With midterm elections rapidly approaching in the United States, Iran is hoping to delay any peace talks in an effort to inflict as much political damage on Trump as possible.

The war against Iran has caused much political strife in the U.S., as gas prices have increased and the global oil market has been thrown into chaos.

B-52 Bomber Bombs. Image Credit: National Security Journal.

A U.S.

Ukrainian officials claim that Washington is withholding critical intelligence on incoming Russian ballistic missile strikes, with a new investigation revealing that at least six civilians were killed in strikes that reportedly occurred without the normal warnings that Kyiv receives from American satellite systems.

The allegations come as the relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to deteriorate and Washington prepares more potential financial incentives for Moscow to end the war.

Tu-22M3 Bomber from Russia.

At a time when the Ukrainians are in an increasingly desperate situation, Kyiv continues to figure out ways to strike at Russia.

Its critical stockpiles of defensive weapons are dwindling.

T-90M Russian Army. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

T-90 Tank from Ukraine War. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Americans are pulling back from Ukraine.

The Europeans cannot sustain the war on their own.
So, Ukraine is scrambling to keep itself combat-effective, even as the Russian Army slowly encircles those Fortress Cities in the contested Donbas region.

Helium is becoming a national security problem.

Most Americans think of it as the stuff in birthday balloons and the party trick that makes your voice squeak.

B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber on Runway. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Flying. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

However, as a recent 60 Minutes report on CBS News made painfully clear, it is one of the most critical, yet overlooked, materials in the modern economy.

No helium means no smartphones, no MRI machines, no rocket launches, and no air defense missiles, which are already in short supply.

The Army is piloting an AI-backed maintenance program the service hopes will make fixing equipment faster and easier for soldiers.
Developed by Army Communications-Electronics Command, the idea is to digitize thousands of cumbersome, physical maintenance publications into a central ecosystem known as the Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Maintenance (AIAM) program.

President Donald Trump never wanted the Iran war to last as long as it did. Still, Tehran knew that delaying negotiations as long as possible would force the president into the November midterms in the middle of a war, and those tactics have worked.

President Trump’s approval ratings have reached historic lows, and the Republican Party is widely expected to lose control of Congress in November. And with just two weeks to go, Iran is still taunting President Trump and seeking to exploit his political vulnerability.

A U.S.

Space Force leaders are aiming to scale up the number of guardians supporting combatant commands in the coming years as part of a plan to enhance the provision of space capabilities for joint force operations.
In a notice to troops published last week, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess stated that the service must boost its arsenal and capacity.
“As members of our nation’s Armed Forces, we must continue to arm and grow our service to defend the Joint Force from space-enabled attack while simultaneously providing space capabilities to enable Joint Force combat power.

The Marine Corps has instructed organizations across all of its echelons to provide authorized personnel with their own Maven Smart System accounts on the applicable networks that they are permitted to access.
This significant expansion of enterprise licensing for Palantir’s AI-powered software platform went into effect Oct. 1, according to an administrative message posted online Tuesday.
“Other guidance such as an updated MSS Implementation Plan will be published separately,” officials wrote.

Could humanoid robots have a role on the battle

The details behind the death of an Air Force special operations instructor killed during a rappelling demonstration Saturday will likely not be known for weeks or even months.
But rappelling demonstrations by military members at large public events, particularly involving highly trained special ops units, are not new.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson, a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to a training unit at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, was killed when he fell from the rafters of that city’s Alamodome football stadium prior to a college football game.

It was a sad end for a ship that has provided s

Republican candidates and their campaigns are distancing themselves from President Donald Trump ahead of the rapidly approaching November 3 midterm elections, and new advertising data shows the president has virtually disappeared from the party’s television campaigns.

A new New York Times investigation found that less than 1% of Republican advertising spending on congressional races over the last five weeks went toward commercials that mention President Donald Trump by name.

President Donald J.

