TYB
Space Delta 13 Holds Change of Command Ceremony at Joint Base Andrews
July 3, 2025
Space Training and Readiness Command’s Delta 13 held a change of command ceremony on July 1 at Joint Base Andrews, marking a leadership transition for the service’s education enterprise.
Col. Alison Gonzalez assumed command from Col. Bryan Dutcher in a ceremony presided over by Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Sejba, commander of STARCOM. “Education is about preparing for the unknown,” said Sejba.
“In the profession of arms, it means teaching Guardians how to think about, plan, organize, and conduct warfare at higher levels of complexity—and to anticipate future trends and the changing character of war.”
Dutcher led Delta 13 from August 2023 to July 2025.
During his tenure, the unit advanced several key efforts in support of Guardian development, including the Education Vision and Roadmap and a strategic 2030 Plan to align education programs with long-term Space Force needs.
Following the change of command, Dutcher will support strategy and planning at U.S. Space Command.
“You all brilliantly rose to the challenge, establishing a space education ecosystem that is second to none and the envy of both our joint and allied partners,” said Dutcher during the ceremony.
Gonzalez most recently served as Director of Staff for the Office of the Chief of Human Capital at Headquarters U.S. Space Force.
Her previous assignments include roles at the National Reconnaissance Office, National Space Defense Center, and the service’s Strategy Division.
“This next chapter is about breaking the mold to deliver decisive advantage,” said Gonzalez, incoming commander of Space Delta 13.
“We’re committed to holistic education that reaches all Guardians—officer, enlisted, and civilian—and prepares them not just to execute, but to think critically in a contested domain.
By leveraging our total force, joint partners, academia, and industry, we can shape a world-class education ecosystem that drives space-mindedness across the nation.”
Space Delta 13, headquartered at Joint Base Andrews, is responsible for delivering officer, enlisted, and civilian education across the U.S. Space Force, as well as supporting joint and allied partners through continued academic development and training.
https://www.starcom.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4234494/space-delta-13-holds-change-of-command-ceremony-at-joint-base-andrews/
https://www.starcom.spaceforce.mil/about-us/starcom-deltas/space-delta-13-education/
Energia Hit Again: Drone Strike Halts Key Russian Weapons Plant’s Production, Flights Grounded
July 3, 2025, 3:05 pm
A Ukrainian drone attack struck Russia’s Lipetsk region early Thursday, July 3, with explosions reported in the regional capital and the city of Yelets - home to the Energia plant, a key facility supporting Russia’s missile and drone production.
Local Telegram channel ASTRA, citing eyewitnesses, said drones were flying toward the Lipetsk-2 airfield and the Energia plant, which appeared to be hit.
Photos circulated online show shattered windows and visible damage to the building.
The regional governor, Igor Artamonov, confirmed that a fire broke out in the parking lot of an enterprise in Yelets following the attack.
Energia produces lithium-ion and mercury-zinc batteries used in missiles, drones, aircraft, naval vessels, and electronic warfare systems.
Its power systems support communications, command centers, tank and missile simulators, and weapons like the Iskander and Kinzhal missiles.
The facility also manufactures electrochemical capacitors and autonomous light-optical power sources.
Kommersant previously reported that Energia had doubled its output to meet growing demand from Russia’s military and planned further expansion in 2025. Due to its role in the war against Ukraine, the plant is under sanctions by the EU, US, Japan, and others.
Initially, there had been no official confirmation of the strike from Ukraine’s General Staff. However, later the agency confirmed that Ukraine was behind the July 3 drone strike on the Energia plant.
“Early in the morning of July 3, units of the AFU Unmanned Systems Forces, in cooperation with other components of the Defense Forces, carried out a precision strike on Energia as part of efforts to degrade the offensive capabilities of the Russian armed forces,” the statement said.
According to the General Staff, explosions were recorded on the premises of the plant, leading to a halt in its operations.
“The results of the strike are being assessed. The Defense Forces continue measures to undermine the Russian Federation’s military-industrial potential and compel an end to its armed aggression against Ukraine,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Russian Telegram channel Astra, citing sources in the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, reported that at least 12 drones hit the Energia facility.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that 10 drones were shot down over the region during the night.
Russian officials raised the air alert level in Lipetsk from “yellow” to “red” due to the threat of UAV attacks at 1:29 a.m. Soon after which, explosions rocked the region, with Russian social media reporting air defenses engaging incoming drones.
The Telegram channel Exilenova+ said drones were seen heading towards the Lipetsk-2 airfield. Eyewitnesses reported hearing up to 15 blasts in the European and Izmailovsky districts.
During the attack, debris from a downed drone hit a private home in the Lipetsk district. A 70-year-old woman was killed, and two others injured. Governor Artamonov said the victims were receiving medical care but are not in a life-threatening condition.
Meanwhile, flights were suspended at Tambov airport due to the drone threat, according to Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency.
The region had also declared an overnight air alert, citing drones coming from the Voronezh region and heading toward Tambov and Kotovsk.
This is not the first time the Energia facility has come under attack. On May 23, drones previously struck the plant, and Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the hit.
At the time, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation said the strike forced the plant to suspend operations.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/55610
Feel like I've seen this before in the last year or two.
Shocking video shows Russian drone attack on Poltava recruitment center
Thu, July 03, 2025 - 15:38
On the morning of July 3, the Russian army attacked the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) in Poltava. Videos of the strike by enemy Shahed drones have been shared online.
"Russian forces launched a drone attack on a Territorial Recruitment Center near Poltava’s central market on the morning of July 3. Preliminary reports said several people were killed and wounded," the statement said.
