Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Israeli Air Force F-15I / Public Domain
Israeli Channel 13 is reporting that Israel is preparing to strike Iran on its own if the United States pulls back from further military escalation. The IDF is maintaining active contingency plans for independent action even as Washington pushes toward a diplomatic exit from the conflict.
The backdrop matters: President Trump has been explicit that he wants this war ended through negotiation, not escalation.
Iran Says Hormuz Deal Isn’t Enough – Iran and Oman are reportedly close to an agreement on a new system for managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran warned on Saturday, August 8, that the arrangement alone won’t be enough to open the waterway. The news further complicates U.S. expectations that normal commercial traffic could resume soon, as Washington also faces a missile shortage that makes continued military action unlikely.
On July 24, 2026, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) announced the future sale of military M14 rifles, converted to semi-auto only, to eligible civilian customers. This extraordinary news electrified the firearms market, but rumors of a $4,000+ price tag quickly circulated. After all, the more numerous M1 Garands sell for around $1,000 and M14 reproductions go for about twice that.
In an interview with Shooting USA at the National Matches, CMP Chairman and CEO Gerald O’Keefe dropped a daisy cutter of a bombshell: CMP M14s will cost under $2,000.
Frank Kendall, former Secretary of the Air Force. (Official DoD photo / Public Domain)
The Department of War moved swiftly Friday to strip former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall of his security clearance, accusing him of making an unauthorized disclosure of classified information about Air Force One’s capabilities to a media outlet. The action was announced by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell and takes effect immediately.
Donald Vandergriff
Restoring Maneuver, Mission Command, and the Generations of War in the Unmanned Age
Michael P. Jenkins, RCD
The most dangerous failures in defense technology are not sensor failures or algorithm failures.
Jay Rogers, RealClearDefense
The Army has decided that airpower close to the ground doesn’t need a pilot’s name on it as often as it used to, and it plans to cut close to 6,500 active-duty…
The Aviationist
Iranian state media has released images of a display of aircraft wreckage from the U.S.
James Wirtz, Military Strategy Magazine
Midway reveals much about the connections among tactics, operations, and strategy when it comes to war at sea, connections that remain relevant…
Since July 18th, Ukrainian forces have made a concerted effort to take out much of the physical infrastructure owned by Wildberries, a Russian e-commerce website. The attacks, which have occurred nearly every night, have set much of the company’s warehouse and storage space ablaze. One Reuters evaluation found that over one-fifth of the retailer’s physical storage space has been wiped out or damaged by Ukrainian strikes.
Russia’s Largest Online Retailer
Putin Reading a Statement. Image Credit: Russian Government.
Russia’s President Putin Sitting at a Desk.