The Defender Dome

02 Apr 2025 08:05

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has release footage of today’s military exercise directed towards the Taiwan Strait, which has been named “Strait Thunder-2025A” by the PLA. The footage shows a live-fire drill by several PHL-16 self-propelled multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) firing rockets at targets which are clearly intended to signify Taiwan.

The Defender Dome

02 Apr 2025 07:35

The Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen released footage earlier today, appearing to show the wreckage of a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 “Reaper” surveillance and attack drone which they claim to have shot down last night over the Ma’rib Governorate, using a surface-to-air missile.

The Defender Dome

02 Apr 2025 01:17

In addition to the 6 B-2 “Spirit” Long-Range Strategic Stealth Bombers that arrived last week at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. One of the B-2s deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, remained at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport/Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii as of yesterday, after suffering an “in-flight emergency” while crossing the Pacific on March 24th.

Photo credit goes to @InfantryPilot

The Defender Dome

02 Apr 2025 00:18

The U.S. Army has released the identities of 3 out of the 4 Soldiers with the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team (1ABCT), 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, that were killed last week when their M88A2 “Hercules” Armored-Recovery Vehicle (ARV) sunk over 16ft into a swamp during a training exercise in eastern Lithuania. They have been identified as Sergeant Jose Duenez Jr., aged 25 from Joliet, Illinois; Sergeant Edvin F. Franco, aged 25 from Glendale, California; and Private First Class Dante D. Taitano, aged 21 from Dededo, Guam; all served as M1 Abrams Tank System Maintainers (91A) in the 7th Cavalry Regiment. The body of the fourth soldier was found and recovered this morning, and is expected to be identified as soon as next-of-kin is notified.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 20:33

Lithuanians gathered at the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Vilnius tonight, to mourn the 4 U.S. Soldiers with the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team (1ABCT), 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, who were killed during a training exercise last week in Pabradė. Additionally, Lithuanians have managed to raise over $100k for the families of the Soldiers.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 19:54

The USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and several other ships with Carrier Strike Group One (CSG-1) spotted earlier today on satellite imagery transiting west through the Sulu Sea in the Philippines, enroute to the Middle East. CSG-1 consists of the Ticonderoga-Class Guided-Missile Cruiser, USS Princeton (CG-59) and the Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyers, USS Sterett (DDG-104) and USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110).

Credit for the satellite imagery goes to @MT_Anderson

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 17:43

An infographic made by @Schizointel showing the range of several of Iran’s long-range cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against U.S. Navy and Air Force assets in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. While Iran does posses a handful of missiles and rockets that could reach Diego Garcia, it’s unlikely they would waste them trying to target the airbase, especially considering the response it would bring from the United States.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 16:16

Search-and-recovery operations continue last night and today at the Pabradė Training Ground in eastern Lithuania; with two working dogs from the Estonian Military Police, Tilt and Maik, arriving to help search for the fourth and final missing U.S. Soldier from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team (1ABCT), 3rd Infantry Division, who went missing last Tuesday after their M88A2 “Hercules” Armored-Recovery Vehicle (ARV) sunk over 16ft into the swamp during a training exercise in Lithuania.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 14:46

China yesterday began one of its largest military exercises yet around Taiwan, with the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command deploying Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Rocket Forces to “encircle” and “blockade” areas of the island from multiple directions; in what will likely be the first of many such exercises in the next few years, leading up to an eventual invasion of Taiwan. The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense reports that upwards of 19 Chinese naval vessels, including the Shandong Carrier Strike Group were detected operating around the island, with several entering Taiwan’s Response Zone.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 04:21

Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles (TLAMs) being launched against military and infrastructure targets of the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group in western Yemen, by the Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyer, USS The Sullivans (DDG-68), while she flies her Battle Flag in the Red Sea.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 03:18