Strike on TRC in Poltava
This morning, the Russian army launched an attack on Poltava using strike drones. The enemy targeted the buildings of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers with Shahed drones.
According to Ukraine's Ground Forces, one of the drones hit the Poltava Joint City Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center building, igniting a fire.
Another strike landed near the Poltava Regional Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center building.
Additionally, the drone raid caused damage to residential buildings, educational institutions, stores, and vehicles across Poltava.
As of 3:00 p.m. Kyiv time, two fatalities and dozens of injuries have been confirmed. Among the wounded are two TRC personnel and two members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/shocking-video-shows-russian-drone-attack-1751546039.html
https://t.me/RBC_ua_news/150396
There was another one similar that was a street light in fog
Unknown drones strike Russia's Udmurtia - Officials confirm impact
Thu, July 03, 2025 - 17:15
Unknown drones were spotted over the Russian Republic of Udmurtia, with reports indicating a possible drone strike in the region, according to Alexandr Brechalov, head of the Udmurt Republic.
Initially, videos surfaced online showing drones flying over Udmurtia’s skies.
Afterwards, Brechalov confirmed that one of the facilities in Udmurtia was attacked by drones.
"There is now confirmed information about two drones. Thanks to security measures, one drone did not reach the target.
The second hit a technical structure. Consequences are being eliminated," he added.
Within 30 minutes, a new warning about a possible drone attack appeared on the Telegram channel of the Russian official. No further details have been provided yet.
Ukrainian forces strike deep into Russia
A few weeks ago, Ukrainian defenders hit multiple targets inside Russian territory. One of the main objectives was a gunpowder factory in the Tambov region.
Explosions also rocked an ammunition depot of the 106th Airborne Division in the Kursk region, as well as the Buturlinovka airfield in the Voronezh region.
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/unknown-drones-strike-russia-s-udmurtia-officials-1751551556.html
https://t.me/RBC_ua_news/150410
Israeli drone strike kills 1, injures 3 near Beirut
July 03, 2025 at 12:36PM EDT
KHALDEH, Lebanon — An Israeli drone strike hit a car on a highway in the town of Khaldeh just south of Beirut, killing one person and injuring three others, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Thursday.
The Israeli army said in a statement that it had targeted “a saboteur who was involved in arms smuggling and advancing terrorist plots against Israeli citizens and the Israeli Defense Forces on behalf of Iran’s Quds Force.”
It was not immediately clear if the target of the strike was the person killed.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal nominally ended the latest war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in November, but Israel has continued to launch near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon since then against what it says are officials and facilities of Hezbollah and other militant groups.
Hezbollah has claimed one strike fired across the border since the ceasefire.
Most of the Israeli strikes have been in southern Lebanon, but Israel has also struck a handful of times in Beirut’s southern suburbs since the ceasefire. Thursday’s strike was in a congested area close to Lebanon’s only commercial airport.
Nearly 250 people were killed and 609 wounded in Israeli attacks in Lebanon between Nov. 28 — the day after the ceasefire took effect — and the end of June, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Also Thursday, Hezbollah members and supporters held a funeral in Beirut’s southern suburbs for the former bodyguard and head of security of Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s longtime leader.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut last year, while his former bodyguard was killed in Iran during last month’s Israel-Iran war, along with his son.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/israeli-drone-strike-kills-1-injures-3-near-beirut/
DoD to Launch New Joint Counter-Drone Task Force
Jul 3, 2025 10:07 am
The Department of Defense (DoD) plans to establish a new joint interagency task force to confront the growing threats of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — more commonly known as drones.
“The Army is going to lead it, but this will be a joint organization to be able to deal with joint solutions in the future,” said Gen. James Mingus, vice chief of staff of the Army, during an event Wednesday co-hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) – also known as counter-drone systems – have become a critical defense priority as drones become cheaper, more accessible, and easier to weaponize.
Top defense leaders have long called for a unified push on C-UAS technology, and the plans for the new task force reflect that urgency.
“We’ve been trying to advocate this for some time now, and the secretary recently made the decision to allow us to move out on it, because we cannot move fast enough in this space,” Mingus said.
While Mingus provided few details about the task force’s structure or how it will interface with the Army-led Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO), he emphasized that the new organization must move swiftly and be agile to meet battlefield needs.
Instead of committing to a single system for decades, Mingus said the task force will need both the flexibility to rapidly acquire the best available tools and the agility to adapt to evolving threats.
He emphasized that a mix of emerging technologies – such as lasers, high-powered microwaves, and low-cost interceptors – will be essential to counter drone threats effectively and close the cost gap between expensive U.S. defenses and inexpensive adversary drones.
“No single solution. It’s got to be at every level. It’s got to be layered. Every squad’s got to be able to protect itself, all the way up to formations that provide higher-end capability,” he said.
“We’ve got to have both the authority and then the funding flexibility to be able to switch to whatever that solution is going to be for the next year.”
https://www.meritalk.com/articles/dod-to-launch-new-joint-counter-drone-task-force/
Belgium and Türkiye Join Drone Coalition, Boosting Ukraine’s Battlefield Advantage
July 3, 2025
Coalition Growth Signals Stronger Support
The addition of Belgium and Türkiye to the coalition, which includes nations like Australia, Canada, and Germany, underscores a unified commitment to Ukraine’s defense.
“The international drone coalition continues to grow, and this sends a clear message that support for Ukraine is not only being maintained but is becoming stronger and more resilient,” said Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds in a statement.
The coalition’s 20 members aim to deliver cutting-edge drones for reconnaissance, artillery adjustment, and precision strikes, addressing Ukraine’s frontline needs.
