KYIV, Ukraine — The Department of Defense has awarded a contract worth almost $11 million to X-Bow Systems, a New Mexico-based rocket manufacturer, under a program aimed at developing a new anti-ballistic weapon for less than $750,000 a shot — roughly a fifth the cost of its top-tier equivalent, the Patriot missile.First issued one year ago, the government’s original solicitation from the Missile Defense Agency’s Rapid Response Small Launcher Technology program called on tenders that could “rapidly demonstrate very low cost, modular interceptor designs to counter ballistic and hypersonic threats.”Two companies, Northrop Grumman and L3Harris’ Aerojet Rocketdyne, have long held…
Author: Tommy Grant
A Pentagon review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe will create at least four sets of options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by Nov. 6, well ahead of a December deadline for the review’s completion, according to a document seen by Reuters.NATO allies worry that the six-month review, announced in June, will lead to large-scale cuts to the roughly 80,000 U.S. forces across Europe and punish countries that President Donald Trump believes failed to support the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.The Pentagon’s “Terms of Reference,” which have not been previously detailed, explain the steps that the internal review will take and…
Five years after a suicide bombing killed 13 U.S. service members and around 170 civilians at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Pentagon upgraded the awards of three Marines who survived the blast and then worked to save others in its immediate aftermath. The service members, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, were at the then-Hamid Karzai International Airport as America’s decades-long war in Afghanistan drew to a tumultuous close. Outside of the gate, where enormous crowds had frantically gathered in hopes of a safe evacuation from the country, an Islamic State bomber detonated the explosives on his body. During…
The Navy announced financial incentives to keep specialized senior officers in the service that can pay up to $100,000.Chief warrant officers with 7151 and 7171 designators, otherwise known as SEALs and crewmen aboard special warfare combatant-craft, with between four and 16 years of commissioned service are encouraged to apply for the bonus.“CWOs will receive the bonus in a lump sum payment, effective from the date of contract execution,” a Navy administrative message said.Eligibility for bonuses began several weeks ago on Aug. 7. Senior service members will have to submit a personal letter requesting a retention bonus contract, along with a…
Good Luck to us All As the Pax Americana recedes, the international system will revert to a harsh, Darwinian reality. I can’t shake the feeling that the world is headed to a consolidation of power, or to an era of the dissolvement of dysfunctional nation-states into small independent ethnic areas. Over the next three decades, as many as 30 to 80 nation-states risk losing functional sovereignty, economic independence, or territorial integrity. The shift is being accelerated by the democratization of precision strike warfare, autonomous robotics, and low-cost drone swarms that render traditional, legacy security guarantees obsolete. When multi-million-dollar interceptors are…
For anyone trying to increase their self-reliance, learning to bake bread is often one of the first goals. Bread making isn’t difficult and it’s a great way to save money. It’s also a great survival skill. It doesn’t have to stop there, though. If you want to take this skill a step further, you should learn how to bake bread without a traditional kitchen oven. Whether your power is out, your oven is broken, you’re moving off the grid, you’re going camping, or you’re in a survival situation, being able to bake bread without relying on your oven is a…
Editor’s note: This article first appeared on The War Horse, an award-winning nonprofit news organization educating the public on military service. Subscribe to their newsletter.The soldier wakes at 6 a.m. after getting only three or four hours of sleep.He showers, shaves and puts on his uniform by 7 a.m., even as his head pounds from a traumatic brain injury. Sometimes, while walking to a mandatory daily roll call, the piece of shrapnel still lodged in his back catches on his shirt.He’s not in the barracks. He is recovering at the Soldier Recovery Unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.“It’s…
The Marine Corps started fielding a new laser aiming system for squad weapons earlier this summer, introducing the technology to students at the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.In an August statement, Harry Mandeles, the service’s project officer for the Optics Team at Program Manager Ground Weapons Systems, called the Squad Aiming Laser, or SAL, a “generational leap” from the previous system, which had been in service for nearly three decades.“Infantry Marines will notice significantly less eye strain and a much clearer target picture through their Night Vision Goggles (NVGs) compared to the legacy PEQ-16,” he said.While both…
LoRa mesh devices are one of the simplest ways to communicate off-grid, whether you’re using Meshtastic, MeshCore, or another network type.I’ve been using Meshtastic devices for over a year now, testing a variety of them for distance, battery life, ease of use, and more.My main recommendation is the Moko Smart WisMesh Tag, which turns your existing smartphone into an off-grid mesh communication device.If you need a standalone device, the LilyGo T-Deck Plus in a specific build is tough to beat with its bevy of included features. I also suggest an excellent treetop solar repeater that extends mesh communication over massive…
Butter seems like one of the simpler things to keep on hand, but it’s more vulnerable to air exposure than most people realize, and the container you choose actually matters for flavor, shelf life, and, if you’re trying to build real food reserves, for understanding what airtight storage can and can’t do for long-term safety. This guide covers the actual container options worth considering, the science behind why airtight matters, how long butter really lasts in different storage conditions, and a myth about long-term butter storage that genuinely needs to be corrected before someone gets hurt following bad advice found…