If you’ve ever watched DreamWorks’ “Trolls” movies, you know they’re more than a colorful animated movie series with catchy songs that get stuck in your head. Beneath the glitter, scrapbooks, subtle adult humor, and dancing, lies some surprisingly relevant lessons for today’s military-connected community.
It’s a lesson that is applicable for adults and children alike.
Also Read: 6 reasons why the military community loved Dolly Parton
Military life isn’t unlike the world of the Trolls.

The war in Ukraine has become increasingly technological. Take unmanned systems: Kyiv has successfully implemented a drone strategy that combines a drone wall along the immediate front, long-range drones that strike deep inside Russia, AI-enabled mid-range drones that target logistics behind the front, and naval drones that help enforce a blockade at sea. Cheap technology, paired with intelligence operations, is also expanding Ukraine’s global reach.

The media narrative is familiar and seductive. Ukraine has become a battle laboratory for inexpensive, rapidly iterated drones—FPV (first-person-view) strike systems, fiber-optic variants that shrug off jamming, sensor-to-shooter networks, and production tempos measured in the hundreds of thousands per month. American officials praise the innovation, integration, and rapid adaptation. Pentagon programs are already purchasing selected Ukrainian systems or facilitating U.S. production lines. Ukrainian manufacturers have shipped FPV drones to U.S. forces.

Let me be unequivocally clear from the outset: I fully support taking proactive military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran. For over four decades, Tehran has posed a clear and present threat to global stability, continuously destabilizing the Middle East, sponsoring proxy terror, and maintaining a blood-stained record of complicity in the deaths of hundreds of Americans. The necessity of confronting this fanatic regime—particularly as it inched dangerously close to the nuclear threshold—is unassailable.

Marine Corps Compass Points
What is not well known outside the Marine Corps, is for the last seven years, the Marine Corps’ global combined arms, crisis response capabilities have been badly…

A. Hastings, J. Casey & E.

Colton Jones, Defence Blog
XM30 is the Army’s program to replace the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Levine & Freeman, National Interest
The Department of Defense is seeking to make the best of productive tension between established contractors and upstart defense tech firms.

Ross Calvin, RealClearWorld Set artificial intelligence (AI) loose on dense documents and winding email threads, and it cuts through clutter like a hot knife through butter.

Top of mind in Kyiv for the leadership and populace is how to prepare for the coming winter, when Russia will surely work at incapacitating Ukraine’s electricity grid. Ukrainian air defense missiles are nearly depleted, and Russia is increasingly using jet-powered strike drones, which are harder to intercept than propeller-driven ones. In effect, things are looking grim for the winter following the most painful one yet last year.

Residents are planning to move to western Ukraine for the winter, where they face less risk of freezing or Russian strikes, closer to the Polish border.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. is not currently engaged in discussions with Iran over an end to the war.

Trump’s comments come amid an increased economic campaign, with fresh sanctions announced earlier this week affecting countries that continue to trade with the Iranian regime.

Donald Trump Pointing in Speech. Image Credit: White House.

“We don’t want to speak to them. We’re not looking to meet or anything,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is costing a lot of money and now looks like a historic mistake.

Now well into its fifth year, the war – which many believed would be over in days – has seen tremendous Russian losses for incremental gains across Ukraine’s east.

Lancet Drone. Image Credit: Russian State Media.

Lancet Drone from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

There’s no end in sight, either, as Russian forces struggle to break through a 1000km frontline.

The effect on Russia’s economy has long been showing.

U.S. forces boarded and then later sank an alleged “floating refueling station” on Friday, U.S. Southern Command said. The raid is the latest incident of direct U.S. military action in and around Ecuador in the last two weeks in coordination with the country’s government.
The USS San Antonio tracked and interdicted the ship in international waters. Sailors and Marines from Littoral Combat Force-24 launched from the San Antonio and boarded the ship. They searched the vessel without incident, SOUTHCOM said. According to the U.S.

Ready in minutes and can travel 200 miles🪂
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Can you guess the tune?

The Polish Army has received the first K2 Black Panther main battle tanks from a second batch of 180 vehicles on order. Twenty-eight vehicles have delivered as part of the $6.5 billion contract signed with Hyundai Rotem in August 2025, and are being assigned to Poland’s 16th Mechanised Division, strengthening the armoured forces responsible for the country’s northeastern regions. The Polish Army is expected to eventually receive 1,000 K2 tanks, which the vehicles in having frequently being evaluated as the most capable in NATO. Of this 1,000, 360 have already been ordered.

The Kazakhstan Air Force is scheduled to receive its first fifth generation fighter aircraft within two years, according to reports from multiple Kazakh and Russian sources, which will mark a major milestone in the fleet’s modernisation. A number of sources have indicated that the orders for the Russian Su-57 fifth generation fighter have already been placed, following confirmation in 2025 that multiple countries have already ordered the new aircraft. The Air Force currently operates exclusively Soviet and Russian origin combat jets.

