Periscope Depth 5/18/2023

Cyber Teams Deploy Abroad To Bolster U.S. Cyber Defenses
Julian Lark

A team from U.S. Cyber Command’s (CYBERCOM’s) Cyber National Mission Task Force (CNMF) recently completed a hunt forward operation in Latvia.

Hunt forward operations are part of CYBERCOM’s 2018 Defend Forward strategy, which calls for the Dept. of Defense to “disrupt malicious cyber activity at its source, including activity that falls below the level of armed conflict.” In this case, the team operated on a network chosen by Latvia to detect, monitor and analyze tactics, techniques and procedures of malicious cyber actors.

During the three-month mission, the CNMF team worked with Canadian personnel and Latvia’s CERT.LV Security Incident Response Institution to support defensive cyber operations in the Baltic state.

This was the first time that the U.S. and Canada have completed a hunt forward operation together and the CNMF’s second deployment to Latvia. The Canadian cyber task force has a longstanding relationship with Latvian cybersecurity experts. Canada has led NATO’s enhanced forward presence (EFP) battle group in Latvia since 2017.

During the U.S. deployment, the American and Canadian teams worked together on different networks, sharing information and threat hunt indicators with each other and Latvian officials...

Romanian Air Force Drops Aging Soviet Jets
Tom Freebairn

The war in Ukraine has shaken up European defense, accelerating efforts to modernize armed forces across the continent. Romania, the NATO member state with the longest border with Ukraine, has viewed Russia’s aggression with concern, taking steps to speed up its military modernization. A major milestone was reached this week, with the retirement of its aging fleet of Soviet fighter jets.

Historically comprising Soviet and Russian materiel, the Romanian air force on Monday retired the last of its upgraded MiG-21 LanceR fighter jets after more than 60 years of service. The retirement formally concluded the era of Soviet fighters in Romanian service, with the U.S.-made F-16 now the only combat jet in service. Integration of 17 F-16 fighters procured from Portugal began in 2016. Romania is expanding its fighter fleet under a US$387 million agreement with the Norwegian government that was finalized on Nov. 4, 2022. The deal covers 32 second-hand F-16s, which are to be delivered by 2024.

In April 2023, the Romanian government announced its intention to become the third former-Soviet bloc NATO member to acquire fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II jets. While hurdles exist to this procurement, the move suggests that Romania has prioritized the modernization of its air capabilities over the last year...

SOCOM Steps Up Drive For Loitering Capabilities
Aja Melville

The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has made loitering technologies a priority in its efforts to support counter-violent extremist organization (C-VEO) operations and strategic competition.

During SOF week in Tampa, Fla., last week, Col. Anh Ha, the program executive officer Special Operations Forces (SOF) Warrior emphasized “loitering capability” over “loitering munition” in an interview with Jane’s, noting that there were numerous capabilities that could be integrated with uncrewed aircraft beyond weapons. For example, loitering platforms could in the future be equipped with electronic warfare payloads, the colonel said.

USSOCOM’s Program Executive Office SOF Warrior is actively supporting various programs focused on deploying loitering capabilities, including the Ground Organic Precision Strike System (GOPSS) that is intended to offer three levels of capability.

Echelon 2 covers crew-served or vehicle-mounted capabilities and is currently filled by Rafael’s Spike Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS), AeroVironment's Switchblade 600 and UVision’s Hero 120SF munitions...

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