Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Ukraine is not now, and has never been, a member of NATO. However, the question of whether it ever will be is a major part of the now four-and-a-half-year-old war between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long argued that the threat of NATO expansion, which would bring the defensive alliance to Russia’s doorstep and threaten to “encircle” it, was part of his justification for invading Ukraine.
T-14 Armata Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The former top Ukrainian military commander, now the country’s ambassador to the UK, was quoted on Monday as saying there was no prospect of the country joining NATO, an aspiration entrenched in the constitution.
Valery Zaluzhnyi, a former top Ukrainian military commander and now the country’s ambassador to the UK, was cited by media outlet Evropeiska Pravda as telling a meeting of Ukrainian ambassadors that Ukraine in no way met the military standards needed to join the alliance.
The United States has used “virtually all” of its most valuable land-based, long-range precision missiles during five months of conflict with Iran, potentially leaving the Pentagon dangerously short of weapons designed to prepare for a larger conflict with China or Russia – and opening the door to concessions for Tehran.
Speaking to Reuters, two sources familiar with internal data said that the U.S. military had consumed almost all available Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMs) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs).
Pentagon Outsources Advice As Iran MOU 2.0 Lingers – With an Iran deal still seemingly distant, even as Washington insists a temporary arrangement in the Strait of Hormuz could be imminent, the Pentagon is now reportedly seeking new ways to pressure Tehran. According to a CNN report on Monday, August 3, a senior intelligence officer at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) circulated an internal email on July 29, asking military analysts to submit their thoughts on the conflict and propose new ways to pressure Iran to return to the negotiating table.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK has been quoted as saying that his country stands no chance of joining the NATO alliance – at least not anytime soon.
The Ambassador, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, was formerly the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in Ukraine until he retired and was replaced by General Oleksandr Syrskyi in February 2024.
Switchblade Drone. Image Credit: Industry Handout.
His removal has been attributed to differences he had with the Ukrainian President.
One problem with negotiations between Iran and the United States is rhetoric.
It seems that President Donald Trump cannot keep his threatening words under control as his frustrations mount during the war against Iran.
President Donald J. Trump hosts a Rose Garden Club dinner in honor of Police Week in the White House Rose Garden, Monday, May 11, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
President Donald J. Trump rings the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq during an event to launch Trump Accounts, Monday, July 6, 2026, in the Oval Office.
The Army is on the hunt for a new munition that could shoot down small drones and be purchased for less than $150,000 per round.
The Army published a sources-sought notice Tuesday on a government contracting website for the Next Generation Counter-sUAS Missile (NGCM) initiative, which comes as the U.S. military is pursuing a variety of additional tools to address the growing threat posed by small unmanned aerial systems on modern battlefields.
The Army is expected to officially add a laser weapon to its defenses, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to Task & Purpose on Tuesday.
Wired first reported that the Defense Department is expected to award a contract soon for an Enduring High Energy Laser. If the weapon is fielded, it would mark a significant step forward in the military’s adoption of laser weapons.
The Pentagon deferred questions on the matter to the Army. A spokesperson for the Army declined to comment.
According to Trump administration officials, we are about one day away from getting a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz (SoH). Of course, there is no word on whether–or when–the Strait of Bab El-Mandeb is reopening.
And that’s a problem because both the maritime security situations in these two key waterways are deteriorating, as is the global shipping crisis.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 9, takes off from Naval Air Station Point Mugu during Gray Flag, Sept. 12, 2025.
In the present day, Ukraine-made drones of their own design are hitting targets deep inside Russia on an almost daily basis.
So, it is hard to imagine that there was ever a time when the country lacked such capabilities and was forced to improvise a land-attack weapon based on a previous-generation, Cold War-era system.
Su-27 Flanker Up Close. Image Credit: National Security Journal Taken on July 19, 2025.
Russian Su-27 Flanker from USAF Museum. Image Credit: National Security Journal.