The Strait of Hormuz and the IRGC’s continued insistence on controlling the Strait are once again fast-tracking the two sides back into open conflict.

Iran said it is closing the Strait again in response to renewed Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

B-1B Lancer Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

A B-1B Lancer with a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) flies in the skies above Edwards Air Force Base, California, Nov. 20. The flight was a demonstration of the B-1B’s external weapons carriage capabilities.

A Space Force general donned a new mess dress that the service is testing for wear this fall, an official confirmed to Task & Purpose.
The new mess dress uniform is black with silver buttons and embroidery. The lower sleeve-cuff area shows a diamond shape that outlines the same design on the service’s flag with the delta, globe, orbit, and Polaris star. Mess dress uniforms are the military equivalent of tuxedos or similar attire that would be worn to a black-tie event, according to Space Force uniform regulations. 
The uniform news was first reported by Air & Space Force Magazine.

The Army is looking for an autonomous ground vehicle to get its broken platforms out of combat zones, the service said in a notice last week, as it continues exploring the use of robots for difficult battlefield tasks.
In a request for information posted June 17, officials said the service was interested in a “robust, ruggedized” vehicle to help recover disabled equipment in contested environments.

The Brigade of Gurkhas’ bagpipes and drum

This video describes the military situation in

Indra Group and BAE Systems OneArc (OneArc) have formalised an agreement to deepen their cooperation on simulation technologies for the Spanish Army’s land vehicle training programmes.

An elite unit that has existed since the Second

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war.

World of Warships is always making content for naval history buffs but its America 250 update goes above and beyond. Those interested in game play will love the game’s new “Dawn of a Nation” narrative campaign, but there’s a lot for those who just love to blow up enemy vessels—especially while at the helm of America’s most iconic ships.

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are reportedly holding early-stage discussions regarding the potential sale of Indian defence systems, including the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

After more than a month without conducting airstrikes in Somalia, the U.S. military quickly ramped up its actions in the country this past week. U.S. forces carried out four strikes in support of Somali, all targeting al-Shabab militants in the country.
According to U.S. Africa Command, American forces launched four airstrikes against al-Shabab between June 14-19. The attacks are the first airstrikes in the country since the U.S. targeted the Islamic State’s Somalia branch on May 6.

Hunger pangs became a constant, unwelcome companion for Tibor “Ted” Rubin.
The 13-year-old Hungarian boy’s empty stomach wasn’t the worst of it, either. Held in the notorious Mauthausen Concentration Camp (“where murder was a way of life”) in Austria during World War II, Rubin battled disease and ungodly treatment. The conditions were filthy and crowded, and simply surviving became Rubin’s daily mission.
Also Read: Meet the one-legged spy who helped rid the world of the Nazis
“We had nothing to look forward to but dying,” Rubin recalled.

Rachel S. Cohen, Federal News Network
The Marine Corps could add thousands of Marines as part of a new force design review completed in May.

Global Defense N.
. . . the U.S.

SN
To maneuver through dense cities on foot, while staying lethal, the Army sees a need to go lighter – much lighter.

Defence Blog
Department of War contractors with the 11th MEU launched a V-BAT drone from USS Portland in the South China Sea on June 17, 2026

NGD
Multi-weapon thermal smart sight uses integrated laser rangefinder, wired or wireless connectivity, and ballistic computer for improved first-hit probability.

The UK military is due to begin fielding a new body-worn counter-IED system from 2028, around six years since contract award.

This video describes the military situation in

The Russian Aerospace Forces have deployed Tu-160 intercontinental range strategic bombers for operations over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian seas, with MiG-31 interceptor aircraft providing escort. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the flight “lasted approximately 16 hours. During the mission, the Tu-160 crews practiced aerial refuelling.” This occurred at a time of high tensions with NATO, and following multiple engagements in the region.

The United Arab Emirates has been reported by multiple sources to be planning the procurement of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India, as part of a broader surge in defence procurements by the Arab state following hostilities with Iran from late February. The negotiations are reported to also include the potential purchase of India’s Akashteer air defence system. India requires Russia’s approval for the sale of the missile, with the BrahMos having been jointly developed by the two countries based very heavily on the Soviet technologies in the P-700 and P-800 cruise missiles.

