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Ukraine says its ‘red’ team forces beat NATO’s ‘blue’ team forces in every combat scenario during recent naval drone drills

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Off the coast of Portugal, a Ukrainian-led team went up against NATO forces in a naval combat drill targeting ships and ports with naval drones. The Ukrainian “red” team, operating the naval drones, won in every scenario.

Ukraine has employed a range of naval drones throughout the ongoing war with Russia, continuing to invest in the development of its naval drones, critical innovations that have provided its forces with a tremendous asymmetric advantage over Russia’s large traditional navy.

The recent exercise, part of efforts to learn from the war in Ukraine, examined how NATO allies ought to plan and prepare for the threat posed by uncrewed surface vessels.

Ukraine’s defense ministry said Friday that its team defeated NATO forces in a military exercise off the coast of Portugal. Across five scenarios, a Ukraine-led “red” team — which also included US, British, Spanish, and other units — beat the “blue” team made up of NATO forces.

“In all five scenarios, Ukrainians struck the ports and convoys of the simulated adversary,” Ukraine said.

The red aggressor team used Magura V7 drones, a class of USVs developed by Kyiv and capable of fulfilling intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles, as well as combat and mine countermeasure duties. In one scenario, the red team used the drones to simulate the targeting and sinking of a NATO frigate.

Ukraine said a NATO spokesperson acknowledged the threat of naval drones had been previously underestimated.


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Lacking traditional naval combat power, Ukraine has relied on its naval drone fleet. 

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The annual REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger exercises are part of NATO’s Operational Experimentation series in which allies test and evaluate new maritime capabilities. Last fall’s Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems (REPMUS) drill included two dozen allied navies and also tested Ukraine’s naval drones.

NATO said in a press release that these tests allowed the alliance to learn lessons on the use of drones from Ukraine, including how NATO navies can integrate drones into their naval forces as well as defend from enemy uncrewed systems.

The REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger exercises also aim to simulate realistic combat conditions with electronic warfare interference, jamming, and other drone countermeasures.

Ukraine lacks the ships necessary for traditional naval combat power, so it has, instead, relied heavily on missiles and naval drones to confront Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Its drones have damaged or destroyed dozens of Russian warships and vessels throughout the war. Kyiv has also used its naval drones to target infrastructure, such as ports, bridges, and offshore oil platforms.

Kyiv continues to invest in new naval drone capabilities, modifying them with new weapons like surface-to-air missile launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and even smaller quadcopter drones that can launch from drone boat motherships.




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OpenAI shares its contract language and ‘red lines’ in agreement with the Department of War

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OpenAI says its agreement with the Department of War is “better” and has more safety guardrails than the one Anthropic was blacklisted for refusing to comply with.

In a blog post published Saturday, OpenAI shared some contract language from its agreement with the Department of War, including clauses that indicate its tech cannot be used for mass domestic surveillance or to power autonomous weapons or high-stakes decision systems like “social credit” scores.

“We think our agreement has more guardrails than any previous agreement for classified AI deployments, including Anthropic’s,” OpenAI’s post read. “In our agreement, we protect our red lines through a more expansive, multi-layered approach. We retain full discretion over our safety stack, we deploy via cloud, cleared OpenAI personnel are in the loop, and we have strong contractual protections. This is all in addition to the strong existing protections in U.S. law.”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took to social media shortly after the company’s blog post was published, answering questions from users concerned about the nature of OpenAI’s agreement with the government.

In Ask-Me-Anything-style responses, he doubled down on OpenAI’s agreement being better than Anthropic’s, not just for the broader AI landscape but also for the American people.

“Anthropic seemed more focused on specific prohibitions in the contract, rather than citing applicable laws, which we felt comfortable with,” Altman wrote in response to a question about why OpenAI agreed to partner with the government when its rival would not. “I think Anthropic may have wanted more operational control than we did.”

OpenAI’s agreement with the federal government comes on the heels of Anthropic being blacklisted and declared a supply chain risk after refusing to comply with the military’s terms of use for the company’s frontier model, Claude.

Anthropic, in a Friday statement, said that “no amount of intimidation or punishment from the Department of War will change our position on mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons” and vowed to “challenge any supply chain risk designation in court.”

