💸 Trump warns defense CEOs to ‘BEWARE’ of coming limits on share buybacks, salary

📬 In Today’s Defense Brief

🛰️ ‘Overwatch’ from space, cyber ops foundational to Maduro mission — Read More

💸 Trump warns defense CEOs to ‘BEWARE’ of coming limits on share buybacks, salary — Read More

🧊 White House says using US military is ‘always an option’ for seizing Greenland — Read More

🤖 Gambit exits stealth with L3Harris, RTX partnerships in hand — Read More

⛽ Keep Engines On: US Air Force Debuts R-20 Hot-Pit Refueling Tech — Read More

🎱 Plus 17 other news stories you may like

📰 Full Breakdown

🛰️ ‘Overwatch’ from space, cyber ops foundational to Maduro mission — Read More

• US Space Command said space support was essential to the operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, describing space effects as “overwatch” that helped preserve Joint Force freedom of maneuver. The command highlighted space-enabled fundamentals like positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and satellite communications (SATCOM) as baseline enablers for modern operations.

• Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine described a flight profile for the insertion force and said the U.S. “layered different effects” from Space Command, Cyber Command, and other interagency players to “create a pathway overhead” as helicopters approached Venezuela. The piece notes overwatch as protective support—information, coverage, and effects—enabling units executing an attack.

• Analysts cited in the report said Cyber Command likely played an offensive role—possibly including blackouts—while other indicators pointed to electronic warfare and air-defense suppression, plus disrupted comms/internet and GPS jamming. They warned adversaries will study the playbook, and argued critical infrastructure is now “on the table” as a warfighting target set in future conflicts.

💸 Trump warns defense CEOs to ‘BEWARE’ of coming limits on share buybacks, salary — Read More

• President Trump threatened to prohibit dividends and stock buybacks for defense contractors—and to restrict executive compensation—unless firms invest more aggressively in plants and equipment to modernize and expand weapons production capacity. He framed shareholder payouts as coming “at the expense” of industrial investment and argued output is not increasing fast enough for current needs.

• In follow-on posts, Trump singled out Raytheon (RTX) as “least responsive” and warned it must stop buybacks and invest in capacity if it wants to keep doing business with the “Department of War.” The article notes the move would raise immediate questions around definitions, benchmarks, and enforceability—and would likely trigger congressional scrutiny and legal complications.

• Defense analysts described the announcement as a surprise amid otherwise upbeat capacity news (including a PAC-3 production expansion agreement) and said it creates more questions than answers pending Pentagon clarification. The report also notes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly supported the pending restrictions and that Trump floated a $1.5T FY2027 defense budget target.

🧊 White House says using US military is ‘always an option’ for seizing Greenland — Read More

• The White House said a “range of options” is being discussed regarding Greenland, including potential U.S. military action—language that sparked sharp pushback from Denmark and Greenland and immediate concern across allied capitals. Reporting emphasized Greenland’s sovereignty and the risk that even rhetorical threats against a NATO partner could fracture alliance cohesion.

• The coverage tied the renewed push to a national-security argument about the Arctic’s strategic value and increased great-power competition in the region. Danish and Greenlandic officials rejected U.S. claims about extensive foreign presence and sought urgent diplomatic engagement, while other officials signaled a preference for diplomacy even as the White House kept military options on the table.

• Public and political reaction was notably negative, with critics warning that normalizing military coercion over territorial acquisition undermines postwar norms and could invite retaliation or imitation. International backlash and domestic skepticism were highlighted as constraints, even as the administration framed the issue as a priority aligned to broader U.S. posture shifts.

🤖 Gambit exits stealth with L3Harris, RTX partnerships in hand — Read More

• Dual-use software startup Gambit formally exited stealth, pitching a cross-platform autonomy layer designed to coordinate heterogeneous machines—air drones, ground robots, and more—“no matter the brand or builder.” Axios frames the core bet as making multi-system coordination feel seamless, with the company aiming for a “single brain” that can learn and adapt in dynamic conditions.

• The company says it has already landed partnerships with major defense-adjacent players including AWS, L3Harris, RTX, and Sierra Nevada Corporation. It has also secured Pentagon contracts and participated in U.S. military exercises, including with the Army and Special Operations Command—sometimes operating as a red team flying against deployed systems during events and evaluations.

• Axios situates Gambit in the broader unmanned/autonomy push, noting a persistent operational problem: systems that don’t interoperate well and struggle to react to sudden frontline changes. The company is leaning on a deep bench of founders/operators with backgrounds spanning the Pentagon ecosystem and commercial tech, and it brought on H.R. McMaster as an adviser.

⛽ Keep Engines On: US Air Force Debuts R-20 Hot-Pit Refueling Tech — Read More

• U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron conducted their first “hot-pit” refueling operation using the R-20 system in the U.S. Central Command area. A UH-60 Black Hawk took on fuel while engines remained running, pulling from a bulk fuel bladder instead of the standard R-11 fuel truck.

• The operational impact was immediate: aircraft ground time dropped by roughly 66%, turnaround times shortened, and limited refueling assets were freed for other missions. It contrasts hot refueling with traditional “cold” refueling, which it says can take up to 75 minutes for a UH-60 when shutdown and system checks are included.

• On throughput, each R-20 hose can pump up to 450 gallons per minute (dual hoses up to 900 GPM), and the bulk bladders can hold more than 200,000 gallons—far beyond the R-11’s 6,000-gallon capacity. The design supports simultaneous refueling of multiple aircraft to reduce bottlenecks during high-tempo ops.

🌏 Other Important News

✈️ Air

• Army narrows field for its flight-school outsourcing contract; Congress says “not so fast” — Read More

• Elbit wins ~$150M in contracts to provide DIRCM systems to European customers — Read More

• Coalition forces could secure Ukraine “on land, in the air, and at sea,” Ukrainian presidency says — Read More

• U.S. will triple PAC-3 MSE interceptor production by 2033 — Read More

• ParaZero demos capture-based C-UAS built to snare drones in flight — Read More

• MQ-9B drone picks up a new “brain” for data-heavy missions — Read More

🛡️ Land

• New details surface on China’s truck-mounted Hurricane 3000 microwave weapon — Read More

• US Army gives first look at the M1E3 Abrams next-gen tank demonstrator — Read More

🌊 Sea

• U.S. seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker with ties to Venezuela — Read More

• Chinese merchant ship sports electromagnetic drone launcher, vertical launching systems — Read More

🛰️ Space

• U.S. Navy taps Northrop Grumman for second-stage solid rocket motor program — Read More

• Karman Space, Dow funding update — Read More

🧠 C2

• Air Force says AI tools outperform human planners in “battle management” experiment — Read More

🏭 Industry

• Overhauling acquisition, production and procurement processes to rebuild the industrial base — Read More

• L3Harris restructuring businesses — Read More

🌍 Geopolitics

• Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon could derail Hezbollah disarmament — Read More

• Mexico seeks to shore up its defenses following U.S. incursion in Venezuela — Read More

Thanks for reading today’s Defense Brief. If you found it useful, consider forwarding it to a friend or colleague who'd appreciate staying sharp on defense tech and military news.