The U.S. Navy has brought its first Flight III Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, the USS Jack H. Lucas, into service marking the beginning of the latest phase in by far the world’s oldest destroyer program. Commissioned on October 7, 2023, the Jack H. Lucas has been designated as the initial operational test and evaluation campaign ship for the Flight III class, an update of the late Cold War era design intended to significantly improve its capabilities.
Author: Michael
The Ukrainain Army has received the last of 80 M1A1 Abrams tanks pledged as aid to the country, with the Australian government on December 19 confirming that the last of 49 tanks the country allocated for delivery to the country had arrived. This follows the delivery of 31 M1A1 tanks from the United States in late 2023, which began to see combat in February 2024. The latest tanks delivered by Australia were described by Australian government sources as being dispatched to meet a direct request from Kiev, as part of more than $1.
Drone footage has confirmed that Ukrainian attack destroyed a 5P85SM2-01 self-propelled launcher from a Russian S-400 long range air defence system in Russia’s Belgorod region, while damaging a second. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the strike was carried out on December 14, and targeting an S-400 system operated by the 568th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The Ukrainian 15th Separate Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade, known as ‘Black Forest,’ was credited with launching the attack.
Former Green Beret and Republican congressional candidate Derrick Anderson was approved by the Senate on Thursday night to serve as assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict.
Anderson was confirmed along with a slew of other nominees for federal jobs en bloc by a vote of 53-43.
The Defense Department is getting a new chief information officer as the Pentagon pushes forward with digital modernization.
Kirsten Davies was confirmed by the Senate for the role on Thursday night by a vote of 53-43, along with a slew of other nominees for federal government jobs that were approved en bloc.
Davies was tapped for Pentagon CIO by President Donald Trump back in May, but the Senate Armed Services Committee didn’t hold her confirmation hearing until September. The committee advanced her nomination in October, but full Senate approval didn’t come until this week.
The fourth Hangor class attack submarine ordered by the Pakistan Navy has been completed at a shipyard in Wuhan, Hubei Province, with the vessel expected to shortly begin sea trials before delivery in 2026. The first ship of the class was launched in April 2024, while the following two were launchd in March and August 2025. It is expected that four further submarines of the class will be produced in Pakistan, although it is highly uncertain whether local shipyards will be able to produce them as quickly or efficiently due to the country’s limited experience with submarine construction.
Key Points and Summary – China’s long-rumored H-20 stealth bomber is still years from debut, but the more important question may be scale.
-One way to size the requirement is internal: China operates roughly 239 H-6 bombers across the PLAAF and PLANAF, implying a one-for-one replacement baseline.
H-20 Bomber from China. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-A second yardstick is the adversary: the United States fields about 140 bombers today and plans at least 100 B-21 Raiders.
-A third is Russia’s roughly 120-bomber force. In a U.S.
Key Points and Summary – Great-power competition starts with people. As China and much of the developed world age and shrink, America keeps renewing its workforce and tax base largely through immigration.
-Done well, immigration expands the talent networks that drive startups, AI, biotech, advanced manufacturing, and military capacity—preserving strategic depth for a decades-long rivalry.
U.S. Marines and Sailors with 1st Dental Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, salute the U.S. flag during a change of charge ceremony on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Nov. 7, 2025.
Ukraine has begun testing small infrared projectors on drones to blind the cameras of incoming Russian FPV drones.
One attempt failed, but another, using a Baba Yaga drone, successfully confused the operator of a Russian interceptor drone.
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In the long lineage of American infantry weapons, everything eventually fades away. The M1 Garand, a rifle that defeated fascism, is now a museum piece. The M14 had a brief, troubled run before being relegated to ceremonial duty. The M60, for all its grit and jungle love, was eventually retired to the scrapyard. Even the M16 and M4 platforms have evolved so many times they are barely recognizable as they have been Ship of Theseus’d.
Then there is the M2 .50-Caliber Machine Gun.
John Browning designed the core of this beast in 1918. It entered service soon after in the 1920s.