US troops navigate the evolving southern border: Weapons and Warfare

Aug 20, 2025 at 03:30 AM CDT

Ryan Robertson, Brett Baker

This week on Weapons and Warfare, host Ryan Robertson delves into the deployment of American troops at the southern border. — Image credit: Sgt. Kimberly Villigran, U.S. Army via DVIDS

This recording was made using enhanced software.

This week on Weapons and Warfare, host Ryan Robertson delves into the deployment of American troops at the southern border. Join Straight Arrow News as we explore troops’ roles, the challenges they face, and the implications of military presence in this politically charged area.

With firsthand accounts, this feature sheds light on the complex intersection of national security and immigration policy.

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Also featured in this episode:

POTUS points subs towards Russia.
Two new military aircraft mishaps.
USAF wants to blow up Cybertrucks.
Weapon of the Week: We explore American Rheinmetall’s Air Burst Munitions. We’ll examine the technology, strategic advantages, as well as how these innovations are shaping modern combat.

You can subscribe to the Weapons and Warfare podcast on the platform of your choosing here.

Ryan Robertson is the anchor of the Straight Arrow News video podcast Weapons and Warfare. He wore many hats in his career — from photographer to news director — and firmly believes honest journalism will save our Republic.

Brett Baker

Brett Baker is a senior producer at Straight Arrow News, where he oversees the production of Weapons and Warfare. An Air Force veteran with more than 35 years in broadcast journalism, Brett combines his military experience and passion for storytelling to serve SAN's audience.

Tags: Border patrol, Border Security, Russia, U.S. Air Force, U.S.-Mexico Border

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[RYAN ROBERTSON]

IS A NEW COLD WAR ON TAP?

THE PRESIDENT SENDS TWO SUBMARINES TO “APPROPRIATE REGIONS” IN RESPONSE TO RUSSIAN LEADERSHIP.

PLUS, THE NAVY LOSES A FIFTH-GEN FIGHTER. THE AIR FORCE NARROWLY AVOIDS A MIDAIR DISASTER. IS THIS A TREND OR JUST COINCIDENCE?

AND, THE AIR FORCE WANTS TO BLOW UP SOME CYBER TRUCKS… WHY ELON MUSK’S “MOST REVOLUTIONARY PRODUCT” IS HEADED FOR THE BOMBING RANGE.

HELLO AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE. A SHOW MADE FOR FOLKS WHO WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE.

OUR GOAL IS TO HELP YOU HAVE AN INFORMED CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH AMERICA’S MILITARY.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M YOUR HOST, RYAN ROBERTSON, AND WE START THIS WEEK WITH OUR SOUTHERN BORDER, WHERE WE’RE GETTING AN UP-CLOSE LOOK AT A SMALL PORTION OF WHAT THAT MISSION LOOKS LIKE FOR AMERICAN TROOPS.

IN THE ABSTRACT, SOLDIERS WORKING THE U.S./MEXICO BORDER DON’T LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT FROM SOLDIERS ON PATROL IN PARTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. MILES AND MILES OF ROUGH, ROCKY TERRAIN. BARREN AND HARSH.

IT’S ONLY WHEN YOU TIGHTEN THAT FOCUS THAT A FULLER PICTURE STARTS TO REVEAL ITSELF. YOU SEE U.S. TROOPS SHARING COMMAND STATIONS AND VEHICLES WITH U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENTS.

[LTC Kyle Brown, Army Battalion Commander]

“These vehicles here are United States Army Stryker vehicles. And our soldiers are using these vehicles as part of our mission to detect and monitor traffic attempting to cross the border.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

SOLDIERS, LIKE LIEUTENANT COLONEL KYLE BROWN, ARE QUICK TO POINT OUT OTHER DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THIS MISSION AND ONES ABROAD.

[LTC Kyle Brown, Army Battalion Commander]

“You’ll see that there are no machine guns or anti-tank missiles while we’re down here supporting Border Patrol. So here in Nogales, we’re using these vehicles almost exclusively for their cameras as well as their ability– you can see they look fairly rugged and high off the ground– to traverse some rugged terrain that sometimes Border Patrol’s pickup trucks aren’t able to.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

1,954. THAT’S HOW MANY MILES OF BORDER THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO OFFICIALLY SHARE. RUNNING FROM 18 MILES OUT INTO THE PACIFIC, ALL THE WAY TO ABOUT 12 MILES OFF THE BEACH AT SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS.

