In recent news, it was revealed that the United States may provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missile systems, Tomahawks are subsonic, terrain following, long range precision strike missile systems.  These systems come in multiple variants and are further categorized by “blocks” which indicate the level of modernization.  It is assumed that the Tomahawks that are to be provided to Ukraine are land-based systems of the block V modernization category.  (U) The block V category includes improved navigation, increased range and communications with datalink technologies. Providing these systems to Ukraine is a bad idea, a provocation that may lead to an escalation that we don’t want… 

Throughout modern military history, Russian leaders have had a distinct edge on Western leaders in their ability to employ strategic imagination in all aspects of their  decision making.  Western democratic leaders are limited by public opinion, law and bureaucratic constraints which stifle bold leadership actions.  By contrast, autocratic systems allow leaders to act decisively without public consensus or government compromise, thus enabling leaders like Putin and Stalin to execute bold strategies.

In recent weeks, the conflict in Ukraine and the geo-political events transpiring throughout Europe have intensified.  Russia’s foreign minister Lavrov recently said that Moscow is already in a “real war” with NATO and the EU, while French President Macron and British Prime Minister Starmer have retaliated in a war of words that have further enflamed tensions.  In Ukraine, Russia continues to dominate the Eastern front through attritional warfare devoid of explosive breakthroughs but nonetheless is making territorial gains.  Less publicized is the recent warning from the IAEA concerning detonated drones near the perimeter of a nuclear power plant located in southern Ukraine.  All of this points towards escalation, the blurring of battle lines, and diminishing hopes for diplomatic repair or off-ramps.

Transnational criminal networks are comprised of drug cartels, human-trafficking rings, money-laundering enterprises, arms traffickers, and sophisticated cybercriminal groups.  These organizations have grown in scale, lethality, and operational sophistication. The problem now sits at the intersection of law enforcement, homeland security, and national defense.

NATO is in reaction mode again this week as yet more drone incursions have pierced into Polish airspace.  This calls into question the true readiness of NATO in what has always been a contested region in and around the Suwalki Gap.  After the September 10 strikes, several drone parts have recently been discovered in Eastern Poland near the border with Belarus – the village of Czosnowka has been named frequently.  Czosnowka is a bit further South from Suwalki but still highlights the connection that Belarus has to the incursions, Belarus after all is part of the Union State compact established with Russia and often serves as a staging point or launching point for incursions.

(U) Located in China’s Xinjiang region, the Taklamakan Desert is home to a vast PLA training area used for missile and strike training. In the SE corner of the desert, one training range appears to have a full scale outline of the American Ford class nuclear powered aircraft carrier.

The transportation of hazardous materials is not just about slapping a placard on the side of the truck.  The transportation of hazardous materials requires that one be well versed in the governing national and international regulations as well as have in-depth knowledge of the nine classes of hazardous materials.  Other required knowledge areas include compatibility of classes, shipping documents, marking, labeling, packaging, placarding and emergency response information.  These are fundamental to managing the transportation of hazardous materials but much more will be needed if a planner or manager chooses to also certify hazardous materials for transportation.

(U) The U.S. has burned through a large share of its 155mm artillery ammunition stockpiles as a result of over committing to Ukraine since 2022. Demand has outstripped US production capacity and unless drastic measures are applied, it will take years to rebuild reserves. This shortage leaves U.S. forces less prepared for other conflicts and puts strain on NATO allies, who face similar challenges.

In this rudimentary analysis, I provide a cursory review of the problem, explain the “so what” and conclude with a recommendation for DoD to enact moving forward. This no frills analysis avoids technical explanations and acquisition jargon in an effort to quickly define the problem and devise a strategy.

My all-expense paid trip to Afghanistan included an eight month tour in the mountainous Kunar Province.  This province is not for the faint hearted, it sits directly in line with the Hindu-Kush Mountains amid extensive cave networks, impenetrable terrain and is home to multiple insurgent groups.  It is the favored spot of Taliban forces, Al-Qaeda fighters, and Mujahedeen militias. 

