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Following confirmation from the U.S. Armed Forces Central Command that an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft was destroyed by Iranian air defences during engagements on May 30-31, the possibility has emerged of these older drones being relied on to provide an affordable mass for the U.S.-led war effort against Iran and its strategic partners.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy is scheduled to expand its fleet of destroyers from its latest generation of vessels to 59, after passing a landmark 45 ships of the modern Type 052D class and Type 055 class in service in late May with the commissioning of the 35th Type 052D class destroyer Tongchuan. Beyond the first 35 Type 052D class ships, a further eight are currently under construction, which will bring the fleet up to 43 ships.

A source in the Russian security forces has reported that a group of defence contractors from Germany and the United Kingdom fighting for the Ukrainian Army has been eliminated in a forest belt on the frontlines in the Zaporozhye Region. The source added that documents found on these personnel after their deaths confirmed their identities, with Russian state media publishing the names and dates of births of some of the deceased.

In 2023, the NATO Baltic Defense College in Tartu, Estonia devoted its entire annual conference to the Interwar Period (1919 to 1939), a theme repeated at subsequent conferences sponsored by national militaries and academic societies throughout the United States and Europe.

The U.S. Navy has announced plans to station up to eight modernColumbia class ballistic missile submarines at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Washington State from 2032, providing a much improved strategic strike capability against targets in the Pacific, most notably China, but also North Korea and the Russian Far East. The U.S. Armed Forces publication Stars and Stripes has repotted that the deployment highlights broader efforts to preserve credible nuclear deterrence and undersea dominance in the Pacific, as the region remains central to strategic competition with China.

CEO of the Russian state run United Aircraft Corporation Vadim Badekha has provided new details on ongoing work on theS-75 Checkmate program, also known as the Light Tactical Aircraft program, as its development belatedly enters a new stage to prepare for flight testing. “We are developing the aircraft for both the Russian Defence Ministry and foreign customers. The aircraft has significant potential. Delivery times will depend on how we work with customers, their interest and objectives. The Defense Ministry has set a goal of reducing the cost of the final product,” he stated.

The British Army has deployed Challenger 2 main battles tanks for exercises in Estonia’s Voru county, a small territory that lies directly on Russia’s borders, with the tanks operating under the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, and playing a central role in NATO’s Spring Storm war drills. These exercises have simulated a major conflict with Russian forces, with the tanks’ presence representing part of a broader expansion of NATO ground units around Russian territory.

Summary and Key Points: For years, Russia terrorized Ukrainian cities with cheap drones. Now the weapon has turned around on Moscow, exposing a hole that Russia spent too long ignoring. Ukraine’s drone campaign is systematically wearing down Russia’s air defenses — forcing them to fire constantly, burn through their best missiles, and fall back on improvised and decades-old gear. The economics are brutal, and even the skies over Moscow no longer feel safe. Russia still holds significant advantages, but one kind of control it has always taken for granted is slipping away.

Summary and Key Points: In 1987, when Iran tried to close the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy steamed in and broke the blockade. Nearly four decades later, with Iran’s grip complete, the most powerful navy in history is keeping its distance — and one analyst argues it has no choice. For a fraction of one warship’s cost, Iran has built a missile-and-drone shield the Navy’s own leaders won’t risk sailing into. What that means, the argument goes, reaches far beyond the Gulf.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Senior military officials from U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Strategic Command toured Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Rocky Mountain Campus in Colorado on Monday, where they received executive briefings on modernization efforts to enable next-generation command and control.
This engagement comes as America’s adversaries are actively attempting to disrupt industrial supply lines and degrade the military’s communication networks.
“From the connectivity perspective, absolutely, we’re in the same place.