The joint procurement fund, led by the UK, centralizes purchases of drone technologies while supporting national defense industries.
For instance, Latvia plans to contribute $22 million for drone acquisitions and $11 million for collaborative projects with Ukraine’s defense sector in 2025.
This follows Latvia’s delivery of 1,500 combat drones in early 2025, with two Latvian companies set to produce 12,000 UAS by mid-year.
Drones as a Game-Changer in Modern Warfare
Drones have become critical to Ukraine’s defense strategy, offering asymmetric advantages against adversaries.
First-person view (FPV) drones, like those used by the 117th Heavy Mechanized Brigade, enable precise targeting of enemy equipment, while reconnaissance UAVs, such as the Vector drone, provide real-time intelligence.
In March 2025, the coalition allocated $21.6 million for reconnaissance drones, enhancing Ukraine’s ability to monitor frontline zones and adjust artillery fire accurately, as reported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
Strike drones, including the Vampire model tested by the 59th Brigade in Dnipro, demonstrate the coalition’s focus on versatile, high-impact systems.
These drones, capable of destroying enemy assets with precision, are supported by innovations like Ukraine’s Sky Fortress, an acoustic detection system that tracks hostile drones efficiently.
The coalition’s investments ensure a steady supply of such technologies, maintaining Ukraine’s operational momentum.
Industry and Economic Impacts
The coalition’s efforts extend beyond the battlefield, driving advancements in drone manufacturing. Latvia’s $11 million investment in joint projects with Ukraine fosters cross-border innovation, potentially creating scalable production models for UAS.
This collaboration could lower costs and improve drone accessibility for coalition members, benefiting both military and civilian applications.
For recreational pilots and drone professionals, these developments signal a growing market for high-performance, affordable drones.
However, regulatory challenges remain. Coalition members must align export controls and airspace regulations to streamline drone deliveries.
The $2.97 billion commitment reflects confidence in overcoming these hurdles, positioning the coalition as a leader in global UAS development.
As Sprūds noted, “The addition of new allies to the coalition will allow us to provide Ukraine with even more targeted and effective support on the battlefield in the fight against the aggressor, as well as strengthen our own and our allied countries’ defense industries.”
Looking Ahead
The inclusion of Belgium and Türkiye marks a pivotal moment for the drone coalition, amplifying its capacity to support Ukraine while advancing global drone technology.
With $194 million already mobilized and plans for thousands of new drones, the initiative is poised to reshape modern warfare.
For drone professionals and enthusiasts, the coalition’s work highlights the transformative potential of UAS in both defense and commercial sectors, promising a future of innovation and collaboration.
https://dronexl.co/2025/07/03/belgium-turkiye-join-drone-coalition-ukraine/
Escalating Drone Attacks Target Kurdistan Region: Latest Strike Hits Garmiyan
July 3, 2025
Kurdistan Region faces escalating drone attacks as latest strike hits Garmiyan.
Recent incidents include Yazidi camp bombing in Duhok, multiple interceptions in Erbil, and missile strikes in Kirkuk.
PUK condemns 'criminal acts' amid growing security crisis in northern Iraq.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A drone carrying explosives crashed Thursday in the independent Garmiyan administration, marking the latest incident in a dangerous escalation of aerial attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region.
According to sources who spoke to Kurdistan24, the suicide drone fell between the Sirqala and Kawkes sub-districts in the Kifri district.
Security officials reported that although the drone was equipped with two rockets, it failed to detonate and caused no casualties, landing instead in an open field.
A shepherd witnessed the incident and alerted local authorities.
A security source disclosed to Kurdistan24, that the drone was approximately two and a half meters long, and its fuel tank was found empty, suggesting that the aircraft may have run out of fuel before reaching its intended target.
After the crash, a team from Sulaimani’s Asayish arrived at the scene and transported the wreckage for further investigation.
This latest incident adds to a troubling series of drone and missile strikes across the Kurdistan Region in recent days, raising widespread alarm among residents and officials alike.
Duhok IDP Camp Attack Draws UN Condemnation
On Tuesday, a drone exploded in the Darkar camp for internally displaced Yazidis in Zakho, Duhok province, injuring a child.
The attack was condemned by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), which called for immediate investigations and measures to prevent further violations of humanitarian protections.
“The United Nations in Iraq calls for the protection of, and refraining from targeting, displacement camps – including the Darkar camp for Yazidi IDPs,” the statement read, labeling the assault a breach of international humanitarian law.
Drone Downings Continue Across Erbil Province
In Erbil province, coalition forces recently intercepted multiple drones in consecutive days. On June 17, two drones were shot down over Mastawa and Pirdawd villages.
Another drone was intercepted over Sherawa village on June 18, and yet another was downed on June 16 during heightened regional tensions between Israel and Iran.
The incidents caused no casualties, but they reflect a persistent threat to the region’s airspace and civilian safety.
Investigations are ongoing, and officials have yet to determine the origin of the drones.
Kirkuk and Salahaddin Also Targeted
Simultaneously, a string of missile strikes rocked Kirkuk on July 1, injuring at least one person and damaging civilian and airport infrastructure.
Missiles hit a home in the Urouba neighborhood and landed within Kirkuk International Airport’s perimeter.
Meanwhile, an unidentified drone was intercepted near the Baiji refinery in Salahaddin province, underscoring the increasing spread of aerial threats beyond the Kurdistan Region.
Sulaimani Incident Spurs Political Reaction
On July 2, two drones crashed near the headquarters of the Peshmerga’s 70th Unit in Tasluja, Sulaimani province, prompting a fierce response from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
The parliamentary bloc condemned the drone strike as a “criminal act” and a grave violation of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s sovereignty.
