AUKUS nerves and war in space

Your weekly dose of defence news, biased opinions and poorly curated content. You’re welcome.

With The Pentagon continuing to ruffle feathers in UK and Australia over their commitment to the AUKUS nuclear programme. The Brits and the Australians have decided to show solidarity with each other (and put a bit of pressure on the US) by signing a 50 year bilateral agreement, guaranteeing continued sharing of their nuclear sub technology.

The US is looking to complete their AUKUS review this autumn - something initiated by the Trump administration amid concerns that their subsurface nuclear deterrent is insufficient for domestic protection and shouldn’t be diluted by commitments abroad. This comes at less than ideal timing for Australia, who have just sent another $800m to US as part of the AUKUS building deal.

It was only a matter of time…what with China launching literally thousands of satellites and Russia getting up to all sorts of tricks in space.

The General in charge of US Space Command - Stephen Whiting - has spoken publicly about what exactly his department is all about. He didn’t mince his words: “We are now a combatant command focused on war fighting”. Orbital manoeuvres are two words we’re going to hear a lot of in the next few years.

Next time you ask ChatGPT to critique your seven questions, you might want to think again. Sam Altman (the CEO of OpenAI) reminded everyone last week that - as much as they wish they could promise complete privacy - there is actually no legal confidentiality on their platforms. If authorities ask for it: they hand it over.

Close to home much?

FPV drones are lethal and, combined with fibre-optic cabling, immune to jamming. Turns out there might be a surprisingly simple counter measure out there.

Brave1, Ukraine’s weapons innovation program, has developed a 5.56mm “pellet” round (nicknamed Horoshok) that launches mini-pellets mid-air, creating a shotgun-style spread. Why not just use a shotgun? Well, the idea is soldiers can simply swap mags on their primary assault rifles to engage drones without the need for separate weapons. Apparently it’s already in use on the front line.

Big events from the past, covered in brief and probably inaccurately.

Where it all began. One month after Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, Austria‑Hungary made its fateful move: declaring war on Serbia. Vienna knew full well this could trigger a clash with Russia, Serbia’s protector.

What made them push the button? The so‑called “blank cheque” that Germany had offered them in the form of unconditional support. With Berlin behind it, Austria‑Hungary rolled the dice. Within days, the Balkan crisis spiralled into a full‑blown European war that would consume the next four years and millions of lives.

Not super light, but not super long. 35minute dive into Britain’s SDR and what it means for us all.

Changing things up? This is where we briefly look at career options from across the civvy world - everything goes here so expect some absolute drivel. Sometimes Forces Assist can help place you, sometimes we can’t. Either way we can offer advice.

Pretty much what it says on the tin - you’re working for a software or hardware business flogging their wares. Good craic, competitive and can be decent remuneration.

We talked about this in detail on our Insta:

Over at Forces Assist we’re always looking for qualled up drivers nationally. If you have driving qualifications and are looking for work then head to forcesassist.com to start conversations.

Joking aside - please ask everyone to sign up - we’re trying to build something positive here and any help is very welcome.

Cheers,

Forces Assist.