See video below.
Earlier this month, WTOC TV news (Savannah, GA) reported on an event involving the Atlanta Falcons at Parris Island, a Marine Corps training facility for recruits in Port Royal, South Carolina.
Current and former Atlanta Falcons participated at the event.
The Falcons got a taste of what it is like to train to become a marine, also giving marines and their families a chance to take photos and get photographs.
There was a bit of yelling by the instructors.
Some Falcons could be seen going down the rappel tower. Then there was a shooting competition.

In honour of the King’s Official Birthday

A recent report on waste found that the Army ha

After four months of war, Washington and Tehran have agreed to a 60-day framework designed to halt the fighting and reopen maritime commerce through the Strait of Hormuz.

The deal offered immediate relief—financial markets welcomed the announcement, shipping companies gained some clarity, and regional tensions cooled—but the agreement contains structural flaws and should accordingly be viewed as an interim framework rather than a permanent settlement.

The 461st FLTS, F-35 Integrated Test Force, at Edwards Air Force Base in California received a newly instrumented F-35A aircraft.

This video describes the military situation in

Last night, Russia launched another large-scale missile/drone attack against large portions of Ukraine. The attack featured around 600 drones and various cruise/ballistic missiles, including Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles.

As a result of the attacks, various civilian and cultural sites were hit or damaged. Amidst the destruction, Dormition Cathedral, a UNESCO site and one of the holiest sites in Ukraine, was struck, causing a fire to burn a large portion of the outside structure.

Typhon Hypersonic Missile. Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot.

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.

This video describes the military situation in

With a deal allegedly finalized between the United States and Iran, and a signing ceremony expected in Switzerland on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump is signaling to the world that the Strait of Hormuz is open and the oil crisis is over.

But while Washington insists a diplomatic breakthrough has been made, the chances of the global economy returning to normal in the near future are slim to none.

Oil fields. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Oil Platform. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

One of the primary points of friction in the emerging US-Iran peace framework is the Strait of Hormuz. The framework appears to contain structural flaws in the future governance of the Strait.

While Washington says the agreement guarantees permanent free navigation, Tehran says shipping will be free for 60 days, before maritime service fees are then introduced.

A 35th Fighter Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon flies near the Korean peninsula during a dogfighting training scenario during exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield 25 at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Aug. 20, 2025.

They’re the most senior infantry regiment in

Reporting about the 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Trump administration and the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran is convoluted, and people globally are confused. That’s because the Israelis keep bombing targets in Southern Lebanon and insist the MoU does not bind them.

Plus, the Americans released the terms of the MoU on social media, which did not align with what the Iranian leadership was telling the world that they agreed to. One of the biggest points of concern for the whole world was whether the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened toll-free.

Crimea has been turned into a “peninsula of fear”, trapped between severe political repression by Russian occupying forces and a tightening war zone caused by Ukrainian drone and missile strikes.

The Ukrainians are transforming the Crimean peninsula into an isolated Russian military outpost that is proving increasingly less and less able to protect and feed itself, as the supply lines are choked by drone attacks.

Lancet Drone. Image Credit: Russian State Media.

When Ethan Cobb graduated from high school and started college, he felt that his life lacked purpose. Since his grandfather had served in the Air Force, he decided he wanted to enlist to find a sense of duty.
But Cobb weighed 398 pounds at the time. In order to join the military, he needed to lose nearly half his body weight. He accepted the challenge, and over the course of two years he dropped about 200 pounds so he could ship to Air Force Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

Shortly after ordering the drone strike that killed Iranian Qods Force chief Qassem Soleimani, President Donald Trump tweeted, “Iran never won a war but never lost a negotiation!” Trump was right then, but even more so now.

Trump’s chief accomplishment, unfortunately, has been to make Neville Chamberlain look like Winston Churchill.

Donald Trump Back in 2016. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Iran Deal Is a Historic Mistake
Put aside the discrepancies between Iranian and American descriptions of the deal.

Renault Group and Thales have presented a prototype militarised vehicle named 4 TROOP at Eurosatory 2026, aiming to address operational demands of land forces.

Russian escalation was all but confirmed overnight when dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones were launched at major Ukrainian cities, with the strikes killing at least 11 people and setting fire to a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Ukrainian military described how 70 missiles and 611 drones bombarded major Ukrainian cities, with 50 of the missiles said to have been shot down along with 582 drones. The remaining projectiles wreaked havoc across the country.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) opened what it describes as Europe’s largest drone testing and development facility.

