U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Post

DEFENSE FORCES MODERNIZATION COMPONENTS In the absence of a particular component, modernization would be incomplete and unsustainable, particularly in times of armed conflict. Firepower alone would be inadequate and could not produce the desired results. Without a competent crew and command and control structure, it cannot be applied effectively. Absent the necessary infrastructure, platforms and systems, platforms and weapons systems could not be sheltered and sustained. Doctrines to deal with administrative and operational tasks have to be in place to guide people and to manage systems, personnel and combat operations and actions. Sustainment through the availability of technical expertise and logistics have to be in place to assure organizational robustness, resilience and the war-time availability of platforms and weapons systems.

When political & tactical are delinked, then it becomes possible to write, "The IDF’s operations in Gaza, beginning in October 2023, provide valuable lessons for the conduct of urban operations".

Naval forces development requires a thorough coverage of the spectrum of conflict. There should be no vulnerabilities and loopholes that the enemy could exploit. In planning, it must not be assumed that the enemy is dumb or will accommodate one’s expectations. It is dangerous to believe that one’s organization is already strong even if the men are brave and committed. It is necessary that these men have the proper arms and the competency to use them. Command and control, strike, lift, support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities must be combined with air, surface, sub-surface and electronic warfare capabilities. Lack of a certain capability may mean a mission cannot be performed or an enemy action cannot be countered. When a critical capability is missing, one’s forces will be vulnerable or would have no capacity to fight back. Development and modernization of forces must include all essential capabilities not just a few. Forces must make sure that there are sufficient capabilities for effective offense and defense.

Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) conducted its largest live-fire exercise, the ‘Fuji Comprehensive Firepower Exercise,’ on Sunday. - https://lnkd.in/g-qMS65u SHIZUOKA, May 27 (News On Japan) - Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) conducted its largest live-fire exercise, the 'Fuji Comprehensive Firepower Exercise,' on Sunday. https://lnkd.in/gKQKCqDj This annual exercise, now in its 66th iteration, sees the participation of approximately 3,000 personnel. Over the course of a single day, around 68.4 tons of ammunition, worth an estimated 8.4 billion yen, will be used. This year's exercise is designed with a focus on island defense, particularly in the southwestern islands. Activities include the deployment of troops from helicopters, tank firing drills, and the flight of the Osprey, which had temporarily halted operations due to a U.S. military accident but has resumed participation in this major exercise for the first time. It is the first time since the resumption of Osprey flights that the GSDF has included them in a large-scale exercise. The primary objective of this exercise is to educate GSDF personnel. Similar to last year, the event is not open to the general public. Source: TBS https://lnkd.in/gjW3SXZp Source

Tactical Lessons from Israel Defense Forces Operations in Gaza, 2023 Dr Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds 11 July 2024 This paper seeks to identify lessons relevant to the British Army, based on analysis of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations in autumn 2023. Operations in Gaza have highlighted the criticality of organic lethality at echelon. Hamas tactics have evolved over the course of the fighting, but each iteration saw different groupings of fighters endeavour to rapidly engage isolated IDF units before disengaging. In practice these tactics did not perform well because Hamas was not able to concentrate sufficient firepower. It therefore often failed to inflict significant damage, while the IDF were generally able to suppress attackers and thereafter deliberately target them. For the British Army the lesson is clear: organic lethality must be increased in close combat echelons. The ability to responsively employ precision fires in close proximity to friendly forces – allowing higher echelons to increase the lethality of close combat forces – has become critically dependent on access to the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). The IDF found that once units had UAS organic to their formations, there was a significant challenge to identifying friend or foe. Once the enemy was also employing UAS, friendly electronic protection saturated the spectrum, interfering with digitised command and control. This has produced a requirement for reversionary methods to be available, and for improved EMS battlespace management. The IDF ultimately suppressed Hamas’s capacity to concentrate forces because of its access to air delivered effects. It is worth noting that buildings do not offer significant protection against air delivered munitions, because of the weight of ordnance that can be dropped with precision. The lesson for the British Army is that urban defence must be premised on effective air defence covering the urban space. The application of air delivered fires to bypass the physical protection offered by urban terrain creates significant challenges for discrimination. First, there is the question of what cannot be seen as regards concealed civilians. Second, in conventional and unconventional conflict, combatants are increasingly blending in with the civilian population in a manner that makes discrimination difficult. The IDF have struggled with this problem and it has been exacerbated by the IDF ceding critical elements of the information environment, such as casualty estimates, to entities associated with Hamas.

