Global Defense News The U.S.

Naval News A U.S. Army unit assigned to U.S.

Ceder, Simkins, Navy T. The U.S. Navy is ramping up its investment in artificial intelligence technology to streamline ship repairs and resolve maintenance logjams.

Thomas Newdick, The WarZone Ghost Shark will deploy aerial drones, lay mines, and execute seabed resupply missions as part of Australia’s new undersea arsenal.

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Militaries have spent more than a century operating with fuel and ammunition as limits of combat endurance. They are only beginning to treat batteries with the same operational seriousness, as small unmanned systems move from niche equipment to mass-consumption weapons. Recent bipartisan supply diversification efforts by Congress, the administration, and the Department of Defense provide initial momentum to ensure supply chain independence and resilience for drone batteries.

The Tehran that the world knew is gone. It died in the fires with former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war in February. His son and new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei — wherever he is and in whatever physical condition — witnessed his father, wife, and other close family members die in the same airstrike that wounded him.

Iranian Air Force F-14 and F-5 fighter aircraft have reportedly been conducting patrols near the country’s border with Iraq and in areas close to Kuwait, amid heightened regional tensions and reports of increased American and Israeli aerial activity. The reported activity comes as Iranian forces face the possibility of further confrontation with the United States and Israel following earlier military operations against Iranian targets from February 28, 2026.

This video describes the military situation in

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has deployed reconnaissance drones and naval vessels for operations around Japan, as U.S. and Japanese forces begin large-scale Keen Sword 27 joint military exercises. Japan’s Ministry of Defence reported that three Chinese aircraft, including two drones and a reconnaissance aircraft, flew through international airspace between Japanese islands and into the Pacific Ocean before returning towards mainland China. The activity prompted Japan to scramble fighter aircraft to monitor the movements.

With midterm elections rapidly approaching in the United States, Iran is hoping to delay any peace talks in an effort to inflict as much political damage on Trump as possible.

The war against Iran has caused much political strife in the U.S., as gas prices have increased and the global oil market has been thrown into chaos.

B-52 Bomber Bombs. Image Credit: National Security Journal.

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Ukrainian officials claim that Washington is withholding critical intelligence on incoming Russian ballistic missile strikes, with a new investigation revealing that at least six civilians were killed in strikes that reportedly occurred without the normal warnings that Kyiv receives from American satellite systems.

The allegations come as the relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to deteriorate and Washington prepares more potential financial incentives for Moscow to end the war.

Tu-22M3 Bomber from Russia.

At a time when the Ukrainians are in an increasingly desperate situation, Kyiv continues to figure out ways to strike at Russia.

Its critical stockpiles of defensive weapons are dwindling.

T-90M Russian Army. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

T-90 Tank from Ukraine War. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Americans are pulling back from Ukraine.

The Europeans cannot sustain the war on their own.
So, Ukraine is scrambling to keep itself combat-effective, even as the Russian Army slowly encircles those Fortress Cities in the contested Donbas region.

Helium is becoming a national security problem.

Most Americans think of it as the stuff in birthday balloons and the party trick that makes your voice squeak.

B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber on Runway. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Flying. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

However, as a recent 60 Minutes report on CBS News made painfully clear, it is one of the most critical, yet overlooked, materials in the modern economy.

No helium means no smartphones, no MRI machines, no rocket launches, and no air defense missiles, which are already in short supply.

The Army is piloting an AI-backed maintenance program the service hopes will make fixing equipment faster and easier for soldiers.
Developed by Army Communications-Electronics Command, the idea is to digitize thousands of cumbersome, physical maintenance publications into a central ecosystem known as the Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Maintenance (AIAM) program.

President Donald Trump never wanted the Iran war to last as long as it did. Still, Tehran knew that delaying negotiations as long as possible would force the president into the November midterms in the middle of a war, and those tactics have worked.

President Trump’s approval ratings have reached historic lows, and the Republican Party is widely expected to lose control of Congress in November. And with just two weeks to go, Iran is still taunting President Trump and seeking to exploit his political vulnerability.

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Space Force leaders are aiming to scale up the number of guardians supporting combatant commands in the coming years as part of a plan to enhance the provision of space capabilities for joint force operations.
In a notice to troops published last week, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess stated that the service must boost its arsenal and capacity.
“As members of our nation’s Armed Forces, we must continue to arm and grow our service to defend the Joint Force from space-enabled attack while simultaneously providing space capabilities to enable Joint Force combat power.

The Marine Corps has instructed organizations across all of its echelons to provide authorized personnel with their own Maven Smart System accounts on the applicable networks that they are permitted to access.
This significant expansion of enterprise licensing for Palantir’s AI-powered software platform went into effect Oct. 1, according to an administrative message posted online Tuesday.
“Other guidance such as an updated MSS Implementation Plan will be published separately,” officials wrote.

