👎Which service if not the Navy?

When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his “special military operation” against Ukraine, it was touted as a short, intense invasion in which Kyiv would capitulate within weeks, if not days.

It was deemed incomprehensible that Ukraine would ever be fighting the war inside Russia’s borders when Russian tanks rolled through border checkpoints across the country.

Russia’s President Putin Sitting at a Desk. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Putin Reading a Statement. Image Credit: Russian Government.

Of the 1.7 million personnel who use the Defense Department’s enterprise AI platform, approximately 500,000 are using it heavily, according to a senior Pentagon official.
The department first introduced its GenAI.mil platform for service members, DOD civilians and contractors in December to provide access to commercial tools that can assist with back-office functions and other tasks.
The tech has since been adopted by the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Space Force as their preferred enterprise AI system.

Uurgh!! Ooof!!

In 2021, Sungmin Cho wrote, “South Korea’s Taiwan Conundrum,” where he argued Seoul’s complex strategic position makes engagement on questions of involvement over a Taiwan contingency complicated. Five years later, we asked him to revisit his arguments.Image: U.S. Navy (Photo by Seaman Apprentice Cale Hatch)In your 2021 article, you argued that Seoul should more actively engage in strategic dialogue with Washington on Taiwan issues.

A cargo vessel was struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, 23rd September, leaving two people injured.

The strike by an unknown projectile comes amid renewed optimism of a deal to end the Iran war and subsequently reopen the vital international waterway.

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). Creative Commons Image.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) steams behind the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in the Persian Gulf on Jan. 31, 2006.

The United Nations General Assembly began on Tuesday, 22nd September, with U.S. President Donald Trump once again threatening to “annihilate” Iran.

Trump, the second of almost 200 speakers at the General Assembly this week, made the comments in a 35-minute speech just hours before U.S. and Iranian officials held a three-hour meeting through mediators in New York.

Donald Trump Giving a Speech. Image Credit: Gage Skidmore.

Donald Trump in 2023 Speaking. Image Credit: Gage Skidmore.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has become “increasingly cavalier, dangerous and risk-accepting,” according to a senior NATO official.

Air Chief Marshal Sir John Stringer, NATO’s deputy commander in Europe, made the comments on Tuesday, 22nd September, at a security conference in Estonia.

Putin and Russian Military Creative Commons Image

Putin in May of 2026.

Gurkha recruits face one of their toughest test

Leidos has been awarded a contract extension by the US Army to continue operating the Airborne Reconnaissance and Targeting Exploitation Multi-Mission Intelligence System (ARTEMIS) across Europe.

The war between Russia and Ukraine, over the course of its more than four years, has made history when it comes to how important drone warfare has been.

Ukraine has developed its own drone industry that has influenced warfare around the world, while Russia has wreaked massive havoc with its own drones throughout the war.

S-70 Drone VIA X Screenshot. Image Credit: X Screenshot.

Shahed Drone from Ukraine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

In the last 24 hours, President Donald Trump has mused openly on the floor of the United Nations about “annihilating” Iran, while other reports have stated that productive talks have taken place on finding a diplomatic solution to the long-standing conflict.

However, Iran’s military has denounced the president’s “annihilation” talk as a sign of desperation.

President Donald J. Trump speaks with members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, April 16, 2026, en route Joint Base Andrews for a trip to Las Vegas.

YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. — U.S. Northern Command’s fourth iteration of its large-scale Falcon Peak exercise is designed to demonstrate, refine and connect capabilities that counter small, hostile drones in desert terrains, and for the first time, those threatening America along the southern border.   
“What we’re trying to do is come up with technologies that help us identify adversary drones and also hobbyist drones, so that we can appropriately — within the bounds of U.S.

Andy Baynes’ route into the world of defe

The Army released the identity on Tuesday of a soldier who died in the Middle East last week, a day after Task & Purpose confirmed the woman as the 19th U.S. service member to die while deployed in support of the Iran war. Capt. Bianca C. Wilkerson, 37, of Norfolk, Va., died on a non-combat flight to Saudi Arabia, the Army said, from a “medical incident.”
Wilkerson was posthumously promoted to major, the Army said. Wilkerson was assigned to Headquarters, U.S.

…sorry it isn’t scratch-n-sniff…

President Donald J. Trump signs the Greenland security deal with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Photo: CDR Salamander / Substack

…and there you go. President Donald J. Trump signs the Greenland security deal with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
We have kept up reasonably steady reporting the last couple of years on Greenland.

The U.S. military’s reporting of casualties in the Iran war has drawn criticism for months, with the Pentagon providing little explanation for delayed reports of wounded and shifting casualty counts. Even the number of U.S. troops who have died while deployed to the region, which the Pentagon now says is 19, has been questioned in recent media reports.
Veterans of previous conflicts who once were responsible for updating the public on casualty numbers in those wars say the Pentagon is facing a credibility crisis.

