I - On Defense Podcast

For review:1. Hostage Deal Begins - Three Hostages Released After 471 Days of Captivity in Gaza.The first three hostages freed under the deal were civilians Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31. Romi Gonen was abducted from the Supernova music festival, while Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were taken from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.2. Syrian leader (Ahmed Al-Sharaa) pushes for Israel to leave buffer zone between the two countries.“Israel’s advance in the region was due to the presence of Iranian militias and Hezbollah. After the liberation of Damascus, I believe that they have no presence at all. There are pretexts that Israel is using today to advance into the Syrian regions, into the buffer zone,” said Sharaa. 3. Iran State TV Shows Secret Underground Naval Missile Base.State television said the base was built at a depth of 500 meters, somewhere in the Gulf, showed tunnels with long rows of what it said were a new version of Taregh-class radar-evading speedboats which can launch cruise missiles, and said that some of the vessels were “capable of destroying US warships and destroyers.”4. One and a half mile-long airstrip being built on Yemen's Abd al-Kuri island. Abd al-Kuri is part of the Socotra Archipelago, separated from Africa by only 60 miles and from Yemen by some 250 miles. 5. Norway and France to increase defense cooperation.Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram Gram welcomed his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu for talks in Oslo on Thursday, followed by meetings with the French and Norwegian defense industries, the government said in a statement.6. First US Navy Destroyer Fitted with Hypersonic Missile Tubes.USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) is back in the water after the installation of four missile tubes that will eventually carry the Conventional Prompt Strike weapon. The tubes that will field three missiles a piece- for a total of up to 12 hypersonic missiles.

For review:1.  Israel Cabinet to Vote on Hostage & Ceasefire Deal - Set to Begin on Sunday.The deal is currently scheduled to take effect on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. Unconfirmed reports in Hebrew media said the release of the first three female hostages was expected at 4 p.m. that day. 2. Palestinian Authority President (Mahmoud Abbas) said on Friday that the PA is ready to assume “full responsibility” in post-war Gaza, in his first statement since the Gaza ceasefire deal was announced.3.  Russia & Iran Sign Strategic Partnership Treaty.The agreement- “covers all spheres, including defense, counter-terrorism, energy, finance, transport, industry, agriculture, culture, science and engineering,” according to Russian news agency TASS.4. Armor Not Dead: Slovakia Ready to Procure New Battle Tanks.Two Options listed (CV-90120 & Leopard 2):The CV-90120 would compete against new Leopard 2A8 tanks from German manufacturer KNDS or used 2A4s, an older Leopard variant that would be modernized. 5. India's Prime Minister Modi launches new Submarine, Frigate, and Destroyer from State-run shipyard in Mumbai.6. US Navy's Senior Requirements Officer for Surface Warfare (Rear Admiral Willian Daly)- skeptical about developing the Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LUSV).“The Large USV has a great purpose, but it has it has walked that path towards exquisite, expensive [and] unpalatable,” Rear Admiral Daly said. “I’m skeptical about that landing in the fleet.”7. President-elect Donald Trump nominates Troy Meink as the next Secretary of the Air Force. Mr. Meink began his career as a KC-135 tanker navigator in 1988. He went on to hold a variety of roles across the Air Force’s space enterprise, serving as a chief technical advisor to the Air Force Research Laboratory and later the deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for space. If confirmed, Meink will lead both the Air Force and the Space Force 

For review:1. Israel - Hamas Ceasefire & Hostage Talks Continue.Key mediator Qatar it had presented both parties with a “final” draft of the agreement. Israel’s Channel 12 news reported Monday that Jerusalem considered it broadly acceptable. CNN cited an Egyptian official as saying the mediating countries — Qatar, Egypt, and the United States — had not yet received a response from Hamas.2. NATO Secretary General (Mark Rutte) Wants Commitment for Increased Spending by Alliance Members.Reuters reported on Monday that Secretary Rutte is of the view that new military capability targets could require members to commit to “as much as” 3.7 percent GDP.3. Greece Adds Rafale Fighters to Warplane Arsenal.The latest Rafale delivery supports Greece's goal to operate 200 x aircraft from the 4.5 and 5th generations comprising the F-16 Viper, F-35s, and the Rafales by 2030.Greece now operates 24 x Rafale fighters.4. USMC awards contract to integrate the Forterra autonomy package on JLTVs in support of the ROGUE Fires Vehicle & NMESIS program. NMESIS = Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System.5. US Navy Vice Chief of Naval Operations (Admiral Jim Kilby) makes a statement at the annual Surface Navy Association symposium regarding the downing of the F/A-18 by friendly fire, in December 2024.6. Secretary of Defense Nominee Pete Hegseth appears before the Senate Armed Service Committee for confirmation hearing. 

For review:1. Israel Strikes Targets Amid Hezbollah Threat.Israel says that before the strikes, it made the threats known to an international mechanism set up as part of the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, but “the threats weren’t addressed.”Israel struck several Hezbollah targets, including a rocket launcher, an unspecified military site, and “routes along the Syria-Lebanon border used to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah.”2. Governance row between two main Palestinian groups- Hamas and Fatah- plays out in West Bank.3. Russia Transferring Materiel from Syria to Libya.On December 18- the Wall Street Journal, citing Libyan and American officials, said there had been a transfer of Russian radars and defense systems from Syria to Libya, including S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft batteries.4. Russia claims advances in the Donetsk and Kharkiv Regions.5. Ukraine claims that it has captured two wounded N. Korean Soldiers in Russia's Kursk Region.6. After GAO Protest Ruling - US Army Restarts Work on Fixed-Wing ISR Program.7. US Army Launched Effects (LE) program.Launched Effects is the Army's term of art for an unmanned segment among its aerial platforms, capable of delivering a wide range of capabilities such as targeting, reconnaissance, surveillance, network extension or kinetic strike.