The Pentagon has partially backpedaled on its voluntary flu vaccine policy, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in April, handing at least some control of vaccine policy back to the services.
The reversal appears to underlie a series of exemptions issued by the Pentagon to Hegseth’s recent announcement that flu vaccines are voluntary for all troops. Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that exemptions to the order had been issued to all four services.

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has increased its procurement of Harmattan AI’s Sonora short-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems, placing an order for 5,000 additional units.

The Pentagon opted to purchase Casepoint’s AI-enabled software products for classified legal operations and secure data workflows via a new blanket purchase agreement worth up to $98.8 million, officials from the company announced Wednesday.
“Government agencies are facing a perfect storm of challenges,” Casepoint’s CEO Paul Colangelo told DefenseScoop ahead of the announcement. “The volume of information they manage continues to grow exponentially, while expectations around transparency, accountability, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance continue to increase.

Ukraine has launched a new platform sharing res

The United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, a government in exile that was formed in 2022, warned on June 22 that President Alexander Lukashenko may be preparing to join the war in Ukraine.

The Belarusian leader appears to have had his hand forced, following years of efforts to keep his country out of the conflict.

Putin on June 24 2023 Russian Federation Photo

What Was Said
In a statement published on Telegram, the government in exile claimed that information provided to Kyiv suggested Lukashenko was “systematically” preparing Belarus for war.

Russia’s dead can be buried quietly, in distant regions, with little fanfare and less press. It’s wounded cannot. After four years of grinding war in Ukraine, the larger share of Russia’s casualties are not the dead but the wounded, hundreds of thousands of men who survived and are coming home missing limbs, carrying shrapnel, blinded, burned, or broken in ways that will require care for the rest of their lives. They are the cost of the war that Vladimir Putin cannot censor, because they live in every region of the country, visible to their neighbors and their families.

Navy Cmdr. John Rodgers and his four-person crew didn’t have much time left.
It didn’t start out that way. They were aboard PN-9 No. 1, a flying boat that left San Francisco on August 31, 1925, with history in mind. Rodgers, pilot Lt. Byron Connell, Chief Radioman Otis Stantz, Chief Machinist’s Mate Skiles Pope, and Aviation Machinist’s Mate William Bowlin were attempting to complete the first nonstop flight from the American mainland to Hawaii.

U.S. military leaders have repeatedly tried to assure troops and the American public that artificial intelligence, or AI, is not going to replace human beings as the final decision-makers on when to carry out a military strike. But the extent to which AI will be involved in the “kill chain” remains fluid, even as the technology continues to be used in combat. 
During recent combat operations against Iran, the U.S.

The latest round of friction within the NATO alliance will see American Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth leading a review of the American troop presence in Europe. Slated to last for six months, the close examination of how deeply America will be involved in European defense in the future has caused some consternation on the European side of the alliance.

Rheinmetall has been awarded a contract by the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) to supply 23 armoured recovery vehicles of the Bergepanzer 3 series.

Daniel Terrill, Marine Corps Times

Sam LaGrone, USNI News
The service has pumped billions into additive manufacturing and new job training programs to make up for steep declines in the submarine industrial base

Ethan Diven & Nathan Jennings, Small Wars Journal
How to Think, Fight, and Organize for Modern Warfare

Colby Lamb, National Defense Mag.

Carley Welch, Breaking Defense
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the new LCIs are “not intended” to replace any existing, exquisite air defense systems, but are intended to “supplement” such…

This video describes the military situation in

Walk into any commercial gym, anytime, anywhere, and as you scan the main area, you begin to realize you are watching something unfold, a slow-motion tragedy lit by fluorescent lights: People chasing a body that looks great with an Instagram filter, but will fold like a newbie poker player the second you ask it to do something functional.
Read Next: The grunt’s 250-year quest for a weapon that actually works
Infantry has zero use for that type of body. The job is not to be admired, although ‘miring can occur occasionally.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 076 class aircraft carrier, the Sichuan, has begun a major phase of cross-regional testing and training operations. The Navy announced that the carrier had departed Shanghai and sailed to the South China Sea to conduct a new round of trials following its earlier sea-testing program. According to official statements, the deployment was intended to test multiple onboard systems under operational conditions and gather data for future fleet operations.

The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is at its lowest level since 1983. And it needs to be refilled as soon as possible to bring it back to the levels prior to the start of the conflict with Iran.

