[RYAN ROBERTSON]
HELLO AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE. FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS I’M YOUR HOST RYAN ROBERTSON. AND THIS WEEK WE ARE COMING TO YOU FROM TAMPA, FLORIDA, HOME TO THE ANNUAL GATHERING KNOWN SOF WEEK.
WHERE SPECIAL OPERATIONS PROFESSIONALS, INDUSTRY LEADERS, AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS GATHER TO SHARE INSIGHTS, MAKE CONNECTIONS, AND HIGHLIGHT THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN SPECIAL OPERATIONS. JUST AHEAD ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE…
WE HEAR FROM PETE HEGSETH AS HE LAYS OUT HIS VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN SPECIAL FORCES.
PLUS WE GO DOCKSIDE TO GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT BLACKSEA’S GLOBAL AUTONOMOUS RECONNAISSANCE CRAFT IN OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.
AND WE CATCH UP WITH PDW, ALSO KNOWN AS PERFORMANCE DRONE WORKS, FOR AN UPDATE ON WHAT THEY’VE BEEN UP TO SINCE THEIR C-100 WAS SELECTED FOR THE ARMY’S FIRST TRANCHE OF THE NEW COMPANY-LEVEL SMALL UNCREWED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS.
BUT FIRST, SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED.
SERVICE MEMBERS AND CIVILIANS FROM MORE THAN 60 COUNTRIES PARTICIPATED IN THIS YEAR’S SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES WEEK IN TAMPA, FLORIDA.
THE 2025 EDITION OF THE ANNUAL EVENT FEATURED 52 SPEAKERS AND ATTRACTED AN AUDIENCE OF 23,000 ATTENDEES. AT THE TOP OF THE MARQUEE WAS GENERAL BRYAN FENTON, COMMANDER, U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND, AND COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR SHANE SHORTER. WHO BOTH PUT A FOCUS ON THE CHANGING NATURE OF THE THREATS AMERICA FACES.
[SHANE SHORTER]
WE’VE GOT THREATS IN ISOLATION, FUSING AND HOW WE FIGHT. THE CHARACTER OF WAR IS RAPIDLY CHANGING. FIRST CHALLENGE THE THREATS, CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN, NORTH KOREA, TERRORIST NETWORKS, INDIVIDUALLY, EACH IS DANGEROUS TOGETHER. THEY’RE FUSING. THREATS AREN’T JUST COMING TOGETHER THROUGH CONVERGENCE. THEY’RE COLLABORATING. IT’S A FUSION OF FOES.
[BRYAN FENTON]
US SOF CRISIS RESPONSE MISSIONS ARE UP BY 200% THAT’S 15 TIMES IN THE LAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS. THAT’S UNPRECEDENTED. THAT’S A VOLATILE WORLD NOW, AND RESPONDING TO CRISIS, THOSE CRISIS ARE WAY MORE CHALLENGING THAN THEY’VE EVER BEEN.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
GENERAL FENTON ALSO EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUING TO BUILD RELATIONSHIP WITH ALLIED PARTNERS, POINTING TO A FIRST-EVER GLOBAL SOF COMMAND TEAM CONFERENCE, HELD AT THE U-S-SO-COM HEADQUARTERS AT MACDILL AIR BASE BEFORE SOF WEEK.
NOTING THE EVENT BROUGHT TOGETHER 300 SENIOR SOF LEADERS FROM 63 PARTNER NATIONS.
THE U.S NAVY GIVING CHINA A LITTLE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT EARLIER THIS MONTH. WHILE SAILING THROUGH THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS NIMITZ CONDUCTED FLIGHT OPERATIONS AS PART OF EXERCISE BALIKATAN.
THE ANNUAL EXERCISE CONDUCTED BY THE UNITED STATES AND THE PHILIPPINES IS HELD TO REINFORCE THEIR ALLIANCE AND DISPLAY THEIR COMBINED CAPABILITIES.
THE TAGALOG TERM “BALIKATAN” MEANING “SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER,” MEANT TO REFLECT THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AND MUTUAL DEFENSE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES.
THE US AIR FORCE IS GEARING UP ONCE AGAIN TO ACCEPT NEW K-C-46-A PEGASUS REFUELING TANKERS FROM BOEING. THIS FOLLOWS A PAUSE IN DELIVERIES IN LATE FEBRUARY.