TO GIVE YOU SOME ADDED PERSPECTIVE, THAT’S A LITTLE LONGER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO, AND BOSTON, MASS.

ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, AROUND 8,500 PERSONNEL, FROM EVERY BRANCH OF THE MILITARY, ARE ATTACHED TO JOINT TASK FORCE-SOUTHERN BORDER UNDER AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION FROM PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.

[SGT Ana Harker, US Army]

“For us at least, we’re just watching. So, we’re not affecting anyone in any way. But if things get to be different, where there is a crime or something that’s happening, we also have eyes on us where we can also say stop and we can get BP (Border Patrol) to get there and stop that crime.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

FOR ARMY SERGEANT ANA HARKER, IT’S AN ASSIGNMENT WITH UNIQUE SIGNIFICANCE.

[SGT Ana Harker, US Army]

“I’m from Panama City, Panama. And I came to the United States around 12 when I was 12 years old. So, obviously with me, also being an immigrant doing this mission, I feel like I’m doing a difference and a change in helping this country.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TRADITIONALLY, BORDER ENFORCEMENT WAS HANDLED BY CIVILIAN AGENCIES, WITH THE MILITARY ONLY STEPPING IN OCCASIONALLY. HOWEVER, IN APRIL, MANY AREAS ALONG THE BORDER WERE DESIGNATED AS MILITARIZED ZONES. THESE ZONES ALLOW THE DOD TO SIDESTEP THE POSSE COMITATUS ACT, AN 1878 LAW THAT PROHIBITS THE MILITARY FROM CONDUCTING CIVILIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT ON U.S. SOIL.

THIS CHANGE ALLOWS U.S. TROOPS TO APPREHEND PEOPLE TRESPASSING IN THESE AREAS.

THERE ARE OTHER DETERRANTS AS WELL. THE ARMY IS TURNING TO TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR SOMEONE CONSIDERING AN ILLEGAL CROSSING.

[SGT Ernesto Nevarez, US Army]

“So this is the LRAD, stands for Long Range Acoustic Device. It basically broadcasts any tone or any voice at a longer distance. [[BUTTED SOT at 02:29]] “Then we can inform them with this and we can inform them that if they cross over the barrier, they will be in our national defense area. That is an early warning. If they cross into our national defense area, then they will be detained.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THEY’RE ALSO USING ANTI-DRONE TECHNOLOGY TO COUNTER SMUGGLERS AND HUMAN TRAFFICKERS IN PLACES WHERE THERE ARE GAPS IN ENFORCEMENT.

[Claudio Herrera, US Border Patrol]

“The extra layer of security that they bring, pretty much deploying their soldiers to these different positions, locations in between the ports of entry, it is crucial and has been significant for us because of the fact that we have seen the numbers suddenly decrease.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

IF YOU’RE WONDERING HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE ALL OF THIS IS MAKING, JULY WAS ANOTHER MONTH OF RECORD-LOW ILLEGAL CROSSINGS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER, WITH BORDER PATROL ARRESTING ONLY 4,598 PEOPLE TRYING TO CROSS ILLEGALLY, ACCORDING TO THE WHITE HOUSE, . THAT’S A 24% DROP FROM THE PREVIOUS RECORD LOW IN JUNE, AVERAGING JUST 148 ILLEGAL CROSSINGS A DAY.

DESPITE THOSE STATS, THERE’S NO TIMETABLE FOR WHEN AMERICAN TROOPS MIGHT LEAVE THE BORDER. BUT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS AUTHORIZED FUNDING FOR AN ADDITIONAL 3,000 BORDER PATROL AGENTS, OFFERING $10,000 SIGNING AND RETENTION BONUSES.

I’M JOINED NOW BY SENIOR PRODUCER, AND AIR FORCE VETERAN, BRETT BAKER.

FOR SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

BRETT–SUMMER IS WINDING DOWN–WHICH MEANS FOOTBALL IS WINDING UP–YOUR BACKGROUND CLEARLY INDICATES YOU LIKE THE SPORT….YOU AND I ARE BOTH HUSKERS, SO I GOTTA ASK–HOW DO YOU THINK THEY’RE GOING TO DO THIS YEAR?

