lol anyway there's a very interesting case to be made for transitioning away from supercarriers to missiles as the fleet's striking arm, but this dumb turd ain't that not that it's ever getting built

U.S. Naval Institute@usni.org · 2h ago

First Trump-class Battleship Could Cost $23.4B, Says CBO — USNI News news.usni.org/2026/08/05/f...

Looks like we’ll get some nuke news here at the #DeterrenceSymposium. DOD apparently will discuss upgrade to nuke strategy that “emphasizes the possible use of shorter-range tactical weapons in case of a regional war with China or Russia.” www.nbcnews.com/politics/nat...

Pentagon drafting a new U.S. nuclear strategy in case of regional war with China or Russia, sources say

The classified strategy informs nuclear options for the commander in chief during crises.

nbcnews.com

My ice-cold boring take that will definitely not go viral is that a primary result with a margin of victory of roughly 1 percent tells you precisely nothing about The Future Of The Party.

A lot more country should have a strategy for the supply chain. Finland has one and is more mature operationally (the benchmark really) Norway brought one last year. nordicdefencesector.com/en/article/s...

Government adopts Sweden's first national strategy for supply preparedness

On 30 July 2026, the Government decided on a national strategy for supply preparedness, with the goal that supply flows should function during heightened alert and war.

nordicdefencesector.com

Good to get empirical confirmation but let's be honest, this is common sense / basic psychology

European Central Bank@ecb.europa.eu · 8h ago

What happens when firms and households don’t know what’s coming next? Our #EconomicBulletin finds uncertainty has significant and lasting effects on activity. 🔹Businesses delay investment, particularly in tangible assets 🔹Consumers put off spending www.ecb.europa.eu/press/econom...

Political cover for ESG committees to bless investments in defence. Rightly so, if we are to get persistent defence industrial mobilisation. Reduce strain on budgets and get private money doing something productive www.nato.int/en/news-and-...

NATO launches new initiatives to accelerate defence industrial cooperation

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday (7 July 2026) launched two major new initiatives at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara to strengthen and accelerate transatlantic defence ind...

nato.int

Incredible scenes where Citadel went from ~flat to +6% because somebody else didn't understand leverage.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Exclusive | Hegseth’s Pick for Top Army Job Is Losing Republican Support

Some lawmakers and experts say Gen. Christopher LaNeve lacks experience at the four-star level.

wsj.com

Max Miller feels like we played an UNO reverse on all the cross-contamination the GOP was going to try with Platner

I know this is bad but it's also so hilarious. And ingenious. And replicating what humans would do if the notion of consequences didn't exist. Also, we're cooked www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/inciden...

And Zohran can't have 5 grocery stores

Huge deal. And there will be further big deal for the ground segment for this breakingdefense.com/2026/08/tele...

Telesat wins $1.6B for Canadian Arctic MILSATCOM - Breaking Defense

The contract is just the first step in a broader MoD plan to develop a secure Arctic communications grid.

breakingdefense.com

Update: group chats can now host up to 100 members.

Bluesky@bsky.app · 2mo ago

What's up, chat! Group chats are rolling out today in the new v1.124 update. This is our first feature built for communities, and there's more to come.

luftlage.substack.com/p/beyond-isr...

Beyond Israel

Assessing Iran’s Long-Range Threat to Europe

luftlage.substack.com

The Italian government floating 500 extra border guards after the events in Ceuta is top-tier press-release politics. Can’t wait for (an unlikely) journalist to check back in two months to see if a single one was hired. Spoiler: they won’t be. www.repubblica.it/politica/202...

Migranti, un decreto legge per assumere 500 agenti alle frontiere: la mossa del governo dopo Ceuta

La bozza del dl oggi in Cdm per “potenziare i controlli dei flussi”. Piantedosi al vertice dei ministri dell’Interno Ue: “La sospensione di Schengen scelta cau…

repubblica.it

Brexit long, interminable tail. Tl:dr UK Space Agency in its report on Copernicus since rejoining 2024: effects much longer and deeper than 4y being out because they started from 2016 referendum and still suffering from it www.gov.uk/government/p...

Evaluation of the UK’s participation in the Copernicus Programme

Early findings from the interim evaluation of the UK’s participation in the Copernicus Earth Observation programme since rejoining in 2024.

gov.uk

Things are contingent www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...