THE AIR FORCE’S ACTING ACQUISITION CHIEF, DARLENE COSTELLO, MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT DURING A RECENT HEARING WITH THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES SUBCOMMITTEE.
THE PAUSE IN DELIVERIES WAS DUE TO CRACKS FOUND ON A SPECIFIC PART OF THE AIRCRAFT. THESE CRACKS WEREN’T A SAFETY CONCERN—JUST SOMETHING THAT NEEDED FIXING BEFORE THE PLANES COULD BE SENT OUT. COSTELLO SAID ALL 89 KC-46S HAVE BEEN INSPECTED, REVEALING CRACKS ON 21 OF THEM, BUT MOST HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED.
COSTELLO SAYS THE AIR FORCE AND BOEING HAVE FIGURED OUT WHAT CAUSED THE CRACKING ISSUE, AND THEY’VE STARTED WORKING ON GETTING THINGS BACK ON TRACK.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IT‘S NOT A STRETCH TO SAY THE AMERICAN SOF COMMUNITY IS NAVIGATING A SIGNIFICANT TRANSFORMATION, ADAPTING FROM A PRIMARILY COUNTERTERRORISM FOCUS TO A BROADER ROLE IN GREAT POWER COMPETITION.
ACCORDING TO PETE HEGSETH, THIS TRANSITION PRESENTS NUMEROUS CHALLENGES RELATED TO BUDGET, FORCE STRUCTURE, TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT, AND THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS.
THE ADDITION OF PETE HEGSETH AS THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR THE OPENING CEREMONIES OF SOF WEEK 2025 WAS A BIT OF A SURPRISE. NOT ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED, THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME LESS THAN 24 HOURS BEFORE HE TOOK THE STAGE IN FRONT OF A LARGELY STANDING-ROOM-ONLY AUDIENCE. A GROUP HE SAID REMINDED HIM ABOUT WHAT MAKES THE SOF COMMUNITY SPECIAL.
[PETE HEGSETH]
HUMANS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN HARDWARE, MORE THAN ANY OTHER MILITARY FORMATION. I SAW IT IN A SMALL WAY AS A CONVENTIONAL INFANTRYMAN 20 YEARS AGO. SOF IS ABOUT PEOPLE. IT STARTS AND ENDS WITH THE TROOPS DOWN RANGE. EACH OF YOU AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE MISSION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY OF THE CUTTING-EDGE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE WE’RE GOING TO SEE ON THE CONVENTION FLOOR, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING IT GATHERED HERE IN RECORD-BREAKING NUMBERS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE 29TH PERSON TO HOLD THE TITLE OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, TOLD THE ROOM FULL OF AMERICAN AND ALLIED SPECIAL OPERATIONS TROOPS THAT HIS FOCUS IS ON RESTORING AN ETHOS HE BELIEVES WAS LOST UNDER THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION.
[PETE HEGSETH]
EVERYTHING STARTS AND ENDS WITH WARRIORS, FROM TRAINING TO THE BATTLEFIELD. WE ARE LEAVING WOKENESS AND WEAKNESS BEHIND. NO MORE PRONOUNS, NO MORE CLIMATE CHANGE OBSESSION, NO MORE EMERGENCY VACCINE MANDATES, NO MORE DUDES IN DRESSES.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
HEGSETH ALSO TALKED ABOUT HIS EARLY EXPERIENCES IN HIS NEW ROLE, VISITING WITH THE TROOPS AND GETTING IN SOME EARLY MORNING WORKOUTS. SOMETHING HE ADMITS CAN BE CHALLENGING WITH SOF OPERATORS.
[PETE HEGSETH]
THE PROBLEM IS IT WENT FROM LET’S DO PT WITH THE TROOPS TO EVERY SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP IN THE WORLD TRYING TO SMOKE THE SECDEF. I FIND MYSELF ALMOST BLACKING OUT BY THE END OF THE WORKOUT, AND THEN HAVING TO HAND OUT COINS AND TRY TO STAY RIGHT WAYS UP. APPRECIATE THAT.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE FORMER FOX NEWS WEEKEND ANCHOR ALSO POINTED TO THE PRESIDENT’S REQUEST FOR A TRILLION-DOLLAR DEFENSE BUDGET. CITING IT AS A DIRECT MEANS TO REVIVE THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE, AS WELL AS REFORMING THE DOD’S ACQUISITIONS PROCESS, WITH A FOCUS ON RAPIDLY FIELDING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.
