'By late March, Iranian missile and drone launches had dropped more than 90% since the conflict began, according to U.S. Central Command. Meanwhile, the attacks that persist have zeroed in on radar sites, SATCOM terminals, tankers and now an AWACS.

'That’s a target set derived from an understanding of how U.S. airpower functions and where it is most exposed.

'Qatar purchased the AN/FPS-132 radar system from the U.S. in 2013 for $1.1 billion. The Iranian drones used to strike it cost an estimated $20,000 to $60,000 per unit.

'About half of the 16-aircraft E-3 fleet is mission capable, he said, and with six in the Middle East, only two or three remain for other needs.

'The KC-135 tanker fleet faces parallel pressures. Already cannibalizing parts from the boneyard, the Cold War-era jets have absorbed repeated strikes.

'In addition to the five KC-135s damaged at Prince Sultan on March 13, multiple refueling aircraft were also hit in the March 27 strike ...'
https://www.defensenews.com/global/mideast-africa/2026/04/01/iranian-strikes-target-the-infrastructure-behind-us-airpower/

'The issue has "drifted" since being promised in 2023, but the war in Iran has renewed the government's interest in reducing Australia's dependence on imported packaging, particularly oil-reliant plastic.

'With rising packaging waste, ongoing fuel supply disruptions, and increasing geopolitical uncertainty, building a strong domestic recycled materials market is no longer optional — it is essential.

'Just 20 per cent of plastic packaging is recycled each year, compared to around 65 per cent of glass and cardboard packaging.

'The sector says the problem is that domestic recycled plastic remains more expensive than virgin or recycled plastic imports due to high local costs and there isno mechanism to drive demand for Australian recycled packaging.

'The government has invested $200 million to upgrade Australian facilities to recycle more, but industry surveys have shown that only half of that recycling capacity is utilised'.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-27/oil-crisis-revives-talks-of-levy-plastic-packaging/106497956

'4 [Dutch] municipalities are starting a pilot for an autonomous digital work environment. They are testing a Linux workplace and MijnBureau.

'MijnBureau is an open collaboration environment in development at BZK. This brings together several European solutions, including components from France and Germany and the Nextcloud platform.

'The pilot runs until the end of 2026'.

Another step from European jurisdictions towards ICT supply chain diversification.
https://vng.nl/nieuws/gemeenten-testen-autonome-digitale-werkplek

'Part of the problem has been the premium on Indian panels versus those from China -- at least for markets not actively delinking from the latter as the U.S. has. But the price difference between them is slowly narrowing.

'Indian modules were $0.09 per watt more expensive than Chinese ones in early 2024, according to ... EUPD Research ... narrowed to 5.4 cents per watt by late March.

'Indian companies are currently dependent on these upstream components from China, and a basic custom duty of 25% on Chinese cell imports has further increased panel prices.

'Manufacturers, with order books full for the next six to eight months, have yet to contend with overcapacity pressures and for now enjoy high margins.

'This is reflected in research and development outlays: Chinese manufacturers spend about 4% on average, compared with less than 1% for Indian firms, according to data by research firm Wood Mackenzie'.

That solar-procuring jurisdictions have chosen price over reliability/trust pours a tad of cold water over the chat about trusted supply chains for critical infrastructure/CETs.
https://archive.md/QsZ3F

From Zineb Riboua:

'[Iran's] survival depends on three pillars — an ideology, a patronage network and a coercive apparatus drawing legitimacy from a founding idea.

'And Iran was already decomposing when Operation Epic Fury began.

'When the IRGC selected Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, it violated the Islamic Republic’s own founding principles, which bar hereditary succession.

'... Arab states that once tolerated Tehran’s reach are now coordinating with Trump to eliminate the threat.

'An IRGC confronting a [US] president unafraid of escalation is an IRGC that cannot dictate the terms of its own survival.

'American and Israeli strikes have reached the core of the IRGC’s command and control structure, and no volume of social-media output changes what those commanders can no longer do.

']Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s US ambassador, captured with precision what must come next: “We need boots on the ground, but they have got to be Iranian boots, and I think they’re coming”'.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/03/opinion/all-the-pieces-are-lining-up-for-regime-change-in-iran/

'And my friend, the [Palestinian] professor, told him [US official], “My family tree starts in Jerusalem during the seventh century, during the time of Muhammad—so I know something about the Middle East. Let me tell you something about the Middle East. In the Middle East, once you get rid of tyranny, everything shall explode except democracy.” And my friend was right.

'We forgot about mine warfare after the Second World War. This became an issue during the First Gulf War. It is relevant to the Bab-al-Mandab or the to the Persian Gulf. They can also be used offensively, we could close all the harbors of the Houthis, but we didn’t do it.

'In the Shin Bet, you learn that in order to win against your enemy, you have to know everything about them ... If you do not know then you will not win this war because, you don’t know what to ask when you interrogate him.

'Hope is a security asset ... The whole equation of deterrence is that I can take something from you which is very important for you ... But if your enemy does not think that he has anything to lose, it leads to the phenomena of a suicide attack.

'The state of Israel fits the geostrategic definition is an island ... Ninety-eight percent of all our goods come from the sea. So, maintaining the sea lines of communication is essential.

'We would spend days in shelters because Syrians used to shell and bomb our villages, our kibbutzim. So, the concept of a border is something very clear to us. There is a specific geographic line, on one side are the good guys and on the other side are the bad guys. And this is something that is difficult to explain to an American'.
https://irregularwarfare.org/articles/ami-ayalon-iran-gaza-israeli-navy-interview/

HA

Bless the US CSAR community - not merely a force multiplier in operating from an austere airstrip _inside Iran_, but a huge morale booster for the joint force.

I do find European mocking of US CSAR efforts to extract _one_ aviator rather ironic when individualism was, erm, core to the Enlightenment.

We had a fabulous series over in the Windies, but these two moments are my highlights.

Phoebs leaping vertically at first slip for a grab.

Phoebs hurdling the pitch when celebrating Bushy's wicket.