US Army Takes Agentic AI to Europe for Faster Target Validation; A Defense Tech Bubble in Europe?

INNOVATION

Anduril’s New Steelfin Missiles Put a Different Spin on Interceptor Design

Anduril’s Steelfin family uses a shared interceptor core with interchangeable boosters to address different aerial threats and launch requirements.

INVESTMENT

Shield AI and the US Navy Match $150M Investments in X-BAT Development

The autonomy hotshot announced that the Navy is tripling down on X-BAT with a $150M modification to a $50M award made in August. Shield AI is matching that with $150M of its own cash, bringing the total public and private funding for the program to a cool $400M.

Is there a defence tech bubble?

Investors from JP Morgan, PJT Partners and Resist.UA gathered at the Resilience Conference in London to discuss the macroeconomics of defence tech in Europe and new investors bidding at billion-euro valuations.

AI

US Army Takes Agentic AI to Europe for Faster Target Validation

The deployment builds on US Army trials reporting faster intelligence processing and targeting, with human oversight retained over operational decisions.

Thailand Maps Out 3 Ways to Keep Military AI From Going Too Far

A Thai senator outlined priorities for governing military AI, emphasizing human responsibility for lethal decisions and stronger legal safeguards.

TECHNOLOGY

Hegseth uses AUSA spotlight to push autonomy, 'generational' defense investment

Senior officials also revealed that the Defense Autonomous Working Group has been absorbed into a new Task Force Autonomous Warfare, which sits inside the Special Operations Command.

Anduril unveils Steelfin surface-to-air interceptor family

The two-stage system is designed for existing launchers and fire-control networks, with flight tests planned for next year.

SPACE

Space Force Activates Special Operations Command Component

The Space Force has officially established its component to U.S. Special Operations Command, creating a ninth component charged with presenting space expertise to commanders in the field.

EUROPE

Can Europe Replace Starlink and US Satellite Intelligence as Ukraine Faces Growing Risks?

Ukraine is facing significant issues with Starlink satellite internet, which is impacting its military operations and air defense systems.

European officials weigh mix of high-tech drones and heavy armor

European governments are encouraging their defense industries to jointly develop and produce unmanned systems with Ukrainian companies, while cautioning to simultaneously new keep tanks and armored vehicles on hand for defending NATO’s eastern flank, officials said at the Warsaw Security Forum.

DRONES

How Sudan Became a Laboratory for Drone Warfare, Thanks to Abu Dhabi

In June 2026, I visited Khartoum, my hometown, for the first time since the war broke out in Sudan in April 2023. I left the city to seek safety with my family after the war spread into civilian neighborhoods. I never imagined I would return to the same city. I was very excited but also traumatized by the destruction I saw as the plane landed at Khartoum International Airport. The airport was busy, with many Sudanese returning after commercial flights resumed in May 2026. But the growing drone warfare that is spreading over Sudan threatens the return of hopeful Sudanese to their homes and normal life.

ARMY

Army Rolling Out New Platform to Connect with Commercial Software Developers

The Army next week is rolling out a platform where commercial software developers and other nontraditional contractors can quickly submit code for evaluation, feedback and accreditation as part of the service’s push to make connecting with industry easier on both ends.

The Project Gatekeeper platform — a commercial-facing, artificial intelligence-powered version of the existing Army DevSecOps pipelines — is going live on Oct. 23, with full availability expected by mid-November, service officials said at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting and exposition Oct. 13.

Army wants to avoid 'mistakes' on pushback over data centers

Army leaders said they’ve watched the public outcry around data centers and are planning to get ahead of it as the service signs agreements to host them on bases.

In March, the Army announced that it selected two global investment firms to partner with to build and manage commercial data centers on underused land at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. Contracting documents also indicate plans for centers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Hood, Texas.

NAVY

HII wins US Navy contract for AUKUS submarine design support

Newport News Shipbuilding will support SSN-AUKUS design work, as well as engineering, supply-chain and workforce activities.

AIR FORCE

Air Force May Buy Land for 120 New Sentinel ICBM Silos

The service revealed that and other new details about its Sentinel plans as it announced the start of an environmental impact analysis meant to supplement the program’s original review, which was completed in 2023.

STRATEGY

US ‘economic supremacy’ key in the Western Hemisphere, top US Army general says

The U.S. Army’s top commander for the Western Hemisphere described American “economic supremacy” as an overarching goal of Washington’s regional security strategy, outlining plans to expand its military footprint in Central and South America on Monday at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting.

Strategy and Contradiction: Towards a Theory of Strategic Judgement

Strategy is often understood as the intellectual process through which political purposes are related to the means available for their achievement, usually under conditions of uncertainty and opposition.[1] It is this understanding that provides the starting point for most strategic thought.[2]

Conceiving strategy in these terms, however, invites an earlier question. Before political ends can be related to available means, before courses of action can be compared or resources committed, a situation must first be recognised as requiring strategic judgement. Such recognition is easily overlooked because it appears self-evident. Yet it underlies every strategic consideration that follows.