A single bribe nearly ruined a defense partnership most people didn’t know even existed. It took India and Italy almost a decade to recover.The story of how that rupture happened — and what it exposed about Italy’s quiet but deep role in India’s military — is essential to understanding why both countries now treat their renewed ties as something too valuable to lose again.When Indian authorities cancelled the AgustaWestland helicopter contract in 2014, the fallout went far beyond the headlines.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy on June 22 confirmed that the carrier group led by the Liaoning completed far-sea combat training and safely returned to its home port in Qingdao. Public reports stated that the Liaoning and the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Anhui conducted joint exercises in the Western Pacific for more than 40 days, fully demonstrating the effectiveness of the carrier strike group’s coordinated amphibious assault ship operations in far-seas combat.

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has directed the Navy to continue developing the DDG(X) next generation destroyer program, with an explanatory report from the Committee’s draft National Defense Policy Act for Fiscal Year 2027 stating that the ships will need to become operational in the 2030s as older variants of the Arleigh Burke class destroyer begin to be phased out of service.

The MQ-9B SkyGuardian is the first medium weight drone type to be delivered to the Republic of China Armed Forces, with four having been ordered for over $170 million each to provide an improved reconnaissance-strike capability in the Taiwan Strait. Although its design is based on that of the MQ-9A Reaper which is widely in service with U.S. strategic partners and in the U.S. Air Force, the newer variant was extensively redesigned to be safer, more versatile, and capable of operating in environments that the MQ-9A was never intended to enter.

The Republic of China Air Force has continued to make significant progress in its procurement of four MQ-9B drones from the United States, with sources eporting that the first two are currently undergoing system testing by the manufacturer and by local personnel. The MQ-9B is a large drone with long-duration loiter capabilities and all-weather surveillance. Once fully operational, the aircraft are expected to be relied on heavy for monitoring the air and sea situation in and around the Taiwan Strait.

The development of the Chinese KJ-3000 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system has caused growing concerns in the Western world, with its potential to further expand China’s already significant advantage in airborne sensor capabilities having been alluded to a recent Pentagon report. The report warned that the KJ-3000’s development represents part of a broader expansion of China’s AEW&C capabilities, as these systems serve as force multipliers and form the backbone of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s already formidable aerial kill chains.

The Army officially created a new kind of formation this past week, moving thousands of soldiers into a “multi-domain command.” 
On Thursday, the Army formally created the 7th Infantry Division Multi-Domain Command – Pacific, merging the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force with the 7th Infantry Division.  The new command is the first of its kind, taking a long-standing ground force and combining it with a relatively new formation focused on modern warfare tactics involving cyber and electronic warfare and the use of drones at scale.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is directing all healthcare facilities to end gender identity-based programs and activities, as well as reclassifying medical care coordinators who help LGBTQ+ veterans as just “care coordinators.” 
The changes come from a June 12 memo signed by Under Secretary for Health for the Veterans Health Administration John Bartum, directing department leaders to end “gender-identity based and gender-ideology based initiatives, and any activities, internal or external, that promote gender identity or gender ideology” at the Veterans Health Administration.

President Trump’s NATO strategy aligns perfectly with MAGA interests.

President Donald Trump’s America First foreign policy is delivering results that were, until very recently, dismissed as impossible. NATO allies, long content to let the United States shoulder the burden of their defense, are finally stepping up. Germany, Europe’s economic powerhouse, is pledging to build the continent’s strongest army, signaling a broader shift across the alliance.

This video describes the military situation in

According to a new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, President Donald Trump last year told X owner Elon Musk and media personality Tucker Carlson that he would not invade Iran.

The new book, according to reports, claims that the president said that in no uncertain terms, “We’re not doing that.”

The book, titled Regime Change, is expected to be published in the United States on Tuesday, June 23.

