DEFENSE PULSE Weekly \\ 0100

Welcome to the first Defense Pulse of 2026. I hope your new year brings success in whatever you're building!

This issue is slightly different. Instead of just covering what's operational right now, we're looking at strategic direction: how militaries think about integrating new technology, where the money's flowing, and what frameworks might actually shape the next decade.

Also starting something new: Opportunity Intel at the end. This section covers capability gaps, funding announcements, and market signals that show where defense tech is heading before systems hit the field. Basically, intelligence on the problems militaries are trying to solve rather than solutions they've already bought. More in next week.

Let's see what 2026 brings.

Former UK Defence Chief Gen. (ret.) Nick Carter argues Ukraine's battlefield drones function as substitutes for missing artillery and infantry mass rather than revolutionary capability, producing stalemate rather than breakthrough. Real transformation requires NATO militaries to integrate autonomous systems with legacy platforms through evolved doctrine and mission command culture. Warning reflects growing recognition that wholesale adoption of Ukraine's approach risks preparing NATO forces for wrong fight: different theaters demand different operational concepts, Western democracies' casualty aversion necessitates maneuver-oriented solutions over attritional warfare authoritarian adversaries may pursue.

China displayed medium cargo ship equipped with 60 containerized vertical launch cells arranged deck-wide (five across, three deep), Type 1130 CIWS, phased-array radar, and decoy launchers totaling two-thirds the missile capacity of Arleigh Burke destroyer. Authenticity remains unclear (observers note unusual container markings and question combat system integration for employing sensors and weapons effectively), but demonstration signals broader strategic direction toward military systems disguised as civilian infrastructure for rapid deployment, leveraging everything from commercial vessels to commercial containers for force multiplication where weapons remain hidden until combat conditions demand their reveal.

Three capability gaps present near-term opportunities: digital integration connecting sensors/effectors across domains (UK Digital Targeting Web target 2027, US IBCS-M incorporating Lattice mesh network), mobile counter-drone platforms combining radars/EW/kinetics from multiple suppliers (missile defense market forecast $55.7bn to $98.5bn), and Atlantic Bastion driving UUV sensor demand (Thales Nano76 passive sonar, Helsing SG-1 Fathom glider with large acoustic models).

Another view from Aerospace Global News

I read every message and would love to hear what's working, what's missing, or what you want to see more of.