Time to ‘kick’ Putin when he is down? So reads the headline in one of the United Kingdom’s major daily newspapers. The smart money is that as the heads of the NATO alliance member states meet in Ankara this coming week, this is precisely the proposition that will be part of the discussions.

That Russia’s situation in this war worsens by the day is no longer an op-ed columnist’s wish fulfillment or a fantasy prediction.

Two British Armed Forces F-35B fifth generation fighters operating from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales intercepted and escorted a Russian Tu-142 anti-submarine warfare aircraft in the Norwegian Sea. According to the British Ministry of Defence, the Russian aircraft passed close to the aircraft carrier at low altitude and dropped a large number of sonobuoysin close proximity. The deployment of a Tu-142 near a NATO carrier group is significant because the aircraft’s primary mission is not conventional attack, but maritime intelligence gathering and anti-submarine warfare.

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Russia’s largest tank producer Uralvagonzavod has elaborated on ongoing efforts to modernise the T-80 main battle tank, as the vehicles continue to play a significant role in the war effort in the Ukrainian theatre. “The upgrade of the T-80BVM tank continues in all the military-technical aspects: firepower, protection, mobility and crew control. However, the final parameters of these upgrades remain beyond the framework of public disclosures. The main result should be the increased effectiveness of this armoured vehicle’s use,” the Uralvagonzavod press office stated.

What do you do when two identities that make up your deepest self find themselves on opposite sides of a moral and spiritual battlefield?I am Catholic. I have been one for over 20 years since I made the life-altering decision to join a friend for Mass one day. My faith became a spiritual and ethical foundation at a time I sorely needed it, so much so that for a time, I contemplated entering the priesthood, which replaced my previous career goal of entering the CIA.

Footage from the Ukrainain theatre has shown a new configuration of the Russian T-72B3 main battle tank integrating improved armour protection and the Arena-M active protection system, with the vehicle seen concealed in a firing position. The tank was operating with Battlegroup Centre in the Dnipropetrovsk area, and appears to have been deployed defensively. It was previously reported that when Battlegroup Centre assault troops were conducting pre-combat preparation at a rear training ground in May 2026, they were equipped with T-72 tanks with the Arena-M system.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy has announced that, at 12:01 on July 6, a strategic nuclear submarine successfully launched a ballistic missile carrying a training simulated warhead into the Pacific Ocean, with the missile having accurately landed in its designated target area. The missile in question is reported to have been the JL-3, which was introduced into service near the beginning of the decade to modernise the capabilities of the Navy’s Type 094 class strategic submarines.

The Russian Navy has deployed the Slava class cruiser Varyag to participate in Joint Sea-2026 exercises with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, with the warship arriving at the Chinese port of Qingdao on July 5. The exercise will be carried out in three phases which focus on force assembly, planning at the harbour, and maritime operations respectively, with both countries planned to conduct joint reconnaissance, air and missile defence, and maritime strike operations.

The U.S. Air Force has announced that the first B-21 next generation strategic bombers in active service will be based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, with the facility also expected to host a Formal Training Unit, meaning it will be central not only to operational deployment but also to training aircrew and maintenance personnel for the new aircraft. The airbase is being transformed under a $2 billion infrastructure modernisation program, which will provide the maintenance, training, and mission support facilities required for the highly complex stealth aircraft.

The Russian Aerospace Forces have deployed A-50U airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems to provide to provide support to missile defence efforts, in particular to help intercept FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile strikes which are being launched from Ukraine against high value strategic targets. This gained particular attention after Russian air defences in shot down more than five of the missiles in the early hours of June 5, with these missiles having followed a Volga route via Volgograd towards Votkinsk in Udmurtia.

The Polish government carried out a discreet transfer of surface-to-air missiles from the MIM-104 Patriot long range air defence system to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with this reported by multiple regional sources to have occurred in the spring of 2026. The missiles were taken from the Polish Armed Forces own operational inventory, and had been relied on to sustain the country’s long-range air defence readiness.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s newest aircraft carrier the Fujian has been widely reported by local sources to be the world’s first aircraft carrier with an operational hard-kill anti-torpedo defence system, with Chinese defence publications and analysts highlighting that launchers visible on the ship are almost certainly intended for the system.