In 2025, a Russian fighter aircraft that was purchased only in small numbers returned to the headlines when reports indicated that Russian officials were seeking ways to revive production amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The MiG-35, despite its lack of export success, was being considered to give Russian forces an edge in Ukraine, but the news revealed an uncomfortable reality for Moscow.

Real MiG-29 at USAF Museum in Dayton. Image Credit: National Security Journal.

This video describes the military situation in

In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his “Special Military Operation” – a gamble that was intended to seize the entirety of Ukraine in a matter of days.

Instead, his invasion has become bogged down in a conflict that has lasted longer than the Soviet Union’s war against Nazi Germany in the Second World War and the entire First World War combined.

The bomb markings on the returning A-10 Thunderbolt II jets hint at the variety of weapons the Warthogs used against Iran, while the kill marks offer clues about some of the targets they hit.
On Jun. 12, 2026, 11 A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft, belonging to the 75th Fighter Squadron of the 23rd Wing, from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, arrived at RAF Lakenheath, UK, from Aviano Air Base, Italy, on their way back to the U.S. following their deployment to the CENTCOM AOR (Area Of Responsibility).

One of the most difficult conversations within the military-connected community is the intersection of long-term military service, trauma, and personality traits that can become increasingly destructive within families. 
For some military spouses, the challenge is multi-tiered and complex. Their service member may have struggled with post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, or alcohol misuse. It is living with a partner whose years of authority, rank, and institutional power have reinforced unhealthy patterns of control, entitlement, and emotional manipulation.

This video describes the military situation in

HMS Tamar visited Jakarta to strengthen defence

The Eastern Region won the Royal Navy Inter Reg

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy was confirmed for the first time in May to have integrated a Type 055 class destroyer, the warship Lhasa, with an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system, which is considered a significant force multiplier for the ships’ capabilities. Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor and defence analyst, was cited by local media observing that this represented a major advance in operational coordination.

The M-134 “minigun” does not sound like a gun, really. A rifle pops and a machine gun thumps, but the thing rips. One long, flat, ripping note with no gaps in it; like reality being unzipped, ending in a solid rope of tracer where a target used to be. Its report lands in your sternum before your ears catch up. If you have ever stood near one, you did not hear shots as much as feel them.
Read Next: Your standard rifle can now be an anti-drone weapon. Seriously.

The Air Force is permanently moving three of its RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones to Yokota Air Base in Japan, after more than a decade of being stationed in Guam.
The 4th Reconnaissance Squadron, 319th Operation Group began relocating the RQ-4s to Japan in late May, with the first arriving in the Tokyo-area base on May 27, although the 374th Airlift Wing only officially announced the transfer this week.
The squadron has made seasonal visits to Yokota, but this permanently stationed it at the base, after spending 16 years operating out of Andersen Air Force Base on Guam.

Iran Could Extract More Concessions By Closing Hormuz Again: Less than a day after Washington claimed Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire, additional strikes in Lebanon have not only collapsed the deal, but also resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran confirmed on the morning of Saturday, June 20, that it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli “violations” of the peace deal.

At roughly the same hour on Saturday that Iran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again, Vice President JD Vance went on Fox News and said the opposite was true. The United States had moved 16 million barrels of oil through the strait in the previous 24 hours, Vance said, “basically to where it was before the war even started,” which to him suggested, “the straits really are open.” He doubted reports that Iran had been turning ships away, and said Washington was “not seeing any evidence” of an Iranian closure.

Joshua Arostegui, MWI
The contemporary discourse on drone-driven warfare rarely suggests the end of maneuver, but it highlights an

Gary Warner, Stars and Stripes
With volleys of cannon fire and a marching brass band, the Army on Thursday signaled a major military merger

Gary Anderson, RealClearDefense
After dominating the world’s sea lanes since the end of World War II, surviving challenges from the Soviet Navy throughout the Cold War, the United States…

MC Compass Points
In just one report, Congress’s most trusted source of unbiased information raises a roster of issues

Jesse H. Ausubel, RealClearDefense
Andrew W.