Defense One The drone defense dilemma: How unmanned aircraft are redrawing battle lines By Tom Kington ROME — First there was the video from Libya of a Turkish drone destroying a Russian Pantsir missile defense system.Next came the veteran S-300 air defense system — also Russian — being taken out in Nagorno-Karabakh by an Israeli-built Harop loitering munition.In the conflicts in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh last year, unmanned platforms often made short work of the ground-based systems designed to neutralize them, paving the way for easy attacks on vulnerable troops.What is more, experts say, is that the balance of power between drones and air defense systems is shaping up to be a key to global wars in the near future.“Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and also Syria have just showed us that if a fielded force cannot protect its airspace, then the large scale use of UAVs can make life extremely dangerous,” said Justin...

  Stars & Stripes Aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt train together in South China Sea By CAITLIN DOORNBOS The aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt and their strike groups met in the contentious South China Sea for joint operations on Tuesday, according to a Navy statement.“The ships and aircraft of the two strike groups coordinated operations in a highly trafficked area to demonstrate the U.S. Navy's ability to operate in challenging environments,” the statement said.Two-carrier exercises are relatively rare, though they have seen a recent uptick in frequency. As of Tuesday, just nine have taken place in the Indo-Pacific region since 2001 — four since June.The Navy last conducted dual carrier operations in the South China Sea in July, when the Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan operated together twice. China claims about 90% of the South China Sea as its territorial waters despite an international...

Real Clear Defense The Air Force Should Assure Defenses Against Nuclear EMP Threats As It Seeks Electromagnetic Spectrum SuperiorityBy Norman M. Haller & Peter Pry Air Force Chief General Charles Brown tweeted on January 27, 2021, “Let me be clear, the U.S. Air Force is committed to providing Electromagnetic Spectrum [EMS] superior Air Forces to achieve victory in all domain competitions and conflict.” That same day he acknowledged that the Air Force has been “asleep at the wheel” for the last 25 – 30 years when it comes to operations in the EMS. [1]One Air Force element not asleep was the Air University, which formed an Electromagnetic Defense Task Force (EDTF … note “Defense”) that published an action-oriented report in 2018, including exhortations like “IT’S TIME FOR BOLD ACTION” and “In countering EMS challenges, some windows of opportunity needed to compete with our adversaries are closing. Meanwhile, EMS threats that...

National Defense Magazine Air Force Enhances Special Warfare TrainingBy Yasmin Tadjdeh Special operators are known for tackling some of the military’s toughest and most grueling missions. With that often comes both physical and mental stresses that can wear commandos down over time.To better prepare elite personnel for challenging environments, the Air Force is improving how it trains them through the use of innovative technology and techniques.“Human performance experts and technologies are being used after the Air Force identified that Special Warfare candidates and operators were facing injuries and challenges that could be mitigated with upfront training,” Chief Master Sgt. Joshua Smith, Special Warfare human performance program manager, said in a statement. “Our goal is to provide our students with an agile training pipeline that provides tools and knowledge that helps prevent injuries during training and throughout their careers.”The Air Force established the Special Warfare human performance support group in 2018...

DHS and Partners Coordinate to Secure Super Bowl LV Homeland Security TodayDavid Pekoske, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, this week met with local law enforcement officials and the National Football League (NFL) to review Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operations to help ensure the safety and security of employees, players, and fans during Super Bowl LV.  Dozens of federal agencies and components, including DHS, are contributing to security measures seen and unseen in connection with the Super Bowl.“While the football teams are on the field, we will be all around it,” Pekoske said. “In addition to the outstanding efforts of the Tampa Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the NFL Security Team, more than 500 DHS personnel will be working to secure the Super Bowl on Sunday. This is truly a collaborative effort.”As with past Super Bowls, this event...