As part of an interview with the US Wall Street Journal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Tuesday, 22 September, that despite his public statements about wanting to end the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to scale back his attacks on Ukrainian cities without more pressure from Washington.

Part of that “pressure” would include an additional tranche of military assistance, the Ukrainian leader explained. Kyiv has now asked US President Donald Trump for a winter package of military equipment, including more of the now-famous Patriot anti-missile systems.

A Russian Armed Forces Mi-8 helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave on September 23, prompting the Polish Air Force to scramble fighter aircraft and place ground-based air-defence forces on standby. The fighters in question were reportedly F-16C/D Block 52s, which currently form the backbone of the fleet as deliveries of F-35s and South Korean FA-50s continue. The incident occurred near the northern Polish town of Braniewo, only a short distance from the Russian border, and comes amid heightened tensions along NATO’s eastern flank.

Recently, Army leaders noticed a troubling trend: service members were choosing fast food over on-base dining.
At first glance, it looked like a simple food preference.
It wasn’t.
Every meal bought off base added pressure to the household budget. Every poor nutritional choice chipped away at physical and mental health. And over time, those everyday realities shaped something much larger: military readiness. 
It’s a reminder that the challenges facing military families rarely exist in isolation.

BAE Systems has handed two prototype Infantry Fighting Vehicles to the US Army, aiming to speed up delivery of ground combat solutions.

For its performance during World War II, Gen. George S. Patton called the M1 Garand “the greatest battle implement ever devised.” Similarly, with 4 million made to keep troops in sync and on time, the A-11 watch earned the title “the watch that won the war.” To celebrate the release of the Jimmy Stewart biopic “Jimmy,” Bulova recreated the iconic watch with its Jimmy model.
Also Read: World War II military fashion is making a comeback, even among civilians
Bulova was one of the original manufacturers of A-11 watches for the U.S.

Bruce Kimbrell, gCaptain
What (Acting) Secretary Hung Cao’s First Five Months Tell Us About the Job Ahead

USNI News
A U.S.

Naval Technology
The contracts will expand Lockheed Martin’s work in F-35 site activation and Trident II missile system upgrades

Natalie Oliverio, Military Times
the Pentagon is adding a new measure for advancement: how officers perform when presented with a military problem and required to make decisions under…

Brian Everstine, Aviation Week
The U.S. Navy recently tested how it will operate Collaborative Combat Aircraft, using a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

Jose Martinez wanted to die.
He felt that way in the moments after a roadside bomb exploded near him in Afghanistan on March 3, 2012. The blast damaged some of Martinez’s internal organs and deprived him of his mobility. The bomb took all of Martinez’s right leg, his left leg below the knee, and his right arm above the elbow.
Martinez still harbored those thoughts during his nearly two-year rehabilitation, which involved 19 surgeries. As he worked through the recovery process, Martinez struggled with envisioning an existence as a triple amputee.

WARSAW, POLAND – Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has taken aim at the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for its role in providing technological assistance to Russia in the invasion of his country. Without providing any specifics, the Ukrainian leader has suggested that Beijing is granting Russia access to its SpaceSail low-Earth-orbit satellite-based internet system.

A Possible ‘Starlink’ for Russia VIA China

Kremlin Speech by Putin. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

This video describes the military situation in

We spare the reader another detailed story from Ukraine to establish the now-familiar point that battlefield technology changes faster than militaries can acquire, review, and field it. The villain in this story is easy to identify: bureaucracy. The fashionable remedies are equally familiar — cut the red tape slowing procurement, or revise the policy review requirements for autonomous weapon systems. But bureaucratic reform, however necessary, cannot eliminate the fundamental challenges machine-learning-based systems pose for rapid testing, evaluation, validation, and verification.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump shared a Washington Post opinion piece on his social media, arguing that South Korea should send its Cheongung-II air-defense system to Ukraine. Additionally, the Trump administration continues to pressure Seoul to send troops to the Strait of Hormuz. Neither the U.S.-Iranian conflict nor the Russo-Ukrainian War is new, yet the simultaneity of U.S. pressure on Seoul to help in its war with Iran and to support Ukraine is striking.

An artificial intelligence-assisted U.S. military intelligence report falsely claimed that a Chinese vessel in the Middle East was transporting components connected to a nuclear weapons program, nearly prompting American forces to intercept and board the ship during the war with Iran, according to a CNN investigation. Four people familiar with the episode told CNN that the intelligence report immediately raised alarms within the U.S. Armed Forces, which began preparing an operation against the Chinese vessel. Armed personnel were reportedly preparing to board the ship, while U.S.