Pakistan Army parade, March 2018. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Pakistan, Kuwait agree to expand military cooperation. Pakistan will provide training, capacity building, border management and other military assistance to Kuwait under the newly signed Protocol Agreement.
Defense Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Saleem Al-Sabah visited Pakistan on Thursday, during which he signed a protocol with Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi.

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) issuing a request for proposals for a conceptual study of a future Korean next-generation combat aircraft, which is intended to establish the aircraft’s operational concept, configuration and technology roadmap. Notably, the requirements point toward a highly stealthy, twin-engine and potentially tailless aircraft substantially more advanced than the conservative KF-21 fifth generation design.

NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas — site of Friday’s ceremony. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER LAST NIGHT ESTABLISHING THE NATION’S FIRST UNITED STATES SPACE ACADEMY at a historic ceremony held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Friday night. That ceremony also honored the crew of the Artemis II spacecraft, the first humans to leave the Earth’s gravitational pull in over 50 years.

On August 28 the first footage showed two Chinese sixth generation fighter prototypes of an unnamed type conducting aerial refuelling from a YY-20 tanker, providing a significant indication of the program’s maturing just 20 months after its first flight. The fighter currently under development by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation is by far the largest and longest ranged in the world, and is expected to be the first in the world with a sixth generation design and capabilities to enter service anywhere in the world.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is under pressure from multiple angles, with his country’s domestic fuel market struggling under the weight of Ukrainian strikes on refineries and diminishing returns on the front line. But with Washington growing tired of the war it started in Iran, Putin may now see an opportunity to test NATO.

New U.S. intelligence suggests that the Kremlin believes the prolonged American campaign against Iran has weakened Washington’s military position and could give Moscow greater freedom to escalate against U.S. interests or allies in Europe, per reports this week.

ABERDEEN, Md. — The Army will soon field the first batch of a new detection system intended to identify signals emitted from friendly units, service officials said, part of an effort to prevent adversaries from capitalizing on an increasingly observable electromagnetic spectrum to find targets.
The service will deliver nine Spectrum Situational Awareness Systems, or S2AS, to “prioritized Army units” in three weeks, officials told reporters at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland on Thursday.

In recent weeks, reports have suggested that a deal on a governance structure for the Strait of Hormuz was close, or that such a framework had been reached. However, no such deal has been announced, as the war reached its six-month mark this week.

So where do things stand now?

(Aug. 8, 2017) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) at sea during exercise Saxon Warrior 2017, Aug. 8.

As Washington hopes its new economic pressure campaign will force Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz, oil is still finding a way out of the Persian Gulf, with producers finding creative ways to move their crude out of the region.

And while it’s clear that some oil is leaving through the Strait of Hormuz, the price of achieving it is becoming extraordinarily high.

Nimitz-class carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) transits the Atlantic Ocean while offloading munitions via helicopter to the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), June 27, 2025. Gerald R.

Space Force, the military’s newest branch, is getting its own service academy, President Donald Trump announced. On Friday, Trump signed an executive order to create the new military academy and shared the decision while speaking at NASA’s Johnson Space Center at an event honoring the members of the Artemis II mission.
Trump, who created Space Force in his first term in 2019, said that the new Space Academy will “educate and train an entire generation of skilled service members, engineers, and civil operators.

Russia has been stepping up attacks in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, and specifically the “Fortress Belt” cities of Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

According to CNBC, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said this week that Russia had “advanced to a position just four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the eastern outskirts of Sloviansk.” Gerasimov also said that Russia has “overcome the first defensive line of the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk fortified region.”

T-90 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Russian T-90 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

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The Pentagon is searching for interim software-only cryptographic solutions that require zero hardware changes to protect military systems during its transition to post-quantum cryptography.
A request for information released on Thursday sets clear, operational baselines for vendors and signals that the Defense Department is executing on its nascent campaign to prepare for existential quantum threats.

The Welsh Guards prepare for Cyprus – fro

The war with Iran reached its six-month mark on Friday, August 28. And after all that time, and despite the White House insisting this would not be a protracted conflict, Tehran is still calling the shots.

After beginning with massive U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials, and additional strikes targeting military and nuclear facilities across the country, the conflict with Iran has dragged on far longer than President Donald Trump had hoped.

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The United States claims to have heavily countered Iran’s influence in the Strait of Hormuz after months of fighting.

“That sucker is open. The Iranian response is very mild. They don’t want us to go back at them. That’s the whole ball game,” U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios on Thursday.

A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14 participates in an air power demonstration near the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) April 24, 2013, in the Pacific Ocean. The John C.

