Leonardo DRS has completed delivery and final training for Improved Night/Day Observation Device Block III thermal weapon sights ordered by the Australian Army through the LAND 159 Tranche 1 programme.

Ken Paxton is one of the most controversial Republican candidates in the country. He’s running for the United States Senate against young Democratic candidate James Talarico. In a state that is overwhelmingly Republican and pro-Trump, the fact that a recent Fox News poll has the young Liberal Democrat at 51 percent to Paxton’s 49 percent is stunning. According to unnamed sources, Paxton is starting to feel the squeeze, and he’s blaming the forty-seventh president for his troubles.

Donald Trump Considers Lifting Federal Gas Tax – U.S. President Donald Trump has told reporters he is considering suspending the federal gas tax. That suggests the Iran war and broader Middle East tensions won’t end anytime soon.

The President is under pressure to ease high energy costs ahead of next month’s midterm elections, as more voters cite the cost of living as a key issue, and one where Trump is performing poorly.

Donald Trump Says He Doesn’t Know Who’s Ruling Iran: U.S. President Donald Trump has said his biggest problem in resolving the Iran war is that he has no clue who runs Iran.

Trump brought up the conflict at an event in Maryland on Tuesday, 6th October.

B-2A Spirit On Display. Image by Editor Harry J. Kazianis/National Security Journal.

B-2A Spirit Stealth Bomber USAF Museum. Image Credit: Harry J. Kazianis/National Security Journal.

It comes amid growing regional tensions in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

Former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan will be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood, Texas, on Dec. 3, the Army announced Wednesday on social media, returning Hasan to the installation where he killed 13 people in 2009.
Hasan’s execution is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central Time, acting Army Secretary Adam Telle announced. An execution order signed by Telle on Oct. 6 says President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s death sentence on Oct. 2 following a recommendation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

On Oct. 2, 2026, 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, a Russian lab worker in Irkutsk, died suddenly of pneumonia after allegedly mishandling a test tube containing a strain of Yersinia pestis at the Anti-plague Research Institute of Siberia. No one has confirmed how she contracted the illness. Local media reports say the facility is locked down.
Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s public health service, said she died from “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” The agency said tests found no microorganisms connected with her work at the lab.

Experts worry British society is less engaged i

The Marine Corps is banning alcohol for 48 hours and implementing a curfew for the next month for Marines on Okinawa after a lance corporal was arrested in connection with the death of a local woman.
From Wednesday to Friday, the Marine Corps is banning alcohol consumption on or off base and limiting liberty. For those 48 hours, the service will institute a pause in all operations on the island while senior leaders conduct training on standards and discipline, liberty policies, alcohol awareness, and “our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan community,” Lt. Gen.

H. Seck, Military.

Renk Group has received an order worth €30m ($33.7m) from Patria to supply HSWL 076 transmissions for the TRACKX tracked vehicle family.

Joe Stabley is hurting.
Anguish and regret color his every word. Stabley battles his demons daily, some of which emanate from his 23 years of service in the Army and National Guard. Others predate his time in uniform or happened after he completed his time on active duty.
What troubles Stabley the most is the death of infantryman Kenneth Jason Currey on November 29, 1999. Stabley met Currey while on his first deployment to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

Nearly five years into the war in Ukraine, the conflict there is entering a dangerous new phase, one that is an expansion of the air war over Ukraine and includes not only targets along the battlefield’s long, sprawling front line that snakes its way through Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, but also the lifeblood of the nation: Ukraine’s cities, its civilian infrastructure, its people.

This video describes the military situation in

The U.S. Navy’s May 2026 shipbuilding plan, signed by Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, uses the word “innovative” eight times. The plan applies that word, among other things, to the Columbia-class submarine, an acquisition strategy for the medium landing ship, and new approaches to running the public shipyards. Elsewhere, the shipbuilding plan notes that recent increases in wages at Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding got both yards to their required 2025 hiring rate and cut attrition by two to five percent.

Anthropic recently disclosed five cases in which users hid their countries while asking Claude for help enhancing pathogens or toxins. This added fuel to the ongoing debate over whether progress in AI should be slowed. Insider warnings of threats to human lives from artificial intelligence have been received as everything from prescient humility to a hoax or marketing stunt. But in a world where AI-designed biological viruses have already been grown in the lab, the threats should be reckoned with in any biodefense strategy.

This video describes the military situation in

Military assistance provided by the Netherlands to Ukraine is having a significant effect on the combat readiness of the Dutch armed forces and is complicating the country’s ability to fulfil NATO military capability targets, according to the Dutch Ministry of Defence. The ministry described the effect of military assistance to Ukraine as a “displacing effect” on the readiness of the Dutch armed forces and the fulfilment of NATO objectives.

The first F-16 Block 72 fighter has completed its maiden flight, with the aircraft being closely related to the F-16 Block 70 that first flew in January 2023. The principal distinction between the two enhance dF-16s is their engines, with the Block 70 aircraft use General Electric’s F110-GE-129, while Block 72 aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines. The two versions otherwise share the same major avionics and systems modernisation package. Morocco became the launch customer for the configuration when the U.S.

