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Morning Recon
Good Tuesday morning and welcome to MORNING RECON. On this day in 1919, a naval Curtiss aircraft NC-4 commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight. RealClearDefense Exclusives: Swarm Wars at Sea: China's Cats vs. America's Dogs by Peter Navarro Winning a Game of Nuclear Chicken in Asia Redux by Jeff Becker The Forgotten Veterans of Desert Storm by James H. Joyner, Jr., PhD Today's Top Stories
NATIONAL Hypersonics, Nukes Top House Lawmaker’s Priorities List
By Audrey Decker, Defense One: "But markups at Doug Lamborn’s HASC strategic forces panel are on hold amid threats to force a U.S. default." What and Independent Uniformed Cyber Service Could Look Like
By Mark Pomerleau, DefenseScoop: "Some outside groups have offered roadmaps for how to establish an independent cyber force akin to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force." Radio Frequency Detecting Satellite Fleet Expanding
By Stew Magnuson, National Defense Magazine: "Hawkeye 360, which provides radio frequency detection from space, will be launching an additional nine satellites this year to expand its services." Push To Refill US Weapon Reserves Could Strain Hypersonic Production
By Courney Albon, Defense News: "Demand for munitions to support Ukraine’s fight against Russia — and the resulting need to backfill U.S. weapons stockpiles – could put a significant strain on the industrial base . . ."
Another Army Helicopter Incident Results in Minor Injuries
By Jonathan Lehrfeld, Army Times: "An Army helicopter accident occurred May 13 during a routine training exercise at Yakima Training Center, Washington, Army officials confirmed."
AC-130J Ghostrider Could Get Huge Upgrade From AESA Radar
By Joseph Trevithick & Tyler Rogoway, The War Zone: "An active electronically scanned array radar would allow AC-130Js to independently engage targets in any weather and at greater distances." Read more at RealClearDefense
INTERNATIONAL U.S., NATO:
NATO Steps Up Response To ‘Clear and Present’ Undersea Infrastructure Risk
By Lee Willett, Naval News: "NATO’s newly established Critical Undersea Infrastructure Co-ordination Cell is stepping up the alliance’s deterrence and response capability to a ‘clear and present’ risk to such infrastructure."
U.S., UKRAINE WAR:
Russia’s Forces ‘Greatly Eroded’ on Ground but Remain a Multidomain Threat
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes: “U.S. European Command’s GEN Christopher Cavoli said Russia’s total military force has sustained less damage during the war in Ukraine than its battlefield failures might suggest, and that some of its capabilities remain untouched since last year’s invasion.”
U.S., UKRAINE WAR:
Images Surface of Secretive U.S. MALD Flying Decoy Used in Ukraine
By Alex Hollings, Sandboxx News: "Over the weekend, images surfaced on social media that strongly suggest Ukraine is now operating America’s secretive ADM-160 Miniature Air Launched Decoy, or MALD in the ongoing fight against Russian forces." UKRAINE WAR:
Kyiv Hit by ‘Exceptional’ Number of Missiles
By Hugo Bachega & Kathryn Armstrong, BBC News: “The Ukrainian capital Kyiv has been targeted by further Russian air attacks, described by one official as "exceptional in density."”
Read more at RealClearDefense including: Chinese Warships Circle Japan Ahead of G-7 Summit COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS
Could Iran’s Tanker Seizures Bring Navy Convoys Back to the Gulf?
By James Stavridis, Bloomberg Opinion: “Virtually unnoticed amid alleged drone attacks on the Kremlin, a looming Ukrainian spring offensive and aggressive Chinese military activity around Taiwan, another region is heating up."
Force Development Reform for Manifesting DMO
By Dmitry Filipoff, CIMSEC: "Force development is the process of investigating the future of warfighting and aligning the preparations of a military along the lines of that investigation’s findings."
Give the Defense Innovation Unit a Slice of Ukraine Funds
By John Ferrari & Charles Rahr, Defense News: "Calls to make Ukraine a laboratory and a testing ground for our own weapons and platforms are the right ones."
Beware the Allure of Mission Modularity
By Emma Salisbury, Proceedings: "While mission modularity has many benefits, it is not the perfect solution to force-structure challenges."
It’s Time To Put Putin on the Defensive
By Ivana Stradner, The Telegraph: "Russia wields disinformation to weaken the UK and other Western democracies from within while damaging their reputations on the world stage."
Thinking Beyond the Taiwan Strait
By Michael Puttré, Discourse: “Deterring China may start with Taiwan, but the U.S. must take a long-term view with a global perspective."
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