shipping #maritime #industrialbase

Both beyond and within the US’s borders, American military personnel frequently encounter situations where connectivity is disrupted, introducing challenges to mission efficiency. To mitigate these difficulties, resilient systems need to be put into place.

Article by Michael Chappell of @Appian
defenseopinion.com/keeping-defens…
#defense #communications #satellites

Israel’s emergency medical services have developed and expanded their systems in response to a constantly shifting landscape of missile and drone threats. The principles behind this preparedness are applicable elsewhere, and other countries can learn greatly from them.

Article by Raphael Herbst of @Mdais
defenseopinion.com/how-drone-miss…
#israel #emergencyresponse #defense

The DOD is investing billions of dollars into AI systems, but the fact remains that AI is limited and unreliable without a watchful human eye. Human judgment can identify contradictions and think creatively in ways AI can’t, and must work with it rather than be replaced by it.

Article by Jonathan Aberman
defenseopinion.com/human-judgment…
#ai #defense #dod

Public trust in the military has dropped recently amidst increasing senses of politicization and partisanism, presenting a strategic danger. Legislative reform needs to be passed to restore healthy civil-military relations.

Article by Nicholas Weising of @CMS_Washington
defenseopinion.com/the-cracks-in-…
#defense #military #democracy

For years, veterans seeking the care they deserve have struggled with the disorganized and outdated systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Under the Trump administration’s second term, a long-awaited push for modernization is changing that.

Article by @JayneZirkle
defenseopinion.com/trumps-va-tech…
#va #veterans

The Trump administration seeks to develop countermeasures against the very real threat of an EMP wave caused by a Russian nuclear detonation in space. However, such efforts are a fool’s errand, given the functional impossibility of defending against such an attack.

Article by John Fairlamb, Ph.D.

defenseopinion.com/planning-to-de…
#russia #defense #space

Revival will depend on adoption of tools such as small modular nuclear reactors, greater automation and new logistics systems that make maritime transport more efficient and commercially attractive. defenseopinion.com/the-long-hard-…

#industrialbase #shipbuilding

Had the system been in place for Epic Fury, Kuwaiti operators would have been working from the same fused air picture as every other coalition element. defenseopinion.com/the-solution-f…

#dod #usmilitary #iran

The nation needs more young people prepared for the quantitative demands of engineering, cyber, artificial intelligence, data science, logistics, advanced manufacturing and other fields that underpin U.S. military strength. defenseopinion.com/americas-math-…

#k12 #militaryreadiness #defense

A Troubling Precedent from Seoul

FDD's Nathan Picarsic in @defenseopinion: bit.ly/4fiCCLB