In the last few days, there hasn’t been much news to suggest hope for a deal between the U.S. and Iran to end their war. Talks between Iran and Oman over the status of the Strait of Hormuz have been reported as close to a deal for nearly a week, without any announcement of a final one, while at the same time Iranian officials have been clear that an Iran/Oman deal would not count as a “reopening” of the waterway.

Britain is changing the way it arms Ukraine.

The more I hear about the upcoming Jimmy Stewart film, the more excited I get—and the soundtrack announcement is no exception. 
A little recap for you if this is news: The star of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” James “Jimmy” Stewart, traded in his Academy Award for an Army Air Corps uniform, flying 20 combat missions in a B-24 during World War II.
He survived the war and continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve. By the time his military service was complete, he was a brigadier general—but like so many veterans, combat and military service left him traumatized and desolate.

A dynamic has become clear in recent weeks: Ukraine is desperately in need of missile defense technology, with Russia stepping up ballistic missile attacks and reportedly planning a major winter offensive.

However, the United States is suffering from a munitions shortage of its own, and President Donald Trump has been vacillating on whether or not to supply Ukraine with Patriot missile licenses. At the same time, while deals have been reached to increase weapons production, the process is long and slow and won’t provide much help to Ukraine this winter.

No Limits. No Mercy.

UNCONQUERED | MILITARY MOTIVATION
✓ Link to t

When he saw a car being engulfed by flames, Senior Airman Dalton Clark did not hesitate to act. 
Assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing, Clark was driving in heavy traffic toward Hurlburt Field, Florida, last month when he first saw black smoke from the burning car. Then he saw that someone was inside the vehicle. The scene reminded Clark of his good friend, who was killed in a December 2025 car fire. 
“Honestly, that’s all I was thinking about in that moment,” Clark, 25, told Task & Purpose.

Lockheed Martin has launched Strigo, a modular suite of defence solutions intended to expedite the delivery of missile technology.

There have been growing reports in recent weeks that North Korea is stepping up its aid to Russia in the Ukraine war.

The Independent reported earlier this week that Ukraine is anticipating as many as 50,000 more North Korean soldiers heading to Russia, following earlier reports that North Korea had sent 16,000 personnel to the Kursk region.

Massed use of drones requires consideration at the industrial and operational level to determine how best to utilise autonomy.

Credit: UK Ministry of Defence / Wikimedia Commons (OGL v1.0)

Cameras fitted to Royal Navy surveillance drones used by British special forces have been secretly transmitting data to an internet address in China, according to an investigation published by The Daily Telegraph. The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident, which was discovered during a routine cyber vulnerability assessment, and quietly removed internet connectivity from the affected systems.

For as long as she could, Genelle Guzman-McMillan followed orders to stay put.
Guzman-McMillan worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Its office was on the 64th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. When terrorists smashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the tower on September 11, 2001, Guzman initially thought it was an earthquake.
Also Read: We remember 9/11. Here’s why we must never forget 9/10.
While the stunned workers hovered together, a public address announcement advised them not to go anywhere.

This video describes the military situation in

A.E. Elezhar, NextGenDefense
The U.S.

T. Veillon, War Room
In modern warfare, the front line no longer begins where supply trucks stop. It begins wherever a drone can see.

Lisa West, UK Defence Journal
the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Preble employed its High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system, known as HELIOS, to engage…

J. Trevithick, The WarZone
A much bigger fleet of smaller turboprop E-130Js is set to replace the smaller fleet of larger E-6B jets, but the Navy has also acknowledged risks.

Global Defense
the F-35’s potential role as an airborne sensing node that helps pass threat data into systems such as C2BMC,

This video describes the military situation in

When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, the U.S. government was the unrivaled patron of American science. It funded nearly two-thirds of the nation’s research and development — much of it for defense — defining the early Cold War. In a phenomenon that’s been widely explored in our Arsenal of Innovation series, for several decades federal dollars pushed the technological frontier, and the private sector followed.Today, that arrangement has been inverted. Industry now funds roughly three-quarters of U.S. research and development, while Washington’s share is less than a fifth.

Nine countries now possess nuclear weapons. Arms control agreements painstakingly built over decades have collapsed. Geopolitical competition is intensifying rivalries between nuclear-armed powers. North Korea continues expanding its arsenal and delivery systems. China is on a trajectory to go from roughly 600 warheads today to around 1,500 by 2035. Meanwhile, Russia bears most of the responsibility for the expiration of New START and is developing an array of exotic new nuclear delivery systems designed to circumvent missile defenses.