OpenAI, in its Saturday post, argued that Anthropic should not be designated as a supply chain risk and said it had made its position “clear to the government.” Its agreement with the Department of War stemmed, in part, from a desire to “de-escalate things between DoW and the US AI labs.”

“A good future is going to require real and deep collaboration between the government and the AI labs,” OpenAI’s post reads. “As part of our deal here, we asked that the same terms be made available to all AI labs, and specifically that the government would try to resolve things with Anthropic; the current state is a very bad way to kick off this next phase of collaboration between the government and AI labs.”

Representatives for OpenAI and Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. It was not immediately clear whether Anthropic, or any other leading AI company, had been offered similar contractual terms to those that OpenAI said it had agreed to.

OpenAI said that, as part of its deal with the Department of War, it will maintain “full control” over the safety stack it deploys, and robust “safety guardrails” to prevent misuse. Should the government violate the terms of the agreement, OpenAI said it “could” terminate the contract.

“We don’t expect that to happen,” OpenAI said in its post.

Altman, in his Ask Me Anything posts, wrote that OpenAI would not agree to allow the government to use its technology for mass domestic surveillance “because it violates the constitution.”

He added that he is prepared for a potential dispute over the legality of specific governmental requests in the future, but added that if the Constitution were amended to make such surveillance legal, “Maybe I would quit my job.”

“I very deeply believe in the democratic process, and that our elected leaders have the power, and that we all have to uphold the constitution,” Altman wrote. “I am terrified of a world where AI companies act like they have more power than the government. I would also be terrified of a world where our government decided mass domestic surveillance was ok. I don’t know how I’d come to work every day if that were the state of the country/Constitution.”

The dispute between the government and the AI giants has sparked widespread criticism, with critics concerned about the ethical implications of the Department of War’s use of AI and OpenAI’s agreement to provide the government access to its technology.

OpenAI on Saturday said it believes AI will “introduce new risks in the world” and, by allowing the government use of its models, will give people defending national security “the best tools” to do so.

Business Insider previously reported that Anthropic’s model, Claude, shot to the top of the app store on Saturday, and many people on social media, including celebrities like Katy Perry, have publicly posted about canceling their ChatGPT subscriptions in the wake of OpenAI’s agreement with the government.




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A cardiac surgeon ignored his own heart attack symptoms. He says anyone can miss the red flags.

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Dr. Jeremy London was miles from home, out in the dark Georgia woods on a hunting trek with his teenage son when he was hit with a crushing chest pain.

He hadn’t been feeling well that day, suffering from what he told his wife — and himself — was heartburn. That morning, when the couple went to take their dogs for a walk, he started pouring sweat, despite the chill in the December air. The symptoms came and went, easing when he sat down, and starting up again when he got moving.

These were textbook signs of a heart blockage, something London knew well from his daily work as a cardiac surgeon.

“I went, ‘Oh shit.’ I knew what it was. Symptoms brought on with exertion, relieved with rest is coronary angina until proven otherwise. That’s what I do every day,” London told Business Insider.

He couldn’t quite believe it was happening to him.

London was, on the surface, doing everything right: eating well (his wife is a holistic nutritionist) and exercising often while training for triathlons and practicing jiu-jitsu.

But out in the field with his son that night, as the woods darkened to pitch black and London fell to his knees with the pain, he couldn’t brush it off as heartburn. It was clear he was having a heart attack.

When he made it to the ER, doctors found a 99% blockage of blood flow in his right artery.

That was in 2022. Now 59 years old, London said his personal experience highlights how easy it is to put off your health or ignore red flags, even as an expert — and how a few simple changes can make all the difference.

“The bottom line is, many, many times we know better and we don’t do better. It is a universal human trap, and none of us are immune,” he said. “I mean, who would know better than me?”

Changes for a healthier heart

As London recovered from his heart attack, he was forced to be brutally honest about his health. He was great at exercising, but skimped on other healthy habits in pursuit of his busy career and active lifestyle.

“The most important thing for you is the thing you’re bad at,” London said. “For me, that’s sleep.”