[BRETT BAKER]

MY ANSWER IS A 55 YEAR OLD TO BE A LOT DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS AS A 25 YEAR OLD, UNFORTUNATELY. BUT YOUR THREE IS THE YEAR THAT MATT RULE IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE BIG LEAPS. I DON’T KNOW IF WE’LL GET TO DOUBLE DIGITS. I’M HOPING FOR EIGHT WINS. I THINK EIGHT WINS WOULD BE AN IMPROVEMENT ON LAST YEAR’S RECORD. MAYBE GO TO A LITTLE BIT BETTER CALIBER BOWL THAN THE PINSTRIPE BOWL. YOU KNOCK OFF A RANKED TEAM, THAT WOULD BE NICE. BUT I HAVEN’T DONE THAT IN A WHILE. YEAH, NO. SO THERE WE GO. I’VE BEEN PROPERLY… YOU LIKE THAT, THOUGH?

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

I LOVE THAT. BRETT, ALL RIGHT, LET’S GET TO THE HEADLINES.

IN EARLY AUGUST PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID HE ORDERED TWO NUCLEAR SUBMARINES TO BE POSITIONED IN “THE APPROPRIATE REGIONS” IN RESPONSE TO REMARKS FROM FORMER RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DMITRY MEDVEDEV ABOUT THE RISK OF WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE U.S..

MEDVEDEV APPARENTLY SET THE PRESIDENT OFF WHEN HE SAID THE PRESIDENT SHOULD REMEMBER THAT MOSCOW POSSESSED SOVIET-ERA NUCLEAR STRIKE CAPABILITIES OF LAST RESORT.

TRUMP DID NOT SPECIFY WHAT HE MEANT BY “NUCLEAR SUBMARINES” NOR WHICH SPECIFIC VESSELS HE WAS REFERRING TO.

BRETT–THAT AMBIGUITY MEANS WE COULD BE TALKING ABOUT JUST A NUCLEAR POWERED SUBMARINE–WHICH ALL U-S SUBS ARE–OR A NUCLEAR-ARMED SUBMARINE….

[BRETT BAKER]

RIGHT? IT IS DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHICH ONE IT WOULD BE, OBVIOUSLY, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE ANYWAY. HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, MIXED MESSAGING IS KIND OF A HALLMARK OF THIS ADMINISTRATION, SO IT’S REALLY HARD TO KNOW WHAT’S REALLY I MEAN, THEY COULD BE OUT THERE IN THAT THOSE PLACES ALREADY ANYWAY, RIGHT? AND WE HAVEN’T HEARD MUCH ABOUT IT SINCE, SO AT LEAST TO THIS POINT AS WE’RE RECORDING THIS. SO YOU KNOW, SABER RATTLING HAPPENS ON BOTH SIDES, TRUE, AND I THINK THIS MAY JUST BE A CASE OF SABER RATTLING FOR THE SAKE OF SABER RATTLING, BUT WE DON’T KNOW FOR SURE. BUT YEAH, IT’S, IT’S AN INTERESTING THE RHETORIC, AT LEAST, IS NEW IN THIS REGARD. WE HAVEN’T HEARD THIS KIND OF TALK BEFORE, SO THAT IS A NEW ELEMENT.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

RIGHT, RIGHT IN MEDVEDEV, YOU KNOW, HE’S, HE’S PUTIN’S LITTLE LIKE MOUTHPIECE, YOU KNOW THAT, LIKE, HEY, GO, GO SAY SOME STUFF AND SEE WHAT LANDS. AND YOU KNOW, THAT’S KIND OF HIS ROLE THERE AS WELL. SO YOU’RE PROBABLY RIGHT. A LITTLE BIT OF SABER RATTLING ON BOTH SIDES, BUT JUST THAT, THAT AMBIGUITY THERE IS KIND OF JUST A NICE REMINDER. HEY, VLAD, WE GOT THESE THINGS. WE STILL KEEP UP WITH OURS. DON’T TRY US. RIGHT?

[BRETT BAKER]

YEAH, RIGHT. EXACTLY.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

NEXT, SOME CLASSIC BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS.

FIRST UP…

BAD NEWS, A NAVY F-35 CRASHED IN A CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FIELD

GOOD NEWS, THE PILOT SAFELY EJECTED BEFORE IMPACT.

AUTHORITIES CONFIRMED THE PLANE CRASHED NEAR THE NAVAL AIR STATION LEMOORE IN LATE JULY.

