Latest news with #DefenseIndustry
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
What Role Did the ‘Mossad-Tehran Branch' Play in Operation Rising Lion?
Just hours after launching its military operation 'Rising Lion' against Iran, Israel revealed an extensive and long-standing intelligence campaign conducted by its spy agency Mossad deep inside Iranian territory, especially in the capital, where it reportedly established a covert branch. According to an Israeli security source on Friday, Mossad special units carried out a series of covert operations inside Iran in the lead-up to the strikes. These included deploying precision-guided weapons near surface-to-air missile sites, using advanced technology to disrupt Iranian air defenses, and establishing a drone launch base close to Tehran. The source said Friday's operation was a joint effort between the Israeli military, Mossad, and the country's defense industry, built on years of meticulous planning and intelligence-gathering. Israeli media, including Yedioth Ahronoth, reported that Mossad had established the drone base long before the strike, with explosive-laden UAVs later launched toward Iranian missile sites. The attack reflects Israel's broader, long-term strategy toward Iran, built on the combined efforts of its military and intelligence services. While Iran has maintained that the strikes were conducted entirely from outside the country, seeking to avoid acknowledging serious internal security breaches, Israel insists that Mossad played a decisive role on the ground. The agency is credited with assassinations of IRGC and Iranian military figures, data collection on nuclear scientists, and compiling a high-value target list. An Israeli security source claimed Mossad established a 'branch' inside Tehran, planting surveillance devices across dozens of locations and even executing sabotage operations near nuclear facilities and missile launch sites. While some analysts view these claims as psychological warfare or propaganda, evidence from past operations suggests a degree of credibility. Over the years, Israel has conducted bold, complex missions inside Iran that appear too sophisticated to have originated solely from outside. Mossad's activity in Iran dates back years but intensified significantly in the last two. According to Israeli sources, the agency effectively set up a wide-reaching operational base inside Iran, complete with advanced equipment and transport assets. Mossad has been linked to the assassinations of at least four Iranian nuclear scientists: Masoud Alimohammadi, Majid Shahriari, Darioush Rezaeinejad, and Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan - between 2010 and 2012 - most of them killed using magnetic bombs in central Tehran. In 2020, top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in an ambush attributed to a Mossad unit. The most high-profile operation came in 2018, when Mossad agents reportedly stole Iran's nuclear archive, including 50,000 documents and 163 CDs, from a Tehran warehouse in a seven-hour raid. According to former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who oversaw the mission, the 20-member team (none of whom were Israeli nationals) operated inside Iran for two years before executing the mission undetected. Though Iranian officials initially dismissed the scale of the operation, they later claimed to have arrested 'all the terrorists' who helped Mossad, blaming opposition groups like the MEK. However, Israel insists it relied not on political dissidents, but on individuals disillusioned with the regime, mercenaries, and Western intelligence support. A retired Mossad officer, known only as Brig. Gen. 'A', told the right-wing Israeli group The Guardians that Iran's internal repression and isolation have left it vulnerable. He stressed the close cooperation between Mossad, Israeli military intelligence, and the defense industry in preparing for the confrontation with Iran. Operation 'Rising Lion,' launched this week, included direct strikes on neighborhoods housing top IRGC commanders in Tehran. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described it as a 'preemptive strike,' following warnings from US President Donald Trump about an imminent Israeli military operation targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Talk of tariffs, politics, business and opportunities
Over 1,500 leaders from all corners of the state gathered at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference to discuss issues including tariffs, politics, education, talent needs, growing population, growing the defense industry and even adding a little more "hoops" to the Motor City's future. We traveled north to talk to CEOs, educators, elected officials, thought leaders and a Hall of Famer at the conference for a special "Michigan Matters" episode as they discussed topics impacting our region as well as thoughts about the road ahead. Each shared thoughts about how things were going in Michigan, too. Our guests include: Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist Jerry Norcia, CEO of DTE Energy Pete Hoekstra, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Mike Bickers, PNC Regional President, Detroit/Southeast Michigan Eric Poe, CEO of CURE Auto Insurance Sam Klemet of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association Todd Szott, chair of the 2026 Detroit Auto Show Claude Molinari, CEO of Visit Detroit Swin Cash, WNBA Hall of Famer Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, Oakland University President U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin Quentin Messer, CEO of Michigan Economic Development Corporation Margaret Anderson, President of HAP U.S. Sen. Gary Peters Linda Apley, CEO of ITC Holdings Eric Lupher, Citizens Research Council Maureen Donohue Krauss, CEO of Detroit Regional Partnership (Watch Michigan Matters at its new time: 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit and 9:30 a.m. Sundays on CW Detroit 50 WKBD). (Carol Cain is the 13-time Emmy-winning senior producer and host of Michigan).
Al Jazeera
27-05-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,188
Here's where things stand on Tuesday, May 27: Ukraine says it has confirmed information that China is supplying a range of important products to Russian military plants, including tooling machines, special chemical products, gunpowder and components specifically to defence manufacturing industries.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
I spent 3 days at the Marines' big modern warfare expo. Here's what the service was buzzing about.
