Lt. Gen. (ret.) Francis Beaudette, former commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, joins Ryan to discuss how his family history, service, and books shaped his path into and time in the Army. Together, they talk through his years as a young officer during Operation Desert Storm, the wars that followed, the present and future challenges of special operations (and how they aren’t that different from the past), and the difficulty of learning the right lessons from the wars of today. Thanks to Legion Intelligence for sponsoring the event at which this episode was recorded.
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Ukraine’s campaign of long-range attacks inside Russia continued on Monday, less than 24 hours after it launched one of its biggest drone barrages of the war.
Six Russians Killed
Flamingo Missile Handout Photo
FP-5 Missile From Ukraine Creative Commons Image
According to Russian officials, six people were killed and four wounded in the attack, including a 14-year-old in the Belgorod village of Koloskovo close to the border with Ukraine.
The war with Iran was complicated again on Monday, August 17, when two drones launched from Iranian territory targeted the office of Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the residence of one of the region’s most senior security officials.
The attacks caused material damage but no casualties, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
F-15EX Eagle II In the Sky. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
F-15 Fighter Taken on July 19, 2025. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
Iran is no longer simply defending itself against the United States — its military leadership is now preparing to escalate, shifting to a “fully offensive” strategy that could see attacks expand beyond the Strait of Hormuz and across the Middle East.
On August 17, Reuters cited a senior Iranian official who said the change is coming because Tehran has lost faith in any diplomatic efforts to end the war.
U.S. Air Force Capt.
The US Central Command (Centcom) has initiated the formation of Task Force Falcon Strike, the nation’s first multinational and multidomain attack drone unit.
The top two commanders of a special operations training wing in the New Mexico Air National Guard were removed from command on Aug. 14, state officials confirmed to Task & Purpose Monday.
Col. Christopher George was fired as the commander of the 150th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The wing’s deputy commander, Col. Jeffry Heggemeier, was “reassigned,” according to a statement from the New Mexico National Guard. Both officers were removed from their roles by Brig. Gen.
M1 Support Services has been awarded a $10bn contract to provide Initial Entry Rotary Wing training for the US Army over a 26-year period.
On Aug. 17, 2026, the U.S. Navy and RTX announced a massive contract for Tomahawk missiles. Manufactured by Raytheon, an RTX business, the Tomahawk is the Navy’s primary long-range munition… and the service is running out of them. To replenish its stockpiles, the Navy awarded Raytheon an unprecedented $22.9 billion contract.
Ukraine, overnight, launched one of its largest attacks of the entire war, as hundreds of drones targeted the Russian capital of Moscow.
According to DW.com, Ukraine launched a “sustained overnight assault,” which Russia says killed at least six people. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 201 of the 600 drones launched at Moscow were destroyed. The Russian regional governor, meanwhile, called it “one of the most massive drone attacks (against Moscow Oblast) in recent memory,” while the BBC called it the largest attack by Ukraine in 2026.
Switchblade Drone.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington is on the move. The supercarrier is en route to the Middle East, where it is set to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln following one of the most strenuous carrier deployments in recent naval history.
The rotation will offer the Lincoln’s crew a route home after nearly nine months at sea.
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) cruise side-by-side in the Philippine Sea June 18, 2006, during exercise Valiant Shield 2006.