A Marine decorated earlier this year as one of the service’s top combat instructors was shot and killed Sunday in an off-duty traffic confrontation near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Marine Staff Sgt. Dylan Rasmussen, 31, was riding a motorcycle in Onslow County, North Carolina, which is home to Lejeune, when he was confronted and shot by a local man, according to police.
The Onslow County Sheriff’s Department charged a local man, James Wells, 43, with second-degree murder in the shooting, according to a news release.
Author: Michael
Key Points and Summary – The aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) was out of action for six years, a catastrophic delay of its mid-life overhaul (RCOH).
-The maintenance, which began in 2017 and was scheduled for four years, was not completed until May 2023.
USS George Washington. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The U.S. Navy attributed the delay to the ship’s unexpectedly poor “arrival condition,” pandemic-related labor and supply chain disruptions, and the strain of having only one shipyard capable of nuclear carrier work.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has openly ratcheted up threats against Venezuela. It has surged military aircraft and warships to the Caribbean, and U.S. forces have attacked at least seven boats near Venezuela. The Trump administration says that it is targeting drug traffickers and has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of working with cartels that ship drugs and immigrants to the United States.
Key Points and Summary – Canada’s military is in a “death spiral” and “rotting away” due to chronic underfunding, spending only 1.3% of its GDP on defense, well below the NATO target of 2%.
-This low investment has left the nation with a skeleton force—including only 40 naval vessels—struggling to patrol the world’s longest coastline and the strategic Arctic.
Canadian Tank Firing. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The armed forces also face a severe 16,000-personnel recruiting shortfall, raising concerns that new F-35s will arrive with no one to operate them.
They’re tiny, invisible, and everywhere. Microplastics have quietly made their way into every corner of our environment—and every corner of the human body.
Researchers now detect them in the blood, liver, lungs, and even the brain, showing just how far these synthetic fragments can travel. Studies estimate that the average person consumes between 39,000 and 52,000 plastic particles each year through food and water, and up to 121,000 when air exposure is included.
Once inside, they don’t just pass through.
Three and a half years into Ukraine’s fight f
Key Points and Summary – This 2025 ranking of Europe’s top 5 tanks (excluding the M1 Abrams) showcases advanced armor and firepower.
-At #5 is Ukraine’s Oplot-M, a modernized T-80.
A British Army Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (MBT) lays down a smoke screen during Spring Storm 19, Estonia’s largest annual military exercise. Roughly 9,000 soldiers from Estonia, other NATO Allies and partner nations have gathered near the town of Jõhvi to engage in a collective defence exercise, strengthening their ability to work together in times of crisis.
The name Wilmer McLean may not be found in most history books, but if it isn’t in the Guinness Book, it should be. The man moved his family during the Civil War, and if real estate is all about location, location, location, then Wilmer McLean was probably the luckiest home buyer of all time.
Or unluckiest, depending on your point of view.
Related: 12 surprising facts that might change the way you see the Civil War
A plague on both his houses!
The opening shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, in April 1861.
Armed Forces training staff have been given a t
Key Points and Summary – U.S. Navy shipbuilding presents a complex picture of innovation mixed with setbacks. Programs like the Zumwalt-class destroyers pioneered stealth and electric drive but were drastically cut due to cost.
-The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is widely seen as a failure, hampered by flawed concepts and reliability issues.
Littoral Combat Ship Deck Gun U.S. Navy. Image Taken by National Security Journal on October 14, 2025.
Littoral Combat Ship USS Cooperstown. Image Taken By National Security Journal October 14, 2025.