Gold, grit and first reactions!

An Army unit that deployed to the Middle East at the height of 2023 drone attacks on U.S. forces is headed back to the region, Army officials said this week. 
Approximately 1,900 soldiers with the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, have been authorized to deploy this spring, though the final deployment numbers may be lower, said Maj. Jason Elmore, a spokesperson for the 10th Mountain Division.
The unit is replacing the Iowa National Guard’s 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, which was deployed to U.S.

What do Donald Trump, Angelina Jolie and Kendal

The Pentagon named 25 vendors Tuesday to compete in the first phase of the department’s “Drone Dominance Program,” a list that includes known and relatively unknown companies in the unmanned aerial systems industry.
The evaluation, which officials are calling “the Gauntlet,” will begin on Feb. 18 at Fort Benning in Georgia, according to a press release. Military drone operators will fly and evaluate vendor equipment into early March, when the Defense Department will begin ordering $150 million worth of prototype deliveries expected to arrive over the following five months.

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Wolfe wears a physical reminder of why he chose to make the service his career.
Fastened inside his service coat is an Air Force pin that belonged to his father, who served as a combat photographer during World War II and later joined the Air Force when it became an independent military branch.

Diplomacy on the table. Warplanes in the air.

While the Russo-Ukrainian War dominates attention in Eastern Europe, China is quietly expanding its influence in the region. As NATO strains under growing internal pressures and the European Union confronts unresolved questions about its future, Beijing’s capacity to project power in Europe in pursuit of its own interests is becoming an increasingly consequential force in the continent’s politics and economics.

This video describes the military situation in

The Army is loosening its grip on recruiting waivers for mental health and misconduct, putting those decisions in the hands of the commanders who oversee street-level recruiting.
On Jan. 22, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll rescinded a 2020 directive that gave his office the authority to approve and deny waivers for recruits with mental health conditions or misconduct that would bar them from enlisting.

For three decades, the official word on Gulf War Illness (GWI) was a collective shrug from the Department of Defense. When you came home from Kuwait or Iraq in ’91 with a brain that felt like it was wrapped in a wet woobie, a stomach that digested food harder than a Sarlac Pit, and joints that cracked like chemlights every time you climbed out of a chair, the medical records usually just called it “undiagnosed.

The Pentagon recently tapped California-based tech company LILT to supply artificial intelligence-powered translation options to military forces worldwide.
According to a press release viewed by DefenseScoop before its public release Tuesday, the Defense Department’s Chief Digital and AI Office awarded LILT a flexible other transaction contract to expand its platform for military domain-specific vocabularies, after it was prototyped and proven via the Defense Innovation Unit.

RTX’s Raytheon has completed a ballistic test of the US Army’s NGSRI, the missile intended to replace the Stinger surface-to-air system.

More than a week after federal immigration agents killed a Veterans Affairs nurse in Minneapolis, a staffer at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center says patients visiting the hospital have asked why there is nearly no sign that Alex Pretti worked there.
“I’ve had veterans a little surprised there was not something at the front entrance acknowledging Alex,” said a VA staffer at the hospital. “I understand the reasons local leadership feels they cannot respond, and it stings.

Col. James M. Valpiani announced as the new dean of the faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy. (Courtesy of the Air Force Academy)

Col James M Valpiani has been named as the new dean of faculty at the United States Air Force Academy, my alma mater.
This is a very positive step.
Col Valpiani is a warrior pilot with nearly 100 combat missions. He is a scholar, an astronautical engineer and a test pilot.
We could not think of a better choice to fill this position at the Academy.

Pain Doesn’t Ask — It Tests | Military Moti

Experience Meribel’s lightning-quick down

If you spend enough time around military hospitals, you develop a healthy cynicism for the word “breakthrough.” Every year, the Pentagon promises us game-changing technology that usually amounts to a new rifle nobody asked for, that is five pounds heavier, requires knowledge of advanced engineering to operate, and probably runs on batteries for some reason.

M.