[PETE HEGSETH]
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS DECLARED AND DELIVERED ON A GENERATIONAL INVESTMENT REBUILDING OUR MILITARY, MUCH LIKE RONALD REAGAN DID IN THE 1980S. OUR GOAL IS TO PUT THE BEST SYSTEMS IN THE HANDS OF OUR WAR FIGHTERS, BECAUSE YOU, OUR WAR FIGHTERS, SHOULD NEVER BE IN A FAIR FIGHT.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
DESPITE SOME RECENT, VERY POINTED, RHETORIC ABOUT AMERICA’S NATO PARTNERS, THE FORMER ARMY MAJOR AND PRINCETON GRADUATE DID EMPHASIZE HIS BELIEF IN THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.
[PETE HEGSETH]
SOF’S ABILITY TO WORK BY, WITH, AND THROUGH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS PAYS HUGE DIVIDENDS ON OUR BORDER, IN THE INDO-PACIFIC, AND AROUND THE WORLD. PARTNERS, AS I SEE SO MANY OF OUR PARTNERS RIGHT HERE IN THE FRONT, ARE CENTRAL TO HOW SOF WORKS. THEY HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT AMERICA IS STRONG, THAT PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH IS REAL, THEN THEY WANT TO COME INTO OUR ORBIT AND BE FORCE MULTIPLIERS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AS FOR WHAT’S HAPPENING CLOSER TO HOME, HEGSETH TOLD ATTENDEES, “BORDER SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY,” GOING ON TO SAY HE EXPECTS THE U.S. TO ACHIEVE FULL OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF THE SOUTHERN BORDER. ADDING THAT “SOF IS MAKING A DISTINCT CONTRIBUTION.” HOWEVER, HE DID NOT PROVIDE DETAILS ABOUT AMERICAN SOF UNITS INVOLVED IN BORDER SECURITY OPERATIONS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ALL RIGHT, FOLKS, FOR OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK THIS WEEK, WE GOT A GOOD ONE. WE HAVE ANOTHER ENTRY INTO THE WORLD OF UNMANNED SURFACE VESSELS. AND HERE TO TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IS JASON LAMB WITH BLACK SEA TECH., JASON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU. SO WE HAVE THE BLACK SEED, THE GARC HERE. I’M GONNA BUTCHER IT GARC. WHAT DOES IT STAND FOR?
[JASON LAMB]
WELL, FIRST OFF, GARC IS LIKE KLEENEX, LIKE EVERYONE REFERS TO THE SMALL USBS AS GARC, BUT IT STANDS FOR THE GLOBAL AUTONOMOUS RECONNAISSANCE CRAFT.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
OKAY, SO TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ONE. OBVIOUSLY, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. HOW DO YOU CONTROL THIS? WHO CONTROLS IT? WHEN WOULD IT BE USED, THAT SORT OF THING?
[JASON LAMB]
ABSOLUTELY SO. THE GARC IS A 16 FOOT UNMANNED SURFACE VESSEL. ITS BEAM IS ABOUT EIGHT FEET. IT CARRIES 1000 POUND PAYLOAD WITH A 200 HORSEPOWER DIESEL ENGINE. IT CAN GIVE IT A RANGE EXCEEDING 600 NAUTICAL MILES AT A SPEED OF CRUISE SPEEDS 18 KNOTS, UPWARDS OF 40 KNOT MAX SPEED. IT CAN BE CONTROLLED BY A HAND CONTROLLER. YOU CAN SEE OVER THE TABLE WE CAN SHOW YOU LATER AND FOR THE DEMONSTRATION. AND THEN YOU SEE HERE ON THE FRONT OF THE GARC IS THE SQUARE PANEL THAT IS A STARLINK OR STAR SHIELD PANEL. SO IT CAN BE CONTROLLED OVER THE HORIZON. AND THEN IT CAN BE SHIFTED INTO AUTONOMOUS, AUTONOMOUS MODE AS WELL, FOR EITHER SIMPLE BEHAVIORS OR EVEN COLLABORATIVE MISSION AUTONOMY AS WELL.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ABSOLUTELY, 1000 POUND PAYLOAD CAPACITY. LOOKING ON THE DECK HERE, WE COULD PROBABLY PUT SOME CONTAINERIZED LAUNCHERS. I MEAN, YOU CAN MOVE, YOU KNOW, EQUIPMENT AROUND IN THE LITTORAL REGIONS IN THE INDO PACIFIC. IS THAT KIND OF WHAT THIS IS ENVISIONED FOR?