NEXT BAD NEWS, A NEAR COLLISION BETWEEN A DELTA-OPERATED JET AND A B-52 IN NORTH DAKOTA TRIGGERED AN FAA INVESTIGATION.

GOOD NEWS, THANKS TO AN ALERT PILOT THE COMMERCIAL JET SAW THE B-52 AND EXECUTED A GO-AROUND, AND EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO LAND SAFE AND SOUND.

BRETT–WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH PLANES CRASHING?

[BRETT BAKER]

YEAH. SO THE INTERESTING QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, IS IT, IS IT COINCIDENCE, OR IS THIS A PART OF A BROADER TREND, AND WHATNOT? AND SO, RIGHT, LET ME I’M GONNA GO TO MY NOTEBOOK. SO THERE’S THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF MISHAPS, GENERALLY, THAT THE MILITARY OR IN AVIATION HAVE. THERE’S A CLASS A, CLASS B, CLASS C, CLASS A BEING THE MOST SEVERE $2.5 MILLION IN EXCESS OF DAMAGE AND FATALITIES AND INJURIES AND DAMAGED PROPERTY, THAT KIND OF THING. CLASS B, INJURIES, AND IT STARTS AT 600,000 UP TO 2.5 AND THEN CLASS C IS. OR SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T REALLY CAUSE ANY DAMAGE, BUT ACTION HAD TO BE TAKEN AT SOME, SOME POINT. SO LOOKING BACK AT, LIKE, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, BECAUSE I FEEL THE WAY EVERYTHING MOVES ALONG. AND TROOP SIZES, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, SQUATTING SIZES GO UP AND DOWN. YOU GET MORE F 35 INTO THE MIX. SO TAKING A SMALLER SCOPE, AS OPPOSED TO, LIKE A 10 YEAR GRAB, IT’S PRETTY MUCH WITHIN THE STANDARD MEANS, YOU KNOW, IN IN 2014 THE NAVY HAD 17 CLASS A’S, AND IN 2024 THEY HAD 11. SO I DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE WHERE THEY’RE AT AT THIS POINT IN THIS YEAR, BUT I WOULD, I DON’T THINK IT’S ABOVE THE LIMIT. AND YEAH, THE SAME THING, LIKE THE AIR FORCE. AND THE AIR FORCE, COURSE, BEING THE LARGEST AIR FORCE IN THE WORLD, HAD 27 CLASS A KIND OF AVERAGE, TO ABOUT 27 CLASS A INCIDENTS ANNUALLY, WHICH DOES SEEM LIKE A LOT, BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO ALSO FACTOR IN HOW MUCH AIRCRAFT THEY ACTUALLY POSSESS, RIGHT? SO, NO, I JUST THINK, I DON’T THINK IT’S A TREND. I THINK IT’S PROBABLY WITHIN THE MEANS OF THE AVERAGE OF HOW THIS KIND OF GOES. I JUST THINK THERE’S PROBABLY MORE EYEBALLS ON IT RIGHT NOW. IT’S SUPER HYPER FOCUSED.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY THAT JUST THE THERE’S MORE AWARENESS ABOUT IT, MORE CELL PHONES, MORE YOU KNOW, INTERNET GUYS TALKING ABOUT IT, RIGHT? SO PROBABLY JUST, YOU KNOW, MORE MORE EYEBALLS, MORE FOCUS, MORE AWARENESS. DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THERE’S MORE OF IT.

[BRETT BAKER]

ABSOLUTELY.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

SO BRETT, YOU WILL, OF COURSE APPRECIATE THIS AS AN AIR FORCE VETERAN, BECAUSE THIS MIGHT BE THE AIR FORCE’S BEST RECRUITING PITCH EVER. DO YOU WANT TO BLOW UP A CYBER TRUCK? RECENTLY, THE FOLKS OVER AT THE WAR ZONE DETAILED A PARTICULAR FINDING IN A CONTRACT DOCUMENT FROM THE AIR FORCE TEST CENTER. IT SEEMS THEY ARE LOOKING FOR 33 VEHICLES FOR TARGET PRACTICE FOR THE U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND’S STAND-OFF PRECISION GUIDED MUNITIONS PROGRAM.

BRETT–DOES THE USAF JUST WANT TO SEE HOW A BIG ELECTRIC VEHICLE BLOWS UP? OR IS THERE SOMETHING SPECIFIC ABOUT THE CYBER BIN?