The Israeli Air Force has just carried out an unusual precision-airstrike on a high-rise apartment building in the Dahieh suburb of southern Beirut, without an evacuation warning, resulting in the near total collapse of the building. According to a joint statement moments ago from the Israel Defense Force and Shin Bet, the strike targeted a senior Hezbollah terrorist who recently directed Hamas operatives and assisted them in planning a significant and imminent terror attack against Israeli civilians, with the decision being made to eliminate him and remove the threat.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 01:14

Military transport aircraft with the U.S. Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC), most originally coming from Osan Air Base in South Korea, are continuing to arrive today in the Middle East, this includes a C-5M “Super Galaxy” currently crossing Turkey. Over two dozens flights originating from Osan have arrived at Isa Air Base in Bahrain, as well as other U.S. and allied air bases in the region over the last week, believed to likely be carrying air-defense systems, such as the U.S. Army’s MIM-104 “Patriot” surface-to-air missile system and/or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system.

The Defender Dome

31 Mar 2025 23:25

In a post earlier by U.S. President Donald J. Trump, he claims that the Iranian-backed Houthis have been “decimated” by the ongoing strike campaign over the last few weeks, adding that, “Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation.” President Trump then further threatens the Houthis and Iran, stating that unless the attacks against U.S. ships stop, “the real pain is yet to come.”

The Defender Dome

31 Mar 2025 22:48

One of the U.S. Soldiers with the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team (1ABCT), 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, that were killed last week in a training incident at the Pabradė Training Ground in eastern Lithuania, has been identified as 25-year-old Sergeant Edvin Franco. A GoFundMe has been set up for the family of Sgt. Franco, who leaves behind his wife Georgia and their 6-month-old son; as well as another soldier that was also killed as a result of the incident in Lithuania.

The Defender Dome

31 Mar 2025 17:01

According to a senior U.S. defense official in Europe, the bodies of three of the missing crewmembers from the U.S. Army M88A2 “Hercules” Armored-Recovery Vehicle (ARV) that went missing last Tuesday and was extracted this morning from a swamp at the Pabradė Training Ground in eastern Lithuania, have been found deceased, while the fourth remains missing at this time. Search-and-recovery teams are searching through the nearby swamp, while divers search the mud and water the M88 was extracted from this morning.

The Defender Dome

02 Apr 2025 07:52

Following yesterday large-scale joint military exercise surrounding Taiwan, by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Rocket Force; the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command has announced another exercise for today, April 2nd, in the Taiwan Strait, dubbed “Strait Thunder-2025A” and involving several life-fire drills in the Strait by the forces of the PLA.

The Defender Dome

02 Apr 2025 05:51

NBC News is reporting that the Pentagon has ordered the relocation of at least 2 U.S. Army MIM-104 “Patriot” surface-to-air missile batteries and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system from Asia to the Middle East in the past few days, as tensions between Iran and the United States continue to grow and future military action against Iran seems more and more likely.

Reports of these relocations appear in line with a massive number of tracked military cargo flights to the Middle East over the last week by the U.S. Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC), with dozens of C-17s and several C-5s arriving at Isa Air Base in Bahrain as well as other bases near the Persian Gulf, almost all of which originated from Osan Air Base in South Korea; with planes continuing to arrive today at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and Djibouti International Airport near Yemen.

The relocation of critical air-defenses such as THAAD and the repositioning of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and her Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East, as well as the deployment of at least 6 B-2 “Spirit” Long-Range Strategic Stealth Bombers recently to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, suggest that the United States may be preparing for a major conflict soon with Iran.

The Defender Dome

02 Apr 2025 00:47

Satellite imagery from earlier today by @IndoPacWatch shows 6 B-2 “Spirit” Long-Range Strategic Stealth Bombers with the 509th Bomb Wing, on the tarmac at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, a little more than 2,000 miles away from Iran.