“This is a continuation of a pattern of aggression, following the recent attack on Kirkuk and now targeting Sulaimani,” the statement read, describing the incidents as “dangerous escalations.”
Security officials believe the drones may have been intercepted by a U.S. radar defense system operating at the military command post.
No casualties were reported, but the loud explosion and subsequent fire sent shockwaves through the local population.
Federal Investigation Underway
In response to the Sulaimani incident, a delegation from Iraq’s Federal Ministry of Interior visited the drone crash site on Wednesday. The team is working to determine the origin and intended target of the drones.
While officials declined to speak on record, the investigation signals Baghdad’s growing concern over the deteriorating security landscape in the northern provinces.
A Pattern of Escalation
The repeated targeting of both civilian and military infrastructure across Duhok, Erbil, Sulaimani, and Kirkuk represents a clear escalation of hostile activity in the Kurdistan Region.
These incidents— has not been claimed by anyone until this hour.—underscore the urgent need for enhanced security coordination, defense measures, and international accountability.
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/849696/escalating-drone-attacks-target-kurdistan-region-latest-strike-hits-garmiyan
Drone "narco sub" — equipped with Starlink antenna — seized for the first time in the Caribbean
Updated on: July 3, 2025 / 10:16 AM EDT /
The Colombian navy on Wednesday announced its first seizure of an unmanned "narco sub" equipped with a Starlink antenna off its Caribbean coast.
The semisubmersible vessel was not carrying drugs, but the Colombian navy and Western security sources based in the region told AFP they believed it was a trial run by a cocaine trafficking cartel.
"It was being tested and was empty," a naval spokeswoman confirmed to AFP.
Manned semi-submersibles built in clandestine jungle shipyards have been used for decades to ferry cocaine north from Colombia, the world's biggest cocaine producer, to Central America or Mexico.
But in recent years, they have been sailing much further afield, crossing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The latest find, announced by Admiral Juan Ricardo Rozo at a press conference, is the first reported discovery in South American waters of a drone narco sub.
In May 2024, Italian police announced the seizure of a small remote-controlled sub likely intended to transport drugs as part of an international drug trafficking network.
The Colombian navy said the drone semisubmersible was owned by the Gulf Clan, Colombia's largest drug trafficking group and had the capacity to transport 1.5 tons of cocaine.
The Gulf Clan is one of several cartels recently designated as foreign terrorist groups by the United States.
The group's "primary source of income is from cocaine trafficking, which it uses to fund its paramilitary activities," according to the U.S. State Department.
A video released by the navy showed a small grey vessel with a satellite antenna on the bow. This is not the first time a Starlink antenna has been used at sea by suspected drug traffickers.
In November, Indian police seized a giant consignment of meth worth $4.25 billion in a vessel steered remotely by Starlink near the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands.
It was the first known discovery of a narco sub operated by Starlink.
Floating "coffins"
Cocaine production, seizures and use all hit record highs in 2023, the U.N. drug agency said last month. In Colombia, production has reached record levels, fuelled by surging global demand.
Rozo said the use of autonomous subs reflected the traffickers "migration toward more sophisticated unmanned systems" which are hard to detect at sea, "difficult to track by radar and even allow criminal networks to operate with partial autonomy."
Juana Cabezas, a researcher at Colombia's Institute for Development and Peace Studies, told AFP that powerful Mexican drug cartels, who operate in Colombia, "hired technology experts and engineers to develop an unmanned submarine" as far back as 2017.
She pointed out that drone vessels made it harder for the authorities to pinpoint the drug lords behind the shipments.
"Removing the crew eliminates the risk of captured operators cooperating with authorities," agreed Henry Shuldiner, an investigator for the U.S.-based InSight Crime think tank, who co-authored a report on the rise of narco subs.
Shuldiner also highlighted the challenge of assembling crews to sail makeshift subs described as floating "coffins."
The journey can be deadly: In 2023, a "narco sub" with two dead bodies and nearly three tons of cocaine aboard was seized off the coast of Colombia.
A near record number of the low-profile vessels were intercepted in the Atlantic and Pacific in 2024, according to the report.
In November last year, five tons of Colombian cocaine were found on a semi-submersible en route to faraway Australia.
Colombian law punishes the use, construction, marketing, possession, and transportation of semi-submersibles with penalties of up to 14 years in prison.
Though commonly spotted off the coast of Colombia, narco subs have been intercepted across the globe in recent months.
Just last week, the Mexican navy seized 3.5 tons of cocaine hidden in a semisubmersible vessel off the Pacific coast, while releasing video of the "narco sub" being intercepted.
In March, Portuguese police said forces had confiscated nearly 6.5 tons of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel off the remote Azores archipelago that was bound for the Iberian peninsula.
In January, a suspected narco sub broke in two pieces as a fishing boat was towing it to a port in northwest Spain.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/drone-narco-sub-seized-first-time-caribbean-colombia/
NYPD seeks White House approval to take down drones
Jul 3, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. ET
The NYPD is looking to the White House for authority to intercept and disable drones — a power that, under federal law, is currently limited to federal agencies.
For now, New York City police must rely on federal partners to ground threatening drones during major events, such as this weekend’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration.
Drone flight is already heavily restricted in the city due to the NYPD’s strict permitting system and the proximity to three major airports.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that while partnering with federal agencies works for planned events, it’s not always practical.
“We really need to be able to be nimble and have the authority to do drone mitigation ourselves,” she said.
The department has been lobbying Congress for permission to use new drone technology that can take down unauthorized drones.
But Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said the White House may grant local authorities that ability soon through executive order.
