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Frontsight is stepping into the independent media landscape, aiming to deliver unique stories and on-the-ground journalism. We’re committed to providing our audience with fresh perspectives and in-depth coverage from some of the world’s most intriguing and challenging environments.

Why? Because media has changed — and so have we.

Independent voices are taking over the media landscape and providing uncensored information directly from the source.

Frontsight’s team of veterans from the US military and intelligence communities will be exposing the raw, unfiltered realities of war, conflict and human interest. These are people who’ve made life-or-death decisions based on the accuracy of the information they gathered.

Starting today, we’ll be bringing that level of precision and integrity to you directly from the frontlines, where truth is a matter of survival.

Welcome to the new world.

— 🐈‍⬛ Acoustic Kitty

Djibouti offers port to defuse Ethiopia-Somalia tension

• Djibouti has proposed a solution to the Ethiopia-Somalia dispute by offering Ethiopia access to its port of Tadjoura, about 100 km from the Ethiopian border. 

• This offer includes potential mixed management of the port and aims to restore good relations between Ethiopia and Somalia. 

• Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf stated that Ethiopia has responded positively to the proposal, which does not include a naval base for Ethiopia due to Djibouti's limited space and existing military commitments.

Counterterrorism

• Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian states that Iran needs $100B in foreign investment to double annual economic growth from 4% to 8% ➚

• North Korea has complained to the UN about China's plan to install telecommunication facilities near their border ➚

Military & Defense

• Russia accuses Ukraine of launching a massive drone attack on several regions including Moscow ➚

• Netanyahu vowed to intensify the fight against Hamas after the bodies of six hostages were recovered in Gaza ➚

• The EU condemned China's "dangerous actions" against a Philippine ship in the South China Sea ➚

• Russia plans to revise its nuclear doctrine in response to perceived Western escalation in Ukraine ➚

Cybersecurity

• Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a sophisticated malware campaign using Google Sheets for command-and-control ➚

• Google's Threat Analysis Group reports that apparent Russian state-backed hackers have been using exploits originally developed by commercial spyware vendors ➚

Counterintelligence & Espionage

• The new Dutch prime minister has banned mobile devices from Cabinet meetings to reduce the risk of espionage ➚

• Norwegian security chief Beate Gangaas warns that Russia poses a threat of sabotage to Norway's energy sector ➚

Transnational Organized Crime

• Guyanese anti-narcotics agents seized 4.4 tons of cocaine worth €176M destined for Europe, found buried near an illegal airstrip ➚

• Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador defended his proposed judicial reform in his final state of the union address ➚

• The Biden administration has delayed announcing final determinations on proposed steep tariff increases on Chinese-made electric vehicles, batteries, semiconductors, and solar cells. ➚

• Defense Innovation Unit Director Doug Beck traveled to Chile to discuss AI and emerging technology priorities with U.S. military leaders and Latin American counterparts ➚

• Scientists in Iceland are collecting and analyzing lava samples to understand the recent volcanic activity and predict future eruptions. ➚

• Brazil's Supreme Court has banned X nationwide, ordering telecoms to shut down access and app stores to remove it ➚

• Astronaut Barry Wilmore reported a mysterious repetitive "pulsing" sound coming from the Boeing Starliner spacecraft docked at the International Space Station ➚

• OpenAI is reportedly in talks to raise new funding at a valuation exceeding $100B ➚

• The U.S. Army has awarded a $1.3B contract to a Lockheed Martin-Raytheon joint venture for Javelin antitank weapons production ➚

• U.S. nuclear startup Last Energy has raised $40M in Series B funding to develop and deploy its 20 MW micro-nuclear power plants ➚

• Austin-based Aalo Atomics has raised $27M to develop small nuclear reactors ➚

• The Pentagon is withholding about $5M per new F-35 from Lockheed Martin until the jets can fly in combat with Technology Refresh 3 upgrades ➚

• The Navy has awarded a contract to Shield AI to integrate its AI pilot, Hivemind, onto the BQM-177A subsonic aerial target ➚

The America Builds podcast sits at the nexus of national security, technology, and venture capital. Hosts Will Allen and Hayley Menser interview the brilliant operators and investors pushing the boundaries of frontier technology.