Summary and Key Points: During a May 13 House Armed Services Committee hearing, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence Lt. Gen. David H. Tabor signaled that the long-standing requirement of 100 B-21 Raiders no longer reflects operational reality, given China’s rapidly expanding air defense and missile capabilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently confirmed that the United States will need “a lot more” than 100 Northrop Grumman stealth bombers.
Author: Michael
Over Memorial Day weekend this year, as most Americans were paying exorbitant prices on beef and other meats for significantly pared-down barbecues, the United States military blasted Iranian naval facilities. Per the White House, the US military attacked Iran in self-defense and in no way violated the carefully agreed-upon ceasefire between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States.
Nor, according to the White House, did these attacks represent the abandonment of what many had hoped would be a successful end to the war that the United States initiated on February 28.
A U.S.
Special operators are getting a new rifle that can fire both 7.62mm and 6.5mm Creedmoor rounds as a replacement for the MK17 SCAR-H Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle-Heavy, according to U.S. Special Operations Command.
The MK24 Mid-Range Gas Gun-Assault features a “quick-change swappable barrel” that allows the weapon to fire both kinds of ammunition, said Navy Cmdr. Joe Vermette, a spokesperson for U.S. Special Operations Command.
Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, expects to begin receiving the MK24 later this fiscal year, which runs until Sept.
The Russian army is now losing ground in Ukraine for the first time since January 2024. As one top retired British Army commander told me several hours ago: “Ukraine might actually have a path to something that might look like a victory.”
The Ukraine War Is Changing Fast: Russia Has a Problem
MSTA-S Russian Army. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
That’s a big deal. This is not a minor tactical development, and it is not propaganda from Kyiv.
Europe’s biggest joint defense project has huge ambition, but its top players just cannot seem to get along on how it should proceed. The so-called “FCAS” (Future Combat Air System) was formerly touted as the poster child for European military unity. France and Germany kick-started the program back in 2017, with Spain jumping on the bandwagon in 2019. The program, worth some €100 billion, was intended to deliver much more than a cutting-edge fighter jet.
Surprise strikes inside southern Iran on May 26 are risking fragile negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which are beginning to collapse only weeks after both sides suggested that they could be close to an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command confirmed on Tuesday that American forces carried out “self-defense strikes” targeting Iranian missile infrastructure and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval assets near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency recently renamed and restructured two, well-established technical offices, in a move that officials said is meant to expand the defense innovation hub’s research scope to better confront contemporary technology challenges.
The Microsystems Technology Office is transforming into the Multi X Office (MXO), while the Information Innovation Office is becoming the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) in a nod to its historic roots.
Summary and Key Points: In 2014, a company called the USA Firefighting Air Corps proposed converting retired A-10 Warthog ground-attack jets into aerial firefighting tankers, calling the concept the “Firehog.”
-The converted aircraft would fly low through smoke at night, drop retardant with precision, and refuel in midair — capabilities that sounded ideal for wildfire suppression. The proposal collapsed against basic physics.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from the 303rd Fighter Squadron, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., arrive at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, April 10, 2014.
Yeah, yeah, yeah… We know grenades in movies aren’t like the real thing. But that could make you wonder: “why not?”
Real grenades are puffs of smoke with a bit of high-velocity metal. Why not give troops mobile fireballs that instill fear and awe in the hearts of all that see them? Why not arm our troops with something akin to Super Mario’s fire flower? Why Why Why…
Also Read: The inside joke names soldiers have for different unit patches
First, we should take a look at what, exactly is going on with a real grenade versus a movie grenade.
Summary and Key Points: The Trump administration has described Operation Epic Fury as a resounding success, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth repeatedly citing low casualties and met strategic objectives.
-A Congressional report tells a different story. In 40 days of operations against Iran, the United States lost up to 42 manned and unmanned aircraft with a combined value of $2.6 billion.
F-15C Fighter on the Tarmac. Image Credit: National Security Journal. Taken on August 13, 2025.