When Donald Trump returned to the White House, it soon became clear he was running a wide variety of schemes to enrich himself, and many, especially the president’s vocal opponents, felt despair.

After all, Trump had been impeached twice in his first term and had escaped major punishment from four separate criminal indictments during his time out of office, but he still returned to the presidency.

President Donald J.

This video describes the military situation in

In 2023, three North Korea analysts identified what they believe most people studying the country get wrong, and how analysts can avoid those traps. Three years later, we asked them to revisit their arguments and offer fresh insights into what North Korean propaganda reveals about Pyongyang’s priorities.Image: The KremlinIn your 2023 article, you said the key to analyzing North Korean propaganda is identifying what is new and figuring out the reasons for any changes.

Donald Trump, infamously, did not accept the result of the 2020 election, leading to an attack on the U.S. Capitol and his second impeachment.

Trump, to this day, refuses to concede that he lost that election, and has been known to demand that government appointees go along with the conceit that he really won in 2020.

Donald Trump Speaking at CPAC. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Trump has long baselessly alleged a “deep state” conspiracy to undermine American elections.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the Army to restore a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, a project expected to cost taxpayers approximately $9 million, cemetery officials confirmed to Task & Purpose.
“The current estimated cost of comprehensive conservation, replacement of the internal support structure and installing the Moses Ezekiel sculpture in Arlington National Cemetery is approximately $9 million in Operation and Maintenance Army (OMA) funds,” an Arlington National Cemetery spokesperson said.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 31 percent, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on October 19, 2026.

This marks the lowest approval rating Reuters/Ipsos has recorded during either of Trump’s two presidential terms and is one point below his previous low, recorded two weeks earlier.

President Donald J. Trump boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, October 5, 2026, en route Joint Base Andrews for a trip to Nebraska. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

President Donald J.

Footage from the Ukrainian frontline appears to

Energy crises don’t stay energy crises. More bad news today: the global food supply may be imperiled.

That’s the warning running through recent Financial Times reporting, and policymakers ignore it at their peril.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer sits on the flightline at Lajes Field, Azores, Aug. 22, 2025. The aircraft landed for a hot pit refuel during a Bomber Task Force Europe mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Cristina Oliveira)

Sideview of B-1B Lancer Bomber. Image Credit: National Security Journal.

Nearly eight months after the U.S.

The rift between US President Donald J. Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is widening as the two leaders continue trading verbal barbs. Relations between the two have been rough since Trump began his second term in 2025, but tensions are nearing a critical point as both sides keep provoking each other.

The recent feud began when Trump decided to buy large quantities of diesel fuel from Moscow. Zelenskyy reacted strongly, calling it a “weak decision.” Since then, tensions have grown further after disruptions to Ukraine’s Starlink connection and claims that the U.S.

Ukraine is feeling the squeeze as the Trump administration is clearly trying to leave the war as quickly as possible, and Europe lacks the reserves in terms of money and arms to support the Ukrainians on their own.

Ukrainian air defense interceptor stockpiles are essentially gone, meaning the Ukrainians have to conserve what little systems they have remaining–or let Russian drones and missiles through–and it makes Kyiv a true frontline city.

A U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s easing of sanctions on Russia has proved controversial — in Ukraine and in America.

Trump: Ukraine Gave Us Nothing

President Donald Trump greets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Friday, February 28, 2025, in the West Wing Lobby. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

President Donald Trump greets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Friday, February 28, 2025, in the West Wing Lobby.

Don’t sleep on @ultrapouches.

RNAS Culdrose have taken part in an annual than

France has been engulfed in civil unrest for the last week, which the New York Times reports is the “most destructive in decades.”

According to the Times, the riots in France are driven by students protesting school conditions, others protesting the high cost of living, and “opportunistic rioters” using the unrest to loot.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a meeting of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at Union Station in Washington, D.C. (Official White House photo by Joyce N.

A drone attack apparently started a fire at an industrial facility in Russia’s Tambov region in the early morning on Tuesday.

