Calvin Graham faced the biggest test of his young life when he tried to enlist in the United States Navy in 1942.
The baby-faced Graham was only 12 years old at the time and did everything he could think of to make himself appear older. As a Smithsonian magazine article in 2012 explained, Graham arrived clean-shaven, wore his older brother’s clothes and a fedora, and spoke in a deep voice.
Also Read: The story of 4 brothers who served on the Juneau with the Sullivans
Graham, whose friends forged his mother’s signature on his military paperwork, could do nothing about his teeth.

A&SF Mag.

Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven
Pentagon planners are doubling down on sixth-generation dominance

L. C.

Stefano D’urso, Aviationist
GA-ASI and the U.S.

J. Trevithick, The WarZone
The USAF is moving to start work on a new ARRW variant able to hit moving targets with an eye toward future fights in the Pacific.

This video describes the military situation in

On May 4, 2026, a South Korean vessel came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz, leading President Donald Trump to urge the government in Seoul to join the U.S.-led operation to secure the waterway. The South Korean government politely replied it would “review” the American proposal. The event crystallized a major paradox of the ongoing conflict: The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the worst maritime crisis in decades, is fundamentally an Asian problem, yet Asia is almost entirely absent from the debate over how to resolve it.

An old adage claims a marine’s career came down to the “two or three minutes of a promotions brief.” Turns out that was a little optimistic. In practice, the Marine Corps promotion system decides the institutional worth of a 20‑year career in about 12 minutes of board attention.Imagine the National Football League compressing the seven primary drills of the Scouting Combine — the 40‑yard dash, bench press, vertical and broad jumps, three‑cone drill, 20‑yard shuttle, and 60‑yard shuttle — into a single 12‑minute window.

In May 2025, as Indian BrahMos missile strikes hit Pakistani air bases — targeting runways, parked aircraft, and critical infrastructure — Islamabad faced a choice. It had the capability to respond with its own long-range systems, but it chose not to. Pakistan deliberately withheld the Babur cruise missile, not because it lacked options, but because using a dual-capable system risked signaling nuclear escalation.That moment captures the changing logic of conflict in South Asia. The four-day crisis was intense but contained, defined less by what was used than by what was held back.

CEO of Palantir Technologies Alex Karp has announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been using the firm’s technologies as an “operating system for war,” stating that this allowed the battlefield to be managed just like a technology company serves its clients. The only difference is “How many Russian soldiers are killed per square kilometre? Why and how, what means were used, what worked and what didn’t?” This applies right down to the level of individual units, he added. “Ukraine has created one of the most important military defence systems in the world.

The Russian Armed Forces on May 13 conducted a successful test launch of the world’s largest missile, the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental range ballistic missile (ICBM), which was confirmed by Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces Sergey Karakayev. The commander commented on the launch: “The test results confirmed the correctness of the design and technological solutions, as well as the missile system’s ability to achieve its quality conformance characteristics.

United States intelligence sources speaking to The New York Times have confirmed that Iran has retained approximately 70 percent of its missile arsenal, and has successfully restored operational access to 30 out of 33 missile facilities along the Strait of Hormuz, or 91 percent, and approximately 90% of underground storage facilities and launch pads. New intelligence data indicates that Washington has likely significant overestimated the extent of the damage caused to the Iranian missile arsenal by U.S.

The Austrian Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the Austrian Air Force scrambled Eurofighter combat jets twice in two consecutive days to respond to violations of the country’s airspace by U.S. military aircraft, which entered without clearance. Defence Ministry spokesman Michael Bauer confirmed both incidents publicly, with the first involving a Priority A alert and the deployment of two Eurofighters after two U.S. Air Force PC-12 surveillance and special operations support aircraft aircraft crossed into Austrian airspace at 12:31 on May 10.

The Israel Defence Forces have confirmed repeatedly violating a ceasefire agreed with Iran and the United States in early April, announcing that it has struck over 1,100 targets belonging to Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah, killing more than 350 personnel. “The IDF has eliminated more than 350 terrorists in southern Lebanon who posed a threat to Israeli civilians and IDF troops, as part of operations carried out within the framework of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, alongside more than 1,100 Hezbollah terrorist organization targets that were struck,” it reported.

Anti-drone technology continues development as Ukrainians arm devices with shotguns, and it seems to work.
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The U.S. Air Force has revived the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) program, after development was cancelled in 2023 due to serious delays and multiple failed flight tests. In its Fiscal year 2027 budget request, the U.S. Air Force requested over $296 million to support the development of the missile, which was designed as a two stage boost-glide hypersonic weapon.

Honolulu, Hawaii – I sat down today with General Ronald Clark, Commander of USARPAC, the U.S. Army component command of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) at the LANPAC Symposium and Exhibition where allied Pacific land forces network for interoperability.
Beyond the obligatory pleasantries and declarations of teamwork, there were some golden nuggets from the General’s comments.
I’m paraphrasing below:
“With long-range strike capability and development, we aim to see first, sense first, and strike first to sustain the land force forward in theater.

When a British national was suspected of having

Several bills slated for markup Wednesday by lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee include provisions that aim to make American defense products easier, faster, or more enticing for foreign partners to purchase.
Senior committee staff previewed the newly proposed foreign military sales and financing reforms on a call with a small group of reporters Tuesday.
Allies’ ability to buy American-made military equipment and related assets have historically faced challenges associated with lagging administrative processes and bureaucracy.