The Yemeni Ansurullah Coalition has warned civilian airlines against operating over Saudi Arabia, declaring the kingdom’s airspace unsafe as fighting with Saudi and allied forces intensifies. Footage released by the coalition has shown multiple ballistic missile strikes successfully targeting the Southern Giants Brigades and other Saudi-backed units in southwestern Yemen.

Over the years, amid the scandals, lawsuits, and cases US President Donald Trump has faced, many have given him the moniker “Teflon Don”, a reference to old-school gangster John Gotti, whom authorities struggled to prosecute.

In the same way, Trump has seemingly weathered most of the controversies he has faced, both reputational and legal, largely unscathed, whether with grace or not is debatable.

Is Trump’s Luck Finally Running Out?

President Donald J.

Oil is flowing out of the Persian Gulf at rates approaching those seen before the Iran war began, and while those flows are not yet guaranteed to continue, they have been a welcome reprieve for the world economy.

However, there is a catch: much of what is moving out of the Gulf is crude oil, and diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and other refined products that power the global economy remain in short supply because of a shortfall in refining capacity.

President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral meeting with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Monday, April 14, 2025, in the Oval Office.

A Russian Lancet loitering munition has been used in an attack on a Ukrainian T-72 tank near the settlement of Sliznevo in Kharkov region, according to footage released by Russian unmanned systems manufacturer ZALA. The company said the strike was carried out by personnel of the Azimut Battalion of Russia’s 37th Separate Brigade of Unmanned Systems using a Lancet equipped with its IRRA intelligent guidance and target-recognition system. The footage shows the loitering munition approaching the T-72 and striking it, causing a fire and explosion which destroyed the vehicle.

Ukraine appears to have launched one of the largest long-range strike operations of the entire war, with Russian officials claiming that the country’s air defenses intercepted an incredible 1,750 Ukrainian drones and 17 Flamingo cruise missiles in a 24-hour period that ended on Tuesday, October 6.

The figures have not been independently verified, but the scale of the operation is clearly enormous.

Ukraine Artillery Strike. Ukraine Armed Forces Photo.

Hundreds of drones were reported around Moscow, with two people killed in the surrounding region.

In September, transit through the Strait of Hormuz surged following a lull in the ongoing war with Iran. According to data from various maritime tracking agencies, an average of 10 million barrels of crude oil passed through the waterway in September, compared to 17 million to 20 million barrels before the war started. This data suggested that Iran’s blockade over the Strait was weakening and that traffic was beginning to return to normal.

Despite the good news, oil prices have remained high.

Marines looking for a meal on the go can now pay a visit to the dining hall by car with a new drive-thru at a chow hall on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.
The Tres Habaneros drive-thru is a new addition to the base’s 62 Area dining hall. The drive-thru is operated by the Sodexo Group, a private food services company that runs other branches of the Mexican-inspired meals at university and hospital cafeterias. 
Master Gunnery Sgt.

Longtime federal contracting professional Bonnie Evangelista recently moved into a new role at the Pentagon, according to sources who indicated she’s leading procurement in the office of the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems.
After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a slew of new policies last week to fuse the U.S. military’s drone purchasing and real-world operational deployments, DefenseScoop reported that Owen West was taking a leave of absence from directing the Defense Innovation Unit to steer the DRPM-UxS.

As violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has escalated, often with the acquiescence or support of Israel’s military, and the Israeli government has increasingly constricted Palestinian daily life, the potential for a new intifada — or uprising — has intensified. The first Palestinian intifada began in late 1987 and continued for several years. Civil society played a major role in organizing the first intifada, which started as mostly nonviolent and included economic measures such as strikes and boycotts.

Military strongmen and strongwomen have had suc

With Ukrainian forces making modest though perceptible headway on the battlefield in Ukraine, the Kremlin’s long-stated goal of seizing all of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region appears farther away now than it has in the nearly five years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian effort, called Operation Vivaldi, has clawed back about 125 square kilometers from Russian forces, or just under 50 square miles.

TOS-1. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Ukraine continues its long-range strike campaign against Russian oil and energy infrastructure, and the damage so far may be having a bigger effect than previously thought, with Kyiv now claiming it has disabled more than half of the country’s refining capacity.

According to a statement from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on October 4, citing an assessment by military intelligence and the General Staff, more than 51% of Russian refining capacity has been targeted by Ukrainian strikes.

Ukraine continues to wage its unconventional warfare against Russia’s invasion of its territory, with the former recently launching a record-breaking offensive against Russian forces.

Russian authorities said that they intercepted over 1,700 drones and more than a dozen Flamingo missiles that were deployed against Russian assets.

SCALP Missile Ukraine Military Photo

U.S.