The SPR is currently holding about 331.2 million barrels of oil, less than half of its capacity, according to the latest data.

Oil Platform. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The rapid rise in gas prices in the early days of the conflict in Iran led Americans to drive less and buy less gas to stay within their budgets.

It also fueled sales and popularity of more fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrids, and all-electric vehicles, including Tesla models.

A B-1 Bomber, 77th Weapons Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, performs a fly by for the crowd during an Air Force Firepower Demonstration at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nev., Oct 8.

WARSAW, POLAND – According to a lengthy analytical assessment of Ukraine published in the London Financial Times this weekend, the situation the Russian military faces is beyond dire.

The analysis is dire: there is now no conceivable scenario in which Moscow could alter the deterioration of its situation on the battlefield, in its economy, and in its ability to sustain the war effort, says the London daily.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces struck a factory in Voronezh producing electronic components used in Russian missile systems, including Iskander and Kh-101.

Ukrainian drones and missiles also attacked the Dubna satellite communications center in the Moscow region.

Bohdan, a drone pilot from the Unmanned Systems Battalion of Ukraine’s 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade, pilots an FPV drone in Donetsk Oblast during active battle operations.

Russia spent the weekend and the first half of this week dealing with the consequences of yet another wave of Ukrainian long-range strikes.

In Crimea, roughly half of the peninsula’s civilian population lost electricity after attacks damaged energy infrastructure, while authorities also announced the suspension of fuel sales to civilians entirely.

T-72 Russian Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Ukrainian strikes hit fuel and logistics infrastructure elsewhere in Russia, including in Siberia, extending shortages nationwide.

The entry the Russian Kirov class nuclear powered cruiser Admiral Nakhimov into the final phase of its sea trials in early June has drawn significant attention to its capabilities, and particularly how they compare to those of the U.S. Navy’s own heaviest surface combat ships the Zumwalt class destroyers. The 28,000 ton Kirov class was conceived during the Cold War as a heavily armed capital ship designed to destroy NATO carrier battle groups through overwhelming missile firepower.

While Blue Bird Tech specialise in EW, export manager Tetiana Uzhviy spoke to Army Technology about their plans in the rocket systems sector.

This video describes the military situation in

The U.S. Department of War has announced plans to finance a $1.55 billion spending plan for the procurement of E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems in fiscal 2027, following controversial efforts by the department to cancel procurement plans in 2025. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink informed the House Armed Services Committee in May that a budget amendment of around $1.

This exclusive Cogs of War interview is with Maxwell Maduka, the co-founder and chief engineer of Terra Industries, an African defense technology company building autonomous drone and counter-drone systems designed for the continent’s operating conditions. As cheap imported airframes flood African markets and non-state actors employ drones across the Sahel, we asked Max why Terra is betting on Africa building its own defense industrial base.Cheap Turkish and Chinese drones and sensor systems have proliferated across Africa for years.

This video describes the military situation in

“Project Asgard is only as good as the networks

Armies run on more than what happens at the front. Behind every operation is a vast amount of coordination, administration, logistics, and judgment. Bill Pessin, senior vice president of national security at Salesforce and a former U.S. Army logistics officer, joins Jonathan to discuss how military organizations can use AI agents, what makes these tools different from ordinary software, and why safety and accountability matter when new technology enters national security work.

Wars rarely end in a single act of diplomacy. More often, they pass through a succession of ceasefires, frameworks, understandings, as well as provisional and even secret arrangements before anyone can determine whether peace is actually at hand. The Trump administration’s memorandum with Iran is best understood in those terms. In both form and logic, it recalls an earlier American effort to negotiate an exit from an unpopular conflict: the Paris Peace Accords of 1973.

Following the return of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s Liaoning carrier group to its home port from far-sea combat training, state media outlets reported that the group encountered repeated close-range harassment by Japanese forces during these exercises. The carrier group departed for the Western Pacific on May 19, and also exercised in the South China Sea and other unstated regions.

Russian state technology corporation Rostec has reported that the country’s primary type of main battle tank, the T-90M, is being continuously upgraded based on feedback from personnel in the Ukrainian theatre. “The T-90 is a well-known tank. It has become more powerful with enhanced armour and protection. This is an ongoing process. The armoured vehicle continues to be improved. Our specialists are refining the hardware based on new tasks coming from the frontline.

