🇨🇳🛰🇺🇸 China now has a 'kill mesh' in orbit, Space Force vice chief says

The United States is approaching a turning point in space security, and needs to step up its game before Russia and China close the gap in capabilities, a U.S. Space Force general said.

Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein spoke at the 16th annual McAleese "Defense Programs" Conference in Arlington, Virginia on Tuesday (March 18), warning the Space Force needs to rethink how it defends the country's satellites.

The shift comes as China and Russia have ramped up displays of orbital warfare capabilities over the past few years. Some of these incidents have more publicly-facing than others, such as Russia's anti-satellite (ASAT) test in 2022, which created a cloud of supersonic debris in low-Earth orbit. That same year, a Chinese satellite "grappled" one of the nation's defunct satellites and towed it into a "graveyard orbit."

China, in particular, is advancing its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies. "The Chinese ISR capabilities are becoming very capable. They have gone from what we used to call a 'Kill Chain' to a 'Kill Mesh'," he said, describing an integrated network that intertwines ISR satellites with weapon systems.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-now-kill-mesh-orbit-210000217.html

🇪🇹🇪🇷 Tensions Escalate as Ethiopia and Eritrea Mass Troops on Border

Reports indicate that Ethiopia and Eritrea are amassing troops along their shared border, raising fears of renewed conflict. This comes as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has openly expressed Ethiopia’s urgent need for a port "by all means necessary," with #Assab emerging as a likely target.

Compounding the situation is Ethiopia’s ongoing tension with Tigray, where Eritrea has played a key role. With border militarization intensifying, questions arise is Ethiopia preparing to assert its claim on a port militarily, or is another regional conflict brewing?

🔗 cirka news

🇸🇴 Al-Shabaab has released footage showing its fighters overrunning Somali National Army bases in Awdhegle and capturing SNA militia members.

🔗 cirka news

📈 Copper to hit $12,000 this year, say major trading groups

The price of copper is likely to set new records this year at $12,000 or more a tonne, according to several of the world’s largest trading houses, lifted by growing global demand and the threat of US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.

The London copper price hit a record of almost $11,000 in May 2024. After falling back late last year, it has risen in 2025 and was trading at about $10,000 on Tuesday. 

“I think we’ll see higher than $12,000,” said Kostas Bintas, global head of metals and minerals at Mercuria. The copper market was “experiencing tightness”, he added.

https://www.ft.com/content/e4f4a52c-9449-4b2a-887d-540e37f7b9bc

🇺🇸🚢 Trump Appoints Top Naval Strategist Brent Sadler To MARAD

In a significant and long-awaited move that could reshape the trajectory of American maritime policy, retired U.S. Navy Captain Brent Sadler, a former submariner, has been officially nominated by President Trump to serve as the next Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and, by extension, Commandant of the U.S. Merchant Marine.

This is not just a personnel change, it’s a potential turning point.

For decades, MARAD has suffered from institutional neglect, manpower shortages, policy drift, rape scandals, and a chronic inability to keep pace with the geopolitical stakes of a maritime century. Now, the nomination of Sadler signals a potential course correction.

Sadler, a veteran naval officer and senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation (the think tank behind Project 2025 but also several maritime initiatives), has been one of the few voices in Washington consistently beating the drum on maritime readiness, sealift capacity, and the critical role of the U.S. Merchant Marine in strategic competition. He’s not just another bureaucrat with a résumé. He’s a serious policy strategist who understands that America bleeds influence without hulls in the water, flags on sterns, and skilled mariners at the helm.

https://gcaptain.com/trump-appoints-top-naval-strategist-brent-sadler-to-marad/

🇺🇸 🌏 A significant buildup is happening in Diego Garcia

At least 5 USAF B-2 Spirits and 7 C-17A Globemaster IIIs have arrived over the last 3 days, or are currently en route to the island.

🔗 TheIntelFrog

🇨🇺 Cuban population on the island has apparently dropped from 11 million to only 8 over past five years, and still no end in sight to the exodus

🔗 ASPertierra

🇪🇺🪖 EU wants its citizens to prep for crises — or war

Bottled water, energy bars, a flashlight and more: the EU is pushing for every household in the 27-country bloc to have a three-day survival kit ready in case crisis strikes — be it a conflict or natural disaster.

EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib told AFP the idea would be formally presented Wednesday as part of a broader “preparedness strategy” for the bloc.

In practice, Brussels would like every citizen to be equipped for 72 hours of self-sufficiency, said Lahbib, in line with a key report last year on strengthening Europe’s civilian and military preparedness.

https://insiderpaper.com/eu-wants-its-citizens-to-prep-for-crises-or-war/

🇨🇳🇹🇼🚤 Stairway To Taiwan – The Chinese Amphibious Bridging System

The Chinese designs discussed here appear to be self-propelled. Therefore, despite termed “barges”, they are more accurately seagoing vessels capable of transiting across significant distances unassisted. This aspect carries importance for a notional invasion of the Taiwanese main.