I went to the three-day Modern Day Marine expo in Washington, DC. The expo, which draws military leaders and defense companies, focuses on the innovations needed to fight future wars. Marines spoke candidly about challenges trying to field and integrate new tech throughout units. I spent three days at the Marines' big annual modern warfare expo in Washington, DC. Drone tech stole the show. Marines, Pentagon officials, and defense industry executives spoke extensively on panels and in private discussions about the uphill battle of preparing for future warfare, and drones were a hot topic. Marine leaders discussed the difficulties of getting many more drones into the hands of troops and the challenges of adapting to war with these systems. The Modern Day Marine expo is focused on the innovations Marines need to fight future wars, so it's no surprise that everyone was buzzing about drones this year. These highly versatile machines which can surveil enemies, carry out precision strikes, and more have been redefining contemporary warfare. Their uses were on display at the "Drone Zone," a section of the expo featuring demos from the Marines' Attack Drone Team. There was also a section devoted to wargaming, another focused on warfighting, and countless booths where companies pitched ideas on what tech Marines might need for future fights. In what was basically a UAS mini-symposium, held in a cluster of quiet rooms in the convention center, about two dozen Marines — from generals to senior enlisted —hashed out what's working and what's not when it comes to drones. Some expressed concerns about fielding and implementing uncrewed aerial systems within the Corps. Leaders cited the difficulty of getting drones into the hands of troops due to the slow and complex military acquisition process, as well as tricky procedural and regulatory issues, like deconflicting flight space with the FAA, negotiating on-base training flights for logistics drones, and mitigating risks for civilians on the ground. I was a little surprised by just how open to reporters like me these intimate panels were and was struck by just how frank Marines were in speaking with me and helping me better understand their challenges. "We've got to field drones at scale in order to be able to pressurize our training really, to work through some of the real hard problems," said Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, who oversees the service's Training and Education Command, during a media event. He added that he expects the service to receive more drones and loitering munitions, or one-way attack drones, over the next year. The newly established Attack Drone Team is an important part of the Corps' drive to learn from the war in Ukraine and bring small uncrewed systems into missions. The team demonstrated drone capabilities every few hours at MDM; it will serve as a foundation for competitive teams across bases. Other technology attendees buzzed about at the expo were electronic warfare, virtual training simulators, and the need for quantum communications. Drones are invaluable tools, but they won't be much help if the service can't physically get to conflict zones. That's why an initiative called "3.0 MEU," another timely topic at MDM, is a consistent strategic concern for the Marines' top general. A MEU, or Marine Expeditionary Unit, is a response force of around 2,200 Marines and sailors who carry out combat missions like amphibious assaults or respond to crises like embassy evacuations. The Marine Corps term "3.0 MEU" refers to having three groups deployed simultaneously, one from the East Coast, one from the West Coast, and one from a US base in Japan, plus enough ships to have some preparing for deployments, with plans for others to be undergoing intense maintenance cycles. Long-standing concerns about Navy ship readiness mean that having three groups of three ships deployed with embarked MEUs, with others in training pipelines and maintenance, is really still just a goal for now. "This is about more than ships, it's about deterrence and denial," Marine Corps Commandant Eric Smith said. "That is why the 3.0 ARG MEU matters; it gives our leaders options." (ARG refers to the naval warship groups known as Amphibious Ready Groups). The Navy operates and maintains the ships that Marines deploy on. But its fleet has been forced to contend with overwhelming maintenance and repair backlogs. The bedrock of American naval power, the US shipbuilding industry, has been plagued with troubles, too. With the state of the fleet, there are concerns that it isn't sufficiently prepared for emergencies. "There's a saying that wars are a come-as-you-are game," said Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, told last year on the impact of dismal ship readiness for Marines. "Well, this is where we are. And there is simply no immediate fix." Maintaining a mission-ready force requires upkeep of the facilities that troops live in to ensure a certain quality of life. Renovating barracks, the military equivalent of dormitories, was another important topic at the MDM expo. Barracks across the DoD have deteriorated due to insufficient maintenance, sometimes resulting in mold, water issues, and poor ventilation. The issue has been exacerbated by decades of war in the Middle East and is one that the lowest, unmarried enlisted ranks deal with regularly. Now, Marine leaders are trying to boost barracks renovations, which they also hope can help increase force retention. "Barracks 2030" is the Corps' refurbishment answer. But it comes with a steep price tag, nearly $11 billion through 2037. "The idea is not to fix it and forget it," Lt. Gen. James Adams, Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, said of the initiative during a panel on the topic. He added that the service "got ourselves into the position we're in now" by neglecting maintenance. But funding for Barracks 2030 hinges on Congress, and if lawmakers don't elect to fund the overhaul, it's likely to face painful delays. So it is getting more attention. Read the original article on Business Insider