Whatever gets signed in Switzerland on Friday, the most consequential outcome of the war between the United States and Iran may be a conclusion forming in Tehran that no agreement can undo: that the only reliable guarantee against being attacked, invaded, or removed from power is a nuclear weapon.

Iran spent decades building deterrents that were supposed to keep that from ever being necessary — a ballistic missile arsenal, a ring of regional proxies, a threshold nuclear capability it could brandish without crossing.

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, flown by Capt.

In what was one of the most confusing moments in recent geopolitical history, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran agreed to a much-ballyhooed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that extended the already-shaky ceasefire between the two powers, which had been in place since late April, for another 60 days.

In the late hours of Sunday, though, the two sides agreed to the MoU, with an official signing ceremony scheduled for this Friday.

F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

If accurate, parts of what could be an Iran deal are coming out, and they don’t look so good for the Trump Administration.

According to a source inside Iran’s government that is being reported in many outlets, Fars News states that Iran will allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz free of charge for only 60 days, after which the country intends to provide security, maritime, environmental, and insurance services to crossing vessels and use the ‘revenues’ for its economic development. Yes, that sounds like a toll.

A wide recapitalisation programme has required increased acquisition expenditure in the years leading up to 2026.

This video describes the military situation in

Airmen from the Rhode Island National Guard and soldiers from the Michigan National Guard moved a powerful rocket artillery system more than 2,000 miles across the country this month, flying a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System from Michigan to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin to test rapid deployment capabilities.
Troops from the two states’ National Guards pulled off a “HIMARS Rapid Infiltration,” or HIRAIN, over the course of June 6-13, according to a release from the Michigan National Guard.

For the rest of his life, Clyde Lassen rarely spoke of the night of June 19, 1968.
A private man, Lassen—who achieved the rank of commander during his two decades in the United States Navy—kept the harrowing details largely to himself. He rarely opened up, even to his own family. His two children did not even obtain a complete picture of their father’s heroism until a half-century later.
Also Read: An Army pilot shot three times during the Maduro Raid just received the Medal of Honor
Lassen didn’t have to say much.

Iran Just Published 14 Points Of The Deal Donald Trump Called “Complete” — And They Describe Something Far Shakier: Less than a day after President Trump declared the war with Iran over and the agreement “complete,” Iranian state-affiliated media published what it says are the 14 points of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) — and the terms describe a far weaker, more conditional arrangement than the one Trump announced.

Honestly, if this is the deal Trump agreed to or even sort of somehow agreed to in some vague sense, it’s hard to see how it makes it to a Friday signing.

The framework taking shape this week fixes the crisis that the war itself produced. It does almost nothing about the three problems Washington had with Iran before any of this started.

That distinction is getting lost in the relief. Oil is cheaper. The Strait of Hormuz is supposed to reopen. The Lebanon front is supposed to go quiet. Markets like all of that, and they should — a closed strait was costing the global economy real money every day it stayed shut.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is pressing the Pentagon to disclose how it’s confronting potentially serious operational risks to U.S. military personnel as insiders hustle to fulfill the Trump administration’s new 90-day mandate to rewrite the policy for deploying and safeguarding autonomous weapon systems in warfare.

Global Defense N.
The U.S.

Aviationist
An F/A-18D Legacy Hornet belonging to VMFA-323 crashed while flying the VR-1355 low-level route in Washington State, with the pilot’s ejection caught on

McFadden, IntEng
America’s ability to project power across the Pacific may depend more on fuel than fighter jets, reports warn.

Stephen Losey, A&SF
Software shortcomings, spare parts shortages, and corrosion problems mean only about one in four

Trent Hone, Proceedings
The Navy has been there since the beginning, and enshrined in Article 1, Section 8 of our Constitution is Congress’ power “to provide and maintain a…

This video describes the military situation in

On June 15 a U.S. Air Force B-52H intercontinental range strategic bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base, killing all eight crew members. This aircraft was a key test vehicle assigned to the 412th Test Wing. and had recently been equipped with the new AN/APQ-188 active electronically scanned array radar for testing as part of the B-52J upgrade program. The B-52 currently makes up the large majority of the United States strategic bomber fleet, and is relied on for both strategic nuclear deterrence and to serve as a cruise missile launch platform for tactical strikes.

