When the Confederacy fired the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861, Gordon Granger was on leave from the Union Army.
Granger took time off because he was ill. But once hostilities broke out, Granger soon returned to uniform and later distinguished himself, both as a soldier and officer, during the Civil War.

The Russian Armed Forces have significant expanded their infrastructure along the border with Finland, as part of a broader effort to reinforce the country’s northwestern flank following Finland’s accession to NATO in April 2023. Satellite imagery and intelligence assessments indicate that new barracks, warehouses, vehicle parks, ammunition depots, and logistics facilities have been constructed, while long-abandoned Soviet-era bases have been reactivated. These projects appear designed to support a much larger permanent military presence once forces and equipment become available.

The British Armed Forces have launched their first armed takeover of a Russian civilian ship, as part of broader efforts being pursued by multiple NATO members to undermine the Russian economy by targeting its exports. British Royal Marines from 42 Commando boarded the tanker CMR Smyrtos as part of a six hour maritime interdiction operation. While the large majority of attacks on Russian shipping have been carried out in international waters, it is notable that the latest operation by the Marines was in British territorial waters.

Warsaw, Poland – On Wednesday morning, 17 June, officers from the Central Directorate of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) detained the high-profile St. Petersburg businessman Ilya Traber. His arrest comes as a surprise to many, as he is a famous figure in Russia’s second city in two specific respects.

One is that he is well-known as being a major kingpin in St. Petersburg’s criminal underworld, where he has acquired the nickname “the Antiquarian,” or the “Antiques Dealer.

The Russian defence sector has been widely assessed by Western analysts to have achieved considerable successes in expanding production of the country’s most capable type of operational main battle tank, the T-90M, as the rapid wartime depletion of Soviet era tank reserves has made it critical to rapidly replace losses with new T-90s.

The U.S. Army’s 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, has demonstrated an effective transition from a cavalry reconnaissance formation to a parachute infantry battalion capable of conducting airborne assaults, forcible-entry operations, and rapid deployment missions across the Arctic and Pacific regions. This was demonstrated at the Red Flag-Alaska 26-2 exercise.

The Iranian government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia to acquire 20 Mi-171 helicopters, which are reportedly intended to serve in the Iranian Red Crescent Society for emergency response and disaster relief. The helicopters will be used for search and rescue, medical evacuation, firefighting, and other emergency operations. They are expected to be equipped with modern systems, including night-vision capability and specialised medical equipment, with the first four helicopters are scheduled for delivery before March 2027.

The U.S. Marine Corps has deployed F-35B fifth generation fighters for operations from Finnish highways in Tervo during Ramstein Flag 2026 exercises, highlighting the U.S. Armed Forces’ growing focus on dispersed combat operations to allow advanced airpower to continue to function away from major air bases. Although all variants of the F-35 can deploy from specially reinforced highways, the F-35B’s entirely unique short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities make the aircraft particularly optimal for operations from austere sites.

This video describes the military situation in

A mentor of mine, a superb scholar, once told me that good defense analysis starts with a trade-off. The classic example is combined arms doctrine, which is the foundation of modern warfare. Infantry, armor, artillery, and aviation work together to offset each other’s weaknesses. Each brings a combination of mobility, firepower, or protection, though none individually has all three. Infantry has a lot of mobility, but little protection. Tanks have mobility and a lot of protection, but limited magazines. Artillery in the rear has nearly limitless firepower, but no protection.

Fire Point’s CEO spoke with Army Technology about her plans to cultivate a sovereign ballistic missile and interceptor sector in Ukraine.

War is a brutal driver of medical innovation. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has forced clinicians and commanders alike to confront a hard truth: Survival depends not only on tactics and technology, but on the ability to deliver advanced care under fire, evacuate and resuscitate the wounded, and preserve fighting strength despite repeated attacks on healthcare systems.Ukraine’s experience has reshaped combat medicine through necessity, resilience, and improvisation.

Russia’s largest shipyard the Sevmash Shipyard in the country’s northwest has laid down a Yasen-M class multipurpose nuclear-powered submarine, the Murmansk. The warship is the ninth of its class to have begun construction, with Navy Commander-in-Chief Fleet Admiral Alekseyevich Moiseyev having commented regarding their capabilities: “Not every country can afford to build such ships, namely, nuclear-powered submarines…. We build the best ships, the best nuclear-powered submarines. This is the result of the huge, revolutionary, collective work of our entire country.

The Finnish government has lifted a decades long ban on the hosting of nuclear weapons on its territory, with the country’s parliament having approved an amendment of the country’s Nuclear Energy Act and Criminal Code a little over three years after the country’s formal accession to NATO in April 2023. The Finnish parliament announced that this would “strengthen the security” of the country, although opponents of the amendment have cautioned that it makes Finland “a target for nuclear strikes.

The full text of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreed by the United States and Iran was officially confirmed by Washington on Wednesday, June 17. It has also now been signed by President Trump.

The 14-point agreement officially declares the war between the two countries to be over and calls for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the United States lifting its blockade.

An F/A-18 Super Hornet from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, performs an aerial demonstration over Rickenbacker International Airport, Ohio, June 16, 2024, as part of the Columbus Air Show.

