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Morning Recon
Good Thursday morning and welcome to MORNING RECON. On this day in 1793, Thomas Paine is arrested in France for treason. Though the charges against him were never detailed, he had been tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Before moving to France, Paine was an instrumental figure in the American Revolution as the author of Common Sense, writings used by George Washington to inspire the American troops.
Today's Top Stories
NATIONAL Pentagon Releases Extremism Report After USA Today Investigation
By Will Carless, USA Today: “The report was commissioned by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in April 2021 as one of four “immediate actions” announced in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.”
Space Force Hosts Inaugural ‘Orbital Warfare’ Training Exercise
By Mikayla Easley, Defense News: “The Pentagon’s acquisition chief says that the need for drone defenses resembles that for 155mm artillery shells, which are in high demand amid wars in Ukraine and Gaza.”
Beyond the Osprey: DARPA Wants High-Speed Vertical Takeoff X-Plane
By Stephen Losey, Defense News: “The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working with four companies to design an experimental vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft that can fly at speeds far faster than the V-22 Osprey.” B-52 Needs New Pylons To Carry Max Load of Hypersonic Missiles
By Joseph Trevithick, The War Zone: “The Air Force Says B-52 being able to carry as many hypersonic cruise missiles as possible will be key in any future conflict with China." How an F-16 Dodged 6 Surface-to-Air Missiles in an Airstrike Gone Wrong
By Alex Hollings, Sandboxx News: “During the opening days of Operation Desert Storm, one American F-16 pilot overcame incredible odds by dodging not just one surface-to-air missile fired at him, but six in a row . . .”
Surface Navy Emphasizes Frigates in Its Latest Modernization Plans
By Megan Eckstein, Defense News: “The U.S. Navy’s recent force structure study puts even greater importance on small combatants, the director of surface warfare said, a shift in priorities that could require the surface navy to rebalance its ongoing modernization plans.”
Russell Hamler of WWII Merrill’s Marauders Dies at 99
From AP: “The reputed last member of the famed American jungle fighting unit in World War II nicknamed the Merrill’s Marauders has died.” Read more at RealClearDefense
INTERNATIONAL U.S., CHINA:
China Urges Regional Alert in Response to U.S. Forward Presence
By Laurie Chen & Ryan Woo, Reuters: “China's defence ministry on Thursday urged the Asia-Pacific to be on high alert as the United States steps up forward military deployment in the region, after reports of a U.S. plan to revive a Pacific airfield that launched atomic bombings of Japan.”
U.S., UKRAINE:
Biden Admin Announces Last $250M Aid Package for Ukraine
By Oren Liebermann, Natasha Bertrand & Jennifer Hansler, CNN: "The U.S. State Department announced a $250 million Ukraine military aid package on Wednesday, the last such package the U.S. will provide to Ukraine until Congress approves the Biden administration’s funding requests." ISRAEL, MIDDLE EAST:
Israel’s Benny Gantz Threatens To Ramp Up Military Action Against Hizbollah
By Polina Ivanova, Financial Times: “Despite Moscow’s continual rhetoric about NATO military base advancements drawing closer to the Russian border, the Kremlin has actively invested in the militarization of the Kaliningrad region on the borders of Poland and Lithuania.” NORTH KOREA:
North Korea’s Kim Orders Military To Accelerate War Preparations
By Soo-hyang Choi, Reuters: “North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his country's military, munitions industry and nuclear weapons sector to accelerate war preparations to counter what he called unprecedented confrontational moves by the U.S.”
Read more at RealClearDefense including: How Many Russian Generals Have Been Killed in Ukraine?
COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS
A Year of War and Little Peace
By Richard N. Haass, The Strategist (ASPI): “The advantage historians have over journalists is that the passage of time offers them a perspective not available to those with immediate deadlines.”
Where Did the Military Go Wrong With Gen Z?
By Opinion Letters, The Wall Street Journal “Military families observe a defense establishment that appears to be absorbed by DEI and woke ideology.”
Why the War Hammer Was a Mighty Weapon
By Chris McNab, History Net: “The hardy war hammer could fend off blows from swords and axes.”
Russia Is Divvying Up Prigozhin’s Empire Among Putin’s Cronies
By Lucian Staiano-Daniels, Foreign Policy: “Wagner’s African resources are up for grabs.”
China’s Military-Civil Fusion Strategy:
A Blueprint for Technological Superiority
By Nicholas R. Licata, Foreign Policy Research Institute: “In an effort to transform the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into the most technologically advanced military in the world, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is systematically reorganizing its science and technology sectors . . .”
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