The Republic of Korea Air Force has received its first indigenous fighter aircraft with the deliver of the first serially produced KF-21 combat jet. Aircraft 26-001 was formally handed over by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) at its facility in Sacheon before flying to Yecheon Air Base, which will serve as the fighter’s first operational base.

Ukraine’s General Staff has claimed that ongoing strikes against Russia have knocked out 45% of the Russian Federation’s oil refinery capacity.

In a weekly report posted on social media, the Ukrainian military said long-range strikes had led to shortages of higher-quality gasoline and diesel in Russia.

Putin Meeting with Modi in 2018 Creative Commons Image

Putin Meeting with Duma 2018 Creative Commons Photo

It comes just days after a major attack on Russia’s capital by Ukrainian forces.

The U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke class destroyer fleet is facing renewed operational demands in the Middle East, as the service continues to support an ongoing offensive against Iran, raising concerns over the ability of an ageing fleet to sustain a high operational tempo while maintaining scheduled maintenance. According to U.S. Central Command, a substantial concentration of American destroyers is currently supporting operations in the region. As of September 14, two destroyers were operating in the Red Sea, while another 13 were present in the Arabian Sea.

The Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), General Takehiro Morita, has flown aboard India’s domestically developed Tejas fighter during the ongoing two-week Veer Guardian 2026 bilateral air exercise. Morita flew in a twin-seat Tejas alongside Group Captain I. Samrat, while Indian Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh led the formation in a single-seat Tejas from Air Force Station Jodhpur.

The Defense Department is growing the user base for Palantir’s Maven Smart System amid the Iran conflict and other demands for the AI-powered platform, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday.
The MSS tool can fuse disparate systems, data streams and intelligence information for commanders and greatly speed up the U.S. military’s processes for targeting adversaries.
“In January of this year, we had about 50,000 people using Maven.

For Gen. Randall Reed, the head of U.S. Transportation Command, a predictable supply chain optimized for perfection has wrought its own “self-induced vulnerability,” especially in the AI age. In turn, he said AI could help Transcom become less predictable to adversaries.
The military, and the rest of the logistics world, relies on supply systems that value regular processes and precise deliveries that adversaries can analyze and exploit better than ever with the use of AI.

How a punching stance helps your aim🎯
Sian G

As the U.S. Navy finds itself engaged in conflict in the Strait of Hormuz and anticipates rising tensions in the Pacific to come, maintaining the nation’s “maritime dominance” depends on delivering ubiquitous connectivity — and providing the ability to sustain operations when those communications are degraded — the service’s top IT official said Tuesday.

Space Force is seeking “several hundred officer and enlisted” personnel to transfer from other branches.
This month, the Space Force launched a new iteration of its Interservice Transfer Program, which lets members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps become guardians.
“All eligible ranks and career fields may apply, but the Space Force is particularly interested in mid-grade officers and enlisted service members with space-related experience,” a Space Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose.

The Army ladies battled their way to fourth at

Operation Inherent Resolve is scheduled to end on Sept. 30, as remaining U.S. troops in northern Iraq complete their withdrawal. The United States formed Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve in October 2014 to bring together partners to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which had seized territory in parts of Iraq and Syria. The end of Operation Inherent Resolve highlights the success of coalition efforts against ISIL but also raises questions about future political stability and security in Iraq and Syria — and whether ISIL could rise again. The U.

Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has called for the Iran war to “end quickly” ahead of November’s midterms.

Rogers, who was formerly chair of the House Intelligence Committee, made the comments in a video released on Monday, 21st September.

KEKAHA, Hawaii — U.S. Army 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force fires the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which can fire traditional rocket artillery rounds or long-range missiles with various payloads, on Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, July 11.

Defense agencies expanding their use of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems face a mounting challenge: How to overcome the operational friction arising from the massive sprawl of distributed data systems. That sprawl contributes to critical blind spots and vulnerabilities across IT stacks. More fundamentally, it delays threat response times at a time when AI gives adversaries increased speed and capabilities.

British troops have been awarded campaign medal

Iran may be close to reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days in the prospect of renewed diplomacy with the United States.

Reuters reports that an unnamed senior Iranian official said the vital shipping lane, which has been closed since the start of the war at the end of February, could be reopened within a week subject to conditions.

President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on the economy at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York on Friday, May 22, 2026.(Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

President Donald J.

The Challenger 2 is the British Army’s current Main Battle Tank (MBT).

It is, according to some, one of the most advanced tanks in the world, featuring a lethal blend of firepower, mobility, and survivability.

Challenger 2 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Challenger 2 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Vickers Defense Systems: The Challenger 2 was originally designed and first accepted into service in 1998.

The tank was developed as a successor to the often-overlooked Challenger 1 and made significant improvements to its armor and mobility.

The U.S.