“[It] will hopefully, with federal government participation, give certain state and locals we hope, including NYPD, this capability,” she said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An executive order, signed by President Donald Trump on June 6, doesn’t explicitly grant local police the authority to take down drones.
Instead, it establishes a federal task force to review how to respond to drone threats and recommend changes to policy, regulations and enforcement.
The group, chaired by the national security adviser, is tasked with proposing solutions “consistent with applicable law” and making recommendations to the president.
It also offers grants to local governments to buy drone detection and tracking equipment and creates a task force to explore additional regulatory changes.
Weiner said lobbying continues to get the NYPD formal “counter-drone mitigation authorities.”
“There are efforts underway through executive order as well as for years now pending legislation in front of Congress,” she said.
The NYPD is not alone in this battle for the unmanned skies. A number of defense contractors have marketed counter-drone tools to local police. The National Football League is also pushing for its own anti-drone systems.
Privacy advocates have said they worry the tech rush will cost New Yorkers. According to reporting by the New York Post, American Robotics CEO Eric Brock said a system of eight-pound racer drones would cost “less than $200,000.”
Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the New York-based Surveillance Technology Oversight Project — a nonprofit organization that advocates for reforms around technology overreach — said the city would be safer with the basics: better transit, social services and funding for the libraries.
“The idea that we're gonna spend money on a fleet of drones to disable attacks from other drones. … It feels like the NYPD is just in a paranoid bubble,” Cahn said.
https://gothamist.com/news/nypd-seeks-white-house-approval-to-take-down-drones
Russian drone hits apartment block in Odesa
03.07.2025 06:25
Four people were injured after a Russian drone targeted an apartment block in Odesa, badly damaging part of the building.
Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov reported this on Telegram, Ukrinform saw. "Five people, including two children, blocked on the upper floors were rescued," he wrote on social media.
Three of the injured have been hospitalized.
According to the mayor, a preliminary inspection showed that part of the building was significantly damaged, which posed a risk to tenants.
“After removing the affected structures, experts will run a detailed assessment of the building's condition, allowing us to determine further actions,” Trukhanov noted.
According to the State Emergency Service, a fire broke out in the damaged nine-storey building from the 7th to the 9th floors.
“Rescuers evacuated 50 residents, 10 of whom, including two children, were evacauted with the help of special equipment. Unfortunately, four people were injured,” the post says.
The State Emergency Service's Invincibility Point has been deployed at the site, psychologists are working with those affected. Work is underway to eliminate the consequences, the rescue agency added.
As reported, Odesa was attacked by Russian drones overnight Thursday, causing damage to civilian infrastructure.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4010873-russian-drone-hits-apartment-block-in-odesa.html
https://t.me/odeskaODA/10328
'A powerful secondary explosion' — Ukrainian drones destroy Russian ammunition depot in Donetsk Oblast, SBU says
July 3, 2025 1:26 pm
Ukrainian drones struck a Russian ammunition depot in occupied Donetsk Oblast overnight on July 3, setting off a series of huge explosions, Ukraine's State Security Service said on July 3.
"Starting at 10 p.m., explosions rang out at the depots, followed by a powerful secondary detonation of ammunition and a fire," the SBU said in a post on social media.
According to the SBU, the ammunition depot is located in the occupied Ukrainian city of Khartsyzsk, near Donetsk, which is "of important strategic importance, as it is used by the Russians as a rear base."
"The enemy has placed command posts, logistics centers, and ammunition depots there. All of them are legitimate military targets," the statement added.
Unconfirmed videos posted to social media show a fire already burning followed by a large explosion and shockwave.
Elsewhere on July 3, Ukraine confirmed strikes on the Energia factory in Russia's Lipetsk Oblast overnight, a facility that produces components for missiles and drones, including batteries for the Iskander missile system and cruise missiles.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Counter-Disinformation Center at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, confirmed the strike, calling Energia "one of the most critical targets for Russia."
According to Kovalenko, the facility manufactures batteries for missile guidance and glider modules, including for the Iskander system and cruise missiles.
Ukraine's military regularly strikes military targets in Russian-occupied territories and deep within Russia in an attempt to diminish Moscow's fighting power as it continues its war against Ukraine.
On the evening of June 30, Ukraine similarly struck a command post of the 8th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Armed Forces in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk Oblast.
Russia has for months focused its offensive efforts on the embattled town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast and has recently been escalating attempts to break through to neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a region that has not yet seen combat.
https://kyivindependent.com/a-powerful-secondary-explosion-ukrainian-drones-destroy-russian-ammunition-depot-in-donetsk-oblast-sbu-says-06-2025/
https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1940515662910439842
The Visitors (Made with Veo 3) - Humans react to alien visitors (just for funsies)
May 25, 2025
Humans react to alien visitors. This mini project was done in 8 hours from start to finish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAj_W73vnbw
UAP Revelations with AARO's Dep. Director Lt. Col. (ret.) Tim Phillips
Jul 2, 2025
Breaking news of a recently uncovered DOD manual from the 1940's detailing plans for alien crash recovery operations, and why it might be the same document known as SOM1-01.
Lt. Col. (ret.) Tim Phillips, former Acting Director of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO joins John Michael Godier for a conversation covering several critical fronts:
new information of the Nimitz UAP incident with reports of so-called "Men in Black," explained and asking why wouldn't the knowledge of an Alien presence be classified?