[BRETT BAKER]

WELL, OTHER THAN KICKS, PERSONAL KICKS, I’M SURE, DOING A LITTLE LIGHT READING, IT’S FUNNY. SO THEY REQUISITION 33 VEHICLES FOR THIS TYPE OF THING. THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS A NAME BRAND THAT WAS REQUESTED, THERE WERE LIKE, TRUCKS AND CARS AND WHATNOT, BUT THE CYBER TESLA CYBERTRUCK WAS THE ONLY ONE SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED ONE KEYNOTE. THEY DIDN’T HAVE TO BE RUNNING. THEY JUST HAD TO BE TOWABLE, WHICH IS PRETTY HILARIOUS. BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THOSE IS INTERESTING. THEY PROBABLY WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DO DROP, YOU KNOW, MUNITIONS ON IT. AND THEN, OF COURSE, YEAH, YOU HAVE THAT GIGANTIC BATTERY IN THERE, RIGHT? IS, WOULD, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT TO SEE, LIKE, WHAT HAPPENED? BECAUSE I THINK IF A SUSPECT, A OR, YOU KNOW, THE PERSON WE’RE LOOKING FOR IS CRUISING AROUND IN A CYBER TRUCK IN DOWNTOWN WHEREVER…

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

YEAH, IF YOU HIT IT WITH A STINGER.

[BRETT BAKER]

THAT COULD BE VERY BAD, LIKE THAT. COULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, EXPONENTIAL, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE REALLY KIND OF WANT TO MINIMIZE THAT FOOTPRINT, RIGHT? SO, YEAH, I THINK IT’S PROBABLY JUST A LEARNING THING, OTHER THAN SO TO, LIKE, MAN, I GOTTA BLOW UP A CYBER TRUCK TODAY.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THERE’S, THERE’S THAT RUSSIAN, NOT RUSSIAN, THAT HE WAS LIKE, THE CHECHEN REBEL LEADER, CHECHEN GENERAL, I CAN’T REMEMBER HIS NAME, BUT HE, LIKE, HE MOUNTED GUNS TO HIS CYBER TRUCKS, RIGHT? SO, LIKE, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME LIKE, YOU KNOW, WARLORDS OUT THERE WITH WITH CYBER TRUCKS. SO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE KIND OF A LITTLE LIKE, HEY GUYS, WE’RE FIGURING OUT HOW TO KILL YOU EFFICIENTLY. I DON’T KNOW. MIGHT, MIGHT MAKE ME THINK TWICE IF I WAS A DRUG LORD IN SOME THIRD WORLD COUNTRY WITH A CYBER TRUCK, RIGHT? BE A LITTLE MORE NONDESCRIPT, EXACTLY LIKE, FLY UNDER THE RADAR, GUYS UNDER THE RADAR. ALL RIGHT. BRETT, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANKS AGAIN. CYBERTRUCKS, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, IT’S GOT TO BE THE AIR FORCE, LIKE, IF I WAS IN 17 YEAR OLD KID AND AIR FORCE RECRUITERS LIKE, HEY MAN, SIGN UP AND YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, BLOW THESE THINGS UP BE A HARD SELL FOR ME TO PASS OUT PLAY THAT MUCH

[BRETT BAKER]

ABSOLUTELY.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

SO MUCH OF MODERN WARFARE MEANS HAVING THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB. AND HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IS JOE CHAN WITH AMERICAN RHEINMETALL, JOE, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT AIR BURST MUNITIONS TODAY. TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS FIRST 40 MILLIMETER AIR BURST THAT WE HAVE.

[Joe Chan, Sr. VP Buss. Dev./Sales, American Rheinmetall Munitions]

“So what we’re doing from the army is to develop a 40 millimeter air burst. Previously, the way you’re engaging targets is the 40 millimeter round will have to hit the target. It’s a point detonating fuse. It’s great for the target sets that it’s going after, but it’s not so great for target sets where you’re trying to engage targets that are behind cover, because you just can’t hit them. So what the Army is trying to do is, how do you make this into an air burst round so that you can explode this above a target where they’re hiding? So what the technology that we’ve provided is we’re programming this fuse to explode at a 3d point in space by telling it the range, which then converts it into a time of flight. And the way that we’re doing this is you’ll see these little indentations here, around the edge of the fuse that no other of the 40 millimeter rounds have. What those are are LEDs. They’re receiving signals as it’s as it’s launching out of the muzzle from an IR programmer on the barrel of the gun, telling this how far to go. And then when it reaches the predetermined time of flight, it goes off. Very highly effective.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

