A geyser of water shot into the air when the decommissioned amphibious transport dock USS Juneau was struck by a torpedo fired by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force as part of a live-fire ship sinking exercise, photos recently posted by the U.S. military show.
The torpedo was the final salvo used to sink the Juneau earlier this month as part of Valiant Shield, a biennial exercise with U.S. and allied forces, said Lt. Cmdr. Katie Koenig, director of the Combined, Joint Information Bureau for the exercise.

Six time zones east of Moscow, in the Siberian region of Zabaikalye, the line of cars waiting to reach a working fuel pump stretched three kilometers. In some districts, garbage collection has stopped because the trucks have no diesel. In parts of the Pacific region of Khabarovsk, where the governor says about 40 percent of stations are dry, residents have reported fighting wildfires themselves because the fire trucks cannot be fueled.

The Pentagon and Office of Personnel Management announced a recruiting effort Tuesday that officials are calling “War Force.”
The initiative doesn’t seek to hire trigger-pullers but rather AI experts and other software engineers that could “embed down to the unit level across the department” to support operational needs and “ensure a more lethal United States military,” according to an OPM press release.

On Sept. 16, 1620 the Mayflower left Plymouth, England bound for the new world, bound for the northern Virginia colony. They never made it—not to Virginia, anyway. Trouble with the ships, stormy seas, and some unexpected course corrections delayed their arrival to America and when they finally saw their new continent, the most disturbing trouble of all happened: they were low on beer.
The ship’s commander, Capt. Christopher Jones, made an executive decision: the Pilgrims would be departing a little sooner than they expected so there would be more beer for the crew.

July marks the 110th anniversary of the start o

Oil is closing out its weakest quarter in five years on Tuesday, with Brent crude down roughly 30 percent over the three months and off about 20 percent in June alone, the steepest quarterly fall since the pandemic crash of 2020. The slide has carried both major benchmarks back to where they traded just before the United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28. West Texas Intermediate sat near $70.75 a barrel and Brent near $73.22, a remarkable round trip for a market that watched prices climb above $120 at the height of the war.

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China’s YY-20 Tanker Increasing The Range Of Its Fighters: China released a military video promoting its newest sixth-generation stealth fighter as it is refueled mid-air by the YY-20 aerial refueling tanker.

This air-refueling capability was one that the PLAAF didn’t possess until this decade, but it is rapidly gaining expertise and experience.

J-36 Fighter in the Sky. Image Credit: X Post.

The YY-20, with a capacity of 90 tons of fuel, enables the Chinese to conduct force projection with their land-based fighters to ranges that were unreachable just a few short years ago.

An old friend pinned a Special Forces tab onto Terry McIntosh’s blue blazer earlier this month during an impromptu celebration at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The tab was a gift from Al Kittredge, a retired Special Forces officer, who presented it to McIntosh to mark the Army’s decision to formally acknowledge McIntosh’s status as an 18-year-old Special Forces soldier in 1968.

After months of anticipation, the figures behind the UK’s Defence Investment Plan have been published following the Prime Minister’s speech.

Harvey Geh, The US Sun AS Kyiv launches a crippling endgame blitz, Vladimir Putin may be forced to end his war in Ukraine in just months, experts say.

Cu Fleshman, Travel and Leisure
This Town Was the Site of the Civil War’s Bloodiest Battle—and It’s One of the Best Places to Visit for America’s 250th

Lockheed Martin has received a $3bn contract from the US Army for the production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets.

The UK Government is presenting its long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP), confirming an allocation of £5bn towards the integration of drones and autonomous systems in the armed forces over the next four years.

Ukraine is negotiating with France for a license to build the SCALP cruise missile on its own soil, a step that would hand Kyiv a homemade precision weapon it could produce in quantity and fire into Russia without waiting on an ally’s permission. The talks are early, and the obstacles are real. But the timing is pointed, because the missile would arrive as Russia’s air defenses are showing signs of strain under a relentless Ukrainian campaign, giving Moscow one more kind of threat to guard against across a country it is already struggling to cover.

United States presidents make popular commencement speakers.
As leaders of the free world, they can’t possibly accept every invitation to speak before a graduating class. However, when a military academy offers that opportunity to a president, he tends to accept.
Also Read: Why JFK’s first casket was buried at the bottom of the ocean
President John F. Kennedy was no different. He only resided in the White House for slightly less than three years, but he managed to speak at all three major U.S. military academies during his time in office.
Kennedy spoke at the U.S.

Russian President Putin’s fuel-shortage admission was really an admission that Ukraine has forced Russia into a repair war.

He did not put it that way, of course. He spoke as Russian leaders usually speak when a visible problem can no longer be denied. There were difficulties. They were being managed. The state was acting. The situation was not critical. That was the official line. It was meant to shrink the story.