[JASON LAMB]
YEAH, DEFINITELY. BLACK SEA TECHNOLOGY AS A BUSINESS IS FOCUSED ON CREATING RELEVANT CAPABILITIES FOR INDOPACOM, THAT WHOLE PANEL IN THE CENTER SECTION CAN BE REMOVED, AND IT’S AN OPEN BAY WITH A COMMON INTERFACE CONTROL DOCUMENT TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO RAPIDLY INTEGRATE PAYLOADS FOR VARIOUS MISSIONS. WE’VE HAD DIPPING SONARS ON BOARD, LOADING MUNITIONS, GYRO STABILIZED WEAPONS SYSTEMS, ALL KINDS OF CAPABILITY, AND CAN DO IT VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE OF OUR MODULAR, OPEN SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE APPROACH TO THE PLATFORM.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ABSOLUTELY, WE’RE AT SOF WEEK RIGHT NOW. WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT BLACK SEAS, LIKE CUSTOMER BASE AND KIND OF WHAT’S NEXT FOR BLACK SEA?
[JASON LAMB]
SO BLACK SEAS CUSTOMER BASE IS WEIGHTED HEAVILY TOWARDS THE NAVY, BUT ALSO SPECIAL OPERATIONS AS WELL. I WAS PREVIOUSLY A NAVY SEAL, AND LOVE TO COME BACK HERE TO SOF WEEK TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS. WE HAVE CONTESTED LOGISTICS CAPABILITY. WE BUILT A TOWED AIRBORNE LIFT OF NAVAL SYSTEMS CALLED TALONS. WE DID THAT FOR THE NAVY’S LARGER UNMANNED PLATFORMS. TAKES 100 POUNDS OF PAYLOAD TO 1000 FOOT OF ALTITUDE. WE BUILT A SMALL ONE FOR THE GARC TO TAKE 50 POUNDS OF PAYLOAD TO 500 FEET OF ALTITUDE. WE’RE ALSO LOOKING TO ENTER THE UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLE SPACE. AND I CAN INTRODUCE YOU TO SOME OF OUR TEAM AND OUR MISSION SOLUTIONS, PART OF OUR BUSINESS, WHICH IS TECHNOLOGY ENABLED SERVICES, WHERE WE HAVE A FLEET OF MOTHER SHIPS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO OPERATE UNCREWED SYSTEMS, AND THEY OPERATE BOTH AUTONOMOUS UNDERSEA VEHICLES, AERIAL VEHICLES, OUR SURFACE VESSEL IN EITHER A CONTRACTOR OWNED, CONTRACTOR OPERATED MODEL, WE’RE ALSO GOVERNMENT OWNED, GOVERNMENT OPERATED. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE’RE VERY PROUD OF IS SUPPORTING THE NAVY’S NEWEST SQUADRONS, USB SQUADRON, THREE AND SEVEN WITH OUR GARC OUT IN SAN DIEGO.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THAT’S AWESOME. WELL, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY. JASON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING US ABOUT THE GARC.
[JASON LAMB]
APPRECIATE IT.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ALL RIGHT, FOLKS, FOR OUR COMMS CHECK THIS WEEK, WE ARE CHECKING IN WITH P D W PERFORMANCE DRONE WORKS. LAST YEAR WE TOLD YOU ABOUT THEIR C1 100. THAT SYSTEM WAS JUST SELECTED BY THE ARMY, ALONG WITH ANDREW FOR THE MEDIUM RANGE RECONNAISSANCE PROGRAM. AND NOW WE’RE HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT PD W IS WORKING ON WITH THE CEO, RYAN DURY, RYAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. YOU GOT A GREAT FIRST NAME. WANT TO SAY THAT’S FIRST OFF THE BAT, BUT ALSO, YOU’VE HAD A GREAT YEAR.