Warrior M.
This new frigate boasts 16 Naval Strike Missiles, filling capability gaps and boosting maritime security with speed and affordability.

M. Easley, DefenseScoop
The Extended Range Attack Munition program aims to deliver an inexpensive air-launched cruise missile that can be quickly manufactured in large numbers.

TWZ
The Navy sees HELIOS and other directed energy weapons as critical capabilities, but has faced persistent challenges in expanding their use.

Stephen D.

This video describes the military situation in

It started at a Washington cocktail party, when an Air Force general listened to a mountaineer describe the view from Mount Everest — and decided the United States should put a surveillance device on a Himalayan summit.That offhand idea soon became a real-world operation.Late last year, ahead of the holidays, the New York Times ran a weekend article titled, “How Did the CIA Lose a Nuclear Device?” The story recounted a secret 1965 CIA mission carried out at the height of the Cold War with India’s Intelligence Bureau.

Following the U.S. Air Force’s launch of an unprecedented deep penetration bomber strike against Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025, which was carried out by B-2 strategic bombers based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, questions have been raised regarding the service’s ability to stage more extended campaigns of similarly long-range strikes.

The Pakistan Air Force has indicated plans to continue to operate part of its fleet of Mirage III fighters, potentially well into the 2030s, with efforts having been sustained to integrate new types of missiles onto what are currently some of the oldest combat jets serving anywhere in the world. Entering active service in 1961, the Mirage III served as the French Air Force’s primary tactical combat jet that decade, and was marketed for export as a much cheaper alternative to U.S. F-4E Phantom which was considered the most capable Western fighter type of its time.

The American Civil War wasn’t just blue versus gray, or “brother against brother.” It was a four–year gunfight, knife fight, and sometimes fistfight over what the United States was going to look like for the next 150-plus years, fought in muddy fields, coastal waters, and burned-out cities.
Related: That time an entire battle stopped to watch two soldiers in a fistfight
But while most people know the broad strokes of the war’s causes and conflicts, and many know the highlight reel: Lincoln, Gettysburg, Appomattox.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Ground Forces 71st Group Army have deployed Type 96 main battle tanks for driving training exercises in the country’s eastern regions, drawing attention to the capabilities of the vehicles which form the backbone of the country’s fleet fleet. Subordinated to the Eastern Theatre Command, the 71st Group Army is comprised of six combined-arms manoeuvre brigades, four of which are equipped with heavy armour. Each brigade leads four combined-arms battalions.

The message started circulating in some Army circles last week. It promoted an artificial intelligence tool, one that would “revolutionize” how soldiers approach talent management. 
Dubbed VECTOR, the AI application was hosted on an official Army data analytics platform. The message said it could help soldiers write performance evaluations and prepare for promotion boards by tapping into historical board data, critical assessments that determine whether a soldier moves on to the next rank.
Within days however, VECTOR was gone — at least for now.

The Air Force recently held a live demonstration of an air-launched cruise missile that is being developed to give Ukraine additional long-range strike capability at low cost.
The service announced Friday that it successfully conducted a live-warhead test of the weapon — known as the Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) — on Jan. 21 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The system is one of several being developed for the Ukrainian military to leverage in its effort to counter Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Anyone who follows “Terminal Lance” on Instagram can tell you that Marines should never be left unsupervised. The trouble they can get into runs the gamut from playing dangerous (but hilarious) games on the unit floor buffer to multiple international incidents, some involving critical American allies.
Related: A junior enlisted Marine once eloped with Bahrain’s Princess
What Marine Warrant Officer Faustin Wirkus did was pretty spectacular, but it wasn’t actually his fault. In reality, it was just a day in the life of a U.S. Marine.

A former Marine drill instructor who was sentenced to prison following the hazing death of a recruit at boot camp was released early and recently arrested for a separate crime. 
Joseph Felix, a former gunnery sergeant, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in November 2017 for hazing recruits, including one who died. The incident was one of the biggest hazing scandals in the history of the Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina, prompting sweeping investigations that led to several Marines being reassigned, fired, and court-martialed.