Primary use for Type 2 is as a direct connector of the bridging system to the shore. Type 2 features shorter legs for shallow waters, no extended platforms enabling the berthing of ferries, and possibly waterjet propulsion.

[Type 1] features longer, sturdier legs, suggesting a requirement to operate in deeper waters or further from shore. Furthermore the Type 1 appears to have propellers and rudders fitted, again suggesting an optimisation for operation at increased draft.

Type 3 is the terminal element of any combination with the other platforms discussed here. Type 3 would likely facilitate disembarkation from the largest Ro/ro-vessels furthest from shore.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/03/stairway-to-taiwan-the-chinese-amphibious-bridging-system/

💬🇺🇸🇾🇪 The full chat logs were published by Jeffrey Goldberg

OSINTdefender on X: Following continued downplaying of the incident by officials with the Trump Administration, who continue to claim that what was talked about in the recent Signal group-chat regarding strikes against the Houthis in Yemen was not considered “war planning” and was not classified; Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief for The Atlantic, has now released what appears to be the full chat-log for the group in Signal, as well as the identity of every person included in the chat.

The log proves that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was the one to add Goldberg to the group, as well as claims by Goldberg that information about strike timing, weapons systems, and targets were posted in the chat by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hours before the start of the strike operation in Yemen.

🔗 OSINTdefender

🇺🇸/🇲🇽 Hegseth Gives Order to Enhance Military Mission at Southern Border

Until now, the U.S. military mission at the southern border has been static. Service members have been engaged mostly in stationary detection and monitoring activities. But no longer.

On March 20, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order allowing service members involved in the mission to do more and conduct their mission on foot or on board Stryker armored vehicles.

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4134243/hegseth-gives-order-to-enhance-military-mission-at-southern-border/

🇺🇸🗺🗺 — Satellite imagery from Indo-Pacific Watch Center shows 3x USAF B-2 “Spirit” Long-Range Strategic Stealth Bombers on the tarmac today at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, as well as possibly 4 others under hardened aircraft shelters, bringing the total B-2s that could be at the base to 7.

In addition to the USAF B-2s, at least 7x USAF KC-135 “Stratotanker” Aerial-Refueling Tankers can also be seen at the base, almost certainly to be used for future missions the bombers get tasked by Pentagon

Over the past days, USAF has been moving assets to RAF Airbase of Diego Garcia, as tensions with the Iranian Regime grows

🔗 IPWC (@IndoPacWatch)

🇮🇱🇵🇸 Israeli military to increase activity in additional areas in Gaza

📝 Emanuel Fabian: Defense Minister Israel Katz warns Palestinians in Gaza that the military will soon operate in additional areas of the Strip, telling them to learn from civilians in Beit Lahiya who have been protesting against Hamas.

"Gaza residents, the IDF will soon operate with intensity in additional areas in Gaza and you will be required to evacuate for your protection from the combat zones," he says in a video statement.

"The plans are ready and approved. Hamas is risking your life and will make you lose your homes and more and more land that will be added to the Israeli defense array," Katz says, referring to an expanding buffer zone along the Gaza border.

"Learn from the residents of Beit Lahiiya, as they did, you should also demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages. This is the only way to stop the war," he adds.

🔗 Emanuel Fabian

🇺🇸❌🏳️‍⚧️ — US President Donald Trump to Transgenders: You will never be a woman

"No matter how many surgeries you have or chemicals you inject, if you’re born with male DNA in every cell of your body, you can never become a woman.

You're not going to be a woman."

🇺🇸/🇻🇪 Trump’s Threat of ‘Secondary Tariffs’ Invents New Trade Tool

President Donald Trump appeared to invent a new economic statecraft tactic on Monday by threatening what he dubbed “secondary tariffs” on countries that buy oil from Venezuela to choke off its oil trade with other nations.

The move was meant to pressure Venezuela for the “tens of thousands of high level, and other, criminals” that Trump said Venezuela has sent to the US.

“China is the main actor this is directed at because it’s essentially the black market for Venezuelan oil. They would not have to do secondary tariffs if it wasn’t for China.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-25/trump-s-threat-of-secondary-tariffs-invents-new-trade-weapon

https://archive.is/ZIeUf

🇵🇱 Poland suspends migrants' right to apply for asylum

Poland has temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving in Poland via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced it would be happening after the controversial bill, which will allow Polish authorities to suspend this right for up to 60 days at a time, was signed into law by President Andrzej Duda.

Tusk had said it would be adopted "without a moment's delay" while Duda said the changes were needed to strengthen security on the country's borders.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8719dl587zo