[RYAN GURY]
YEAH, WE’VE BEEN SCALING QUITE A BIT. THE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION GOING INTO SMALL SYSTEMS THAT ARE REALLY INEXPENSIVE AND SCALABLE IS INCREDIBLE. WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS SOMETIME. YOU KNOW, OUR VETERAN LED ORGANIZATION AND COMBAT VETERAN LED ENGINEERING TEAM IS REALLY PERTINENT SO THAT OPERATORS ARE BEING ISSUED, YOU KNOW, EQUIPMENT DESIGNED BY THE SAME OPERATORS, RIGHT? AND I THINK THAT’S ESSENTIALLY WHAT YOU SEE IN OUR PURPOSE BUILT AIRCRAFT SYSTEM, OUR SMALL FPV MODEL, WHERE THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO BE CONSUMABLE, RIGHT? SO THIS IS OUR FIRST CONSUMABLE 3D WEAPON. IT ALLOW YOU TO FLY AGGRESSIVELY LIKE YOU SEE IN UKRAINE OR RUSSIA, OR FLY LIKE DJI FROM BEST BUY SHUTTLES, OR EVEN FLY AUTONOMOUS AI WITH ATR IN TERMS OF GUIDANCE, IT COMES TOGETHER IN A VERY SIMPLE KIT. YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER IN ABOUT 120 SECONDS. THE ARMS COME ON AND OFF IN ABOUT FIVE SECONDS. BACK DOWN. IT’S MODULAR. IT’S MADE TO REPLACE THESE VERY EXPENSIVE LEGACY SYSTEMS LIKE THE SWITCHBLADE OR THE JAVELIN, WHERE YOU ESSENTIALLY ARE WORKING WITH OLDER TECHNOLOGIES TO DO WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH MUCH SMALLER ASSETS, AND IT’S JUST AN AMAZING TIME IN DEFENSE, WE FEEL LIKE WE CAN REALLY DISRUPT IN THE WAY THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE. MOVE QUICKLY, SCALE QUICKLY, AND REALLY DISTRIBUTE THESE SYSTEMS TO INDIVIDUAL INFANTRY UNITS AND SOLDIERS, SO THAT THE FULL SCALE OF THESE SYSTEMS CAN BE FILLED.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED EARLIER WAS THE FPV DRONE KIND OF COMES TOGETHER LIKE, ALMOST LIKE A LEGO SYSTEM. YOU’RE TRYING TO MAKE IT SUPER SIMPLE AND, YOU KNOW, BUILD IT TO THE PACKAGE THAT IT NEEDS TO BE BUILT FOR, RIGHT?
[RYAN GURY]
SO THERE’S NO SOLDERING ALL. EVERYTHING GOES TOGETHER WITH CONNECTORS. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN TAKE THE PART, THE WHOLE THING, APART IN TWO MINUTES, AND PUT IT BACK TOGETHER IN TWO MINUTES. YOU’D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PUT IT TOGETHER FASTER THAN YOU CAN TAKE DOWN A RIFLE, RIGHT? AND ESSENTIALLY ALLOW SOLDIERS TO MODIFY, CHANGE, MANIPULATE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS ON THE FLY FOR DIFFERENT MISSION SETS. WE FEEL THAT THIS STYLE OF ROBOTIC WEAPON REPRESENTS THE FUTURE, AND WE’RE VERY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO DEBUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE CAN DISRUPT THE PRIMES AND THE TRADITIONAL AEROSPACE STYLE THAT HAS, THAT HAS SEEN, YOU KNOW, THE LAST FEW DECADES OF STRATEGIC ASSETS, RIGHT? SO IT’S JUST A WONDERFUL TIME TO BE IN THE INDUSTRY. IT’S A GREAT, YOU KNOW, MISSION TO BE ON, AND WE’RE SUPER EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO SCALE ON THE ROAD AND OVER GROWTH.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AND SPEAKING OF GROWTH, YOU’RE DOING SOME GROWING OF YOUR OWN BEYOND THE SYSTEMS. YOU GUYS HAVE A NEW FACILITY THAT YOU’RE MOVING INTO.
[RYAN GURY]
SO WE’RE OPENING UP 100,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY. IT’LL ALLOW US TO DEVELOP AROUND 500 MOTHER SHIPS PER MONTH AND MULTIPLE 1000S OF FPV CONSUMABLE ASSETS PER MONTH. SO REALLY EXCITED TO SCALE ALONG WITH MILITARY DOCTRINE, AND, YOU KNOW, BENEFIT THE WARFIGHTER AT THE END.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ALL RIGHT, RYAN, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. MAN, THANK YOU.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ALRIGHT FOLKS…THAT’S GOING TO DO IT FOR US THIS WEEK ON WEAPONS AND WARFARE.
