Author: Michael

The U.S. military still fields some of the most advanced weapons systems in the world. But across multiple services, and especially the U.S. Army, major procurement programs are increasingly running into the same problem: new platforms take years to develop, cost far more than expected, and often arrive with compromises that force the Pentagon to rethink them before they even reach full production.

The U.S. Army’s cancellation of the M10 Booker combat vehicle in 2025 is the latest example of that pattern.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Month of the Military Child, which was first established in 1986 by then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.
It’s a time to take the entire month of April to celebrate the estimated 1.6 million military children around the globe by honoring them with celebrations, recognitions, and events, providing our military-connected children opportunities to raise awareness of their ongoing transitions, challenges, and triumphs.

Ukrainian drone operators saved a Ukrainian Babushka walking under fire, as she hobbled with her canes. Heartwarming.
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The United States is facing a growing shipbuilding crisis that, if not fixed, could prevent the U.S. from expanding its fleet fast enough to meet emerging global threats.

Multiple programs are running over budget and budget schedule or have been canceled outright, and the number of operational ships has stagnated despite rising spending on naval construction.

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.

For the first time in 70 years, two players from the U.S. Naval Academy were selected in the professional football draft.
On Saturday, seniors Eli Heidenreich and Landon Robinson were both picked in the seventh round of the NFL draft. They are the 20th and 21st midshipmen to be drafted into the NFL over the last 80 years. They’re also the first pair of midshipmen to get drafted in the same year since George Welsh and Ron Beagle both were picked for the Chicago Cardinals in 1956.
Robinson is heading to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was the 226th overall pick in this year’s draft.

Left: cropped view (with our highlighting) of a page in Philip Johnson’s FBI report. (See link to archive.org version below.) Right: early 1930s photo portrait of Philip Johnson.
Fun, or rather interesting fact: Philip Johnson, an architecture and design curator at the then-fledgling Museum of Modern Art in New York in the early 1930s, aspired to become “The American Hitler”, his secretary told the FBI.

Ever since they replaced battleships as naval capital ships during World War II, aircraft carriers have kept that place as the ultimate power projectors of the U.S. Navy.

This is especially true of nuclear-powered supercarriers (CVNs) such as the venerable Nimitz-class warships and their anointed successors, the bigger and mightier Gerald R. Ford-class CVNs. These vessels are marvels, both for their sheer size and technological capabilities.

The Ford-class is the largest warship ever constructed.

(April 14, 2017) The aircraft carrier Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) USS Gerald R.

In Europe, only France and the United Kingdom field aircraft carriers. France maintains only one nuclear aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, which has been in service for more than 20 years.

With its lone carrier aging, France has been working on its replacement: the Porte-Avions de Nouvelle Génération (PANG).

The carrier has been in development since 2018 and recently received the official green light to begin construction in December 2025.

Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier, France. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The new carrier will reportedly match the size of a U.S.

Ohio-class SSGNs (guided-missile submarines) are nearing their retirement window. Converted from SSBN (ballistic missile) boats in the early 2000s, the Ohio carries a large payload of Tomahawk cruise missiles, sparking debate over whether to retire the sub on schedule due to age and cost, or extend its service life to take advantage of its added firepower.

With the Indo-Pacific coming into strategic focus and rising concerns about magazine depth, the question is especially relevant.

The U.S. Department of Defence is considering plans to procure foreign destroyer and frigate designs, and build warships in overseas shipyards, in response to the serious hindering of the U.S. Navy surface fleet’s capabilities resulting from the limited capacities of the U.S. shipbuilding industry. The Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal includes $1.85 billion in research and development funding for studies on building frigates and destroyers overseas.