The White House has the right instinct on AI. Its June 5 National Security Presidential Memorandum commits the government to putting the most capable models in the hands of national security professionals “without delay.” The military version of that bet is decision dominance: seeing, deciding, and acting faster than an adversary can respond. Recently, we saw a live test of how far the commitment reaches.An AI system built by OpenAI escaped its test lab and broke into the servers of Hugging Face, another American company.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV has revealed that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force’s Y-20B strategic transport aircraft can rapidly transition between multiple mission sets through modular equipment. The aircraft can be converted from a transport into an aerial refuelling tanker through the installation of refuelling pods and associated equipment, while officials indicated that the same platform can ultimately support roles ranging from airborne early warning to electronic warfare and even long-range strike missions.

A wise man once said, “Don’t schedule a meeting without an ask”. Some Asks are tougher than others. Politically, some are easy, some are tough, some are impossible. 
“The Spectrum” was once a medical term describing Autism. Lately it has assumed a political dimension accentuated by the growing abyss between our political parties and the emerging Communist embryo called the Democratic Socialists of America. 
Like nature, our human relationships often mirror their characteristics. “Nature Abhors a Vacuum” is a tried and true “Law of Nature”.

Crude oil stockpiled in the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve is currently below 300 million barrels, a level not seen in over forty years, following the release of oil in response to the war in Iran.

On Monday, the Department of Energy released data about the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It found that the reserve’s future is at risk, both due to aging infrastructure, now over 40 years old, and an unstable global energy situation.

F-15EX Eagle II. Artist Rendition. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

A formation of four U.S.

The Defense Department’s next Manufacturing Innovation Institute will focus on reviving America’s domestic fabric production capacity and enabling modern and much better-performing military materials.
Senior defense officials unveiled plans on Monday to launch the department’s ninth MII at Gaston College in Belmont, North Carolina, a long-standing U.S. hub for textile training and development.

A mother of a Russian soldier speaking to RFE/RL has told the broadcaster the last time she heard from her son, a Russian soldier deployed to the front line, was when he was dispatched on a combat mission on 20 July 2025 – more than a year ago.

He had transmitted a photo to her that same day and had also messaged her that he had been wounded but not seriously when a drone exploded near his position.

Putin Back in 2018 Creative Commons Image

Putin in 2021 Creative Commons Photo

It was the last message of any kind she ever received from him.

Iran Says Oman Talks Won’t Open the Strait – Oman and Iran are negotiating over the Strait of Hormuz, but their talks will not achieve a proper reopening of the critical commercial waterway if the United States does not agree to Tehran’s requests, Iran said on Monday.

Partial Hormuz Opening In Sight 
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei noted that talks with Muscat were centered on commercial shipping routes. However, he stressed that this was a separate issue from the full reopening of the previously busy waterway.

The Houthi Attack: What Happens Now? While the war between Iran and the United States has remained cool over the last few days, the “Yemeni front” has continued to escalate as the Houthis continue to trade blows with the coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

Over the weekend, the Houthis carried out a strike against Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery, which processes more than 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Friendship, brotherhood and knowledge 🇫🇮

On Saturday, 8 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that updated intelligence reports on Russia’s preparations for its next offensive indicate that as many as 50,000 soldiers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) could now be deployed in theatre.

“A decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of ​Russia”, he said.

North Korean ICBM. Image Credit: KCNA/North Korean State Media.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is considering a new program to develop a hypersonic missile demonstrator that would serve as the baseline of future weapons, according to a special notice.
The agency posted a request for information to Sam.gov on Aug. 7 seeking industry feedback on the new Next Generation Hypersonic Cruise Missile (NGHCM) effort — which aims to design, build and fly a fully integrated hypersonic weapons demonstrator.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers could be deployed to Russia to fight along with its ally against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy posted on X over the weekend that “a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia,” a ‌higher figure than his earlier estimate of 30,000 in July. He did ⁠not get into specifics as to why that number has increased.

Iran’s Drones That Russia Is Using. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The war in Ukraine is heating up in ways not seen in years.

First, the Russians are clearly making decisive strides on the battlefront itself in Eastern Ukraine, as Russian troops are mere kilometers from the two remaining Ukrainian Fortress Cities.

