The Pentagon on Friday announced the official launch of a new naval command and the reactivation of the US Second Fleet to bolster the US and NATO presence in the Atlantic Ocean.

"The return to great power competition and a resurgent Russia demands that NATO refocus on the Atlantic to ensure dedicated reinforcement of the continent and demonstrate a capable and credible deterrence effect,” said Johnny Michael, a Pentagon spokesman, adding the new NATO command "will be the linchpin of trans-Atlantic security."

The US Army began fielding the Precision Fires-Dismounted (PF-D), a new software application loaded on the Army's Nett Warrior End User Device. Some 40 soldiers trained on the system in April at Fort Drum.

The trend of military organizations adopting Big Data has intensified over the last few years owing to the fact that armed forces worldwide are interested in switching to Network Centric Warfare (NCW). States and defense industries are investing substantial resources in the development of communication, command and control systems based on which platforms, troops, and weapon systems may be linked together in a single network enabling a whole military organization to be commanded with a key click.

The intelligence material regarding the Iranian nuclear program, obtained recently by a Mossad operation and presented by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu live on TV (April 30, 2018) was a remarkable achievement with regard to the operational aspect as well as with regard to the value and sheer scope of the material obtained. Nevertheless, and the impressive theatrical presentation notwithstanding, opinions in Israel and around the world are divided as to whether the information presented included any new revelations and whether the presentation has accomplished its goal.

In July 2015, when Iran and the world powers signed the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), the Israeli political echelon ordered the Israeli intelligence agencies to make every effort to prove that Iran is fooling everyone and actually adheres to its original plan – to obtain a nuclear weapon. The task of obtaining unequivocal intelligence material was assigned to the Mossad and to the IDF Intelligence Directorate.

Shengjing Group, China's largest global VC & PE fund of funds, expands its activity in Israel. The firm starts to operate the new liaison office of Zhongguancun Science Park, also called "China's Silicon Valley," in Tel Aviv. Shengjing has recently established an Israeli entity called Shengjing Israel Ltd., which will be managed locally by Xueling Cao, Director of Shengjing Group.

Israel Defense has learned that Emtan Karmiel, an Israeli manufacturer of light arms and rifles for armies and law enforcement agencies, has recently supplied the first shipment of 698 MZ-4 P FRB rifles to the Philippine Police, in cooperation with the local partner ARMSCOR (Arms Corporation of the Philippines). In December 2017, Israel Defense reported that the company took part in a large tender for the supply of 5.56x45mm assault rifles to the Philippine police and that 4,933 additional rifles are scheduled for delivery in 2018.

It seems that the Iranian regime is preparing for May 12, the deadline for US President Donald Trump to decide whether to re-impose sanctions on Iran. While Israel uncovers part of the Iranian nuclear archive, Tehran has apparently renewed its activity at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.

The European Central Bank has designed a new test simulating cyberattacks on banks, stock exchanges, and other firms that are critical for the functioning of the financial system, it said on Wednesday.

According to Reuters, the ECB’s initiative aims to create a single framework for testing the cyber-resilience of financial firms in the European Union.