Lee Ferran is the Managing Editor of Breaking Defense, responsible for editing coverage, organizing, scheduling and optimizing editorial operations, and developing our content platforms. Lee brings significant journalistic experience to the role, working at ABC News for over nine years as a national security reporter, investigative reporter and editor of their enterprise investigations unit. Over his career Lee has covered US military budgets and spending, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and controversial counter-terrorism programs. He's the recipient of two News Emmy Awards. Lee's an avid traveler, movie addict and amateur coder, with particular interest in media technology. A native of Georgia, Lee is a graduate of Wake Forest University.
“I think this policy is widely shared by the NATO nations, as far as I understand, that we do all we can support Ukraine, but I don’t see as big enthusiasm [for] getting NATO directly involved, boots on the ground,” said Janne Kuusela, Director General for Defence Policy at Finland’s Ministry of Defence.
The national security advisor to the Estonian president is the latest NATO nation official to weigh into the debate over the wisdom of foreign forces in Ukraine, while a senior British officer said it’s still “not a path that the [UK] Prime Minister wants to go down.”
The head of the Estonian Scouts, among the first who would be called to fend off an invasion, said the “biggest part that’s going to change” is how the unit fights with and against drones.
Though Estonia’s chief of defense told Breaking Defense the idea has fallen by the wayside, a key lawmaker in Tallinn said it’s time to consider a “coalition of the willing” to go into Ukraine.
Helsinki had considered the “wise” move of storing some equipment out of Moscow’s reach for years, but NATO membership cut through red tape, Finnish officials told Breaking Defense.
Greg Ryckman, DIA’s deputy director for Global Integration, said open source info used to be the “salt” sprinkled on top of completed intelligence products, but now it’s the secret intelligence that’s become the salt on the “main course” that is open source intel.
MDA Chief Lt. Gen. Heath Collins told lawmakers the sharply accelerated schedule was a result of budget constraints paired with agency confidence in its “in-depth” knowledge of competitors Northrop and Lockheed’s designs even before formal design review.
After the counter-uncrewed systems, AFRICOM said it would spend another $228 million on “high-risk intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance” to shore up current “unacceptable risk” to US interests on the continent.
“The companies will merge AI expertise and operational understanding to deliver superior intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for today’s rapidly changing defense and security environment,” Shield AI’s announcement says.
The site “will support the engineering and production of missile weapon systems for the U.S. military, such as components for the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) system,” the company said.
Among the unclassified programs listed, the Space Force could use an additional $160 million to establish a “working capital fund” to be used for purchasing commercial satellite communications.
“The proposed sale will improve Bahrain’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force that can deter adversaries and provide the capability to participate in regional operations with the United States and other U.S. partner nations,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
![From the Red Sea to AUKUS, a look at Sea Air Space day 1 and a preview of Day 2 [VIDEO]](https://sites.breakingmedia.com/uploads/sites/3/2024/01/8102771-scaled-e1704884065168.jpg)
![From the Red Sea to AUKUS, a look at Sea Air Space day 1 and a preview of Day 2 [VIDEO]](https://sites.breakingmedia.com/uploads/sites/3/2024/01/8102771-scaled-e1704884065168-225x150.jpg)