America’s defense industrial base cannot build the Navy out of the threat it faces. Decades of industry consolidation, persistent resource shortages, and inconsistent demand signals have delayed the production of critical vessels and munitions. With production bottlenecks stacking up, the Navy may have no choice but to let its allies do some of the building.Both the National Defense Strategy and Navy Warfighting Instructions highlight how mobilizing allies can field more forces to the mutual benefit of the United States and its strategic partners. Likewise, the latest U.S.

Footage released on Chinese social media has shown a J-16 fighter launching a KD-88 standoff ai rlaunched precision strike missile, highlighting the fighter type’s versatility and advanced air-to-ground capabilities. Designed to engage high-value land targets from outside the engagement envelope of most enemy air defence systems, and entering with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force around 2006, the missile is broadly comparable in concept to the Russian Kh-59 series that has been used extensively against targets in the Ukrainian theatre.

In late May 2026, South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back unveiled a roadmap to achieving one of Seoul’s top military acquisition goals: nuclear-powered submarines. This roadmap is heading in the wrong direction.During last month’s inaugural meeting of the Future Defense Strategy Committee, South Korea published its Basic Plan for the Development of Nuclear-Powered Submarines. Chaired by President Lee Jae Myung, the committee was formed to help South Korea build robust, self-reliant defense capabilities.

This video describes the military situation in

The AI platform is finalised, already trialled with unspecified armies, and is being launched at the Eurosatory defence exhibition.

For 70 years, the United States has been fighting an invasion at our southern border, but its not the invasion of illegal immigrants we are talking about.
The United States has, for 70 years, been fighting a continuous aerial war against the New World screwworm, a parasite that eats animals alive: cow, pig, deer, dog, even human. (Its scientific name, C. hominivorax, translates to “man-eater.”) Larvae of the parasitic fly chew through flesh, transforming small nicks into big, gruesome wounds.

During the first sighting of an F-16 Block 70 fighter built for the Republic of China Air Force in the air near Fort Worth Naval Base in Texas, the aircraft was seen integrating five external fuel tanks, including three drop tanks under its fuselage and wings, two further conformal fuel tanks. The configuration has highlighted the gradual evolution of the F-16 program to increasingly rely on outstandingly high external fuel carriage to a much greater extent than was the case in the late 1970s with the fighter type first entered service.

Image by Oregon National Guard

Originally published at Real Clear Defense
The Instrument of Power
In today’s military, particularly within the National Guard, administrative process has become the preferred method for resolving career-ending allegations and personnel disputes. What many service members experience is a kind of shadow kingdom—a legal twilight zone where the rules of the UCMJ are sidelined in favor of administrative control. In this space, the law does not function as a shield for the innocent; it functions as the primary instrument of the Commander.

The first F-16 Block 70 fighter built for the Republic of China Air Force was seen taking off from Fort Worth Naval Base in Texas, integrating conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks. The aircraft is question is a twin seat F-16D variant, and is expected to cross the Pacific Ocean via aerial refuelling to Hualien Air Force Base on Taiwan Island later in June. Although the aircraft was officially handed over in March 2025, it has yet to be ferried to Republic of China Air Force facilities. Sixty-six F-16C/D Block 70 fighter aircraft were ordered under an $8.

President Donald J. Trump declared the war with Iran finished on Sunday evening, posting on Truth Social that “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete” and authorizing the toll-free reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the immediate removal of the United States naval blockade. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the lead mediator, announced minutes earlier that the deal had been reached, with both sides declaring an end to military operations on all fronts.

And this time, unlike every previous false start in this war, Iran responded — and confirmed it.

The Navy will lift its two-month-long blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump announced, after the United States and Iran reached an agreement to end the war.
Posting to social media, Trump said that he authorized “the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif first announced that a deal had been reached on Sunday. Both parties will meet in Switzerland to sign the agreement on Friday, June 19, Sharif said.

Warsaw, Poland – On the morning of Sunday, 14 June, the United Kingdom armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker transiting through the English Channel. The announcement, which came from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in London, is one of the more recent efforts by the NATO-member nation – and one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters – to disrupt Moscow’s sanctions-evading oil exporting network.

This video describes the military situation in

This video describes the military situation in

The Navy is once again launching planes from Wake Island. This time, the island will serve as the base for P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft, according to contracts posted by the Navy. 
The contracts, listed on SAM.gov, say that the service will use the island and its airfield for “Navy Summer Exercise 26.” That itself was not specified, but the P-8 Poseidon is used for reconnaissance flights and this operation is being overseen by the Seventh Fleet’s main reconnaissance and surveillance arm, Task Force 72.