The American military’s underwater drone that Iran claimed to capture near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday was an older Anduril Dive-LD model that was “defective and malfunctioning well before” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced its so-called seizure, according to a source at U.S. Central Command.
“The drone was essentially dead in the water for more than a day,” Centcom spokesperson Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins told DefenseScoop.
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The Defense Innovation Unit and its industry partner Honeywell Aerospace recently flight-tested quantum sensing technology as the Pentagon pursues new navigation capabilities that aren’t dependent on GPS.
According to a Sept. 4 announcement, the test involved a magnetic navigation (MagNav) system that was installed on an Embraer 170 jet that made a round-trip journey over the Pacific Ocean between Seattle’s Puget Sound and southern Alaska.
Over the weekend, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Russia and Ukraine, and their visit to Kyiv on Sunday marked their first trip to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
According to Al Jazeera, Kushner and Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to try to kickstart stalled peace talks.
Vladimir Putin in Murmansk (2025-03-27). Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Putin November 2022. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“It is very important that the delegation has arrived to see us.
Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum, only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war.
Ukraine’s Patriot Problem Eased But Not Solved – Ukraine is still grappling with a shortage of missile interceptors capable of stopping Russian ballistic attacks, but supplies are being replenished — at least at a slow rate. But at least supplies are moving, with new commitments announced on Tuesday, September 8.
Germany announced on Tuesday that it will urgently transfer additional Patriot PAC-2 interceptor missiles directly from its Bundeswehr stock. Britain also pledged an additional £100 million for Ukrainian air defenses, including U.S.-made equipment.
Last week, the U.S. sent special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Whitkoff to Moscow and Kyiv to try to restart diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine.
According to both sides, the meeting with the U.S. representatives went well, with both Zelenskyy and Putin asserting their willingness to bring the war to a diplomatic end.
Russian President Putin. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Putin in 2021. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Despite the positive feelings, however, neither Russia nor Ukraine shows meaningful signs that they are willing to end the war.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed terror proxy, targeted four cities in southern Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones on Tuesday.
73 Injured in Saudi Arabia
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 52nd Annual SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, April 18, 2026. Capt. Le Tourneau showcased the unmatched capabilities of the F-22 to the SUN ‘n FUN crowds by performing multiple series of combat maneuvers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt.
Since the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and about 40 of his top advisors, and touching off what is now widely called the 2026 Iran conflict, the conflict has cycled through ceasefires, collapses, and renewed strikes rather than settling into either victory or peace.
As of early September 2026, the pattern is maddeningly familiar: U.S. strikes on Iranian tankers and military sites, Iranian missile and drone retaliation against U.S. bases and shipping, and a Strait of Hormuz that remains a live flashpoint.
In what CNN described as a “major regional escalation,” the Houthi rebels in Yemen this week launched an attack on oil and other infrastructure in southwestern Saudi Arabia, near the Houthis’ stronghold in Western Yemen.
The move by the Iranian-backed militia, the analysis said, “risks widening the region’s conflicts and adding further pressure to crude prices.” Indeed, Brent Crude rose to $98 a barrel on Tuesday before dipping below that level, marking the highest level reported since July.
Russia can continue funding its full-scale invasion of Ukraine until at least 2028, according to Ukrainian military intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko.
The Russian economy has been weakened during the conflict, as Moscow seeks to fund a four-and-a-half-year war it originally believed would be completed within weeks.
Putin in 2023. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Putin in 2022. Image Credit: Creative Commons.