00:00 - You have fallen into Event Horizon with John Michael Godier…
05:04 - Malmstrom Incident
07:54 - New Nimitz information
10:05 - Mysterious MiB take Nimitz Data
15:08 - Issuing updated instructions to military forces
20:12 - DoD contractor responds with firsthand account via secure reporting
24:31 - Discovery of operations manual from the 1940's for alien crash recoveries
30:23 - Description of a bound, tan-covered classified operations manual
35:25 - Public affairs strategy for media response and transparency
40:26 - Reviewing sensor data from U.S. operational systems
45:27 - Setting up real-time sensing for capturing UAP phenomena
50:32 - Praise for interagency cooperation within AARO’s mission
55:34 - Machined metal objects described by witnesses and insiders
01:00:39 - Internal disagreements and staffing dynamics at AARO
01:05:40 - The challenge of protecting methods and classified sources
01:10:42 - AARO Gremlin Sensor system used for field experiments
01:15:44 - Integrating and translating operational sensor data
01:20:50 - AARO’s goal to cover all domains—from space to undersea
01:25:55 - Ongoing efforts in collecting and analyzing new data
01:31:03 - Why wouldn't knowledge of Alien's be classified?
01:36:09 - Ministry of Defense efforts to compile historical reports
01:41:14 - The limits of stealth and protected operations in U.S. airspace
01:44:20 - Did Nixon transfer UFO materials to contractors?
01:51:27 - Origins of special access training tools and how they spread
01:56:30 - AARO’s role in distinguishing threats from nation states
02:01:31 - Intergenerational transmission of information on anomalous craft
02:06:35 - Final thoughts on public engagement with potential discoveries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAaO4P4Jc1U
https://www.specialoperationsmanual.com/the-manual/
http://www.wolfbane.com/articles/SOM1-01%20Special%20Operations%20Manual.pdf
Are UFOs masquerading as satellites?
July 2, 2025
Interview with “Captain Ralph”
Has seen numerous lights in the sky over 40-year career
“Once a week I see them!”
“one light would fly into another…and then fly into space”
“they are not satellites”
Viewer letter retells encounter with strange light in England
Books mentioned:
The Day After Roswell
By Col. Philip J, Corso (Ret.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daAUmtLaHv0
https://www.earthfiles.com/
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/5381851-did-the-pentagon-spread-false-ufo-stories-were-skeptical/
https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/ufo-us-disinformation-45376f7e
https://thesolfoundation.org/
https://uapdisclosurefund.org/
Did the Pentagon spread false UFO stories? We’re skeptical.
07/03/25 8:30 AM ET
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal suggests that the Pentagon itself fueled much of the “mythology” surrounding UFOs.
Citing current and former government sources, reporters Joel Schectman and Aruna Viswanatha write that a decades-long hazing ritual left “hundreds and hundreds” of Air Force personnel convinced that the Pentagon harbored a “secret alien project.”
The report also alleges that an Air Force colonel intentionally stoked UFO speculation at a Nevada bar in the 1980s as cover for the development of the first stealth fighter.
Similarly, their sources claim that there is a “terrestrial explanation” for a prominent incident involving UFOs and nuclear weapons.
While each of these points merits close attention, the Journal’s reporting must also be scrutinized for what it omits.
Schectman and Viswanatha suggest that “MAGA skepticism about the ‘deep state’” is motivating Republican members of Congress to investigate government involvement with UFOs.
Yet they make no mention of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Mike Rounds’s (R-S.D.) bipartisan 64-page UAP Disclosure Act, which alleges that a secret government “legacy program” has recovered UFOs and “biological evidence of non-human intelligence.”
In a recent interview on NewsNation, Rounds confirmed that he and Schumer will reintroduce the legislation in the coming weeks.
Schumer alleged on the Senate floor in December 2023 that the federal government has “gathered a great deal of information about [UFOs] over many decades but has refused to share it with the American people” — and, per “multiple credible sources,” with Congress as well
Moreover, the authors omit eyebrow-raising comments from lawmakers and officials describing individuals alleging “firsthand” knowledge of unreported UFO retrieval and reverse-engineering programs.
This includes comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), current director of the Pentagon UFO analysis office Jon Kosloski, veteran congressional staffer Kirk McConnell and former intelligence official David Grusch.
The fact that multiple high-ranking officials have claimed firsthand knowledge of secret UFO programs does not square easily with a “bizarre hazing ritual” involving bogus “alien projects.”
According to the Journal, Sean Kirkpatrick, the former director of the Pentagon’s UFO analysis office, uncovered broad hazing practices in which “thousands” of Air Force officers were briefed on secret “alien” activities over several decades.
The prank apparently included requiring personnel to sign non-disclosure agreements that carried the threat of jail or execution, leaving officers “scared to death” if they revealed the nonexistent program.
But no evidence of such systemic, widespread hazing about extraterrestrials has yet emerged. Nor can Kirkpatrick and his former office keep their stories straight.
A year after supposedly discovering such extensive hazing activity, Kirkpatrick and the Pentagon claimed that longstanding allegations of secret UFO retrieval and reverse-engineering programs are the product of “circular reporting” from a “small group” of alien believers.
Yet now, supposedly, “thousands” of personnel were led to believe that such programs exist. Which one is it?
Kirk McConnell recently retired after serving 37 years on the congressional Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, where he held the highest, most compartmented security clearances. He was also one of the Senate’s lead staffers on UFOs.
McConnell told us that he is “confident” that he “was never told by Kirkpatrick or anyone else from [the Pentagon’s UFO office] or the Department of Defense that the Department had uncovered and documented a significant number of instances where Department of Defense officials actively and knowingly spread misinformation about UAP in order to provide cover for special access programs or to play jokes on their colleagues.”
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Similarly, we know Air Force personnel who have observed UFOs, but none who have received any briefings on bogus “alien” programs.