The price tag for the Golden Dome for America could reach $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy and operate over 20 years, according to a new report published Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office.
The updated cost estimate is based on a “notional” missile defense architecture that broadly includes capabilities outlined in President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order calling for Golden Dome’s development.

Japan is opening up its defense industry to the

Every separating veteran’s situation is unique, so it’s hard for the military to supply a list of your personal benefits when you get out. What’s so great about the HonorEarned tool: it gathers everything you could be eligible for and takes about 20 seconds. It includes links to apply for those benefits and even has the option to download a printable PDF.

Every firearm, whether it’s for military

On April 28, the United Arab Emirates announced that it would leave OPEC, effective May 1 — ending nearly six decades as an OPEC member. In terms of oil production, it is the most significant country to leave the group. While multiple factors drove the decision to leave, the timing is notable — as the war with Iran has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and focused global attention on oil prices. We asked four experts to consider the impact on OPEC’s future.Read more below.

This video describes the military situation in

In a combat experiment that oddly resembles the claw game at an arcade, the Army will strap a test dummy under an oversized drone at an exercise in Poland this week, the first step toward eventually evacuating injured soldiers from active combat.
As part of ongoing NATO exercises in Poland, the Army will test whether an oversized quadcopter, known as a Flowcopter, can safely fly a casualty out of combat and to a nearby field hospital, officials confirmed to Task & Purpose.

More than 2,000 young people descended on Dartm

All eyes may be on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, but the ongoing mission at the U.S.-Mexico border continues as soldiers from the 101st Airborne and 1st Armored divisions will soon deploy to the region as part of the latest rotation of troops.
The move comes after the 101st’s headquarters and artillery elements were deployed to the border in the fall.
On Tuesday, the Army announced that four units would be part of this summer’s deployments to the southern border. About 8,700 U.S.

This video describes the military situation in

Live rugby league returns to BFBS as the UK Arm

Gen. Frank Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, sat down with Ryan to discuss the vision behind the command’s new Autonomous Warfare Command and what it signals for the future of military operations in the Western Hemisphere. Donovan explains how SOUTHCOM aims to move drones and autonomous systems beyond tactical experimentation and connect them to strategic effect: disrupting cartel networks designated as terrorist organizations, strengthening cooperation with allies and partners, and giving the command new ways to see, decide, and act across a complex region.

Tucked into the Navy’s budget request for fiscal 2027 is a new plan to identify commercially available vessels and “mothership” designs, existing oceanographic survey platforms, and other mature technologies that map the ocean floor, analyze the marine environment, and maximize undersea warfare capabilities.
The Next Generation Oceanographic Survey Ship — T-AGS(X), or T-AGS Next — is envisioned to replace the aging T-AGS 60 Pathfinder class of ocean-surveying vessels that will reach the end of their service lives in the 2030s, according to recently released budget documents.

Saudi Arabia is about to embark on a five-year period of intense defence spending, with the air domain looking to be the primary focus.

For nearly 400 years a succession of Proof Mast

Lockheed Martin has completed the Seeker Characterization Flight Test for its QuadStar missile, a key phase in the US Army’s Next-Generation Short-Range Interceptor programme.

Smart Shooter has secured a $10.7m contract to supply the US Army with SMASH 2000LE fire control systems, also known as the SMASH 3000SA.

Two Air Force rescue squadrons have been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their roles in the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, including the desperate evacuation of American citizens and Afghans from Kabul in August 2021.
The Presidential Unit Citation is the highest award that U.S. military troops can be awarded for collective action as a unit, rather than individual valor.

Just when the entire U.S. Army had begun to believe the war would be over by Christmas, a surprise German offensive smashed through the Ardennes. The Allied forces were completely unprepared. What followed were the death throes of Nazi Germany; one last Hail Mary attempt to destroy the Allies’ supply lines and maybe even push them back into the English Channel. Over the course of the next six weeks, 47,000 American soldiers would be wounded, another 23,000 missing, and an estimated 19,000 killed.
So it goes.
The Ardennes was a soft target for the Germans.

NOBODY CARES — WORK HARDER | Military Tribute

The dramatic finale sees the Inter Service trop

Can the RAF stop the Army from dominating the w

Lacking much formal education because of difficult family circumstances, Percy Spencer was determined to learn on his own.
The emerging wireless technology industry of the early 20th century intrigued Spencer, who enlisted in the United States Navy in 1912 intent on becoming a radio operator. The sailor served less than two years in the military, but in that relatively short span, he acquired as much knowledge as possible while in uniform.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey has publicly backed his boss, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, amid a widespread rebellion by Labour MPs.

The U.S. Navy has formally launched the BBG(X) battleship program as part of its Fiscal Year 2027 shipbuilding plan, while confirming that the vessels will be nuclear powered and thus likely very significantly more costly than previously projected. The program is reported to be replacing the long-running DDG(X) next generation destroyer program, although sources have widely speculated that a new destroyer will likely also be developed in parallel.

This video describes the military situation in

UK troops have completed a historic medical par

Terrill, MCT
The U.S.

Rempfer, Task & Purpose
The Coast Guard plans to grow its fleet of interdiction teams who hop onto…

Bloomberg
The U.S.