Three U.S.

In a strangely singular admission, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the disruptive effect of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian energy sites across the country.

“As for strikes against critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, of course, these attacks on our infrastructure facilities create problems, that’s obvious,” the Russian president said during an interview with local Russian-language media. “Right now we’re observing a certain shortage, but it’s not critical.

It’s finally here…
The UK’s n

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The French Navy has formally accepted the Suffren class nuclear-powered attack submarine De Grasse into service, marking a major milestone in the service’s long-term efforts to transform its offensive combat capabilities and replace its aging Rubis class attack submarines.

The extent of China’s drone dominance — and how to decouple from it — has long been a source of debate and anxiety in Washington. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reignited controversy by publishing a visual analysis of military quadcopter components, exploring China’s advantages in parts manufacturing and cost. The director of the Defense Innovation Unit objected to the report, stating on X that “By leaving out the dozens of U.S. companies that have plunged into drone component manufacturing, this article disappoints.

On May 13, 2026, Air Force One landed in Beijing for President Donald Trump’s first state visit to China in nearly a decade. That same morning, the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations published a report titled The Evolving World and the Right Way to China-US Coexistence. The summit dominated global media coverage for two days. The report received almost none.The Beijing summit produced familiar imagery: honor guards, a state banquet in the Great Hall of the People, and carefully choreographed warmth.

Former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe on the f

Footage released by Chinese state media to mark the tenth anniversary of the Y-20 strategic transport aircraft, which has throughout the past decade been the largest aircraft of its kind in production in the world, has highlighted its role in supporting the air arm of the country’s strategic nuclear deterrent against the United States.

Following the delivery of the last of 108 M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks ordered to equip the Republic of China Army, analysts at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) have recently assessed the vehicles are prime examples of “dead weight” procurements because they are optimised for a kind of conventional land warfare that is far removed from the Army’s likely conflict scenarios.

The U.S. Air Force has disclosed for the first time that it has integrated the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) onto the world’s sole type of stealth bomber, the B-2 Spirit, which represents a landmark development for the aircraft. The new capability was revealed after a B-2 launched an LRASM during a live-fire SINKEX as part of Valiant Shield 2026 exercises, targeting the decommissioned amphibious transport dock USS Juneaunorth of the Mariana Islands. U.S. officials declined to provide further details on this new capability.

A figure has been circulating on Russian military channels that captures how lethal the war in Ukraine has become for the men sent to fight it. Russian soldiers who reach certain stretches of the front, the bloggers claim, can expect to survive an average of 20 to 35 minutes. The number was relayed by Oxford historian Peter Frankopan in a Foreign Policy report and has not been independently verified, and it may be less a measurement than the grim shorthand of soldiers who have seen what the drones do.

The Simple Reason Taiwan Won’t Get the F-35: American support for Taiwan has steadily increased as China has expanded its military presence around the island, with billions of dollars in weapons sales approved, including F-16V fighter jets and HIMARS rocket systems, among other high-value military assets.

But one is still absent from the list: the F-35 Lightning II.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Sean “Rambo” Loughlin, pilot for the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, performs aerial maneuvers during a practice flight at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Jan. 6, 2026.

Russia’s oil crisis can no longer be ignored. Videos shared on social media show Russian citizens expressing their anger at the fuel pumps and fighting in the streets over access to fuel. Some videos show women breaking down in tears, with one explaining that she had waited so long in line for fuel that her car battery died. Regular Russian citizens are now feeling the impact of the war, and that’s precisely what Kyiv set out to do when it announced the ongoing 40-day campaign.

US and French firepower on full display💥
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On its face, a challenge coin is a small, custom-designed medallion that bears an organization’s insignia or emblem. They’re carried by the unit members to signify membership, honor achievements, support team building, or commemorate special events.
But that definition barely scratches the surface, because it might mean more to them than most people will ever understand.
Also Read: What happens to coins on military headstones
These coins are about a connection to something bigger than oneself.

When it comes to the production of the Army’s newest small arms, the priority has shifted from the M7 rifle to the lighter XM8 carbine, an Army spokesperson told Task & Purpose.
“The production line has changed to the XM8,” said David Patterson Jr., director of public affairs for the Army’s Capability Program Executive Ground, which oversees weapons development, helmets, sensors and other equipment for soldiers.
The M7 rifle and XM8 carbine are part of the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program along with the M250, a machine gun variant. All three models fire the 6.

Washington — The Pentagon is conducting an operations security review following a significant data exposure at Dialog, a highly secretive private events organization co-founded by tech investor Peter Thiel, that compromised personal information of senior U.S. national security officials and active-duty special operations personnel.
The incident, first reported by WIRED, occurred after a misconfigured website left sensitive registrant files publicly accessible, prompting concerns over potential operational security risks for individuals involved in intelligence and military activities.