The Defender Dome

02 Apr 2025 00:03

The Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael E. Kurilla arrived in Israel earlier today, where he is expected to meet with senior defense and military officials regarding tensions with Iran. During the visit, Kurilla will also likely meet with soldiers and officers attached to the U.S. Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system deployed in southern Israel, which has reportedly downed at least 6 long-range ballistic missiles fired at Israel by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen since February.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 20:24

Following an extensive search-and-recovery operation lasting nearly a week, the fourth and final U.S. Soldier with the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team (1ABCT), 3rd Infantry Division, who went missing last Tuesday after their M88A2 “Hercules” Armored-Recovery Vehicle (ARV) sunk over 16ft into the swamp during a training exercise in eastern Lithuania, has been found deceased.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 17:58

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announces that she has instructed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in the case against Luigi Mangione, who murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December in New York City.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 17:17

Elements of the Turkish Armed Forces reportedly arrived today at the T-4 Air Base and Palmyra Military Airfield in the Homs Governorate of central Syria, which both were targeted recently by the Israeli Air Force. According to senior Turkish defense officials, S-400 and Hisar-O+ surface-to-air missile batteries will be deployed to the bases alongside long-range strike drones, as Turkey plans to increase strikes against ISIS and to deter further strikes against Syria by Israel.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 15:46

The Taiwanese Kee Lung-Class Destroyers, ROCS Su Ao (DDG-1802) and ROCS Tso Ying (DDG-1803); as well as the Cheng Kung-Class Frigate, ROCS Tian Dan (PFG2-1110); and the Chi Yang-Class Frigate, ROCS Yi Yang (FFG-939), monitor ships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), including the Shandong Carrier Strike Group, during the ongoing military exercise surrounding Taiwan.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 04:29

F/A-18E/F “Super Hornets” with Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) launch from the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in the Red Sea, for continued strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 03:36

According to i24NEWS, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait have secretly told Tehran that they will not allow the United States to use their air bases to launch or support military strikes against targets in Iran.

The Defender Dome

01 Apr 2025 01:32

According to a senior Iranian official who spoke recently with The Telegraph, top military commanders in Iran’s Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are being urged to prepare a “preemptive strike” using long-range ballistic missiles against the U.S-U.K. joint base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, in an attempt to deter U.S. President Donald J. Trump from ordering major strikes against Iran.

This follows the arrival of 6-9 B-2 “Spirit” Long-Range Strategic Stealth Bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia last week, a little more than 2,000 miles from Iran. Another Iranian official further added to the claims of a possible preemptive strike against the island, “Some are suggesting that missiles be fired towards the island, not with the intent to hit anything, but to fall into the water to send a clear message to the Americans that we are serious.”

The Defender Dome

31 Mar 2025 23:33

The Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group in western Yemen is claiming to have downed their 17th U.S. Air Force MQ-9 “Reaper” surveillance and attack drone tonight over the Ma’rib Governorate, using a surface-to-air missile.

The Defender Dome

31 Mar 2025 23:03

In addition to the GoFundMe established for the families of two of the four U.S. Soldiers killed in the incident last Tuesday at the Pabradė Training Ground in eastern Lithuania; Andrius Tapinas, a Lithuanian journalist known for hosting the “Freedom Chain” during the 2020 Belarusian Protests, has also begun raising money for the families of the soldiers, so far having raised 70k through his TV program and YouTube.

The Defender Dome

31 Mar 2025 19:07

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is claiming to have attacked and seized two oil tankers today in the Persian Gulf, which they claim were part of a “fuel smuggling network” in the Gulf. The two tankers, identified as STAR l and VINTAGE, were captured during a naval operation by the IRGC earlier today, with 25 crewmembers being arrested while the tankers are transferred to an oil port in the city of Bushehr, where their fuel will be offloaded and seized by Iran. One of the tankers is believed to be owned and operated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while the other is currently unknown.

The Defender Dome

31 Mar 2025 08:00

U.S. Navy Sailors and members of the Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) attached to the Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyer, USS Spruance (DDG-111), which recently left from Naval Base San Diego on a deployment to the U.S-Mexico Border with U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), conduct small boat operations off the Pacific Coast.