On February 15, the Dutch Armed Forces showcased the Thales Ground Master 200 Multi Mission Compact Radar (GM200 MM/C), a state-of-the-art multifunctional radar system. The acquisition of at least nine of these radar units was decided by the Dutch military in 2019, marking a substantial investment in the country’s defence capabilities. Six of these units are earmarked for Fire Support Command, while the remaining three will enhance the capabilities of the Ground-Based Air Defence Command. All units are expected to achieve operational readiness by the end of next year, with the first station slated for delivery to the artillery by mid-year. Designed for versatility, the GM200 MM/C can function as both artillery radars, under the fire support command, and as an integral part of air defence systems. Boasting a range of up to 300 kilometers, these radars are capable of detecting various aerial threats from significant distances. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dB6wqAVR #Netherlands #airdefence #artillery #radar #GroundMaster200 #GM200 #MMC #airdefence #artillery #technology #industry #Thales

DETERRING VLAD & OTHER THUGS Let's hope the rest of NATO's Europe follows the historically successful strategy of peace through robust defense and industrial strength ... or at least a step in the right direction for those that have neglected their military obligations for too long ... from NATO to democracies in the Indo-Pacific region.

Finland is the latest Nordic country to beef up its coastal defense with the planned acquisition of over a dozen self-propelled artillery systems to protect the country’s territorial waters in the Baltic Sea. The Finnish Logistics Command, which oversees military equipment acquisitions, announced a tender to purchase up to 20 artillery systems, depending on available funding, without disclosing the contract value. The goal of these purchases will be to create a mobile artillery capability dedicated to coastal defense as to engage vessels in “Finnish territorial waters at the littoral area including the archipelago and hostile forces on land,” according to recently published documents . Finland’s territorial sea covers an area of 54,130 square kilometers, per the European Commission’s Maritime Spatial Planning database. Note: Having recently returned from a maritime security engagement in the Baltic, this is great to see

Progress on Archipelagic Defense For well over a decade there has been a notion of using lands based weapons to deny Chinese forces access to the wider Pacific in a war - called Archipelagic Defense. With the dissolution of the INF Treaty this has become possible, and years later systems are starting to arrive. Like the news today of Exercise Resolute Hunter. See the story here: https://lnkd.in/eYTV43Ti That said, these systems and their support units need to begin deploying to East Asia to perfect the concepts of operation and refine the system designs.

⚡️ Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (13 March 2024) The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation. Operational-Tactical and Army Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Groups of Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation wiped out two Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopters at a landing pad near Novopavlovka (Donetsk People's Republic), and one armament and military hardware maintenance workshop near Balakleya (Kharkov region). In addition, the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system was destroyed at a firing position in Kharkov region, and AFU manpower and hardware was engaged in 129 areas. Air defence units shot down 136 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, four U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, six Grad MLRS projectiles, and three French-made HAMMER guided aerial bombs during the day. 📊 In total, 577 airplanes and 269 helicopters, 15,362 unmanned aerial vehicles, 485 air defence missile systems, 15,464 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,238 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 8,397 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 19,709 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation. In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU .. near Sinkovka (Kharkov region) and repelled one enemy counter-attack near Terni (Donetsk People's Republic). .. The AFU losses amounted to up to 250 Ukrainian troops, .. In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions, as well as inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU .. near Krasnoye, Kleshcheyevka, Andreyevka, and Kurdyumovka (Donetsk People's Republic) The AFU losses amounted to up to 245 Ukrainian troops, .. .. In Avdeyevka direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front lines and repelled 12 counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU .. near Novobakhmutovka, Kirovo, Berdichi, Orlovka, and Tonenkoye (Donetsk People's Republic). .. The AFU losses amounted to up to 460 Ukrainian troops, .. .. In South Donetsk direction, .. inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU .. near Malinovka (Zaporozhye region), Staromayorskoye, and Urozhaynoye (Donetsk People's Republic). .. The AFU losses amounted to up to 150 Ukrainians.. In Kherson direction, units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on units of the AFU .. near Stepovoye (Zaporozhye region), Nikopol (Dnepropetrovsk region), Berislav, and Tyaginka (Kherson region). The AFU losses amounted to up to 30 Ukrainian troops, .. https://lnkd.in/gDqu_2VJ