BUT DON’T WORRY–WE DIDN’T SPEND OUR TIME HERE IN TAMPA JUST GETTING GREAT BACKDROPS FOR OUR CAMERA SHOTS–NO, WE WERE WORKING HARD TO GATHER ALL SORTS OF GREAT STORIES ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FACING OUR NATION’S SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES–PLUS SOME OF THE COOL TECH THOSE OPERATORS COULD BE USING SOON.
TO MAKE SURE YOU STAY UP DO DATE WITH ALL WE HAVE TO SHOW YOU FROM SOF WEEK 2025–PLUS THE STORIES WE STILL HAVE TO SHARE FROM MODERN DAY MARINE–
BE SURE TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS–AND DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY. WE JUST ROLLED OUT SOME NEW FEATURES ON THE APP–MAKING IT MORE USEFUL THAN EVER!
FOR MY WRAP THIS WEEK–I’M GOING TO REVISIT A TOPIC WE’VE HIT ON BEFORE HERE ON WEAPONS AND WARFARE—THE WAR IN UKRAINE.
YOU’VE HEARD ME SAY FROM THE START OF THE CONFLICT THAT I THINK THE U-S NEEDS TO HELP UKRAINE. WHEN THE U-S SIGNED THE BUDAPEST MEMORANDUM IN 1994–IT TOOK ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PROTECTING UKRAINIANS FROM OUTSIDE ATTACK. EVEN IF RUSSIA BREAKS ITS WORD AND TRASHES THAT AGREEMENT.
PRESIDENT TRUMP CAMPAIGNED ON A PROMISE TO END THE WAR IN UKRAINE–A PROMISE THAT’S PROVING HARD TO KEEP. BUT WITH THE SIGNING OF THE MINERALS DEAL–PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK A MAJOR STEP TOWARDS ENDING THE FIGHTING.
HERE’S WHY–UNDER THE TERMS OF THE MINERALS DEAL, THE UNITED STATES AND UKRAINE WILL SPLIT THE PROCEEDS FROM EXTRACTING THE HIGHLY VALUABLE RARE EARTH MINERALS BURIED IN UKRAINIAN LANDS.
THE UNITED STATES WILL SHARE SOME ADVANCED MINING TECHNOLOGIES WITH UKRAINE, AS WELL AS SHARE INSIGHTS ON BEST PRACTICES…AND MAY OR MAY NOT SEND PERSONNEL OVER.
IF SOME OF THE U-S MINING FIRMS WORKING WITH UKRAINE HAVE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND–AND RUSSIA ATTACKED THEM—THE UNITED STATES WOULD HAVE TO RESPOND. AND PUTIN DOES NOT WANT A DIRECT CONFRONTATION WITH THE U-S…NOT RIGHT NOW, ANYWAY. I MEAN, RUSSIA IS USING DONKEYS TO RESUPPLY ITS FRONTLINES…AND RELIES ON NORTH KOREA FOR MOST OF ITS AMMO RIGHT NOW–NOT EXACTLY A POSITION OF STRENGTH COMPARED TO THE U-S.
AND EVEN IF U-S FIRMS DON’T SEND PERSONNEL TO HELP EXTRACT UKRAINE’S MINERALS–PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS REPAYMENT FOR THE AID THE U-S ALREADY SENT OVER…AND TRUMP KNOWS THE U-S NEEDS MORE ACCESS TO RARE EARTH MINERALS–SINCE CHINA CONTROLS MOST OF THE WORLD SUPPLY AND I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’VE HEARD–BUT THE US/SINO RELATIONS AREN’T EXACTLY STELLAR RIGHT NOW.
SO, WHILE SELLING UKRAINE MORE WEAPONS AND HELPING THEM DEVELOP THEIR OWN IS GREAT–PRESIDENT TRUMP’S MINERAL DEAL WITH UKRAINE MAY PROVE MORE CONSEQUENTIAL WHEN IT COMES TO STOPPING THE KILLING.
FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER, GRAPHICS ARTIST DAKOTA PITEO AND PHOTOGRAPHER DICKON MAGER–I’M RYAN ROBERTSON FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, SIGNING OFF.