Even as Washington expresses hope that a full peace deal with Tehran will be signed in the next sixty days, U.S. President Donald Trump is warning that he could resume military action against Iran if the negotiations break down again.

The comments came on the same day that the full details of the recently agreed memorandum of understanding (MOU) were published online and signed by President Trump, revealing the extent of the concessions Washington made to prevent further disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

Boeing B-52H Stratofortress. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Crimea is normally a Russian vacation destination during the summer months. Resorts along the Black Sea are generally packed as Russians flock to the beaches. But not in 2026.

The ongoing military conflict with Ukraine, severe fuel shortages in Crimea, and frequent drone strikes have caused massive booking cancellations and crippled the region’s tourism industry.

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

General Atomics and Anduril have received production contracts from the Air Force for Increment 1 of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, the service announced Wednesday.
The firms were each awarded engineering-and-manufacturing development and production contracts for the CCA air frames, beating out at least four other vendors that competed for deals. The contracts — which come four months ahead of schedule — cover the first three lots of unmanned aerial vehicles and will allow the service to field at least 150 systems by the end of the decade, according to Col.

The Marine Corps activated its first unmanned systems maintenance unit Tuesday, a move officials said gives an East Coast aviation wing an organic entity capable of repairing its own large drones.
Marine Unmanned Maintenance Squadron 14 (MUMS-14) is a “first of its kind” for the Corps, according to a press release this week. It will serve as the primary sustainer for the service’s fleet of MQ-9A Reaper drones aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.

A new multidisciplinary team of expert researchers is assembling to supply scientific guidance to the U.S. government’s unidentified anomalous phenomena investigations and help agencies determine whether unexplained sightings pose national security threats or represent major new discoveries.  
Well-known theoretical physicist and Harvard University Professor of Science Avi Loeb announced he would be leading this new UAP Science Advisory Council, which he unveiled in a post online this week.

Nearly 60 years after he led his reconnaissance team through a harrowing ambush in South Vietnam — ignoring his numerous serious wounds — retired Maj. James Capers Jr. will finally be honored with the U.S. military’s highest award for valor on Thursday.
President Donald Trump will award Capers the Medal of Honor at Thursday’s ceremony, a White House official confirmed to Task & Purpose.
Capers’ heroism during an April 1967 ambush in South Vietnam is legendary.

The bonds, the friendships and the camaraderie🫂 Stay tuned for our new series Sub Life where we will dive BTS of life aboard a submarine🫧ahead of this year’s celebration marking the 125th anniversary of The Submarine Service. #bfbsforcesnews #forcesnews #news #uk #shorts #military #navy #sailor #submarine

This video describes the military situation in

In footage shared on social media, President Donald Trump offered a candid assessment of the state of global oil and offered a possible explanation for his willingness to accept a deal with Iran that even his own administration officials reportedly opposed. During a speech at the G7 meeting in France, the president warned that the world would run out of oil reserves within weeks and admitted that the situation forced his hand.

What Trump Said

President Donald J.

A Ukrainian FPV drone, possible AI directed, targeted a civilian delivery truck in Belgorod, Russia, killing the driver. The world will never be the same after today.
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The memorandum of understanding that the U.S. is expected to sign in person with Iran on Friday has managed something rare in American politics: uniting President Donald J. Trump’s hawkish allies and his anti-war base against him, for opposite reasons. The hawks think it gives Tehran too much; the America First wing never wanted the war that produced it. The reason Trump is signing, anyway, is not stated in any of the document’s fourteen points.

F-35B Lightning jets are now operating from HMS

A new bill introduced in the Senate aims to clean up the convoluted process that governs what benefits and pay National Guard and Reserve troops are eligible for when they’re called up.
When National Guardsmen were mobilized to cities across the U.S., many took to social media joking that they would be given 29-day orders on purpose. For the average civilian, it might not mean much. But for part-time troops, the type of mission they are assigned to can impact their paycheck and other benefits.

Who is the best EVER footballer to serve in the

A Russian Warfare Expert who survived missile a

Officials at Edwards Air Force Base, California, released the names of the eight crew members of a B-52 Stratofortress who were killed on Monday when the bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at the desert base.
The crew included five active-duty Air Force aviators and three civilians.
According to the Air Force, those killed were:

Col. Greg Watson, 53, weapon systems officer and employee of Boeing. Watson was an Air Force reservist, assigned to the 10th Air Force, and lived in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Lt. Col.

When Russian forces first crossed into Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin was convinced the war would be over in weeks, that Kyiv would fall, and Russia would return to business as usual before the end of the year.

But more than four years later, the conflict has become the defining challenge of Vladimir Putin’s presidency – and his decision to invade may prove to be the beginning of the end for his new Russian empire.

Putin in 2022. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Ukraine launched another major overnight drone strike against Moscow, reportedly damaging a major oil refinery and forcing flight restrictions across all four of the capital’s international airports.

Russian officials claim that more than 60 drones targeting Moscow were shot down, while over 170 were intercepted nationwide.

Putin New Year’s Message. Image Credit: Russian Government.

