Browsing: All news

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series exploring key AI policy choices faced by the Department of Defense and Congress. Please also read the first, “Four AI Policy Choices Policymakers Can’t Afford to Get Wrong,” second, “Warfighters, Not Engineers, Decide What AI Can Be Trusted,” and third, “Operating AI in the Gray Zone: Drawing Clear Lines Before They Blur.”Whenever the U.S. national security community becomes anxious about a new “transformational” technology, the plot tends to be a familiar one.

The Battle of Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862, remains the deadliest one-day battle in American military history with nearly 23,000 casualties, including over 3,600 deaths. While the monument observing the “High Water Mark of the Rebellion” stands at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the true high tide of the Confederacy arguably came on a late summer day at Sharpsburg, Maryland, beside the swiftly flowing Antietam Creek. The U.S.

The United States Armed Forces conducted an armed takeover of a large tanker in international waters, the Centuries, which was carrying up to two million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil to China. Coast Guard and Navy forces operating with MH-60T helicopters, and reportedly including a Maritime Security Response Team, spearheaded the takeover. The oil was owned by the China-based firm VSatau Tijana Oil Trading.

Portuguese Air Force Chief of Staff General Joao Cartaxo Alves has confirmed that the Portuguese Defence Ministry plans to procure between 14 and 28 F-35 fifth generation fighters , providing long awaited confirmation that the aircraft has been favoured over ‘4+ generation’ rivals. Regarding the urgency of procuring the aircraft to replace the ageing fleet of F-16A/B fighters, he observed: “The Air Force has never had an aircraft in active service for so many consecutive years… Thirty-one years for the most recent F-16s, nearly forty for others.

The Russian Su-57 fifth generation fighter has for the first time flown while integrating a new engine, referred to only as Product 177, marking the beginning of a new phase of the program. The state defence conglomerate Rostec announced that specialists “begun flight tests of the ‘Product 177’ engine as part of the fifth-generation Su-57 aviation complex,” and that it performed within normal parameters while demonstrating its reliability.

Poor visibility. Strong winds. A heavy fog along the way. When the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing got the call that someone on a cruise ship more than 100 miles off the coast needed an emergency medical evacuation, conditions were already challenging.
The 129th Rescue Wing was called into action late on Dec. 16, after a 79-year-old passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship was reported unresponsive, according to the Air National Guard.

The holiday season is here, and while many families are gearing up for celebrations, it’s just as important to recognize that, despite its nostalgia, this time of year can also bring pressure and emotional weight.
Read Next: 3 Really good news stories you might have missed in 2025
For military spouses, this season comes with a unique set of hurdles. Many are navigating PCS moves, deployments, financial strain, and the constant expectation to be “strong,” all while trying to create holiday magic—often without their service member or a nearby support system.

These are the Top 10 news stories from across the defence desk in 2025, covering developments on land, at sea, and in the air.

French President Emmanuel Macron on December 21 confirmed plans to replace the French Navy’s sole and ageing aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with a next generation carrier under the Porte-Avions Nouvelle Generation program, with French media outlets reporting that the program was approved to enter a two-phase design and development activity as early as December 2020. Work on nuclear propulsion components for the program reportedly began in 2024, while the final order will be placed under the 2025 budget. The program is projected to cost 10.

The head of the British Royal Navy First Sea Lord General Gwyn Jenkins has warned that British and allied forces could soon lose their advantage in the Atlantic Ocean, highlighting the significant strengthening of Russian naval capabilities and continued investments in further bolstering them. ”The advantage that we have enjoyed in the Atlantic since the end of the Second World War is at risk. We are holding on, but not by much. Our would-be opponents are investing billions. We have to step up, or we will lose that advantage,” Jenkins observed.