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More than 1,100 U.S. veterans have criticized President Donald Trump for his ongoing attacks on LCol Alexander Vindman, who testified during the recent congressional impeachment hearings. “The president should know that, despite taking aim at one Army officer, he has targeted anyone who currently wears — or has worn — the uniform,” the group states in an open letter. “Our service members and veterans deserve the confidence of knowing that our elected leaders will come to their defense.”

German Army BGen Fritz Urbach, the European Union's first defence attaché to Canada, is no stranger to this country. Accredited 19 February for a three-year posting to Ottawa, Urbach was a young Bundeswehr company commander in the 1980s during training exercises at Canadian Armed Forces Base Shilo, Manitoba. Prior to his posting to Canada, he headed the German Military Staff Representation to NATO and the EU in Brussels and he also has been involved in NATO-led missions in Afghanistan.

John Rood, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy at the Pentagon, is understood on the way out, ostensibly for having lost support among other national security leaders. His department has declined comment.

Ukrainian troops on the Crimean eastern front are reported to have come under heavy bombardment by Russian-backed rebels who claim that Ukrainian forces tried to break through their lines. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says the “provocation” would not derail his government’s push for peace under a currently fragile ceasefire agreement.

BAE Systems completed its maiden flight of a high-altitude solar-powered aircraft with a 35-metre wingspan. The unmanned platform is designed to fly at an altitude of about 51,000m with a time aloft of more than a year at lower cost than satellites. The project is being underwritten by Britain and Australia., where the first flight took place at the Woomera Test Range.

The U.S. Air Force said a year ago that it hoped to add 1,480 pilots to its roster in the 2020 fiscal year but faces the prospect of a significant shortfall, only about 1,300, which would be only slightly more than in fiscal 2019. The explanation is that there simply aren’t enough available training aircraft and civilian simulator instructors.

Germany is moving to protect cyber technologies as national assets, enabling it to side-step European Union regulations which othersie require procurements to be open to bids from prospective suppliers in all member states. Artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, networked operations, cryptology and defence-related information and communications technologies are deemed crucial to national security and hence are exempt.

Technology developed for U.S. Special Forces could be a game-changer when trying to deal with hidden enemy combatants, especially in increasingly built-up theatres of operation. It uses a laser to detect heartbeats at ranges up to 200 metres but is currently limited in application because it needs 30 seconds to conduct a scan and gather distinctive vibrations.

Israel’s military has disclosed that it has foiled a move by Palestinian Hamas militants to hack into Israeli troops’ smartphones. It uncovered the plot several months ago but let it continue under surveillance until they shut it down.  Dozens of troops were targeted by Hamas agents posing as young women, enabling them to download malware.

Seven variants of a malware program associated with North Korea prompted the U.S. intelligence community to issue a warning 17 February to the public and private sectors. The “Hidden Cobra” program evidently includes a remote-access trojan which would enable hackers to upload and download files as well as monitor victims’ microphones, clipboards and screens.

More than $1 billion for 75 light attack aircraft is included in the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command budget and the preference is for rapid acquisition of an off-the-shelf platform. “Whatever it turns out being is going to be non-developmental,” says SOC Commander LGen James Slife. The leading contenders, both single-engine turboprops, are the Embraer-Sierra Nevada A-29 Super Tucano and the Textron AT-6B Wolverine.

NATO defence ministers have agreed to expand the Canadian-led military training mission in Iraq. In announcing the plan during a two-day meeting in Brussels, Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg says details needed to be worked out and approved by the Iraqi government.