After decades of working long hours and staying on call as a doctor, his ability to rest and relax was a mess.

Step one was working on his sleep hygiene, managing his stress, and improving his overall recovery.

But as London took a closer look at his health, he realized other habits weren’t as healthy as he thought. For instance, he was shocked to find that he was pre-diabetic after trying a continuous glucose monitor on a whim.

To manage blood sugar, he started taking a short walk after eating, taking more movement breaks during the day, and including fiber and protein at each meal.

Hydrating for a healthier heart

He also hydrates consistently, drinking water first thing in the morning and keeping a bottle with him so he can sip throughout the day.

Dehydration can exacerbate stress on the heart and worsen mental and physical performance. London is an official partner of the water filter brand Rorra and uses their countertop filter daily to reduce exposure to environmental contaminants like PFAS, which have been linked to health issues.

“With my busy schedule and operations that can last hours at a time, it’s easy for my hydration to take a back seat,” he said. “Though it’s far from perfect, I try to hydrate proactively.”


A doctor sitting at his desk, pouring water from a steel carafe into a glass.

After his heart attack, Dr. London revised his daily routine to better prioritize sleep and hydration, which he said are crucial factors in heart health.

Courtesy of Rorra



Realizing how he had fallen short in caring for his health — and all the warning signs of heart problems he missed — was a humbling experience, but also an opportunity, according to London.

“The key is that you recognize it, you learn from that, and you’re a better person at taking care of yourself and consequently everyone around you as a result of making those mistakes,” he said.

How to know if your heart is healthy

London said most people don’t realize that heart disease, not cancer, is the leading cause of death for American adults.

While factors like age, genetics, and environment play a role in heart health, the best way to protect yourself is to understand metrics that matter, such as:

  • Blood pressure: hypertension or high blood pressure is known as “the silent killer” because symptoms can be hard to spot.
  • Blood sugar: a key measure of metabolic health, balanced blood sugar is a sign that your body can handle energy efficiently.
  • Cholesterol: we need some cholesterol for health, but too much LDL or “bad” cholesterol can build up and create a risk of blockages.
  • Weight: maintaining a healthy weight helps to prevent excess strain on the heart and circulatory system.

Once you’ve checked your baseline heart health and understand how it compares to normal ranges for your age group, it’s easier to get the most bang for your buck in forming healthier habits.

“There are some really simple, although not easy ways to move the needle, to protect yourself from cardiac events or to then reset yourself if those things have already happened,” London said.




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The 5 red flags a Michelin-star pastry chef looks for when visiting a bakery

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Food can get expensive, which means it’s as important as ever to seek out good value with every purchase — even the croissant you have with your morning coffee.

Just ask Camari Mick, the executive pastry chef at The Musket Room, who’s also a partner at Raf’s.

Mick knows her way around a bakery. She grew up visiting local shops and then studied the art of pastry in fine-dining restaurants across New York City. At Raf’s, Mick turns out breads, croissants, and more for the restaurant’s daytime bakery while leading the rest of the pastry program.

Dubbed NYC’s dessert doyenne, the chef has developed her own set of red flags to look out for whenever she visits high-end bakeries.

Here’s how you can tell if you’re at a spot that’s serving high-quality products.

A great bakery should be able to nail the basics


Person using tongs to pick up an almond croissant from a bakery

Croissants should never be so uniform that they look machine-made.

Thai Liang Lim/Getty Images



The first thing Mick does when she walks into a high-end bakery is study the classics. If she sees croissants, she’ll look at the plain variety, taking note of the folds that make up the pastry’s lamination.

Some great bakeries will have croissants with layers that look perfectly aligned, others might take on a more rustic feel and seem more obviously hand-rolled. Both are welcome characteristics, Mick says.

But it’s a bad sign if the lamination is “very thick, or small, or not uniform,” she told Business Insider. And if the croissants look perfectly machine-made, something may not be right in the kitchen.

Mick also looks at the color of the croissants, which can clue you into how they may taste. If it’s too blonde on the outside, it may not have much flavor inside.

Similarly, she says, a pastry probably won’t be super flaky if it looks as if it was “sweating on itself” after being covered while hot, and you can see its layers are wrinkly.