The Pentagon’s UFO analysis program, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, must clarify the scope and scale of any such hazing rituals immediately.
At the same time, an Air Force colonel disseminating UFO pictures at a Nevada bar in the 1980s, ostensibly as a cover for the then-nascent Lockheed F-117A stealth fighter program, appears to violate prohibitions on domestic influence operations by the military.
Finally, Schectman and Viswanatha report that investigators discovered a “terrestrial explanation” for one of the better-known incidents involving UFOs and nuclear weapons.
In March 1967, according to former Air Force missile and targeting officers, 10 nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles shut down from alert status as security guards observed a UFO hovering above the front gate of a missile facility at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
The Journal’s sources claim that an unannounced electromagnetic pulse test caused the “UFO” and subsequent shutdown of the missiles.
But the government documents Schectman and Viswanatha cite in support of this supposed explanation in fact debunk it.
The documents state that the “proposal for the design, development, fabrication, and testing” of the system supposedly responsible for the Malmstrom UFO incident was not submitted until 1971, four years after the event.
How could this system, which was not developed and tested until 1973, cause an incident that had occurred six years earlier?
Moreover, Schectman and Viswanatha suggest that this electromagnetic generator created the object observed hovering over the missile facility’s main gate.
“When activated,” they write, “this device, placed on a portable platform 60 feet above the facility, would gather power until it glowed, sometimes with a blinding orange light.”
Let’s set aside that the system apparently had not been tested, let alone proposed, when the Malmstrom incident occurred.
The notion is preposterous that such a large electrical generator, requiring 10 3,250-pound concrete braces, could be constructed just outside the front gate of a Malmstrom Air Force Base’s Missile Alert Facility undetected by the armed guards that patrol the area.
Similarly, it strains credulity to suggest that an electromagnetic pulse, which disables and destroys sensitive electronic equipment, would be tested against an active nuclear missile facility at the height of the Cold War.
Additional documentation cited by Schectman describes testing such destructive electrical pulses only under meticulously controlled conditions and environments — and certainly not against nuclear weapons and unsuspecting Air Force officers.
Intentionally or not, Schectman and Viswanatha’s reduction of the well-documented UFO-nuclear nexus to a single 1967 incident — with a questionable “explanation,” no less — does their readers a disservice. So does their failure to mention that the Pentagon now admits openly that it is stumped by “several dozen” “true anomalies” and “really peculiar” UFO incidents.
The same unexplained phenomena perplexing the government today have been reported since at least the 1940s.
Rear Admiral (ret.) Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., is a former acting and deputy administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, acting undersecretary and assistant secretary of Commerce and a Navy oceanographer.
He is on the advisory boards for the Sol Foundation and the UAP Disclosure Fund. Christopher Mellon was the minority staff director of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for intelligence.
He is the chairman of the board of the UAP Disclosure Fund. Marik von Rennenkampff was an analyst with the State Department’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation and an appointee at the Department of Defense.
He is a contributor to the Sol Foundation.
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EXCLUSIVE: “I know nothing about that,” Speaker Johnson denies blocking UAP Caucus from SAPs
Jul 02, 2025
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) — Speaker, US House of Representatives
Ask a Pol asks:
Mr. Speaker, did you prohibit Secrets Task Force Chair Anna Paulina Luna and the the Congressional UAP Caucus from accessing classified Special Access Programs — or SAPs?
Key Johnson:
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Speaker Mike Johnson exclusively told Ask a Pol.
ICYMI — Is Speaker Johnson lying?
https://www.askapoluaps.com/p/wheres-waldo-not-in-hpsci
Caught our ear:
“I know nothing about that,” Johnson told us.
https://www.askapoluaps.com/p/i-know-nothing-about-that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPB83_iufYk
https://x.com/MickWest/status/1935053911880253764
UFO | Series Premiere | Full Episode | Paramount+ (FREE)
Jul 2, 2025
Episode 1 - A groundbreaking 2017 story in the New York Times reveals that the Pentagon secretly spent years studying UFOs, casting new light on decades of unexplained UFO sightings in America — like the 1997 Phoenix Lights encounters and the 2006 Chicago airport sighting.
Has first contact already been made, and if so, why is the US government trying to cover it up? Series premiere.
Stream all episodes of UFO on the Paramount+ Premium Plan.
This SHOWTIME® series explores our fascination with UFOs and the influence government, private companies, and the military may have in shielding the truth.
Ignited by a bombshell story revealing the Pentagon had been tracking UFOs for years, the series examines the history of the phenomenon through cultural and political touchpoints, including testimony from eyewitnesses across the country, asking the most enigmatic questions of all: Why do we believe what we believe, and what is the elusive truth beyond this decades-long mystery?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWej6PJx8gs
"UFO & UAP Sightings: Strangest Shapes Caught on Camera"
Jul 3, 2025
Real UFO and UAP sightings caught on camera, featuring strange shapes, glowing orbs, and unexplained aerial encounters.
This latest UFO video reveals shocking footage of real UFOs, alien-like crafts, and mysterious objects seen worldwide.
Stay updated with the most talked-about UFO news and top UFO videos showing strange real UFO activity you can't ignore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8a_qmd5gwU
BEST UFO Videos Of June 2025! (3 hr Compilation) Something Unbelievable Is Happening!
Jul 1, 2025
Crazy CLEAR Evidence That We Are Not Alone!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSwdX7JCj60
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/welcoming-a-new-interstellar-object-a11pi3z-0b01f1cb4fbc
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14871281/Mysterious-interstellar-object-alien-spacecraft.html
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.04003
Welcoming a New Interstellar Object: A11pI3Z or 3I/ATLAS
July 2, 2025
On the early morning of July 2, 2025, I woke up at 2AM for a two-hour interview on Coast to Coast radio to discuss my research on interstellar objects.
