Sponsored by Bertin Exensor
www.exensor.com
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
05 Mar 05. Air Combat Command General Discusses Next-Generation Air Superiority. The U.S. Air Force’s fundamental role is to secure dominance in the skies, a mission that grows more urgent as adversaries like China unveil advanced stealth platforms.
Speaking yesterday at the 2025 Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, Air Force Gen. Ken Wilsbach, commander of Air Combat Command, laid out the stakes during the panel “Next-Generation Air Superiority: How Are We Going to Fight.”
“The entire joint force counts on air superiority,” he said. “Anything else you want to do in the battle space, if you don’t have air superiority, it becomes much more difficult, if not impossible.”
The Air Force will maintain that edge through integrated air and space superiority, what Wilsbach calls a “seamless necessity.”
“They’re very much linked and combined,” he said. “You’re likely not going to be able to achieve air superiority in the modern sense without space superiority as well.”
This integration, Wilsbach said, includes advanced fighters, networked systems and non-kinetic tools employed to disrupt and dominate adversaries.
Wilsbach said the Air Force has not wavered on this priority despite debates questioning its relevance.
“There’s been some talk in the public the age of air superiority is over, and I categorically reject that,” he said. “It’s the first building block of any other military operation that you need to establish if you want to achieve objectives.”
There’s no recent air war to draw from, Wilsbach admitted, noting today’s pilots lack direct combat experience in contested skies. Still, preparing for that fight remains the top focus.
“If we can sustain our aircraft to the point where we can fly them frequently, and we get our crews reps and sets, they become proficient at what they do,” he said.
While Air Force leadership pushes for resources and modernization, Wilsbach said airmen at every level must ready themselves for the next conflict.
“We have this construct of level one through four … training all the way up to very large exercises like Red Flag and Bamboo Eagle,” he said. “Being able to work your way through those building block approaches in exercises improves your readiness across the spectrum of those missions that we could be called to do.”
The Air Force doesn’t yet have all the tools it needs to train at peak efficiency, he added. Modernization efforts are underway, but gaps persist.
“If you don’t achieve air superiority, especially if neither side attains air superiority, you’re going to have a stalemate,” he said. “That’s the big takeaway we can look and see from the differences between .”
Instead, Wilsbach said, airmen must bridge those gaps with ingenuity until better systems arrive.
“The most important thing we do is fly and fix airplanes,” he said. “We’ve been challenged with the fixing part of it lately, which then translates to the number of sorties that we can fly. But one of the aspects of what we do is reps and sets.”
While leadership works to secure advanced simulators and aircraft, Wilsbach said, airmen must find ways to sharpen their skills now.
“We stack effects — some kinetic, some non-kinetic, some deceptive,” he said. “That’s the way that we are training so that we will be ready to take the fight to any potential enemies.”
When it comes to munitions, Wilsbach said, the force must balance capability with capacity.
“We can have the lower cost level… that perhaps can cause the adversary to run themselves ,” he said. “We’ve spent a lot of our time in public talking about these very exquisite weapons that are unbelievably expensive, and we need some of those, but we don’t need to spend all of our money on those.”
Without a clear picture of what’s needed across the force, Wilsbach said, modernization efforts risk falling short.
“We have some choices to make as we observe what China has produced,” he said. “I don’t believe that nothing is an option.”
While leaders advocate for funding and policy support, Wilsbach said airmen must step up, too. Lt. Gen. Dale White, military deputy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, reinforced this, saying the joint force relies on “access, freedom of maneuver, deterrence.”
“I need airmen in the field to be ready,” Wilsbach said. “The headquarters will drive everything it can from the top down, but I need you to meet us from the bottom up.”
He added that the Air Force is working toward a future where readiness doesn’t hinge on patchwork solutions. White agreed, noting the need for a “fight tonight” posture.
Wilsbach’s remarks culminated with a call on airmen to improve their organizations through work and innovation. “And I’m confident there will come a day we finally put the processes in place to take the heroics out of our daily activities,” Wilsbach said. “But until then, I need your effort. I need your ideas.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
05 Mar 05. Defense Secretary Discusses Security at Home, Abroad Ahead of Border Visit. During a media interview today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed security at the southern border and how the Defense Department is handling the threat of a potential future conflict with China. The secretary commented on those topics shortly before joining Vice President JD Vance and flying from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, to Laredo, Texas, for the secretary’s second visit to the southern border since being sworn in.
The secretary noted an approximately 97% drop in illegal border crossings since the new administration took office; “the deterrent effect is there” when it comes to border security.
“President Trump gave us a charge: 100% operational control of the southern border. Border security is national security,” Hegseth said.
“Our open border policy recklessness, death and drugs for our communities,” he continued. “We’re sending those home, and we’re not letting more in.”
