Keep pulling the thread on Frank Kendall.
The United States achieved a degree of surprise and successfully targeted high-value Iranian leadership in the first few days of the conflict.
The initial US strategy in the Iran conflict, which anticipated a quick decapitation strike leading to a swift ceasefire agreement, has not succeeded as planned.
Frank Kendall believes that Israel encouraged the US to initiate the strike on Iran after Iranian leadership gathered in one location, presenting a high-value target.
Qatar announced it is shutting down oil production because its storage facilities are at capacity and it cannot ship oil due to the conflict in the Persian Gulf.
The conflict with Iran has effectively closed the Straits of Hormuz to shipping, which will cause US gas prices to rise very quickly.
US production lines for interceptor missiles like Patriot and THAAD were already operating at maximum capacity to supply Ukraine before the conflict with Iran began.
Frank Kendall predicts that due to finite interceptor stockpiles, the US will soon have to adopt a 'preferential defense' strategy in Iran, using fewer interceptors per target and letting some threats through if they are not aimed at high-value areas.
Frank Kendall asserts that warfare is transitioning to an era where automated weapon systems will be the norm, and the US is in a technological race with China to lead this transition.
Frank Kendall is concerned that China may be more culturally open-minded and willing to make significant changes in military technology, potentially allowing it to surpass the US in developing automated weapon systems.
According to Frank Kendall, no new weapon system is fielded in the US military unless one of the services makes the decision to purchase it, and attempts by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to force products on the services ultimately fail.
The Deputy Secretary of Defense is in discussions with defense prime contractors on a plan to incentivize building greater production capacity, which would involve government assurances of future orders or a clawback provision to return capital investment if orders don't materialize.
Anthropic sought to include contract language with the Department of Defense that would prohibit the use of its AI for broad area surveillance of Americans and for fully autonomous lethal weapons.