Almost two months after the Pentagon deployed GenAI.mil on government desktops across its sprawling workforce, all but one of the military services have formally declared the asset to be their teams’ AI platform of choice.
In response to questions from DefenseScoop on Monday, a Pentagon official said that there have been “1.1 million unique users” on GenAI.mil to date. 
They further confirmed that five of the six military branches have adopted the tool enterprise-wide over legacy systems — noting that it’s just “minus the [U.S. Coast Guard] for now.

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Lorna Mahlock was confirmed by the Senate on Friday evening as deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command, where she could have an outsized influence as the organization prepares for new leadership and other major changes.
She was nominated for the position by President Donald Trump.
Her Senate confirmation, which happened via voice vote, means she’ll also pin on a third star and become a lieutenant general.
Mahlock brings deep cyber knowledge and background to her new role.
She has been serving as commander of the U.S.

Royal Navy snowboarder Petty Officer Stacey Cam

This video describes the military situation in

Alpine fanfare and fireworks marked the 75th In

Russia’s only aircraft carrier is the 55,000-ton behemoth Admiral Kuznetsov (full name “Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov”), and is—on paper—the Russian Navy’s flagship. In reality, however, it was a floating hell for the crew and a money pit that Russia can’t really afford to keep afloat.
This is good news for Russian sailors, who have long considered an assignment aboard the carrier more of a punishment than a highlight on their resume. At the end of the Soviet Union’s glory days, the Admiral Kuznetsov was supposed to be the crown of the Russian Navy.

Did you know that the Russian armed forces have

CSG and HDS are set to form a joint venture (JV) named Hellenic Ammunition, aimed at producing large-calibre ammunition in Greece.

The Senate has confirmed Maj. Gen. Luke Cropsey as the Air Force’s top military official overseeing the service’s research, development and procurement efforts.
Cropsey was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the military deputy of the Air Force’s acquisition, technology and logistics directorate at the Pentagon in December. His confirmation and promotion to three-star general was approved by voice vote Friday evening.

Which team has the brightest future in Forces f

This video describes the military situation in

The Super Bowl monopolizes nine of the top 10 U.S. television broadcasts of all time. Regardless of whether they have a rooting interest, Americans tune in for the pageantry, the halftime show, and the commercials (most definitely the commercials).
Besides giving us a reason to consume copious amounts of nachos and chicken wings, the  NFL’s championship game acts as a diversion. It helps us forget that most of us have to go to work the next day and how much snow we still need to shovel off our driveways.

Mission: Get reliable transportation without wrecking your paycheck or credit.

BEFORE YOU SHOP
Lock in financing first

Best option: Credit Union
Next best: Bank
Last resort: Dealership
Loan length: 42 months or less (shorter = less interest)

Set your budget

Monthly payment you can afford plus insurance, gas, and maintenance

PICK THE RIGHT CAR
Buy reliability, not looks

Use Consumer Reports (or your base library)
Check J.D.

Rheinmetall has entered into a new framework agreement with the Dutch armed forces for the provision of hand grenades.

…opportunity cost or you get what you pay for?

When we started talking about the cost of the new proposed battleship with CBO’s Eric Labs on the latest Midrats Podcast, I knew the topic I wanted to start this week with.
First of all, let’s look back at the marker I put down right before the announcement.
For planning purposes (and budgeting), assume it will wind up costing at least 2/3 of a Ford CVN w/o her CVW.
OK, let’s look at the costs of the Ford Class CVN.

Six years after Space Force was established, the service officially activated its first component field command over North America. 
U.S. Space Forces Northern was officially stood up on Jan. 30 at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado. It serves as Space Force’s main contingent under U.S. Northern Command. As with previous regional-specific elements, the new service component focuses on providing Space Force’s capabilities to support regionally specific missions.

The first event of Meribel 2026 promises to be

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met in Tallinn to discuss the creation of a Military Mobility Area on Nato’s Eastern Flank.