Overall, Mick says, if it doesn’t look as if love has been put into the pastries, she “probably will only just grab a coffee.”

Beware of bread that’s wrapped

Mick says high-end bakeries should only be selling fresh bread.

Ideally, you should touch the bread to see whether it’s too hard. If that’s not an option, there are telltale signs a loaf could be subpar.

“If you were looking at any bread and it looks super voluptuous and almost fresh out of the oven, you’re good to go,” she told BI. “But if you see that the bread is already wrapped, whether it be in plastic or paper, it’s probably an indicator that it was wrapped warm and is not going to be good.”

Mick says fresh bread needs room to breathe, and wrapping it even while it’s only slightly warm will cause it to steam itself, potentially making it soggy.

If the pastries don’t look the same in most photos, it’s hard to trust they’ll be consistently good


Colorful eclairs in display case

It can’t hurt to check customer photos of pastries from a bakery.

ciobanu ana maria/Getty Images



Before she even steps into a bakery, Mick may turn to Instagram for visuals.

First, she’ll comb through the location tag for any given bakery, keeping an eye out for whatever item she was hoping to order.

She tries to see whether the baked good looks the same in all of the photos shared by diners. If it looks different every few pictures, she’s probably not going to order it because it’s unlikely to be very good, or the quality may vary depending on the batch.

And when you’re going to be spending a chunk of change at a pricier bakery, you don’t want quality to be left up to chance.

Some pastries should only be made to order

The pastry chef says her understanding of chemistry also makes her hesitant to buy certain pastries that aren’t made to order.

“You know that a crispy something filled with a moist, wet filling is going to be soggy after sitting for, like, 10 minutes,” Mick said.

For example, a bakery that fills cannoli shells and leaves them in the case until they’re purchased raises some concerns.

Cleanliness in customer-facing spaces says a lot about cleanliness in the kitchen

Look out for flies around the pastry case, Mick warns.

“If you see any type of fly problem or any kind of insect infestation in the case, be sure it’s everywhere,” she told BI.

You may even want to peek into the bakery’s bathroom before placing an order.

She added: “I’m a big believer on if their bathroom is messy, their kitchen is messy.”

This story was originally published on April 3, 2024, and most recently updated on December 29, 2025.




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Sam Altman says OpenAI has gone ‘code red’ multiple times — and they’ll do it again

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“Code red” isn’t a one-off at OpenAI.

CEO Sam Altman said on an episode of the “Big Technology Podcast” published Thursday that the company has entered emergency mode multiple times in response to competitive threats — and expects to continue doing so as rivals close in.

“It’s good to be paranoid and act quickly when a potential competitive threat emerges,” Altman said.

“My guess is we’ll be doing these once maybe twice a year for a long time, and that’s part of really just making sure that we win in our space,” he added.

Altman said that OpenAI had gone “code red” earlier this year when China’s DeepSeek emerged. DeepSeek shocked the tech industry in January when it said its AI model matches top competitors like ChatGPT’s o1 at a fraction of the cost.

OpenAI entered “code red” earlier this month, about two weeks after Google released its latest AI chatbot, Gemini 3. The model drew widespread praise after its release in November, with Google touting it as its most advanced model to date. Altman reportedly told staff in an internal Slack memo that OpenAI would prioritize ChatGPT while pushing back other product plans.

Altman said in the podcast episode that Google’s Gemini 3 did not have “the impact we were worried it might.”

“But it did — in the same way that Deepseek did — identify some weaknesses in our product offering strategy, and we’re addressing those very quickly,” he added.

Since OpenAI entered “code red,” the company has moved quickly to ship new upgrades and features.

Last week, it rolled out a more advanced AI model aimed at improving ChatGPT’s performance across professional work, coding, and scientific tasks. OpenAI also unveiled a new image-generation model earlier this week.

Altman said the company will not be in code red “that much longer.”

“Historically, these have been kind of like six- or eight-week things for us,” he added.

The state of “code red” has also been a precedent for other tech companies. In 2022, Google declared an internal “code red” after ChatGPT’s debut. The search giant was lagging in consumer AI, despite having funded much of the research that made the AI boom possible.




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