Weekly Defense Update, February 28, 2026

This Weekly Defense Update covers a major escalation in the Middle East as coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes under Operation Epic Fury / Roaring Lion, which capitulated Iran's leadership and targeted its military infrastructure, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region. Alongside the kinetic conflict, a significant policy rupture unfolded in Washington as the Pentagon designated Anthropic a 'supply-chain risk' and pivoted to OpenAI for AI deployment on classified networks. The report also tracks extensive procurement activity, including a proposed $1.5 trillion U.S. defense budget for FY2027, a $1.5 billion Polish counter-UAS contract, new combat debuts for the LUCAS drone and a stealthy 'Black Tomahawk' cruise missile, and major defense cooperation announcements between India and Israel.

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