To mark National Cadet Week we spoke to Cadet S

Every year, the Social Security Administration announces the Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA, usually in October, and the adjusted benefit amount takes effect the following January.

The amount is tied directly to inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

Social Security Check. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

So when inflation is highest, the COLA increase is, too.

In 2021, it was 5.9 percent, while in 2022 it was 8.7 percent, the highest such figure since 1981.

Collectible cars spanning nine decades of makes and models got an unexpected sandblasting courtesy of an Army AH-64 attack helicopter over the weekend.
An Army AH-64 Apache helicopter arrived late to an Ozark, Alabama, car show Saturday, hovering over the show’s display cars, pummeling vehicles and spectators with trash and dirt kicked up by rotor wash as it landed.

Russia and Ukraine keep trading blows as winter nears.

While Russia continues to strike targets across Ukraine, Kyiv also continues to attack Russia’s energy sector.

Moscow Under Attack Means the War Isn’t Ending 
Overnight on October 6, Ukraine launched another massive drone attack against Moscow, utilizing over 600 attack drones.

Su-57 Felon Fighter from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Su-57 Felon in the Sky. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The United States is experiencing some of the highest gas prices in recent years, clearly due to President Trump’s war against Iran. Where is this all going, and what should the average American expect next? One thing seems clear: both sides are banking on winning a dangerous game of chicken centered around the Strait of Hormuz. And one seems ready to blink.

US is Feeling the Brunt of the War at the Pump

An F-35B Lightening II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz.

HMS Agamemnon is the Royal Navy’s newest nucl

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the destruction of major American cities such as Los Angeles or San Diego would be a “small price to pay” in the ongoing conflict with Iran, while arguing that the war is necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The president was discussing the economic impact of the conflict and rising fuel prices when he referred to the possibility of an Iranian attack on an American city. “It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,” Trump said. “They could take out a city.

Overnight on Monday into Tuesday, Ukraine launched a major drone attack on the Moscow area, one that, among other targets, hit the Volodarskaya Line Production and Dispatch Station (LPDS), a major oil depot that supplies fuel in the area.

According to the Kyiv Post, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Telegram that 650 drones approached Moscow overnight and claimed air defenses intercepted most of them.

Ukraine Cruise Missile. Image Credit: Government of Ukraine.

Ukraine War TOS-2. Image Credit: X Screenshot.

This is the second grounding in recent months.

The order represents the first made by a military customer, with previous Grenadier sales heading to parapublic and border security forces.

If it wasn’t enough that Democrats are up in arms about the US’ continued war against Iran – and the continued support of Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Palestine – President Donald Trump gave California Democrats another reason to rage against him as he suggested that cities in the Golden State could be targets for terror attacks from Iran.

“They could take out a city,” the president said, speaking at a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska. “Let them take — Let them take out Los Angeles.

Donald Trump, for the last few weeks, has been arguing that the high gas prices that are a result of the Iran War and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are a “small price to pay” for keeping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. This week, Trump added a bizarre segue from this argument, speaking casually about the possible nuclear annihilation of Los Angeles and San Diego.

The Army awarded Anduril a contract worth up to $1.8 billion over five years to expand the service’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) ecosystem to additional units, the company said Monday.
The contract includes a $162.8 million base period, which is focused on expanding NGC2’s common data layer to I Corps. The Army chose Anduril to lead its common data layer baseline for NGC2 in June, beating out Lockheed Martin after the two companies developed parallel systems for nearly a year.

Iran has disrupted the global oil market and dramatically increased prices, but it would be a stretch to claim that Tehran has won the oil war. Even as strikes on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz continue, new shipping data released Tuesday, October 6, shows Gulf oil exports are recovering substantially, following earlier September data that showed Middle Eastern oil exports exceeded pre-war levels for three days that month.

And while Gulf oil exports recover, Iran’s own oil exports have been reduced to virtually nothing by the American naval blockade.

Oil fields.

What advancements have driven the evolution of

The Polls Aren’t Improving for Donald Trump – Another week brings us closer to the midterm elections, and the polls aren’t improving for U.S. President Donald Trump.

His popularity, measured by how many Americans approve of his performance as the nation’s commander-in-chief, is nearing lows seen during the worst points of both his first term and Joe Biden’s only term.

President Donald Trump signs the spending bill that ends the shutdown and reopens the U.S. Government Tuesday, February 3, 2026, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N.

The US Department of War (DoW) has selected four high-energy laser and high-powered microwave systems for a counter-uncrewed aircraft pilot intended to assess their operational use in homeland defence.

When you hear of horses being used in battle, y

Trump Suggests Iran Could “Take Out” San Diego or Los Angeles – U.S. President Donald Trump proved again this week that he cares little about the political conventions that have long governed how politicians — and presidents — speak in front of the media, telling a crowd of supporters that Iran could “take out” major U.S. cities and that it would be worth it to prevent the Islamic regime from building a nuclear weapon.

At least that’s how many experts interpret it.

Iran’s Drones That Russia Is Using. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Iran Missiles.