Could humanoid robots have a role on the battle

The details behind the death of an Air Force special operations instructor killed during a rappelling demonstration Saturday will likely not be known for weeks or even months.
But rappelling demonstrations by military members at large public events, particularly involving highly trained special ops units, are not new.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson, a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to a training unit at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, was killed when he fell from the rafters of that city’s Alamodome football stadium prior to a college football game.

It was a sad end for a ship that has provided s

Republican candidates and their campaigns are distancing themselves from President Donald Trump ahead of the rapidly approaching November 3 midterm elections, and new advertising data shows the president has virtually disappeared from the party’s television campaigns.

A new New York Times investigation found that less than 1% of Republican advertising spending on congressional races over the last five weeks went toward commercials that mention President Donald Trump by name.

President Donald J.

When Donald Trump returned to the White House, it soon became clear he was running a wide variety of schemes to enrich himself, and many, especially the president’s vocal opponents, felt despair.

After all, Trump had been impeached twice in his first term and had escaped major punishment from four separate criminal indictments during his time out of office, but he still returned to the presidency.

President Donald J.

This video describes the military situation in

In 2023, three North Korea analysts identified what they believe most people studying the country get wrong, and how analysts can avoid those traps. Three years later, we asked them to revisit their arguments and offer fresh insights into what North Korean propaganda reveals about Pyongyang’s priorities.Image: The KremlinIn your 2023 article, you said the key to analyzing North Korean propaganda is identifying what is new and figuring out the reasons for any changes.

Donald Trump, infamously, did not accept the result of the 2020 election, leading to an attack on the U.S. Capitol and his second impeachment.

Trump, to this day, refuses to concede that he lost that election, and has been known to demand that government appointees go along with the conceit that he really won in 2020.

Donald Trump Speaking at CPAC. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Trump has long baselessly alleged a “deep state” conspiracy to undermine American elections.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the Army to restore a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, a project expected to cost taxpayers approximately $9 million, cemetery officials confirmed to Task & Purpose.
“The current estimated cost of comprehensive conservation, replacement of the internal support structure and installing the Moses Ezekiel sculpture in Arlington National Cemetery is approximately $9 million in Operation and Maintenance Army (OMA) funds,” an Arlington National Cemetery spokesperson said.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 31 percent, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on October 19, 2026.

This marks the lowest approval rating Reuters/Ipsos has recorded during either of Trump’s two presidential terms and is one point below his previous low, recorded two weeks earlier.

President Donald J. Trump boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, October 5, 2026, en route Joint Base Andrews for a trip to Nebraska. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

President Donald J.

Footage from the Ukrainian frontline appears to

Energy crises don’t stay energy crises. More bad news today: the global food supply may be imperiled.

That’s the warning running through recent Financial Times reporting, and policymakers ignore it at their peril.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer sits on the flightline at Lajes Field, Azores, Aug. 22, 2025. The aircraft landed for a hot pit refuel during a Bomber Task Force Europe mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Cristina Oliveira)

Sideview of B-1B Lancer Bomber. Image Credit: National Security Journal.

Nearly eight months after the U.S.

The rift between US President Donald J. Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is widening as the two leaders continue trading verbal barbs. Relations between the two have been rough since Trump began his second term in 2025, but tensions are nearing a critical point as both sides keep provoking each other.

The recent feud began when Trump decided to buy large quantities of diesel fuel from Moscow. Zelenskyy reacted strongly, calling it a “weak decision.” Since then, tensions have grown further after disruptions to Ukraine’s Starlink connection and claims that the U.S.

Ukraine is feeling the squeeze as the Trump administration is clearly trying to leave the war as quickly as possible, and Europe lacks the reserves in terms of money and arms to support the Ukrainians on their own.

Ukrainian air defense interceptor stockpiles are essentially gone, meaning the Ukrainians have to conserve what little systems they have remaining–or let Russian drones and missiles through–and it makes Kyiv a true frontline city.

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s easing of sanctions on Russia has proved controversial — in Ukraine and in America.

Trump: Ukraine Gave Us Nothing

President Donald Trump greets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Friday, February 28, 2025, in the West Wing Lobby. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

President Donald Trump greets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Friday, February 28, 2025, in the West Wing Lobby.

Don’t sleep on @ultrapouches.

RNAS Culdrose have taken part in an annual than

France has been engulfed in civil unrest for the last week, which the New York Times reports is the “most destructive in decades.”