The attack came a day after Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov announced that gasoline supplies had stabilized and asked officials to consider ending fuel rationing.

ATACMS Like Used in Ukraine Creative Commons

HIMARS Like Used in Ukraine Image Credit Creative Commons

Russia reported downing 136 Ukrainian drones overnight. There was no immediate sign that the October 20 fire affected Druzhba oil flow.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating continues to plummet, hitting its lowest level in either term. Americans are growing increasingly frustrated with the president’s economic and war performance, with only two weeks left until the November 3 midterm elections, when Republicans are expected to lose control of Congress.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll, published on Monday, October 19, shows that just 31% of Americans approve of the president’s performance.

Social Security Check. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Social Security Check. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

With just two weeks until the midterm elections, the Republican Party is facing an identity crisis.

GOP hopefuls nationwide are distancing themselves from U.S. President Donald Trump, whose popularity among Americans continues to decline.

Donald Trump Speaking at CPAC. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Two separate polls released this week found that the President’s approval rating has reached record lows not seen during his first term.

Soldiers need to be “hard” and “tough” to fight

Norway has already begun to receive Leopard 2A8 tank manufactured by KNDS Deutschland and will now also locally-produce units.

Over the last year the Army has shuttered most of its specialized units that train and advise foreign militaries around the world, but one is left standing. The 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade has been able to “find work” working with allies in the region, as part of the Army’s broader strategy to build alliances to counter Chinese influence, the commander said.
The 5th SFAB, for short, is based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and is the last of six original SFAB units that were stood up in 2018 as part of the Army’s advise and assist mission.

Call it the incredibly shrinking majority, and US President Donald Trump clearly has a problem on his hands. Just 14 days before the American people vote in the 2026 Midterms, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted October 16 to 19, joins a growing list of negative polls. All of this points to an unmistakable conclusion: the odds that the Republicans will walk away with majorities after November 3, certainly in the U.S. House of Representatives and possibly in the U.S. Senate, are diminishing with each passing day.

The Trump administration is reportedly blocking the transfer of American-made Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on Washington to ramp up transfers – potentially in exchange for ending the long-range strike campaign against Russian refineries.

According to a Washington Post report published on Monday, October 19, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has yet to authorize the transfer of missiles from allied countries to Ukraine.

Visit any corner of the globe and you could pro

It was an unfortunate series of events that kept a new season of “The Terminal List” from getting to air. The 2023 Writer’s Strike, a Screen Actor’s Guild strike, and the busy schedule of the show’s popular lead Chris Pratt, who portrays rogue Navy SEAL Lt. Cmdr. James Reece.
But on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, viewers will catch up with Reece on the other side of international law when “The Terminal List” season two binge drops on Amazon Prime Video.

The Iran war is fast approaching its eight-month anniversary. A conflict U.S. President Donald Trump said would end within weeks has dominated the U.S. political landscape for most of the year. Both Tehran and Washington’s refusal to budge suggests the conflict won’t end anytime soon.

The conflict will cost the GOP its majority in Congress, leaving an uncomfortable final two years of Trump’s second term with a Democrat-controlled chamber set to limit much of his desired agenda.

A B-52 Stratofortress lands at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, April 15, 2021.

Russia launched yet another attack on Ukraine overnight, with at least 16 people killed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and at least another 69 people injured — figures that include children and other civilian non-combatants.

Posting to social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decried the attack on civilians. “A horrific Russian attack in the Kharkiv region. A “Shahed” drone struck essentially just civilians—in a park near an ordinary café. Absolute barbarism. Six people were killed, including children. A little girl was killed in her stroller.

Amidst a major buildup of US military forces throughout the Middle East, as Israeli warplanes continue scrambling, conducting what appear to be mock attack runs, and the countdown to the two most consequential elections of this decade–Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US Midterm elections–runs down, the Iranians are also preparing.

Escalation Underway?