YOU BET. SO THAT’S WHAT THE ARMY IS WORKING ON. AND LIKE YOU SAID, IT’S FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDERCOVER. IF YOU’RE BEHIND THE SAND BERM OR BEHIND A WALL OR SOMETHING, YOUR 40 MILLIMETER ROUND STANDARD DETONATION WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO NECESSARILY PUNCH THROUGH THAT. THIS CAN KIND OF TAKE CARE OF THE TARGET ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE WALL. THE NAVY HAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT YOU’RE WORKING ON. SO THIS IS A 30 MILLIMETER ROUND, CORRECT?

[Joe Chan, Sr. VP Buss. Dev./Sales, American Rheinmetall Munitions]

“Yes, this is a 30 by 173 millimeter round that the Navy is putting on some of their ships. It’s still in developmental phase, and it is also an air burst round. It’s a little different than what the Army is doing. Obviously, the form factor is different, sure, but it’s being fired of a big cannon. And while the Army’s round is more of an H, E round, and not necessarily optimized for counter air. This round that we’re doing for the Navy is is optimized for counter air. What you see here is a like a couple of rows of tungsten sub projectiles. There’s 168 in them. And the way this air burst is Upon reaching the time of flight, these, these tungsten projectiles, are ejected in a forward cone of fragments that are are because the round is spiraling. This is the resulting frag pattern. Now, this is just a one quarter scale 3d printed target array. The actual target that we scanned this from is about four times the size of it. And this is the pattern. Obviously, you can see that all these tungsten, small fragments will result in a bunch of little holes about four times the size of this. Very effective against counter UAS targets.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

YOU BET. YOU BET, LIKE YOU SAID, THE SPOKE PATTERN, THE CYCLICAL PATTERN IS BECAUSE THE ROUND IS SPINNING, AND AS IT EXPLODES, THAT CONE OF DESTRUCTION IS SPINNING IN AIR AS WELL, AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES THAT IMPACT PATTERN, CORRECT. ALL RIGHT, JOE, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY ON OUR WEBINAR SEGMENT. APPRECIATE IT. THAT’S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE. OR, EXCUSE ME, THIS WEEK’S SEGMENT OF OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.

TIME FOR COMMS CHECK, AND THIS WEEK WE’RE DIPPING INTO THE EMAIL BAG TO TACKLE A VIEWER’S OBSERVATION ABOUT A RECENT EPISODE.

AFTER WATCHING OUR JULY 30th EPISODE THAT FOCUSED ON THE MARINE CORPS EFFORT TO MODERNIZE FIVE YEARS INTO THEIR FORCE DESIGN INITIATIVE,

LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOSHUA BENSON WROTE:

“This recent article: Marine Corps marks 5 years of Force Design modernization by Ryan Robertson and Brett Baker does not accurately reflect the historic retention success the Marine Corps has experienced…. We are having historic success in retention which has positively influenced the health of our recruitment program, as well as providing stability to our training pipeline.”

FIRST, COLONEL BENSON, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING AND TAKING THE TIME TO REACH OUT TO US. WE SINCERELY APPRECIATE IT.

SECOND, YOU’RE RIGHT. ON REWATCH WE PROBABLY DIDN’T TAKE A DEEP ENOUGH DIVE ON THE CORPS’ RETENTION SUCCESS, SO LET’S ADDRESS IT NOW.

IN 2021 THE CORPS LAUNCHED AN INITIATIVE CALLED TALENT MANAGEMENT 2030. THE GOAL WAS TO TRANSFORM RECRUITMENT, DEVELOPMENT, AND RETENTION TO MEET FUTURE OPERATIONAL DEMANDS. SO FAR, THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN VERY POSITIVE FOR THE CORPS.

IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 THE MARINES MET THEIR RETENTION GOAL EARLY, MARKING THE FIRST TIME THAT HAPPENED IN A DECADE.