Illustration of a light water small modular nuclear reactor. Photo: U.S. Government Accountability Office / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

The U.S. Army plans to spend up to $2.2 billion to power five military bases with nuclear microreactors, a move the service hopes will help it develop a way to keep critical operations running without depending on commercial power for extended periods.
These five companies, listed in the Army announcement in no particular order, will compete for funding over a five-year period to achieve the required milestones.

Marines can now wear their college or academy class rings with their uniforms, the service announced today. The new uniform regulation change is “effective immediately.”
The single uniform adjustment, announced in a Marine administrative notice released Aug. 28, allows Marines to wear their college or commissioning-source class rings in conjunction with wedding rings. 
According to the wider regulations under MCO 1020.34H, released in 2018, this means class rings can be worn with all issued uniforms, from everyday cammies to service and dress uniforms.

The military task force assigned to the U.S.-Mexico border zapped three “cartel-linked” drones using a high-energy laser developed by AeroVironment, according to industry and military officials.
Over two days this week, Joint Task Force-Southern Border used the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) system to “engage and defeat three hostile” unmanned aerial systems the unit determined were being used by cartels, according to a Thursday press release, citing the drones’ “use in direct support of activities posing a physical threat to” troops and border agents.

On Friday, Iran signaled that talks with the United States could still be revived. Long-term peace prospects are currently on ice, with Polymarket traders now estimating a mere 1% chance of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz returning to pre-war levels by September 15.

“Putting diplomacy back on track isn’t impossible,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, following talks with Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister in Tehran.

The French Marine Nationale aircraft carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R91), and the aircraft carrier USS John C.

A Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber has been struck by Ukraine, Kyiv claimed on Friday.

Russian Bomber Hit
The so-called “Bear” aircraft was hit at the Engels Air Base in Saratov Oblast, some 370 miles into Russian territory. The base is also home to vast stocks of ammunition and fuel, as well as aircraft maintenance facilities.

Tu-95. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Tu-95 Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Tu-95s are used by Russia to launch long-range cruise missiles. “These are the aircraft that are carrying out strikes against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign against Russia grows ever more devastating for Moscow, with a Tu-95MS strategic bomber being hit in one of the worst overnight strikes beginning on Thursday night.

The strikes also targeted one of the country’s largest oil refineries, once again hitting Russia’s domestic fuel market and complicating ongoing efforts to stabilize domestic supplies.

Yaryna Chornohuz joined Ukraine’s military as

Until six months ago, few people had heard of the Strait of Hormuz.

The key shipping route — through which 20% of the world’s oil once passed — was merely a body of water in the Middle East to many across the world.

(Dec. 01, 2020) – The guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) launches a Block V Tomahawk, the weapon’s newest variant, during a missile exercise. This event marked the first time a Block V Tomahawk missile was operationally tested, marking the Navy’s transition to a more advanced capability for the fleet.

Indra has developed a new AR system for military vehicles, designed to provide crews with 360-degree coverage from inside the hull.

John Ratcliffe’s Moscow Visit Has Left Europe Wondering: Will Russia Really Attack NATO? – CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s surprise visit to Moscow sent shockwaves this week, leaving many Western leaders wondering what might happen next.

Ratcliffe’s unannounced visit, which saw him speak directly with Russian intelligence counterparts, came as a major surprise amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

A B-52H Stratofortress sits on the flightline before a munitions load operation at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Sept 5, 2025.

UGV-mounted CORVUS-RAVEN sensors track threat approaches and extend battlefield awareness, keeping operators safely at a distance.

Russia launched another overnight barrage against Ukraine last night, testing its air defenses and leaving devastation in the wake of the assault.

A series of critical sites, including logistics facilities, energy infrastructure, and some civilian buildings, were hit overnight as Moscow apparently intensified its campaign to overwhelm Ukraine’s strained air defenses.

Holding back tears, Veterans & People Minister

The Defense Information Systems Agency issued another sources-sought notice Thursday as it prepares to initiate a massive transition of combatant commands from legacy common-use IT services and assets they have been independently operating and maintaining to a single service provider.

Russia successfully launched “waves of drones” at Kyiv and the areas around the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday and Thursday, striking homes as well as warehouses, Reuters reported. One person was reported killed.

The attacks also destroyed “sorting centers” owned by Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s top private courier. Another Russian drone struck the home-improvement store Epicenter in Zaporizhzhia.

Tu-22M Backfire Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Tu-22M3 Russian Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Another attack struck and destroyed a major book retailer.

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After four and a half years of war in Ukraine, has Russia hit a money crunch? That seems to be the case, according to a Bloomberg News story on Friday.

Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, the story said, warned Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin that Russia might not have enough money to meet its payment obligations on time.

Moscow Warehouse Fire X Screenshot

Russia: Economic Crisis Thanks to Ukraine War? 
Per the report, as cited by Defense News, the balance on Russia’s treasury account “fell to roughly minus 5.5 trillion rubles, or about $65.