Army Technology lists five of the top tweets on military and security in Q2 2022 based on data from GlobalData’s Aerospace, Defence and Security (ADS) Influencer Platform.

The top tweets are based on total engagements (likes and retweets) received on tweets from more than 221 military and security experts tracked by GlobalData’s ADS Influencer platform during the second quarter (Q2) of 2022.

1. Jeff Schogol’s tweet on Russians troops being targeted via cell phones  

Jeff Schogol, senior reporter at US defence agency Pentagon, shared an article on Russian troops having revealed the dangers of using cell phones in modern-day warzones. According to the Ukrainians, 12 general Russian officers were killed because of the use of cell phones when their communication systems broke down, the article detailed. According to Artem Starosiek, CEO of Molfar, an open-source intelligence community based in Kyiv, when the Russian troops crossed over to the Ukraine with cell phones, the phones emitted a roaming signal that connected with Ukraine’s cellular network. This allowed the Ukrainians to identify the Russians by using the closest three cell towers, he added.

Russians gave way to their positions by stealing Ukrainian iPhones, which can be tracked using the Find My iPhone app, even when the phones may be switched off, Starosiek stated. According to technology experts, Russians could not destroy Ukraine’s cellular network because they did not set up their independent networks. Additionally, the Russians had developed encrypted communications handsets for their special operations forces. However, those handsets were not distributed among all of the Russian troops before their Ukraine invasion, the article noted.

Username: Jeff Schogol

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Twitter handle: @JeffSchogol

Likes: 3,474

Retweets: 853

2. Shashank Joshi’s tweet on the US sending Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine

Shashank Joshi, defence editor at the news and analysis platform The Economist, shared an article on how the Biden administration working with its allies to send Soviet-made tanks to strengthen the Ukrainian forces in the country’s eastern Donbas region. A US official stated that this was the first time in the war that the US had taken steps to send tanks to Ukraine, with the transfer expected to start soon. The decision to send the tanks came immediately after a request from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, the article noted. The tanks were sent to help Ukrainians conduct long-range artillery strikes on Russian positions in Donbas, the official added. President Zelensky had urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members to provide tanks and aircraft to Ukraine, apart from the antitank and antiaircraft weapons that have been transferred from the West to the Ukraine, the article further detailed.

According to the military analytical website Oryx, Russia had destroyed several Ukrainian tanks; however, Ukrainian troops discovered one source of the Russian tanks, thereby capturing about 161 tanks from Russia on the battlefield. While Russian troops indicated that they were refocusing their efforts on eastern Ukraine, Pentagon officials stated that Russia’s focus on Donbas and away from the capital, Kyiv, could have been a need for the Russian forces who were stuck in the central part of the country.

Username: Shashank Joshi

Twitter handle: @shashj

Likes: 2,056

Retweets: 447

3. Lara Seligman’s tweet on the Pentagon leaning to send four rocket launchers to Ukraine

Lara Seligman, a defence reporter, shared an article on the US department of defence (DoD) planning on sending four more rocket launchers to Ukraine as part of its next military aid package. If approved by the White House, the move would mark the doubling of the number of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) sent to the country, amid the long-range artillery battle taking place in eastern Ukraine, the article detailed. The US was already scheduled to send four of the HIMARS, a mobile rocket launcher, along with precision weapons that can destroy targets 48 miles away.

The UK was sending three units of the similar weapon, that is, the American-made M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, which has a 50 miles range. Similarly, Germany announced that it would be sending three M270s to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Despite the number of HIMARS, top Ukrainian officials stated that they needed more weapons and systems with longer range munitions than the White House had approved, the article further noted. Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to President Zelenskyy  called out to the West to supply of 300 rocket launchers, 500 tanks, and 1,000 howitzers.

Username: Lara Seligman

Twitter handle: @laraseligman

Likes: 935

Retweets: 205

4. Tyler Rogoway’s tweet on Russia losing its most advanced operational tank in Ukraine

Tyler Rogoway, an aviation and military expert, shared an article on Ukrainian forces destroying Russia’s modern and rare operational combat tank T-90M Proryv-3 on the battlefield. This was the first T-90M tank destroyed by Ukrainian forces, the article noted. Reports suggest that about 100 or so models of such tanks are in service today, while the T-14 Armata main battle tanks are still not ready for frontline combat and are in very short supply. The tank’s destruction highlighted Russia’s readiness to commit such high-end material in war.

The T-90M boasts of an upgraded 2A46M-4 125mm smoothbore main gun in a modernised turret, encased with advanced armour protection and countermeasures capabilities, the article detailed. The tank also features a slat armour, and can also be equipped with a net armour that are designed to sustain a hit by rocket-propelled grenades. However, its most valuable feature is its sensor and fire control enhancements, as well as its advanced remote weapon station, the article highlighted.

Username: Tyler Rogoway

Twitter handle: @Aviation_Intel

Likes: 430

Retweets: 87

5. Connor O’Brien’s tweet on the US Senate endorsing a $45bn increase to Biden’s defence budget

Connor O’Brien, a defence reporter, tweeted on the US Senate Armed Services Committee approving a Pentagon policy bill that added $45bn to Biden’s military spending plans. This is expected to be way past the administration’s Pentagon budget for a second straight year, with the bill’s price tag now having increased to $847bn, the article detailed. This comes after lawmakers added about $30bn to the White House’s previous defence budget proposal, citing high inflation and the need to support Ukraine adding to the cost.

President Biden had sought $813bn for national defence in his fiscal 2023 budget, which included $773bn for the Pentagon, the article noted. About $10bn of the $813bn, however, fell outside of Armed Services’ jurisdiction. The Republicans, on the other hand, are pushing for a three to five percent increase from the current year’s level above inflation. The current year’s enacted level for the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) is $768bn, the article highlighted.

Username: Connor O’Brien

Twitter handle: @connorobrienNH

Likes: 313

Retweets: 177