F-15I Fighter Israeli Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

F-35I Adir Fighter. Image Credit: Israeli Air Force.

The Strait of Hormuz could become “redundant” within five years as Gulf states develop alternative export routes, HSBC Chief Executive Georges Elhedery suggested on Tuesday.

“Of course, we do wish and hope to see a resolution to the conflict… But Hormuz, probably in five years, may become redundant,” he told the HSBC Future Forum in Dubai, Reuters quoted him as saying.

A Sailor directs an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the “Kestrels” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the South China Sea, May 12, 2025.

Another Day, Another Poll, and Another Record Low Approval for Donald Trump – U.S. President Donald Trump has hit his lowest-ever approval rating for the second day in a row.

A newly released Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 31% of Americans approve of the President’s performance in office, the lowest percentage in any comparable poll during either of his two terms.

President Donald J. Trump signs executive orders, Friday, May 9, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

President Donald J.

Wars are costly. And the Civil War was one of the costliest, with estimates as high as $70 billion (adjust for inflation). Even World War II was a fraction of that cost. The United States government had to pay for it somehow and on top of instituting the first income tax in American history, it also decided to place a flat $2.00 per gallon tax on un-aged corn whiskey.
Also Read: A phone tax for the Spanish-American War helped pay for all American wars in the 20th century
Americans, notorious for not wanting to pay taxes (especially on whiskey), immediately found ways to avoid paying the tax.

The new Marvel series “VisionQuest” (now streaming on Disney+) is considered the third installment in a trilogy of limited series: First came “WandaVision,” then “Agatha All Along,” and now “VisionQuest.”
What I loved about “WandaVision” is that it took such an enormous creative swing.

President Donald Trump’s vacillation over who he’s more sympathetic to in the Russia-Ukraine war has flipped once again in recent weeks, with the president seeming to side with Russia.

He agreed to a deal to buy diesel oil from Russia and lift sanctions, and has called for Volodymyr Zelensky to be replaced as Ukraine’s president by someone more willing to agree to a deal with the Russians to end the war.

The PAC-3 MSE is a highly sought-after air defense munition due to its advanced capabilities and versatility.

BRING IT ON | Military Motivation
✓ Military

Europe’s war preparations are exposing artillery import dependence. US product popularity is shifting, favouring South Korea.

Zelenskyy Accuses US Of Delaying Patriot Interceptors – The Patriot air defense missiles are built. They’re paid for. They just aren’t moving.

That’s the heart of what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a bipartisan group of US senators on Monday, and it’s the sharpest public charge Kyiv has leveled at Washington in this war.

Patriot Missile Interceptor Test. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Patriot Missile Launch. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed several times this year a tripartite summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.

No such summit has taken place, and now Putin has floated a different three-way summit that would exclude Zelensky.

Tim Murry, a foreign threats compound contractor, drives a T-72 battle tank into position to serve as adversary targets for a joint service exercise, Emerald Flag, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Nov. 30. Emerald Flag is a multi-service exercise aimed to unify information sharing across joint domain platforms.

The family of the Austrian girl whom Army Pvt. John Arthur Bennett raped in 1954 did not support his execution.
The parents of Gertie, who was 11 years old at the time of the assault, wrote to the White House after the administration reached out to them. They replied, saying they did not favor putting Bennett to death. So did Gertie.
“I consent to a commutation of the sentence since even his execution could not eradicate what has happened,” the then-17-year-old wrote.

Six months after tapping Gecko Robotics’ suite of wall-climbing robots, drones, and sensors that capture data and apply AI to fix and enhance the Navy’s aging and emerging maritime fleets, the U.S. government is quadrupling the value of its original contract ceiling.
This move signals a shift from the sea service’s legacy acquisition approaches and a growing emphasis on innovation and readiness as a national security priority, the firm’s Co-founder and President Troy Demmer told DefenseScoop ahead of the announcement on Tuesday.
“Historically, the U.S.