Vladimir Putin in Dec of 2020 Creative Commons Image

Putin in Meeting In January 2023 Creative Commons Photo

Most experts assess that those Fortress Cities will fall.

Second, the Ukrainians began a desperate wave of sustained drone strikes deep inside Russia meant to disrupt the logistical chain supplying the Russian frontline forces.

After trying — and failing — to use massive military force to force the Islamic Republic of Iran to collapse (or at least be more compliant with Washington’s wishes) for the last nearly six months, President Donald Trump seems to have walked back from that course of action.

Since the war started, the US military has massively depleted its stockpiles of critical defensive and long-range precision-strike munitions.

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 501 performs a flight demonstration over Washington, D.C.

Ukraine’s battlefield marketplace hits $1bn
B

The Navy and Marine Corps are curtailing when service members can file anonymous complaints alleging discrimination and harassment, a recent Navy-wide message says.
Both services will no longer process such anonymous reports as part of Military Equal Opportunity complaints, according to the message, which closely mirrors recent policy changes announced by the Army and the Department of the Air Force.
“This does not prevent a commander from taking appropriate action in response to an anonymous report,” the Department of the Navy-wide message says.

A special return for HMS Somerset 🇬🇧
Afte

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.

Through its long war against Ukraine, Russia has received reinforcements from North Korea. Now, more of that is on the way.

According to The Independent, which cited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, North Korea is preparing to deploy as many as 50,000 more soldiers to Russia. If true, that would represent an escalation of North Korea’s previous troop involvement in the war.

North Korea Artillery. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

India is reviving production of the Russian Su-30MKI fighter at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Nashik facility, bringing a license production agreement that dates back a quarter century into a new phase. The facility will produce at least 12 new fighters, with the first deliveries expected to begin during the next financial year, while all aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by 2029. A total of 222 Su-30MKI fighters have already been produced under licence agreement with Russia, with 50 more having been built in Russia and delivered to the Indian Air Force fully assembled.

Iran is clear: An Oman deal would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz – For the last week, Iran and Oman have been in talks to reach a new understanding of how shipping traffic will operate in the Strait of Hormuz. But as Iran has now made clear through multiple public statements, even a deal resulting from those talks would not represent an “opening” of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump Thinks He Can Wait Out Iran, But Iran Is Doing the Same – President Donald Trump, facing a missile crisis and the reality that Tehran doesn’t cave after weeks-long strike campaigns, appears to have settled on a new strategy for dealing with Iran: wait.

After months of military strikes, threats of further attacks, and even a naval blockade that is causing immense economic damage to Iran, Trump said on Sunday, August 9, that the United States is now “low-keying it” with Tehran.

Russia has refused to “freeze” its ongoing war in Ukraine if its “root causes” are not addressed, Moscow said on Monday.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told the state-affiliated TASS news agency that “as Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said, no ‘freeze’ is possible without eliminating the root causes of this crisis.”

Zelensky Speaking in UK Ukraine Government Photo

Unsurprisingly, this latest intervention demonstrates Moscow’s unwillingness to accept a pause in military action unless its broader demands are met.

“Winter in Ukraine is no longer a season.

Over the last couple of days, the conflict between the U.S. and Iran has subsided after Washington hoped to reach an agreement with Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Unfortunately, no such deal materialized. Where many feared that Trump would try to escalate the conflict, it now seems that the U.S. has shifted its policy to wait out the regime in Iran and let the blockade and economic pressures take their toll. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic has issued a new set of demands that it says the U.S. must meet before vessels are allowed to transit freely through the Strait.

The U.S.

Artec has received an order to deliver 69 additional Boxer RCT30 infantry fighting vehicles to the German Armed Forces and the Netherlands.

This video describes the military situation in

Opening weekend of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” along with the third weekend of “The Odyssey” fueled the biggest collective weekend in box office history at a cool $430 million across all movies in the marketplace—and that’s just domestic, baby.
“Spider-Man” alone brought in $932 million worldwide, second in history only to “Avengers: Endgame,” which brought in $1.22 billion globally during opening weekend. 
In other words, stories about heroes are still massively popular.

The Iranians said on Monday that any deal with Oman on controlling shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would not lead to the waterway being fully reopened until the United States agreed to several of its demands.

These demands show that the Iranians believe they are winning and that the US consistently stopping the air campaign for negotiations demonstrates US weakness.

President Donald Trump delivers delivers remarks to troops at Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar.