The Army shared the names of the Iowa National Guardsmen killed this weekend in Syria, identifying them as Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29 and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25.
Both were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division of the Iowa National Guard, Boone, Iowa, an Army news release said.
Tovar, of Des Moines and Howard, of Marshalltown, died on Saturday in Palmyra, Syria, from “injuries sustained while engaged with hostile forces,” the news release says. The incident is currently under investigation.

We broke down why the Army is cutting hundreds

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The Air Force is winding down its use of the A-10, but that doesn’t mean it’s going quietly. Or without some tributes from the people maintaining the planes. 
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, better known as the “Warthog,” has been a mainstay of the Air Force for decades and was a regular sight during the wars in Afghanistan. But its age is showing and the military is trying to phase it out. But at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, the dedicated crew chiefs working on maintaining the close-air support aircraft are paying tribute in their own way.

Rheinmetall Air Defence has secured a contract from the Netherlands (MoD) to deliver a two-digit quantity of Skyranger ads.

KNDS has completed the delivery of the final tranche of Leopard 2A7HU main battle tanks to the Hungarian Army.

The Air Force and Space Force are spending millions of dollars researching a concept called “rocket cargo,” where they would shoot a capsule full of troops or supplies into orbit and land it anywhere on Earth in 90 minutes or less, which is way faster than anything they have currently.
That kind of capability could be a game-changer in future conflicts, where U.S. troops may be more spread out and isolated than they’ve been in decades. But tough questions remain, such as how to make rocket cargo cheap, fast and safe enough to work at scale and in combat?
First, some context.

The 126th Army-Navy Game presented by USAA continued its legacy as one of sports’ greatest spectacles, marking the rivalry’s seventh appearance in Baltimore. During a weekend packed with notable figures from across the sports, entertainment, and military communities—including the President of the United States and Secretary of Defense—the Black Knights and Midshipmen put on a memorable show for the 70,936 fans in attendance at M&T Bank Stadium.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has for the first time aired footage of the People’s Liberation Army’s new Type 99B main battle tank participating in live fire drills. The new type of main battle tank was first unveiled at a military parade on September 3, 2025, during which tanks from the 112th Combined Arms Brigade of the 82nd Group Army led the ground vehicle column through Tiananmen Square in central Beijing.

Following the publication of images in October confirming progress in the construction of a new Chinese supercarrier, the Japanese think tank the National Institute for Basic Policy Research (NIPPR) has provided a new assessment of satellite images taken at the Dalian Shipyard where the warship is being constructed.

Who will be the top Forces horse of 2025?

Who will be the top Forces horse of 2025?

Lucas de Gamboa, RealClearDefense
We may have the strongest military, but having a strong military does not mean adversaries believe it will be used.

Tyler Rogoway, The WarZone
Hegseth’s visit to Redstone Arsenal provided new disclosures on Dark Eagle’s range and its small warhead.

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Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series exploring the modernization of defense manufacturing. Please also read the first: “The Additive Manufacturing Mirage in Defense.”If the role of additive is shifting away from the savior of manufacturing, then what will replace it as the true reindustrialization of manufacturing?  There is an emerging consensus of an “agile factory”, which is theorized as a production ecosystem that mixes multiple manufacturing processes, old and new, orchestrated with advanced software and automation.

Western militaries are still arguing over what “autonomy” means while Russia and China are already building machines that don’t need GPS, data links, or even instructions.And unless the United States rewrites its understanding of autonomy, it will keep fielding systems that look modern on paper but collapse the moment the battlefield cuts the cord.

The Ukrainian state security service (SBU) has reported the first-ever successful attack on a submarine by an unmanned underwater vehiclein military history, damaging the Project 636 Improved Kilo class diesel-electric submarine at the Black Sea naval stronghold of Novorossiysk. A video released by the SBU appears to show the submarine exploding, after the unmanned vehicle navigated a packed harbour to reach its target.

The first submarine produced in the Republic of China, the Hai Kun, has continued to suffer major performance issues during testing. During the warship’s second sea trials, the ship’s hydraulic system was reported to have been left almost entirely ineffective on June 26, preventing the crew from turning the ship’s rudder. Personnel on the ship were as a result forced to turn the rudder by hand to be able to make an emergency return to the port.

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The Chinese Jiu Tian unmanned aircraft, commonly referred as the world’s first ‘drone mothership,’ has been confirmed to have made its first flight in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, marking a major milestone in a unique program that promises to revolutionise unmanned air operations. With a 25 metre wingspan and 16.35 metre length, the large aircraft has the capacity to carry 100 small drones, which it can launch while airborne.

The Royal Thai Air Force has employed its F-16A/B fighter aircraft for five days of intensive air strikes on Cambodian targets, following the launch of Operation Sattawa on December 10 which is aimed at seizing a number of localities in northern Cambodia. The service first procured the aircraft in the early 1990s, which were supplied from the U.S. Air Force’s post-Cold War surpluses, after which seven additional F-16s were delivered as aid by Singapore in 2005.

The 11th Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp has confirmed that the CH-7 unmanned high altitude stealth reconnaissance aircraft recently completed its first flight at an airfield in Northwest China. The program’s entry into its flight testing stages is expected to pave the way for service entry in the early 2030s, marking a major milestone in China’s emergence as a global leader in unmanned aviation capabilities.

Former officer in the Ukrainian Security Service Vasily Prozorov has reported that an estimated 10,000 foreign contractor personnel have been killed in action since the outbreak of full scale Russian-Ukrainian hostilities in February 2022.

Every year, the Pentagon promises us “game-changing” technology. Usually, that just means a new radio that weighs five pounds more than the old one and requires a Master’s degree to operate.
Related: What’s really real with SOCOM’s AI targeting tests right nowBut 2025 was different. This year, the future actually showed up. We aren’t just looking at PowerPoints anymore; we are looking at laser weapons that shoot down rockets for the price of a coffee, “vampire” medical kits that don’t need refrigeration, and drones that land on their tails like retro spaceships.

Congress wants the Department of Defense to study psychological effects of working with uncrewed weapons. Nestled inside the large National Defense Authorization Act currently making its way through the legislature is a section calling for a “comprehensive study” on how working with uncrewed aerial systems impacts troops’ mental health. 
The defense bill, which passed the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate, covers everything from pay increases to upgrading an award to the Medal of Honor.

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This video describes the military situation in

For years, military families have been told to be flexible, to “embrace the suck,” and to trust the system. But when the system doesn’t evolve, families get hurt, and some go bankrupt.
Spoiler alert: The PCS Program was never designed with modern military families (or common sense) in mind. The PCS system isn’t just broken; it was designed in an era that didn’t account for modern families, housing costs, or pandemics.

The U.S. Space Force will soon start naming its weapons, communications and space systems after themes including Norse mythology and ghosts.
Space Force shared the plans on Thursday, framing them in bright and colorful art pieces that look like something out of card games such as Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh. Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman unveiled the thematic naming schemes during his keynote address at the 2025 Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference.

Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland is the Superintendent of West Point, and has led troops in some of the Army’s most elite combat units, including the 1st Cavalry and 101st Airborne divisions, the 75th Ranger Regiment and Delta Force.
Somehow he did all that while being bad at throwing grenades.
As a young soldier, he told Task & Purpose, he somehow screwed up the grenade-throwing station during testing for the Expert Infantry Badge.

The Pentagon has provided new insight into how the Chinese People’s Liberation Army could utilise its missile, anti-space and cyber assets to sink even the newest and most capable U.S. Navy carrier groups.

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US and Polish soldiers have been demonstrating

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The Korean People’s Army’s most high profile military unit deployed for operations in the Russian Kursk region, the 528th Regiment of Engineers, has returned to the country after completing an assignment to clear mines left by Ukrainian and supporting Western forces.Chairman of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party Kim Jong Un attended a welcoming ceremony for the returning personnel, praising them for their “heroic” conduct and “mass heroism” in fulfilling orders issued by the Party during their 120-day deployment.

President Trump is attending the annual Army-Navy game, minutes after making comments on the attack that killed three Americans including two US troops in Syria. Trump was on the field for the coin toss, and got cheers from the crowd of cadets and midshipmen when his name was announced on the PA system.

The post WATCH: The Crowd LOVES Trump At Army Navy Game appeared first on Armed Forces Press.

New data from the Taiwan Arms Sales Backlog Tracker has provided an indication of the major delays in arms supplies to the Republic of China Armed Forces, with outstanding backlogs having reached over $21.45 billion. Senior officials in the Republic of China government in a recent legislative questioning confirmed delays in weapons systems deliveries, which were originally scheduled for 2025, including F-16 Block 70 fighters, AGM-154C glide bombs, and MK-48 heavy torpedoes.

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The head of a security squadron at one of the Air Force’s nuclear missile bases was relieved of command, in the wake of several deaths involving airmen at the base.
Lt. Col. Tyler Hiatt, commander of the 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, was removed from his post following “a professional disagreement over actions in the unit.” Hiatt told Col. Terrance Holmes, 90th Missile Wing commander, of his “inability to executive the duties of his position,” according to the 90th Missile Wing in a release.

A gunman from the Islamic State attacked an American delegation in Palmyra, Syria, killing two U.S. Army soldiers and an American civilian interpreter today, leaving several people injured.
Three other American service members were injured in the attack, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. A single member of ISIS attacked the American delegation while it was in Palmyra for a “key leader engagement,” according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement on X. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the gunman was killed by “partner forces.

Palmyra Medieval Castle. Tadmur Castle. 13th century. Palmyra, Tadmor, SyriaImage by Vyacheslav Argenberg

This story is developing…
Members of a US-led coalition delegation and Syrian security forces were injured in a shooting near Palmyra while on a mission related to plans to fight ISIS, reports Al Jazeera.
US helicopters evacuated the wounded to the al-Tanf base.
An American soldier was wounded in gunfire targeting a U.S.

Bea Castañeda, The Defense Post
The DDG(X) is the U.S.

DNews
The Defense Department should improve information sharing among different services and offices to improve the

Andrew Brown, RealClearDefense
Nearly every aspect of American life runs on code, from national security to finance to healthcare to education.

A. Smith, RCD
It’s been a consequential end of the year for Army aviation.

David Stewart, RCDefense
Critics pillory him for overemphasizing one specific type of history—military, political, economic, or social—while minimizing or ignoring the other types.

Nate Boyer has passed tests most never try. He was an Army Green Beret, played Division I football and even earned a spot on an NFL roster.
But he admitted to Task & Purpose he was a “recycle” at Airborne school.
Some of the Task & Purpose team is in Baltimore for the 126th Army-Navy game, talking to veterans and active-duty military members about service, the football rivalry and more. Ahead of the game, they got some time with Nate Boyer.
“There’s nothing like Army-Navy. It’s special,” Boyer told Task & Purpose. “It’s the only game this day for a reason.

During World War II, while American soldiers fought across continents, the home front became a battleground of its own. Saboteurs, spies, and covert networks tried to exploit weaknesses in America’s defenses. At the very moment Nazi infiltrators slipped ashore in 1942 as part of Operation Pastorius, another secret war was already underway, one fought on the New York waterfront.
There, the U.S. government turned to an unlikely partner to protect the nation’s supply lifeline: organized crime.

Combat engineers of the Korean People’s Army 528th Engineer Regiment have removed mines on an area of almost 42,400 hectares of territory in the Russian Kursk region, destroying over 1.5 million explosives, according to a statement by the region’s Governor Alexander Khinshtein. “Combat engineers from the friendly republic have cleared almost 42,400 hectares of our territory from mines and destroyed over 1.5 million explosive devices. This is invaluable help in the work, without which our borderline territory cannot be rebuilt,” he stated.