Hegseth praised the current level of cooperation between the U.S. and Mexican governments as it relates to controlling the border.
“Right now, we have historic cooperation, military-to-military. But we’re letting lead,” he said.
“It’s their country; it’s their fight, and we want them to lead that fight. so far, they have stepped up, which is a very good sign,” he added.
The State Department designated eight international cartels as foreign terrorist organizations on Feb. 20, 2025. Hegseth said “all options are on the table” regarding how the U.S. deals with the criminal cartels, though DOD and the current administration would prefer that the Mexican government handle the issue themselves.
“We will not accept them controlling that border poisoning our people with fentanyl,” Hegseth said, then stating that the number of fentanyl-related deaths in the U.S. has not gone down “enough.”
Following the Chinese government’s recent statement that it is “ready to fight to the end” in “any type” of war with the U.S., Hegseth said the Defense Department is prepared.
“Those who long for peace must prepare for war, that’s why we’re rebuilding our military. That’s why we’re establishing deterrence,” he said.
The president understands peace comes through strength, and he also has a good relationship with the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. The secretary added that the U.S. is not actively seeking conflict with that country.
“We don’t seek that war,” Hegseth said. “But my job as secretary of defense is to make sure we’re ready , we need the defense spending, the capabilities, the weapons and the posture in the Indo-Pacific, which is something we’re very much focused on.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
05 Mar 05. Generals Discuss Recent Battlefield Lessons Learned, Power Projection. The Ukraine-Russia conflict and Iran’s missile attacks on Israel last year show a need for new U.S. military capabilities, said Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa. Hecker spoke yesterday on a panel at the 2025 Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado.
A big lesson learned from the Iranian missile attacks is that intelligence is critical because it provides time to prepare with agile combat employment-like activities, he said.
Secondly, layered defense matters; with U.S. and allied ships and aircraft and Israel’s Iron Dome defense, only a few of the hundreds of missiles got through, Hecker noted.
One of the big lessons learned from the Ukraine-Russia conflict is that the U.S. cannot afford to spend money on expensive counter-unmanned aerial systems to defend against cheap attack drones, he said, “because we’re not going to be able to do this for very long if we do that.”
Ukraine and Russia are launching about 100 one-way attack drones a day, Hecker said. Ukraine takes these aerial threats out with anti-aircraft artillery.
U.S. industry is working on solutions, like the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, he said.
Separately, Hecker addressed NATO interoperability challenges.
It would be great if all 32 NATO nations had the same weapons systems, which would make everything interoperable, but they don’t, he said.
One solution for interoperability is to ensure systems have an open architecture, Hecker added.
Air Force Gen. Kevin B. Schneider, commander of the Pacific Air Forces and air component commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, discussed his region.
“We owe the combatant commander options across the spectrum of what we do as a military force, whether it’s humanitarian assistance, disaster relief operations, all the way up to combat and conflict in a highly contested environment,” he said.
He added that the way the U.S. projects power in the Indo-Pacific is different from how it’s done in NATO.
One challenge is operating in austere locations and the need to divide the force for survivability, Schneider said.
Response options are not inexpensive, he said. A lot of internal trades are made in the region. For example: “Do we put that dollar toward fixing the infrastructure on Kadena [Air Base, Okinawa, Japan], or do we put that dollar toward restoring an airfield on [the island of] Tinian in the second island chain?”
Schneider pointed out that U.S. allies and regional partners are providing a lot of assistance.
Lastly, he said, “I applaud our airmen at all levels for continuing to put the blood, sweat and tears into this to figure out how we remain effective and to stay steps ahead of any adversary out there.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
04 Mar 04. Initial DOGE Findings Reveal $80m in Wasteful Spending at DOD. A quick review of some of the initial findings within the Defense Department by the Department of Government Efficiency reveals some $80m in funds wasted on programs that do not support DOD’s core mission. In a social media video posted yesterday evening, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell read off a few of the initial findings from DOGE, which revealed expenditures many service members would be hard-pressed to connect to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness.
“At the DOD, we’ve been working hand in hand with the DOGE team,” Parnell said. “And as the secretary said, we welcome that process because that process will make us more lethal. And that means that our warfighters on the battlefield will be more successful.”
Among the DOGE findings, Parnell highlighted $1.9m for holistic diversity, equity and inclusion transformation and training; $6m to the University of Montana to “strengthen American democracy by bridging divides”; $3.5m by the Defense Human Resources Activity to support DEI groups; and $1.6m to the University of Florida to study the “social and institutional detriments of vulnerability and resilience to climate hazards in African Sahel.”
Altogether, he said, the full set of initial findings of DOGE reveals about $80 m in wasteful spending that could be better spent on lethality and readiness.
On the day he was sworn in, Hegseth released a message to the force spelling out his three top priorities. Those include reviving the warrior ethos and restoring trust in the military; rebuilding the military by matching threats to capabilities; and reestablishing deterrence by defending the homeland.
Parnell said the DOGE team is just getting started rooting out department expenditures that are not aligned with the secretary’s top priorities.
“This stuff is not a core function of our military. This is not what we do. This is a distraction from our core mission,” he said. “Today’s actions are just the start; more to come this week. Again, we are working hand-in-glove with DOGE. So, stay tuned in the weeks ahead as we trim the fat, preserve the muscle, make the DOD more mission-capable and more lethal.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
01 Mar 25. Pentagon Deploys Stryker Brigade, Aviation Battalion to Southern Border. The Pentagon is deploying a Stryker Brigade Combat Team and a General Support Aviation Battalion to the southwestern border, accelerating efforts to fulfill President Donald J. Trump’s directive to bolster military support in securing the U.S. – Mexico border. The units, equipped with wheeled vehicle and air capabilities, are set to reinforce border operations in the coming weeks, Pentagon Press Secretary Sean Parnell announced today.
Each SBCT is a mechanized infantry force of approximately 4,400 soldiers, and the Army’s nine SBCTs — seven active-duty and two National Guard — are known for their rapid deployment and versatility. Built around the Stryker vehicle — an eight-wheeled armored platform — the brigade balances mobility, protection and firepower. Capable of transport via C-130 Hercules aircraft within 96 hours, the Stryker excels in operations requiring swift response.
Complementing this, the GSAB, with roughly 650 troops, brings aviation muscle — UH-60 Black Hawks for command and medical evacuation, and CH-47 Chinooks for heavy lift — enhancing operational reach and support.
The Stryker’s design — lighter than tanks, yet more robust than light infantry — makes it ideal for the border’s vast terrain, while the aviation battalion’s air traffic control and lift capacity ensure seamless coordination.
“These forces will arrive in the coming weeks, and their deployment underscores the department’s unwavering dedication to working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to secure our southern border and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the United States under President Trump’s leadership,” Parnell said in a statement today.
This deployment marks the latest wave of active-duty troops sent to the border since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. Following his declaration to “seal the border” and combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking, initial deployments included 1,600 Marines and soldiers by late January, joining 2,500 reservists already mobilized.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, addressing the mission’s scope on his first official day in late January, emphasized adaptability. “Whatever is needed at the border will be provided,” he said, signaling a robust commitment to the president’s homeland defense priority. (Source: U.S. DoD)
04 Mar 04. President Says Military Recruiting Up, So Too Will be American Shipbuilding, ‘Golden Dome.’ During his first address to a joint session of Congress, March 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump said that the changes he’s made since his inauguration in January have enhanced recruiting within the U.S. military in ways that haven’t been seen in years.
On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government. Less than a week later, newly sworn-in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drafted a message to the force that mirrored the president’s words, saying he would rebuild the U.S. military with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness.
“Our service members won’t be activists and ideologues,” Trump said. “They will be fighters and warriors. They will fight for our country.”
The president said the result of his executive order has filtered down into the armed forces, putting a new focus on merit and spurring renewed interest in serving.
“I am pleased to report that in January, the U.S. Army had its single best recruiting month in 15 years and that all armed services are having among the best recruiting results ever in the history of our services,” Trump said. “What a tremendous turnaround. It’s really a beautiful thing to see people love our country again … they love our country, and they love being in our military again.”
The president also said the United States will pursue a “Golden Dome,” similar to Israel’s own “Iron Dome” defense system, which is designed to protect against inbound missile attacks.
“My focus is on building the most powerful military of the future,” Trump said. “As a first step, I’m asking Congress to fund a state-of-the-art, ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense shield to protect our homeland — all made in the USA.”
The president said that President Ronald Reagan had wanted to build a similar system during his term, but the technology wasn’t available at the time to bring that project to fruition. But now, he said, that technology exists.
“Israel has it, other places have it, and the United States should have it, too,” he said. “This is a very dangerous world. We should have it. We want to be protected. And we’re going to protect our citizens like never before.”
Trump also promised an expansion of American shipbuilding in order to support both the U.S. military and the commercial sector. American shipbuilding is at a low point today, but the president promised new efforts to increase America’s shipbuilding efforts.
“We are also going to resurrect the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding,” Trump said. “I am announcing tonight that we will create a new Office of Shipbuilding in the White House and offer special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America, where it belongs.”
The president said the U.S. once had a great domestic shipbuilding industry, which has largely died down now. That will change, he promised.
“We used to make so many ships. We don’t make them anymore, very much,” he said. “But we’re going to make them very fast, very soon.”
The president also said he planned to take action to expand domestic production of rare earth elements, which are critical to U.S. defense.
“Later this week, I will also take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the USA,” he said.
Rare earth permanent magnets, for instance, are not only essential components in a range of defense capabilities, including the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, Virginia and Columbia class submarines and unmanned aerial vehicles, but are also a critical part of commercial applications in the United States. They are also used to generate electricity for electronic systems in aircraft and focus microwave energy in radar systems.
Finally, Trump said that the mastermind behind the terrorist attack at Abbey Gate during the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan has been captured. Some 13 American service members were killed during that attack.
“I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice,” Trump said. (Source: U.S. DoD)
04 Mar 04. Air Force Aims to Instill Warrior Ethos, Increase Lethality. The Air Force is making progress toward the defense secretary’s priorities, which will ultimately result in giving the president more options, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin, who provided a keynote address yesterday at the 2025 Air and Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado.
Allvin mentioned those priorities — restoring the warrior ethos, reestablishing deterrence, meritocracy, reforming acquisition, passing an audit, matching threats to capabilities and defending the homeland — and how the Air Force is executing them.
Reviving the warrior ethos means letting every airman know what it means to fight as a unit, what’s going to be expected of them, and focusing on the threat, he said.
“Your Air Force continues to kick butt. Our airmen are doing amazing things every day. They make it look just normal,” he said, noting how airmen, along with allies and partners, controlled the skies over the Middle East and are increasing interoperability with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
Also, every day, airmen protect the skies over the homeland through exercises and nuclear deterrence, he said.
“We’re a well-used Air Force, and we’ve been used well and used often. Every time we ask them to do more, they continue to do more,” Allvin said.
Ensuring all of the service’s investments increase combat readiness and effectiveness is now the focus, he said.
For example, the Air Force maintains excess infrastructure, approximately 20-30% too much, he said.
“All of that is not adding to combat capability. All of that is infrastructure that needs to be maintained, sustained, and doesn’t necessarily provide more combat lethality,” he said.
Greater lethality, he said, has been degraded by a drop in aircraft availability as the fleet ages and needs more maintenance. Also, weapon sustainment costs are growing, and the nuclear triad needs to finish its modernization efforts.
As threats continue to evolve, the Air Force is racing toward adding unmanned fighters to the fleet, training for human-machine integration and using autonomy more effectively, he said.
When the new Air Force secretary and undersecretary get confirmed, they will examine how effectively the force is executing the defense secretary’s priorities, Allvin said.
“I have a hunch that when they see some of these things we’re doing, we’re going to be told to go faster,” he added.
Lastly, he pointed out that “Americans keep signing up, saying they want to join the team. And the team that is the United States Air Force continues to be the best in the world. They show up every day. They do what they’re asked. They do it with excellence. They do it in a way that makes us all proud.”
The Air Force is ahead of its annual recruiting goal, with more recruits currently in the delayed entry program than at any point in nearly 10 years. (Source: U.S. DoD)
28 Feb 25. OFAC Targets Covert Iranian UAV Procurement Network. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated six entities based in Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) allegedly engaged in the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) components on behalf of OFAC-designated Iranian firm Pishtazan Kavosh Gostar Boshra (PKGB) and its subsidiary Narin Sepehr Mobin Isatis (NSMI). These entities operate as front companies and facilitate the purchase and shipment of key components for the benefit of PKGB and NSMI, which serve as key suppliers for Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile programs. OFAC previously designated a network of Hong Kong-based companies procuring sensitive Western-origin materials and technology for Iran’s UAV and missile programs on behalf of PKGB in February 2024. OFAC took its latest action under Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. This action builds on August 28, 2019, and February 2, 2024, actions targeting PKGB’s covert procurement network benefitting Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile production. OFAC designated PKGB pursuant to E.O. 13382 on August 28, 2019 for being owned or controlled by Hamed Dehghan (Dehghan), PKGB’s chief executive officer and chairman, who was concurrently designated for his central role in facilitating the procurement of military-grade electronic components for Rastafann Engineering Company (Rastafann). Rastafann was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for having provided support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Naval Defence Missile Industry Group. PKGB subsidiary NSMI was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 on February 2, 2024 for being owned or controlled by, or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, PKGB. As a result of OFAC’s latest action, all property and interests in property of the designated personsthat are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons is/are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt, U.S. sanctions generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis. OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions. In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities with designated or otherwise blocked persons. Exports, reexports, or transfers of items subject to U.S. export controls involving persons included on the SDN List pursuant to E.O. 13382 may be subject to additional restrictions administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) under section 744.8 of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Click here for further information on the designated entities. (Source: glstrade.com)
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Homeland Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need.
A CNIM Group Company
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-