https://konrad.surf Defense analysis grounded in installation-level experience. Counter-UAS, autonomous systems, acquisition reform, and why our acquisition process can't keep up with the drone threat. en-us Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0700 konradac@gmail.com (Konrad Czerwinski) konradac@gmail.com (Konrad Czerwinski) 2026 Konrad Czerwinski https://konrad.surf/favicon.svg https://konrad.surf https://konrad.surf/articles/six-percent https://konrad.surf/articles/six-percent Iran launched 541 drones at Gulf states on February 28. Defense systems stopped 506. But 35 got through — 6.5% — and one hit NSA Bahrain. After $1 billion defending the Red Sea, the math still doesn't work. Konrad Czerwinski Counter-UAS Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/shahed-came-home https://konrad.surf/articles/shahed-came-home The US reverse-engineered Iran's Shahed-136, built the LUCAS drone, and used it against Tehran in Operation Epic Fury. America cloned Iran's drone and sent it back. The drone revolution isn't coming — it already happened. Konrad Czerwinski Counter-UAS Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/first-movers https://konrad.surf/articles/first-movers US Cyber Command was the first mover in Operation Epic Fury — blinding Iran's communications before kinetic strikes. Israel launched the largest cyberattack in history. Now 60+ hacktivist groups are retaliating, and CISA is at 38% capacity. Konrad Czerwinski Cybersecurity Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/buckshot https://konrad.surf/articles/buckshot In 2022, a senior leader told our team the backup plan for a drone attack was buckshot. Three years later, the Marine Corps is literally requesting buckshot-like rounds. The speed gap is the strategy gap. Konrad Czerwinski Counter-UAS Mon, 02 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/dog-no-food https://konrad.surf/articles/dog-no-food The Pentagon spends billions building autonomous systems, then starves them of sustainment funding. The acquisition valley of death isn't about buying — it's about keeping. Konrad Czerwinski Acquisition Wed, 04 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/orca-vs-ghost-shark https://konrad.surf/articles/orca-vs-ghost-shark Boeing's ORCA: $885M spent, 8 years, future uncertain. Anduril's Ghost Shark: 3 years, on budget, A$1.7B production contract. Same mission, radically different acquisition models. Konrad Czerwinski Naval Autonomy Mon, 09 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/your-boss-voice-was-fake https://konrad.surf/articles/your-boss-voice-was-fake AI-generated voice cloning can replicate a Flag Officer's voice from seconds of audio. The next generation of social engineering attacks won't come through email. Konrad Czerwinski Cybersecurity Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/car-shop-to-counter-uas https://konrad.surf/articles/car-shop-to-counter-uas I spent 9 years diagnosing German cars. Then I walked into a Navy building. The transition was humbling — and my outside perspective became my edge. Konrad Czerwinski Personal Thu, 05 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/genai-mil https://konrad.surf/articles/genai-mil The DoD has 3M+ users on commercial GenAI tools at IL5. None of it works on classified networks yet. The gap between 'use AI' and 'use AI where it matters' is wider than anyone admits. Konrad Czerwinski AI in Defense Tue, 10 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/replicator https://konrad.surf/articles/replicator The Pentagon promised thousands of autonomous systems by August 2025. We got hundreds. If your doctor says lose 50 pounds and you lose 12, nobody calls that a win. Konrad Czerwinski Acquisition Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/cant-push-back https://konrad.surf/articles/cant-push-back China spent 30 years building a kill chain to push carriers back 1,000 miles. What happens when the fleet doesn't need carriers to be close? The hybrid fleet changes the math. Konrad Czerwinski Naval Autonomy Thu, 09 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0800 https://konrad.surf/articles/nobody-gives-you-a-manual https://konrad.surf/articles/nobody-gives-you-a-manual When I walked into my first Navy building as a civilian, nobody gave me a manual. Here are 5 things I wish someone had told me on Day 1. Konrad Czerwinski Personal Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0800