Hormuz is closing a little more every day
More tankers hit, a US jet stops a blockade runner, and oil won't come down from $100. Here's what is going on in the world's most watched shipping lane.
Shorts
Sixty seconds, one story. Every Short opens the full note.
Latest Notes
hello
the grammar was in fact checked correctly so as to make sure the summary was right. this is the test hope is did a great job filling in for a summary
Earnings season: when defense money shows its cards
From October 20, the big arms makers report. Here's what each date means, what Palantir has to beat, and why Rheinmetall is in the doghouse.
Philippines says China's pressure at sea has reached 'a new phase'
Chinese coast guard ships delayed a Philippine medical evacuation of a sick sailor at Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal for almost 10 hours on Oct 8. Since October began, the two sides have had at least six dangerous run-ins.
Under the radar
Quieter stories worth knowing.
Britain plans a 2027 test flight of a hypersonic target from the Hebrides range
Britain cannot prove its missile defences work against the fastest new threats without a target that behaves like one.
UK defence ministry offers contracts up to £100 million to newcomer tech firms
It shows the UK trying to open defence spending to smaller, newer firms rather than only the usual big contractors.
Army awards Kaizen Labs $43 million for common classified software platform
It shows the Army trying to buy shared, reusable software faster rather than paying for custom systems one at a time.
Navy plans contract for Lockheed to put LRASM anti-ship missile on the B-52
It would let long-range bombers, not just carrier jets, strike moving ships at sea, shifting part of the Navy's job to the Air Force.
Final Note
The week's big picture in one email, every Saturday morning. Free.
Must Read
The stories under the headlines.
Ukraine's newest front line is a server room
Three Russian data centers knocked out in four days, and people as far away as Armenia lost their taxi apps. Both sides now treat computers like power plants.
The drone startup that's now building a shipyard
An Estonian company is building a fake Russian drone, on purpose
Make it your home
Free to read. Members keep the lights on and the sponsors off.
Free
For everyone.
- Every note, Short and Morning Note
- The Weekly Note on YouTube and podcast apps
- One sponsor message a day, clearly marked
- Save up to 10 notes
Member
For regulars.
- No sponsors, anywhere
- Private ad-free podcast feed
- The Weekly Note a day early
- Full Notebook: highlights, your own notes, follows
- Ask a question for the “Your note” segment
DefenseNote Desk
For people who work in or around defense.
- Seven briefings a day, from 06:50 Vienna time
- Money & Markets tracker: contracts, results dates, stocks
- Email alerts on the topics you follow
- Everything in Member
Example prices. Payments aren't switched on yet.
PAC-3
EDGE
Lockheed's new interceptor is built to catch hypersonic weapons, and says it costs about the same as today's model. Here's what it is, and why it matters right now.
- Maker
- Lockheed Martin, with a Northrop Grumman rocket motor
- Job
- Hit incoming missiles, including hypersonic ones
- What's new
- Seeker, flight controls, rocket motor
- Price
- About the same as PAC-3 MSE, Lockheed says
- Status
- Unveiled 10 Oct 2026. Not yet tested or sold
Listen & Watch
The daily Morning Note and the Weekly Note, in your ears or on screen.
Rough seas in Hormuz, and the Army's big week begins
Good morning. It's Monday, the 12th of October, and this is your Morning Note.
First, the sea. More tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, and oil is still above a hundred dollars a barrel. Traffic through the strait is far below normal.
In the Gulf, the United States still hasn't decided whether to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, after a missile hit Riyadh's airport for the third time in a week. Twelve people died, including an American.
This week, the Army's big AUSA show runs from today to Wednesday. Watch for drones, anti-drone gear and the XM30 vehicle. And from Tuesday, NATO runs its yearly nuclear drill, Steadfast Noon, in Italy. It's routine, but expect Russia to make noise about it.
On the money side, Palantir closed Friday at a record high, and earnings season starts on October the 20th. Not financial advice, as always.
One thing we don't know yet: whether anyone will show evidence on reports that Iran is rearming with Russian help.
That's your Morning Note. Have a calm day.
Should the US join Saudi strikes on the Houthis?
Results are read out in Saturday's Weekly Note.
The Four Desks
Follow a desk and it moves to the front.
Politics & Power
Death toll from Russian bombs on Zaporizhzhia rises to 20
Trump says Ukraine should get a new leader
NATO starts its yearly nuclear-readiness drill in Italy on Tuesday
Tech & Weapons
US Coast Guard buys its first four big MQ-9B drones
US Army starts a new long-range strike unit aimed at the Pacific
A small US company shows a cheap, two-person drone that flies 10+ hours
How we work
- Every claim has a source. Linked under every note.
- “What we don't know yet” is never optional on war stories. We don't guess.
- Corrections are public, dated, and listed in one log.
- Sponsors are always marked. One per day, never inside a story.
- No weapons maker sponsors a story about itself. No exceptions.
The notebook
The one from the videos. Black cover, the mark on the front.
Coming soon