The 2024 article “Stephen Hawking’s Warning on Contacting Aliens: A Physics Perspective on the Intelligence Trap” discusses the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and emphasizes its scientific intrigue alongside its profound ethical and safety implications. Drawing on Stephen Hawking’s cautionary advice, the authors highlight the potential dangers of actively signaling to alien civilizations—suggesting that our limited understanding of their intentions and possible technological superiority could pose existential risks. The paper also introduces the “Intelligence Trap,” a psychological concept suggesting that highly intelligent individuals can fall prey to biases—raising the possibility that Hawking’s own caution may reflect such cognitive pitfalls. Balancing optimism and concern, the article argues for a prudent approach to SETI, urging scientists and policymakers to carefully weigh potential benefits against the unknown perils of contacting extraterrestrial life.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is a federal law established in 2002 that mandates best practices in financial record keeping and inventory reporting for corporations.  Sarbanes-Oxley or (SOX) was introduced and passed by Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and Representative Michael Oxley (R-OH) after multiple corporate accounting scandals that occurred in the late 90s and early 2000s. 

This analysis is a response to a recently published Defense News article written by Noah Robertson titled: “They’ve Grown Back: How Russia Surprised the West and Rebuilt its Force” This news has strategic implications both short term and medium term that should be at first acknowledged, sure I am rooting for Ukraine too but continual under-reporting, cherry picking and false reporting will not affect the operational-strategic situation in the least. This analysis examines non traditional interventions vice the default escalate to de-escalate methodologies.

In The Falkland Islands War_Part One I begin a deep dive into all aspects of this short conflict between Argentina and England. Historical background, the Argentine invasion of the Falklands, British Logistics and the Argentine Junta are covered in a fair amount of detail.

This report and analysis covers a non-terrestrial propulsion technology—designated the Gravity Lens Drive (GLD), which is under evaluation by undisclosed research entities. The system reportedly employs a stabilized synthetic isotope of Element 115 as a reactor fuel, enabling generation of localized negative energy fields. These fields can be shaped by gravitational wave amplifiers to create directed warping of space-time. This analysis concludes with a rudimentary evaluation of the claim versus modern physics with assignment to an arbitrary value along a believability scale.

From the GAO: Among the 30 MDAPs assessed in both our current and last report, 16 programs reported a cost decrease and 13 reported an increase in the last year (see fig. 9). Of the16 programs that reported a decrease, three were due to reduced quantities. Program officials for the Navy’s FFG 62—the program with the largest cost decrease—attributed the decrease to accounting changes, not savings from efficiencies. Specifically, these officials noted that the cost decrease is due, in part, to the Navy’s revised approach for accounting for inflation. The Army’s CH-47F program—the second largest decrease—is updating its cost estimates as part of a new program baseline.

The Department of Defense (DOD) continues to struggle with delivering innovative technologies quickly and within budget. Since its last annual assessment, GAO found:

• Program development delays and inflation, among other things, contributed to cost growth in the major defense acquisition program (MDAP) portfolio.

• Programs spent development time on efforts with low levels of maturity while using the middle tier of acquisition (MTA) pathway intended for speed.

• Future major weapon acquisitions (newer efforts that have yet to begin on a pathway) did not take full advantage of product development practices that lead to efficiencies.

The Department of Defense (DOD) considers reliance on foreign sources for items it procures a national security risk. DOD estimates that over 200,000 suppliers help produce advanced weapon systems and noncombat goods. The primary procurement database for the federal government, however, provides little visibility into where these goods are manufactured or whether materials and parts suppliers are domestic or foreign.

People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, officers are advocating a systematic attempt to destroy America’s undersea sensor network in time of war. This includes destroying, sabotaging or spoofing underwater microphones using a variety of countermeasures, from undersea drones to China’s huge fleet of commercial fishing vessels.

One of the key responsibilities of a freight forwarder is to manage and navigate the export control process for his/her clients.  Export controls are federal regulations that regulate and sometimes restrict the export of critical goods, technologies and software that may be controlled in the interest of national security and/or economic interests. 

This 2025 update on Russia is from a geo-political perspective to include a strategic to operational overview of their military and what’s new in terms of strategy and approach.  My sources include the US DNI Annual Threat Assessment, released a couple of months ago and the DC based think tank – the Center for European Policy Analysis or CEPA’s recent paper titled “Russia’s Strategy and Military Thinking: Evolving Discourse by 2025”.  Also, the US Army’s ATP 7-100.1 which was released in 2024.