This was not an isolated incident; reportedly, this is the ninth consecutive day of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) hasn’t even been signed yet, but President Trump says the United States is fully ready to go back to bombing Iran if the deal isn’t satisfactory to the US.

Speaking at the G7 conference alongside Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Évian-les-Bains, France, on Wednesday, the president said the U.S.-Iran agreement is not a final deal and warned that the U.S. could resume bombing Iran “if they don’t behave.”

President Donald J. Trump watches the liftoff of Artemis II in the Outer Oval Office, Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

BAE Systems has secured a $535m to manufacture extra M109A7 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzers and M992A3 Ammunition Carriers for the US Army.

Sir Richard Knighton said the government’

A cruise missile capable of striking deep strategic targets from over 2,000km is at the centre of Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems’ future roadmap, as revealed at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris

The UK Defence Investment Plan is nine months late amid a funding debacle that has seen multiple government officials resign in protest.

The modern battlefield has changed.

Nothing lasts forever. Even headstones, which, for most of us, will be our lasting impression on Earth. Over time, they get discolored and work down by rain and sleet and whatever else mother nature can throw at it. Anyone who’s ever tried to visit an old grave can tell you that the wear and tear of time combined with cemetery record-keeping can leave some graves just… lost.

Representatives from the United States and Iran will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, to end the conflict that has been ongoing for several months.

The MoU lays out a 60-day window for further negotiating Iran’s nuclear program, ensuring the Strait of Hormuz remains open, and ensuring the conflict doesn’t restart.

President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump work the rope line at the Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn, Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

Earlier this month, Nick Ricigliano finally came face to face with a fugitive he’d been tracking since 2019 and whom the Army had been after for nearly 30 years.
“I was a bit taken aback by how much he had aged and how unhealthy he appeared,” Ricigliano, an Army veteran and long-time U.S. Marshal, told Task & Purpose. “I suppose 30 years of waiting for that knock on the door had taken a physical as well as mental toll.”  
The fugitive that Ricigliano finally got to meet was former Staff Sgt. Jesse Bussey, an “Army Most Wanted Fugitive.

Did President Donald Trump cave in to Iranian demands to make his deal on the Memorandum of Understanding a reality?

The devil is in the details, as the real negotiations will officially begin once the MOU is signed on Friday.

B-2A Spirit Stealth Bomber USAF Image.

It seems that the critics have come out in force, especially on Capitol Hill, where legislators are starving for more information about the agreement with Iran.

What If Israel Plays the Spoiler?
Trump may be concealing the MOU’s inner workings because he is not sure the agreement can be followed to meet his objectives.

Warsaw, Poland – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has long been one of the most loyal and dependable allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Therefore, it was not much of a surprise that two Belarusian citizens were arrested this Monday after one of the former KGB Lt. Col.’s most vocal critics was shot dead here in Poland in the city of Biala Podlaska.

In what has been interpreted as the fear that the event could be targeted by Ukraine’s famous Flamingo FP-5 missiles, Russia’s Defense Ministry (MoD) is not planning to hold its main naval parade in St. Petersburg this year.

Fontanka, a news outlet based in Russia’s second city, reported the news on Tuesday, which it said came from an unnamed MoD source.

Yasen-Class Submarine Russian Navy. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The parade has been held in St.

According to intelligence assessments by more than one Western ally, Iran has rebuilt much of its pre-war arsenal of missiles with the help of a friend in Europe, and is believed to possess about 75 percent of the missiles it had before the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, the joint Israeli-American campaign that marked the start of hostilities between the three countries.

Tehran’s reconstituted missile stocks are thought to have been aided by missiles produced in Russia.

Tomahawk Block IV Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

A Tu-22M3 strategic bomber of the Russian Strategic Forces crashed recently due to likely engine failure. “Fell like a brick”.
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From Monday night and on into Tuesday morning, dozens of Ukrainian long-range drones struck Moscow in what has been one of the largest attacks of the almost four-and-a-half-year war.

The strikes are confirmed to have seriously damaged a major oil refinery and have also prompted flight restrictions that disrupted air travel at all four of the Russian capital’s international airports.

Putin with a Rifle. Image Credit: Russian State Media.

“Over the past 24 hours, an attack by enemy drones on Moscow has continued.

Ukraine launched several dozen drones at Moscow on Tuesday night, marking the ninth consecutive night of strikes in the Russian capital city.

Moscow’s four major airports, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky, all experienced delays or disruptions, and an oil refinery complex was struck.

Putin In Airplane Simulator Russian Government Photo

Posting to his Telegram channel, Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin explained that “twenty-five unmanned aerial vehicles have been destroyed by the Ministry of Defense’s air defense system.

Ending the Iran War Increases Political Liability: Conventional wisdom suggests the Iran war is a political liability for President Donald Trump, as it will relieve political pressure on Republicans. Conventional wisdom, however, is wrong.

Certainly, the pressure is real as Americans suffer under inflation. As prices edged up at the gas pumps and grocery stores, pressure grew at the White House and among Republicans fearful of what popular discord might mean in mid-term elections. By almost any metric, prices are now higher than they were under President Joe Biden.