build a navy like you intend to take her to war
Four decades.
Austal USA launched the Navy’s Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium (AFDM) 15 on July 28. This is the first AFDM built in over 40 years and the largest vessel launched into the Mobile Channel to date. At 12,000 tons, 694 feet long and with a deck working area of 90,800 square feet, AFDM is the largest vessel launch Austal USA’s test and activation team has coordinated and executed in the company’s 26-year history.
Strength, fitness, and unwavering determination
There’s a question hanging over the Iran war, officially reaching its half-a-year anniversary this weekend, that nobody seems to know the answer to…
What Does Victory Look Like for the United States?
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 345th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, decends for landing at Ørland Air Base, Norway, during a Bomber Task Force Europe deployment, Aug. 9, 2025. The BTF mission highlights how we deliver effects rapidly across dynamic and contested environments through integrated training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tambri Cason)
A U.S.
Russia this week issued an explicit threat against the United Kingdom, warning that British military targets may be attacked in response to Ukrainian strikes using British-supplied weapons.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing in Moscow on Thursday, August 27, that London was coming dangerously close to direct involvement in the conflict.
Challenger 3 On the March. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Challenger 3 Tank British Army Image.
6,000 troops. Drones overhead.
On Thursday, Russia launched a massive aerial attack on Ukraine. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia fired some 258 drones toward cities, ports and industrial sites.
They estimated that one-third of the drones were jet-powered, and that Russia also used a pair of Oniks ship-killers, Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, and Banderol cruise missiles.
Iskander-M. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Ukrainian forces said they shot down or suppressed 222 drones, seven ballistic missiles, three Banderols and one Oniks missile.
President Donald Trump was elected to a second term in 2024 with an unusual coalition.
Since then, with Trump’s approval rating at or near an all-time low, that coalition has begun to fray — and Iran is a big reason why.
President Donald Trump signs an Executive Order on the Administration’s tariff plans at a “Make America Wealthy Again” event, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in the White House Rose Garden. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
Donald Trump. White House Flickr.
Sonu Shankar, a cybersecurity industry veteran who recently served as an advisor to Pentagon leadership, has been named principal deputy CIO at the Defense Department.
Shankar was appointed to the role by President Donald Trump, according to a DOD news release. He was officially sworn-in Aug. 24.
Prior to taking on his new job in the CIO’s office, Shankar served as a “strategic advisor” to Pentagon leadership via the Business Operators for National Defense program, per the release.
The Falklands Cup returns to Exmouth on 10 Sept
The story behind CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s mysterious trip to Moscow appears to be unraveling, with reports now suggesting that the U.S. intelligence official warned Russia against escalating its confrontation with NATO and pressured the Kremlin to reduce its support for Iran.
The Kremlin has since confirmed that Ratcliffe, who was spotted traveling to Moscow on public flight trackers, met with Russia’s foreign intelligence chief during his eight-hour-long visit.
