The economics are hard to ignore. Shooting down a drone with AeroVironment's LOCUST laser system costs less than $10, using just two to five seconds of laser energy. Compare that to the interceptor missiles currently used against Iranian drone swarms, which cost orders of magnitude more and are in short supply across allied arsenals.
The U.S. has discovered that air superiority and missile defense systems designed to counter tens/hundreds of aircraft and missiles is insufficient against asymmetric attacks of thousands of drones.
"As long as that aggressive investment continues by hyperscalers and service providers..., that will provide a certain level of resilience and will cushion some of the impact of any slowdown," Minton said.
A 'workable system' of transit and shipowner confidence in the security of the transiting vessels is essential. This includes availability of insurance for transiting vessels, facilitating commercial trade financing, and sustained outbound vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz.
CEO Chris Calio emphasized the urgency of delivering critical products for national security, stating, 'We understand that our products are critical to national security. And I can tell you across the organization, we absolutely feel the responsibility and urgency to deliver more and to deliver it faster.'
President Trump issued a stark warning that without a deal by his Tuesday deadline, Iran would lose its power plants and bridges in a four-hour operation that sends the country back 'to the Stone Ages.'
When civilian banks, logistics platforms, and payment processors share physical data center infrastructure with military AI systems, those facilities become legitimate military targets under international humanitarian law - and the civilian services housed inside lose their legal protection.
The Pentagon has dismissed the report, stating that neither Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell called the report 'entirely false and fabricated,' demanding a retraction from the Financial Times.
The E-3 Sentry, with its distinctive rotating radar dome, is a flying command center that allows American forces to see and coordinate the battlefield. In recent weeks, Iran destroyed one on a runway in Saudi Arabia and reportedly damaged another.
