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Bill Sweetman, Strategist
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When Chloe Turner and her mother started going through boxes that belonged to her late grandfather, they found uniforms and flight logs from his time as a World War II naval aviator, along with a Purple Heart whose full story the family had never pieced together. 
“We found all this history we didn’t know anything about,” Turner told We Are The Mighty. “It was crazy.

Contrary to what you might think, the most important ally in the Middle East is not the state of Israel. In fact, it is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and several other Gulf Arab states. That’s because those countries have hosted the US military presence that has been the source of US military power in the region.

Washington and Riyadh Reconsider Each Other

U.S. Air Force Capt. Nick “Laz” Le Tourneau, pilot and commander of the F-22 Raptor Aerial Demonstration Team, performs an aerial demonstration during the Spirit of St.

America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is at less than 330 million barrels and falling like a rock. That’s a problem because, at least for now, the US is surviving by drawing heavily on the SPR amid the ongoing quasi-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

We anticipated $150 per barrel of oil considering that 20 percent of the world’s oil supply was blockaded by Iran (and the United States) in the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, oil prices have been declining at breakneck speed.

President Donald J.

Pompano Beach, Florida – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s paranoia is once again on full display. As rumors continue to mount about plans being hatched to remove him from power and as plots to assassinate him gain more credibility, the former KGB Lt. Col. is making, as they say, “the appropriate adjustments.”

When Putin makes one of his heavily scripted, fully controlled public appearances in locked-down locations, the organization charged with safeguarding him is the Federal Protective Service (FPS).

The U.S. Air Force has demonstrated a significant advance in human-machine teaming by showcasing its newest fighter type’s ability to operate alongside and control autonomous unmanned aircraft during Exercise Valiant Shield 2026 over the Philippine Sea. This followed the deployment of F-15EX fighters to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa for testing and training purposes, and highlighted the growing role of manned fighters as airborne command nodes for future unmanned formations. The demonstration reflects a broader shift in U.S.

During a recent conference on the People’s Liberation Army, I heard the same question posed to attendees and paper writers: “How would China react to U.S. force posture change X, Y, or Z?” or “How would the Chinese military respond to U.S. strikes in certain locations?” Having participated in dozens of unclassified wargames at the RAND Corporation and elsewhere, I hear a similar refrain when playing the “red team.”This is a reasonable and legitimate question.

Huntington Ingalls Industries has officially begun the fabrication of the thirteen Flight III Arleigh Burke class destroyer, the future USS John F. Lehman, which is a heavily enhanced variant of a late Cold War era design that currently comprises almost the entire U.S. Navy ocean-going surface combat fleet. The Flight III is the latest and most capable evolution of the Arleigh Burke class design, and incorporates substantial improvements in air and missile defence while retaining the proven hull and propulsion system of earlier ships.

Following the return of the Russian Navy’s most capable surface combat ship to its home port in Severomorsk in late June, the Kirov class nuclear powered cruiserAdmiral Nakhimov has been confirmed to have integrated a new air wing comprised with modern Ka-27M anti-submarine warfare helicopters. This is particularly significant not only due to the considerable requirements for anti-submarine capabilities under the Navy’s Northern Fleet, but also because Kirov class cruisers were built to accommodate he largest embarked aviation component of any non-carrier surface combatant.

Photo of Ellis Zacharias speaking on his radio show (1948-49). Wikipedia.
If you haven’t read Secret Missions: The Story of an intelligence officer (1946) by former Captain Ellis Zacharias (and later Rear Admiral), consider putting it on your summer reading list. It’s a great, informative window into 1920s-40s US Naval Intelligence.
Captain Zach, in southern California, was an early monitor of German and US Nazi activity, with earlier work in Japan that continued throughout his career.
After WWII, Ellis became a kind of post-WWII intelligence celebrity.