According to the Times, the riots in France are driven by students protesting school conditions, others protesting the high cost of living, and “opportunistic rioters” using the unrest to loot.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a meeting of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at Union Station in Washington, D.C. (Official White House photo by Joyce N.

A drone attack apparently started a fire at an industrial facility in Russia’s Tambov region in the early morning on Tuesday.

The attack came a day after Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov announced that gasoline supplies had stabilized and asked officials to consider ending fuel rationing.

ATACMS Like Used in Ukraine Creative Commons

HIMARS Like Used in Ukraine Image Credit Creative Commons

Russia reported downing 136 Ukrainian drones overnight. There was no immediate sign that the October 20 fire affected Druzhba oil flow.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating continues to plummet, hitting its lowest level in either term. Americans are growing increasingly frustrated with the president’s economic and war performance, with only two weeks left until the November 3 midterm elections, when Republicans are expected to lose control of Congress.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll, published on Monday, October 19, shows that just 31% of Americans approve of the president’s performance.

Social Security Check. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Social Security Check. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

With just two weeks until the midterm elections, the Republican Party is facing an identity crisis.

GOP hopefuls nationwide are distancing themselves from U.S. President Donald Trump, whose popularity among Americans continues to decline.

Donald Trump Speaking at CPAC. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Two separate polls released this week found that the President’s approval rating has reached record lows not seen during his first term.

Soldiers need to be “hard” and “tough” to fight

Norway has already begun to receive Leopard 2A8 tank manufactured by KNDS Deutschland and will now also locally-produce units.

Over the last year the Army has shuttered most of its specialized units that train and advise foreign militaries around the world, but one is left standing. The 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade has been able to “find work” working with allies in the region, as part of the Army’s broader strategy to build alliances to counter Chinese influence, the commander said.
The 5th SFAB, for short, is based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and is the last of six original SFAB units that were stood up in 2018 as part of the Army’s advise and assist mission.

Call it the incredibly shrinking majority, and US President Donald Trump clearly has a problem on his hands. Just 14 days before the American people vote in the 2026 Midterms, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted October 16 to 19, joins a growing list of negative polls. All of this points to an unmistakable conclusion: the odds that the Republicans will walk away with majorities after November 3, certainly in the U.S. House of Representatives and possibly in the U.S. Senate, are diminishing with each passing day.

The Trump administration is reportedly blocking the transfer of American-made Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on Washington to ramp up transfers – potentially in exchange for ending the long-range strike campaign against Russian refineries.

According to a Washington Post report published on Monday, October 19, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has yet to authorize the transfer of missiles from allied countries to Ukraine.

Visit any corner of the globe and you could pro

It was an unfortunate series of events that kept a new season of “The Terminal List” from getting to air. The 2023 Writer’s Strike, a Screen Actor’s Guild strike, and the busy schedule of the show’s popular lead Chris Pratt, who portrays rogue Navy SEAL Lt. Cmdr. James Reece.
But on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, viewers will catch up with Reece on the other side of international law when “The Terminal List” season two binge drops on Amazon Prime Video.

The Iran war is fast approaching its eight-month anniversary. A conflict U.S. President Donald Trump said would end within weeks has dominated the U.S. political landscape for most of the year. Both Tehran and Washington’s refusal to budge suggests the conflict won’t end anytime soon.

The conflict will cost the GOP its majority in Congress, leaving an uncomfortable final two years of Trump’s second term with a Democrat-controlled chamber set to limit much of his desired agenda.

A B-52 Stratofortress lands at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, April 15, 2021.

Russia launched yet another attack on Ukraine overnight, with at least 16 people killed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and at least another 69 people injured — figures that include children and other civilian non-combatants.

Posting to social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decried the attack on civilians. “A horrific Russian attack in the Kharkiv region. A “Shahed” drone struck essentially just civilians—in a park near an ordinary café. Absolute barbarism. Six people were killed, including children. A little girl was killed in her stroller.

Amidst a major buildup of US military forces throughout the Middle East, as Israeli warplanes continue scrambling, conducting what appear to be mock attack runs, and the countdown to the two most consequential elections of this decade–Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US Midterm elections–runs down, the Iranians are also preparing.

Escalation Underway?

F-15I Fighter Israeli Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

F-35I Adir Fighter. Image Credit: Israeli Air Force.

The Strait of Hormuz could become “redundant” within five years as Gulf states develop alternative export routes, HSBC Chief Executive Georges Elhedery suggested on Tuesday.

“Of course, we do wish and hope to see a resolution to the conflict… But Hormuz, probably in five years, may become redundant,” he told the HSBC Future Forum in Dubai, Reuters quoted him as saying.

A Sailor directs an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the “Kestrels” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the South China Sea, May 12, 2025.