After Colleges Reject ‘Compact,’ Trump Officials Try a Letter

The open letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon fell far short of the attempt at a compact last year that dangled research money in return for embracing the Trump administration’s agenda.

nytimes.com

Maybe @jwmason.bsky.social might appreciate the hilarity in this bit from a letter to shareholders, given the company

Healey must have meant 'Sell British' cause that's what keeps happening (and scant buy British). Goonhilly is one of the very few commercial networks capable of communicating beyond GEO. investors.intuitivemachines.com/news-release...

Destroying the Russian empire is the right framing

TWZ@twz.com · 2d ago

Iryna Terekh talks Flamingo cruise missiles, weaponizing AI, Ukraine’s future interceptors and much more in our wide-ranging interview. Feature: https://www.twz.com/news-features/ukraines-fire-point-ceo-on-how-its-making-missiles-and-drones-to-destroy-the-russian-empire

Right decision. And MaiaSpace will need further money even if first launch successful. Likely also contributed to cancelling of the suborbital test & going straight to full orbital test in 2027. By the time Falcon 9 first flew in 2010, SpaceX spent ~$390 mil on Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 development.

Andrew Parsonson@andrewparsonson.bsky.social · 2d ago

ArianeGroup has opted to keep MaiaSpace operating after a €37.5 million loss in 2025 pushed the launch startup’s shareholders’ equity into negative territory. europeanspaceflight.com/maiaspace-lo...

Well, one of its subsidiaries, Zakłady Sprzętu Precyzyjnego Niewiadów, was excluded from a Polish Armament Agency tender in October 2025 after a report from Military Counterintelligence Service, SKW. BUT it's not the first time that a company from NPGM group got 👎 from SKW

Militarnyi@militarnyi.com · 2d ago

🇵🇱 A Polish company that failed a security screening wants to join the European Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition. militarnyi.com/en/news/poli...

Life as a J2 when you just completely give up and start crowdsourcing response options from random E4s

Shipwreck@shipwreck75.bsky.social · 2d ago

A senior officer in US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) intelligence branch emailed a broad group of military analysts seeking “new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran.” A second source indicated a similar request went out the prior week.

That plus how it's Volkswagen’s world and we live in it

Finbarr Bermingham@fbermingham.bsky.social · 2d ago

. Noah Barkin explains German econ minister Reiche's open defiance of Merz Promised to keep her Brussels meet with Wang Wentao - on eve of EU-China talks - under wraps, then put out a press release. Hid French non-paper on imbalances for 6 months from other govt depts

Interesting new QJE paper builds a global working hours database for 160 countries covering 97% of world population. Globally, 59% of people aged 15+ work, averaging 42 hours/week; women account for 35% of GDP-producing hours. Hours are only weakly related to development.

Curious what @covertshores.bsky.social thinks this is 📷 @jayinkyiv.bsky.social

Vehicle theory, enabling project gone wrong, as it always does First two stages of Frankensteinian grief

Alex Thomas@alexgathomas.bsky.social · 4d ago

Burnham’s devo announcements were important and - we think & hope - should improve UK govt But for the love of God let’s not confuse - legislation/direction to give powers to sub-national bodies - reallocation of tax and spend - a *written frigging constitution* www.ft.com/content/72e4...

Excellent editorial by @benjaminsire.bsky.social in @lel-media.bsky.social (a great publication spanning politics, society and scientific progress) on the expulsion from the French national territory of Xenia Fedorova, ex director of Russia Today in France. lel.media/edito/la-pou...

La poupée russe du Kremlin - Les Électrons Libres

Martyre bâillonnée, Xenia Fedorova ? La liberté d’expression protège les opinions, pas les instruments d’une puissance hostile. Reste à empêcher nos démocraties de céder, elles aussi, à la tentation d...

lel.media

Attal going full revolutionary and proposing changing the French operating system 'en 2027, il faudra tout changer' www.lejdd.fr/politique/ex...

EXCLUSIF. Gabriel Attal : «Je propose la plus grande réforme institutionnelle depuis 1958»

Administration, justice, immigration : le candidat à l’élection présidentielle dévoile ses propositions pour refonder la « maison France » du sol au plafond. L’ancien Premier ministre souhaite consult...

lejdd.fr

It's more than just at the style level www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Burnham Bets a Trump-Style Show Buys Time to Fix the Hard Stuff

Andy Burnham’s first two weeks as prime minister brought a policy blitz that covered everything from social care to devolution and the cost-of-living. Inside Downing Street, his aides are candid that ...

bloomberg.com