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Duke Cunningham, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and F-4 Phantom II pilot has passed away at the age of 83. Cunningham, who was one of only two U.S. Navy aviators to become aces in the Vietnam War, entered the history books after flying an F-4 Phantom II from aboard the USS Constellation, and recording five aerial victories against North Vietnamese aircraft in 1972.

Another F-4 Phantom Pilot Lost to Father Time
Cunningham passed away on August 27, 2025, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was born on December 8, 1941, in Los Angeles.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced that he’s directed the establishment of a new task force to serve as the Pentagon’s lead organization for developing capabilities to defeat small drones.
The new organization, dubbed Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401), will be formally stood up by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Hegseth said in a video posted on X.
The existing Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office, or JCO, will be disestablished, according to a new memo from Hegseth.

The Air Force will extend military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran shot and killed by a security officer as she climbed through a broken window during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Babbitt served 5 years on active duty in the Air Force and several years in the Air National Guard, a service record that entitled her to a basic level of funeral military honors under federal law, including a folded flag presented to next of kin and a bugler to play Taps.

Key Points and Summary – The United States is now in a high-stakes race with China to be the first to field an operational sixth-generation fighter. China’s Chengdu J-36, a large, tailless stealth aircraft, has a significant head start, having already been flying in public since late 2024.

-In contrast, America’s F-47 has yet to fly, with only experimental “X-planes” having been tested.

-While the U.S.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Pentagon has ended a Microsoft program that allowed Chinese engineers to maintain the department’s sensitive cloud systems, and that it expects all DOD contractors to do the same.
The decade-old IT servicing model was brought to light in July following a ProPublica investigation, which found that Microsoft was using U.S.-based “digital escorts” that would take direction on how to fix issues with the Defense Department’s cloud systems from experts based overseas.

NATO allies are expanding efforts to connect their technology and weapon systems, standardize data processes and induce more flexibility in combat formations to prepare for future conflicts, according to the top alliance and U.S. commander in Europe.
“We’re going to have an EW-dense, unmanned-dense environment — no matter where we fight,” Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said Thursday, referring to electronic warfare and drones.

To address longstanding difficulties that America’s Afghan allies face at home and overseas, Congressional leaders introduced complimentary bills in the House and Senate in early August. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-Minn.) Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act (FPAAA) and veterans Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ (R-Iowa) and Rep. Jason Crow’s (D-Col.) Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) enjoy wide bipartisan support.
Similar legislation has been introduced under two previous Congresses, but has failed to pass.

Türkiye receive an extensive package of Steel Dome air defence components and expand infrastructure as it sets its sight on Europe.

It’s Saturday, Nov. 18, 1972. The weather’s crisp, the stands at Smedley Butler Stadium are packed, and the Quantico Marines football team is down by three against South Dakota State. Two minutes left—96 yards to go.
The Leathernecks grind their way up the field. With 13 seconds left, quarterback Mike Jay spots his receiver wide open in the end zone. This could be the walk-off win that seals more than 50 years of Marine Corps football tradition. Then reality delivers a linebacker named Ken Jones, who crushes Jay before he can let it fly.
The clock hits 0:00.

Germany-based Rheinmetall has inaugurated an advanced artillery ammunition production facility in Unterluess, Lower Saxony.