GOING BACK TO FY 2023 IT’S MORE OF THE SAME. WITH A GOAL OF RETAINING 6,225 FIRST-TERM MARINES, THE CORPS EXCEEDED THAT BY NEARLY 14%, KEEPING 7,079 MARINES IN UNIFORM. THEY ALSO RETAINED 64% OF ELIGIBLE SUBSEQUENT-TERM MARINES.

AND ACCORDING TO A SEPTEMBER 2024 PRESS RELEASE THE MARINES EXCEEDED THEIR RETENTION GOALS FOR FY 2024, SUCCESSFULLY RETAINING 114% OF THEIR FIRST-TERM REENLISTMENT CANDIDATES, AND REENLISTING MORE THAN 5,700 SUBSEQUENT-TERM MARINES.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS, SINCE LAUNCHING WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS FORCE DESIGN, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT 2030, THE MARINE CORPS HAS CONSISTENTLY MET OR EXCEEDED ITS RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION GOALS. SOMETHING THAT DEFINITELY BODES WELL FOR THE SERVICE AS THEY CONTINUE TO BUILD A FORCE CAPABLE OF EXCELING WHEN AMERICA FACES ITS NEXT CONFLICT.

ALRIGHT FOLKS, WE’RE IN THE FINAL STRAIGHTAWAY OF THE SHOW…

IF YOU LIKED WHAT YOU SAW AND OR HEARD–AND WANT TO HELP US IN OUR MISSION TO HELP OTHERS HAVE A MORE INFORMED CONVERSATION ABOUT NATIONAL DEFENSE ACTIVITIES–YOU CAN–JUST LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS–AND SHARE THESE STORIES WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

FOR MY WRAP THIS WEEK–I THOUGHT ABOUT DOING SOMETHING ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DEPLOYMENT OF NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS TO THE NATION’S CAPITOL WHILE THE CITY IS THE SAFEST ITS BEEN IN ABOUT 30 YEARS…BUT THERE ARE ALREADY PLENTY OF OTHERS CHIMING IN–AND I DON’T REALLY HAVE MUCH TO ADD OTHER THAN SAYING–IT’S A BAD IDEA.

NO–TODAY– I WANT TO TALK ABOUT ANOTHER BAD IDEA–CRASHING A FULLY-FUNCTIONING NASA SATELLITE ON PURPOSE.

SO, APPARENTLY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKED NASA TO COME UP WITH PLANS TO END THE MISSION OF TWO ORBITING CARBON OBSERVATORY INSTRUMENTS. IT’S NOT REALLY CLEAR WHY THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS TO END THE MISSIONS. WE KNOW THE ADMINISTRATION QUESTIONS THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE–AND SAYS IT’S ON A MISSION TO SAVE TAXPAYER MONEY–BUT AGAIN, THE INTENTIONS AREN’T CLEAR.

ONE OF THE OCO DEVICES IS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, THE OTHER IS ON A FREE-STANDING SATELLITE.

IF NASA CARRIES OUT THE PLAN TO PERMANENTLY END THE MISSION OF THE OCOs… THEN THE SATELLITE WILL BE LEFT TO BURN UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

IT COST AROUND $750 MILLION TO BUILD AND LAUNCH THE THINGS–BUT ONLY ABOUT $15 MILLION ANNUALLY TO KEEP THEM RUNNING.

AND THE DATA GATHERED BY THE CARBON OBSERVING UNITS ARE SOME OF THE BEST THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN—IT’S USED BY SCIENTISTS, FARMERS, AND GOVERNMENTS ALIKE.

IN ADDITION TO GATHERING CARBON–NASA SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED AFTER LAUNCHING THE OCOs–THEY COULD ALSO MONITOR CROP GROWTH AROUND THE PLANET–WHICH HAS NATIONAL SECURITY IMPLICATIONS BECAUSE CROP COLLAPSE AND FAMINE ARE PRIMARY INDICATORS OF REGIONAL INSTABILITY.

THE POINT IS–WE SHOULDN’T BE TRYING TO CRASH THE THINGS. IT MAKES ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE–UNLESS THE WHITE HOUSE THINGS THAT BY TAKING THE SATELLITES DOWN SUDDENLY CARBON WILL STOP ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE.

KILLING THE CANARIES IN THE COAL MINE DOESN’T NULLIFY THE DANGERS IN THE COAL MINE. IT’S JUST A BAD IDEA

FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER, AND MOTION ARTIST DAKOTA PITEO–I’M RYAN ROBERTSON WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, SIGNING OFF.

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