defense

Moving through the ranks of military activity including infrastructure, wars, our commander in chief and the nucleur arms race.

Trump Just Renamed AI “Super Intelligence.” Here’s What That Actually Does.
On September 29, 2026, Trump signed an executive order called Launching the Super Intelligence Era . It tells federal agencies to replace “artificial intelligence” with “Super Intelligence” in official communications. The same day, he signed the White House Super Intelligence Accord: Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibility with the CEOs of Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia, OpenAI, and xAI. The accord hands regulatory leadership to the companies themselves.
By Jin27 days ago in The Swamp
Two Pandas Left Chengdu Before Sunrise. This Is What Waited for Them in Atlanta.
A ten-year stay: two pandas head to Atlanta At 2:55 a.m. on September 27, 2026, on the tarmac of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, the cabin door of a charter flight closed.
By Jin29 days ago in The Swamp
The Red Carpet Is Rolled Up. Taiwan Should Read the Room.
When the red carpet was rolled out at Andrews Air Force Base, cameras swept the honor guard. The U.S. and Chinese national anthems played at the White House. At the state dinner, glasses were raised. Those images will sit in news archives. For Taiwan, one line from the meeting matters more: China and the U.S. agreed to build a “constructive strategic stability relationship based on respect, fairness, and reciprocity” and reached an eight-point consensus.
By Jin29 days ago in The Swamp
Both Sides Released Eight Points. The $30 Billion Is the Least Important Part.
In September 2026, China and the United States released eight points from their leaders’ meeting. Most coverage focused on a $30 billion tariff cut. The more important shift is in how the two countries manage the relationship. They are moving from emergency responses to standing procedures.
By Jin30 days ago in The Swamp
The Room Emptied. The War Didn’t End. The Bill Came Due.
The room On September 24, 2026, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked to the podium of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. A QR code sat on his lapel. The Israeli delegation sat behind him. The room was full for a moment. Then the Iranian delegation stood. Qatari delegates stood. Saudi, Palestinian, and dozens of others followed. Chair legs scraped the floor. Seventy-seven delegations walked out.
By Jinabout a month ago in The Swamp
Signed While Tariffs Stayed: The 20-Year China-U.S. LNG Deal, Explained Without the Hype
On September 14, 2026, Venture Global issued an announcement. The announcement confirmed that China Gas Holdings had signed a new liquefied natural gas sale and purchase agreement with Venture Global. Under the agreement, China Gas Holdings will purchase 500,000 tonnes of U.S. LNG per year beginning in 2030, for a term of 20 years. The same announcement stated that the new agreement brings the total long-term purchase arrangement between Venture Global and China Gas Holdings to 2.5 million tonnes per year, supplied from Venture Global’s project portfolio.
By Jinabout a month ago in The Swamp
The U.S.-China Trade Truce Is Extended to Jan. 10. The Hard Questions Remain
On Sept. 23 in Washington, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. After the meeting, Bessent told Fox News that the two sides had agreed to extend their trade truce by two months, moving the previous Nov. 10 expiry date to Jan. 10, 2027. Reuters reported the extension the same day. Beijing did not issue a parallel announcement.
By Jinabout a month ago in The Swamp
Crunching numbers to turn us all into police informants
In the first part of this investigation into the “Miami lice sucking away our civil liberties” I suggested the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) was probably fairly satisfied with its relationship with Palantir, the National Health Service (NHS) less so – although still committed to a seven-year deal signed in 2023 – while British police authorities seemed to have some serious misgivings about the tech giant, however I harbour sneaky suspicions it’s just rhetoric to placate a fragile public perception of the surveillance monster.
By Steve Harrisonabout a month ago in The Swamp
Inside the belly of the beast also known as Palantir
Just guessing, but I figure I’m one of very few people from my generation who has not read J R R Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” or watched Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaptations of the epic created by the “father of fantasy”.
By Steve Harrisonabout a month ago in The Swamp
The Last Blast Furnace: How Ukraine’s Steel Industry Went Dark in One Month
In the early hours of September 12, 2026, in Kryvyi Rih, the blast-furnace operator on duty at the ArcelorMittal plant saw the hot-blast stove pressure drop to zero in the control room. There was no explosion. The power system went down first. The pipe network lost pressure afterward. The molten iron in the hearth stopped flowing. Its temperature fell, degree by degree. Workers called over the radio. No answer. A few hours later, the plant announced a shutdown. This time, the blast furnaces could not be lit again.
By Jinabout a month ago in The Swamp
The $14 Billion Arms Sale Trump Won’t Sign — And the Quiet Message to Taiwan
US$14 Billion on the Table On September 21, 2026, The New York Times reported that Ryan Hass, a former China director at the U.S. National Security Council, said some Taiwanese officials visiting the United States had been asked by Trump administration officials to reduce their visits to think tanks in Washington.
By Jinabout a month ago in The Swamp
Russia’s Election Was Predictable. What Comes Next Is the Part That Matters.
After Russia’s Parliamentary Election: A Vote With No Suspense, and Who It Will Press Down on Next Moscow time, Sunday evening, at United Russia party headquarters. Dmitry Medvedev and Sergey Lavrov stood in front of a screen as the numbers jumped. Staff brought tea. No one drank it. This scene had been written before the vote. The only difference was where the percentage on the screen would finally stop.
By Jinabout a month ago in The Swamp