This was a fortunate timing as rumors just appeared overnight on X and Bluesky about the discovery of a new interstellar object, A11pl3Z.
Objects originating from outside the solar system are flagged by having a speed above the minimum value needed to escape from the Solar system, which is 42 kilometers per second — a thousand times over the speed limit on a highway — in the vicinity of Earth. T
he first reported interstellar object, `Oumuamua, was not a familiar comet nor a familiar asteroid. It was inferred to have a disk-like shape and to exhibit non-gravitational acceleration, raising the possibility of an artificial origin.
The second reported interstellar object, Borisov, appeared like a familiar natural comet. Will the next object on the interstellar roulette table be anomalous or familiar?
The IAU Minor Planet Center added A11pl3Z to the Near-Earth Object confirmation list on July 1, 2025, with a similar listing appearing on the NASA/JPL CNEOS website.
The preliminary fit for the trajectory of A11pl3Z suggests an eccentricity of about 6, a hyperbolic velocity of about 66 kilometers per second and an interstellar origin.
Interestingly, this is the typical velocity of interstellar objects that we predicted in a paper that I published with Morgan MacLeod a year ago about the production of interstellar objects from the spaghettification of rocky planets by common dwarf stars.
An extrapolation of A11pl3Z’s orbit implies that its closest distance to Earth would be 2.4 times the Earth-Sun separation (=astronomical unit, abbreviated as AU) on December 17, 2025 and that it will pass much closer to Jupiter around March 10, 2026.
This is because the Earth happens to be on the other side of its orbit around the Sun when A11pl3Z gets close to the Sun. Its closest distance from the Sun is expected to be about 1.4 AU on October 27, 2025, three weeks after its passage within 0.4 AU from Mars.
The current distances of A11pl3Z are about 3.8 AU from Earth and 4.8 AU from the Sun as of July 2, 2025.
The amateur astronomer Sam Deen identified earlier images of A11pl3Z in the ATLAS Survey from June 25–29, 2025, implying that it is almost certainly interstellar in origin.
The amateur astronomer Filipp Romanov stacked 5x20 second images from the iTelescope.Net T72 (0.51-m f/6.8 reflector + CCD) in Chile and detected a G magnitude of 17.5.
The H-magnitude of 12 listed by NASA/JPL suggests a diameter of about 20 kilometers, somewhat bigger than the Chicxulub impactor that killed the non-avian dinosaurs on Earth 66 million years ago.
Better data will refine the size estimate as well as the orbital parameters of A11pl3Z.
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Observing A11pl3Z also with the Webb telescope, located a million miles away from an Earth-based telescope, will allow us to detect via parallax any non-gravitational acceleration to exquisite precision, as shown in a recent paper I wrote with my student Sriram Elango.
The Webb telescope can also measure the emitted infrared flux and surface temperature of A11pl3Z — which when combined with its known parallax distance, can be used to infer its surface area.
If the object is tumbling, it would be possible to use the evolution of the surface area projected along the line-of-sight in order to map the shape of the object in three dimensions.
The known size and shape and the reflected flux of sunlight from the object will allow us to infer its surface albedo (reflection coefficient) for sunlight. We did not have direct measurements of the area, surface temperature or albedo for `Oumuamua.
If A11pI3Z’s brightness stems from reflecting sunlight at the typical albedo of order 10%, then its diameter of 20 kilometers is about 100–200 times larger than the estimated length of Oumuamua (and over a thousand times larger thanOumuamua’s width) and about 50–100 times larger than the core of the comet Borisov.
If all three objects are rocks, then A11pI3Z’s mass is over ten million times larger than that of `Oumumua and at least a hundred thousand times larger than the core mass of Borisov.
This is surprising because one expects high mass objects to be much rarer. Based on data about the Main Asteroid Belt in the Solar system, one would expect millions of objects like `Oumuamua for each object on the mass scale of A11pI3Z.
How come we did not observe millions of `Oumuamua-scale objects before discovering A11pI3Z?
Of course, we may have missed many of them but probably not millions of them. It is also possible that the size distribution of interstellar rocks is bimodal with a peak around a diameter of 20 kilometers.
The most likely possibility is that A11pI3Z is a comet and we are detecting the reflection of sunlight from its cometary plume of gas and dust, whereas its mass is contained in a much smaller core.
Indeed, a new notice on July 2, 2025 by the Minor Planet Center which labels the object as 3I/ATLAS, officially interstellar, suggests tentative evidence for a coma.
Comets populate the outskirts of planetary systems and can be easily dislodged into interstellar space by passing stars because they are loosely bound gravitationally to their host star. Other, more speculative, possibilities are that 3I/ATLAS’s albedo is much larger than usual or that it generates its own light.
In the comet case, 3I/ATLAS’s nature will be closer to that of the comet Borisov and very different from that of `Oumuamua, which did not show a coma and had an extreme disk-like shape, given that the amount of sunlight it reflected changed by a factor of ten as it was tumbling every 8 hours.
Based on its direction of motion, 3I/ATLAS appears to be coming at a retrograde orbit with an inclination of 175 degrees relative to the Earth’s orbital plane from the thin disk of stars in the Milky-Way galaxy.
In the coming months, we will learn much more about 3I/ATLAS’s properties based on data from multiple ground-based telescopes including the new Rubin Observatory in Chile, as well as possibly from the Webb space telescope. Stock your popcorn.
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perhaps