🧪 Pentagon forms new science & innovation board as research budgets tighten

📬 In Today’s Defense Brief

🌊 U.S. Navy pushes new “threat awareness” approach for maritime operations

🧪 Pentagon forms new science & innovation board as research budgets tighten

🎯 Marine Corps selects L3Harris to build new precision attack strike munition

🌎 Senate approves new SOUTHCOM commander

🛰️ Lockheed delivers first Sentinel A4 radar, advances toward full-rate production

🎱 Plus 10 other news stories you may like

📰 Full Breakdown

🌊 U.S. Navy pushes new “threat awareness” approach for maritime operations — Read More

• The U.S. Navy is advancing a new “threat awareness” framework aimed at helping commanders better anticipate and interpret adversary behavior at sea. Rather than reacting to individual contacts, the concept emphasizes understanding patterns of activity across surface, subsurface, and aerial domains to detect hostile intent earlier in contested maritime environments.

• According to NextGen Defense, the approach relies on fusing sensor data, intelligence inputs, and analytics into a continuous operational picture. The goal is to reduce surprise by identifying anomalies and emerging risks before they escalate into kinetic encounters, particularly in crowded littoral regions and key sea lanes.

• Navy leaders describe threat awareness as foundational to distributed maritime operations, where smaller, dispersed forces must operate with greater independence. Improved shared understanding is intended to shorten decision timelines, improve survivability, and enable more flexible responses against peer and near-peer naval threats.

🧪 Pentagon forms new science & innovation board as research budgets tighten — Read More

• The Pentagon is standing up a new Science and Innovation Board to advise senior leaders on technology priorities as parts of the defense research budget face reductions. Defense One reports the board is meant to help align science and technology investments more closely with operational needs and long-term strategic competition.

• The move comes amid concern that cuts to basic and applied research could erode future military advantages. Officials argue the board will help focus limited resources on areas with the greatest potential payoff, including autonomy, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, and emerging computing technologies.

• Defense leaders stress the board is not intended to replace existing advisory bodies, but to sharpen strategic direction during a period of fiscal pressure. The effort highlights the tension between near-term readiness demands and sustaining the innovation pipeline for future conflicts.

🎯 Marine Corps selects L3Harris to build new precision attack strike munition — Read More

• The Marine Corps awarded L3Harris a contract to develop a new Precision Attack Strike Munition (PASM), designed to provide Marines with an accurate, adaptable, and relatively low-cost strike capability. Breaking Defense reports the munition is intended for use across multiple launch platforms in expeditionary environments.

• PASM supports the Corps’ stand-in forces and distributed operations concepts, giving smaller units the ability to hold targets at risk without relying on large, high-end weapons systems. The emphasis is on precision, range, and flexibility rather than sheer payload or platform size.

• Marine officials say the program reflects lessons from recent conflicts, where precision fires at lower echelons proved decisive. The selection underscores a broader push to modernize organic firepower while keeping systems deployable, survivable, and logistically efficient.

🌎 Senate approves new SOUTHCOM commander — Read More

• The Senate confirmed a new commander for U.S. Southern Command, filling a key leadership role responsible for military operations and security cooperation across Latin America and the Caribbean. The approval comes as the region faces rising challenges from transnational crime and great-power competition.

• Breaking Defense notes the incoming commander will focus on countering illicit trafficking networks, strengthening partnerships with regional militaries, and overseeing humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions. SOUTHCOM’s portfolio has expanded as adversaries seek influence closer to the U.S. homeland.

• Lawmakers emphasized the need for steady leadership at the command, particularly as SOUTHCOM balances traditional security missions with broader geopolitical competition involving China and Russia’s growing regional engagement.

🛰️ Lockheed delivers first Sentinel A4 radar, advances toward full-rate production — Read More

• Lockheed Martin delivered the first Sentinel A4 radar from Low-Rate Initial Production Lot 2, marking a key milestone toward full-rate production of the Army’s next-generation air and missile defense sensor. The radar is intended to replace aging Sentinel systems with enhanced capability.

• The Sentinel A4 provides 360-degree coverage, improved range, and better discrimination against advanced aerial threats, including cruise missiles, drones, and fixed-wing aircraft. The system is designed to integrate with the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense architecture.

• Lockheed says continued LRIP deliveries will support operational testing and accelerate fielding to Army units. The milestone reflects the service’s broader push to modernize air defense sensing as threats grow faster, smaller, and more complex.

🌏 Other Important News

✈️ Air

• Draganfly partners with DelMar Aerospace on drone training — Read More

• UK explores high-speed drone concepts — Read More

• METIS unveils passive drone detection system — Read More

• Portugal pitches European “drone carrier” concept — Read More

• Taiwan defense tech showcased ahead of Singapore Airshow — Read More

• ST Engineering highlights capabilities at Singapore Airshow — Read More

• Austin drone software company files to go public on Nasdaq — Read More

🏛️ Policy

• State of play on defense appropriations — Read More

• Singapore acquires used C-130Hs to replace older airlifters — Read More

• Baltic states agree to move military capabilities freely across borders — Read More

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