The U.S. Air Force is beginning to implement a massive modernization and expansion program at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, with the aim of transforming the base into a premier hub for fighter operations. This is being achieved by replacing aging 1950s-era infrastructure with modern hangars, maintenance facilities, operations centers, training infrastructure, and support buildings capable of sustaining large numbers of advanced combat aircraft for decades to come.

Gen. Christopher Donahue, the top Army general in Europe and Africa, will be stepping down. The news was first reported by The Atlantic’s Nancy A. Youssef and Missy Ryan.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Task & Purpose that Donahue will soon relinquish command of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, which is expected to announce the move on Wednesday. Donahue took over the top role at the command in December 2024. 
During the U.S.

South Korea’s K239 Chunmoo is becoming one of

Negotiations between the United States and Iran continue, and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz appears to be gradually increasing.

Shipping companies are finally expressing greater confidence in their ability to safely pass through the waterway following ceasefire agreements between the U.S., Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran – but there’s still a long way to go.

The U.S. Navy aircraft carriers USS Nimitz (CVN-68), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) underway in the Western Pacific on 12 November 2017.

With vendors facing lengthy wait times to test new technology, the Army plans to increase industry access to its domestic ranges over the next several weeks, according to senior service officials, who said that at least two of those sites will mimic Ukrainian frontlines. 
The service is also planning to establish a range abroad where the Army and industry “can start to do much more aggressive testing,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said Tuesday, though he declined to say which international U.S. ally the service will partner with to build it.

The United Kingdom (UK) has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was the first major Western head of state to visit Kyiv and declare his support for Ukraine shortly after the February 2022 invasion.

HMS Prince of Wales. Image Credit: Royal Navy.

HMS Prince of Wales Aircraft Carrier. Image Credit: Royal Navy.

The UK has served as a training ground for thousands of Ukrainian soldiers.

U.S. President Donald Trump again expressed optimism about the prospects of a peace deal with Iran on Tuesday, June 23, going as far as claiming that the regime had “fully and completely agreed” to nuclear inspections.

The president’s optimism contradicted denials from Tehran that it had made any such concession, and came as the Iranian president insisted the country’s missile program was untouchable.

U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircraft fly by the 81st Liberation Day Parade, leveraging a training sortie during the U.S.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade and occupy Crimea in March 2014, it was trumpeted as one of his greatest accomplishments.

Taking back Crimea, which Russian nationalists had always insisted belonged to Moscow and not to Ukraine, was one of the most public demonstrations for the former KGB Lt. Col. that permitted him to say he was making Russia strong again.

Msta-S Russian Army. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

County champions Surrey brought their rising st

WARSAW, POLAND – Those watching the war between Ukraine and Russia have by now come to expect regular attacks on Moscow’s oil industry – hitting refineries, storage facilities, oil terminals for loading into tankers, etc.

The purpose of these attacks, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said on multiple occasions, is to enact what he calls “long-range sanctions” that would deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to keep funding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

Neptune Missile. Image Credit: Government of Ukraine.

This video describes the military situation in

Russia can’t pretend it isn’t enduring a fuel crisis thanks to the Ukraine war. While Crimea’s recent fuel woes are nothing new, the crisis has worsened in recent days, with half of the civilian population left without electricity due to Ukrainian strikes and fuel sales halted entirely.

It’s a problem that has gained significant media attention throughout June, but now it has extended beyond the peninsula. Ukrainian long-range strikes have brought the fuel crisis to Siberia.

U.S. Army Pvt.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 was meant to be one of Vladimir Putin’s greatest achievements – despite the geopolitical chaos and condemnation it attracted.

But more than a decade later, the peninsula is now becoming a symbol of how badly Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine is going. This isn’t what Putin planned.

Putin in Red Square in 2017 Creative Commons Image.

Overnight on June 22-23, Ukrainian forces launched another wave of long-range strikes against Russian infrastructure and logistics in and around Crimea.

A campaign has been launched to locate 1,000 LG

A new commanding officer has officially taken o

Rocket Lab successfully launched a military payload into orbit on Friday less than 17 hours after receiving orders from the Space Force, once again advancing the service’s ability to quickly put new satellites on orbit.
The company’s Pioneer payload was launched aboard a Rocket Lab Electron space vehicle from the firm’s private launch site in Mahia, New Zealand, as part of the Space Force’s Victus Haze mission.