‘Someone’s got their foot on our he

Overland AI has secured a production contract for autonomous ground vehicles that will provide resupply for Marine Air Defense Integrated System, the company announced Monday.
The $20 million deal was spurred by the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) initiative, which is run by the Pentagon’s Research and Engineering directorate, according to a press release.
During a media roundtable, Overland AI co-founder and CEO Byron Boots told DefenseScoop that initial deliveries of the AGVs are scheduled to begin about nine months after contract award.

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Defense and intelligence agencies play a crucial role in supporting the military by detecting threats before they cause real harm.
The approach isn’t confined just to the military. National security, cybersecurity, and law enforcement organizations similarly focus resources “to the left of boom” — leveraging intelligence gathering, surveillance, and analysis of adversaries’ behavior to plan for potential disruptions or catastrophic events.  
For agencies like the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), however, those efforts have become increasingly challenging.

Men who went through the Army’s grueling Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia, experienced greater hormonal changes than women who took part in the course, according to a recent study by the service.
The findings are from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, whose researchers looked at men and women who participated in the 61-day leadership course. The study focused on how stressors impact the body’s physiological responses, like metabolic and sex hormones, iron levels and inflammation markers.

U.S. Transportation Command wants to partner with external stakeholders to explore integrating autonomous and remotely piloted drone boats into its global mobility network and military supply chains. 
Participants interested in entering new cooperative research and development agreements with the combatant command to study “the uses, limitations, and delivered value” of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) for moving military personnel and cargo are invited to submit white papers by July 6.

Oil crisis coming soon?: It was bad news for the global economy last weekend when commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz once again slowed after fresh attacks on merchant vessels and new U.S. strikes on Iran. The exchange of fire, which risks the fragile memorandum of understanding (MOU) ceasefire, has once again rattled global markets and left commercial shipping companies concerned about the strait’s safety.

A Japan-based Marine Corps unit officially used the Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) during a recent exercise, the service said Sunday, touting the integration of the mobile, surface-to-air system as a “significant step” in deterring China in the Pacific.
Troops from III Marine Expeditionary Force ran simulation drills with the MRIC at the Mason Live Fire Training Range Complex in Guam during exercise Valiant Shield, according to photos posted by the service, the eleventh iteration of a long-running series of multinational maneuvers focused on Pacific deterrence.

Russia Continues Its Assault On The Donbas City Of Kostyantynivka: The Russian military has continued its assault on the strategic city of Kostyantynivka in the Donbas Oblast of eastern Ukraine, a key stronghold of Ukraine’s eastern “fortress belt.

The city has increasingly become a contested combat zone due to both heavy shelling and localized infantry infiltrations.

T-80 Tank Russian Army. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The city is important to Putin’s army because it is a primary gateway to the Kramatorsk-Sloviansk metropolitan area.

An RAF Voyager has deployed the UK’s sear

Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign appears to have entered a new phase.

Ukrainian drones struck another major Russian refinery, while President Vladimir Putin is now publicly admitting that Russia is experiencing a fuel shortage—the clearest proof yet that Ukraine’s attacks are affecting Russia’s domestic economy.

Sukhoi Su-34 Heading Into the Sky. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

While Moscow maintains that the strikes are not affecting battlefield operations, the Kremlin is promising to repair refineries and improve air defenses—even as it rations fuel in certain regions.

Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign against Russia is not only hitting the headlines and introducing Russian citizens to the economic consequences of the war – it’s also beginning to reshape the behavior of some of Moscow’s closest partners.

Overnight on June 28, Ukrainian forces launched a barrage of long-range missile and drone strikes against Russia, targeting two oil refineries hundreds of kilometers from the front lines.

The Strait of Hormuz is without a doubt one of the world’s most important waterways. Nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil flows through there, another nearly 20 percent of the world’s natural gas, one-third of the world’s agricultural goods, and countless critical industrial inputs that make the modern world work every day.

Since US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started their regime change war of choice against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Strait has been closed.

Challenger 3, the Army’s next-generation

Oil prices are falling back to pre-Iran conflict levels despite ongoing geopolitical supply risks, as global demand softens and the market prices in rising exports from the Persian Gulf.

Traders are betting that diplomatic efforts—such as the recent U.S.-Iran ceasefire and increased tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz—will avert a severe supply crunch.

President Donald J. Trump holds a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room Wednesday, May 27, 2026.

Marine Corps officials have identified Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco as the Marine who went missing from a ship off the southern coast of California last week. The 21-year-old Marine from Minnesota was declared dead on June 27 following a 43-hour search by Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel, ships and aircraft.