On 3 July, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported that overnight it had successfully attacked two Russian military air bases on the illegally occupied Crimea peninsula. The Ukrainian service stated that this drone strike had damaged or destroyed at least seven military aircraft in what was the second reported attack on the Saki air base within a week.

…better leaders will have fix it, at greater cost, later…

Barely a month after a rash of resignations from Labour’s defense cadre, we’re starting to see what this is about.
The details only confirm what we have all seen coming: those given stewardship of the defense of the United Kingdom do not think it worth defending, nor do they think she should have the ability to effectively do her fair share in the collective defense with her allies.

Two members of the Tennessee National Guard shot and killed an armed man early Sunday in Memphis, law enforcement said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said today that Memphis police and National Guard soldiers who are in the city as part of a federal task force responded to reports of gunfire just before 4 a.m.
Memphis police officers were chasing a man armed with a hand gun. Tennessee National Guard soldiers joined the chase for the armed man, identified as 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson.

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The Navy suspended its search for a sailor who went missing after their helicopter went down in the Arabian Sea at the start of the month.
The Navy’s 5th Fleet said in a post Sunday afternoon that several ships and Air Force aircraft spent more than four days looking for the sailor, who was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5. The sailor was one of four onboard a Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, which crashed into the water on July 1. Three crew members onboard the helicopter were recovered shortly after the crash and reported in stable condition on Wednesday.

Hiding in plain sight tired the hell out of Ben Heck.
While deployed in Mosul, Iraq, in 2005, Heck sustained a traumatic brain injury as a result of a roadside bomb. The blast damaged the Army soldier physically, including injuries to his neck, left shoulder, and back. Dealing with a TBI was worse, leaving Heck almost unrecognizable, even to himself.
Also Read: ‘The Deadly Gap:’ Veterans wait to get benefits until it’s too late
It affected his vision and cognitive skills. Migraines plagued Heck, who had trouble sleeping and eating.

Posted Zero Hedge
At the start of February, we pointed out that “humanoid warfare nears” and suspected these war bots were headed for Ukraine for testing. 
That hunch was confirmed by early March, after a TIME Magazine article reported that Foundation Robotics, a U.S.-based startup developing humanoid robots for industrial and military applications, had recently sent two Phantom MK1 robots to Ukraine for testing.

The Eurofighter program is facing a worsening crisis as a result of its four-nation consortium structure, with the fragmented and politically constrained nature of Europe’s defence industrial base exacerbating already significant and longstanding issues with the program. Developed jointly by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain, although the program was structured to distribute industrial benefits and ensure political buy-in, it has created a complex and often fragile production and sustainment ecosystem.

Iran’s new supreme leader reportedly wanted to attend his late father’s funeral ceremonies, but his own security establishment stepped in the way to prevent it.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son and successor of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has not appeared in public since the February 28 U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father, wife, and son. And now, as Iran holds a week of funeral ceremonies, Mojtaba is still absent.

Established on January 24, 1964, MACV-SOG was a multi-service clandestine unit tasked with conducting covert operations before and during the Vietnam War. 
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group personnel consisted of U.S. Army Special Forces, U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Air Force air assets, U.S. Marine Corps force reconnaissance. It also included the CIA, which previously was in charge of these missions before SOG took over.

Ukraine Is Making Crimea A Liability for Russia: Ukraine’s campaign to isolate occupied Crimea gathered pace again this week when another string of long-range strikes hit Russian military infrastructure across the peninsula.

Overnight on June 30-July 1, Ukrainian forces struck a railway bridge near the village of Ichky, damaging a crossing that Russian forces were using to move troops and military equipment to the southern front.

Russia’s Advance Is Slowing: Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine is moving more slowly than at any point in more than a year, according to a new assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The news comes as Moscow continues to suffer enormous personnel losses on the battlefield and continued economic disruption caused by Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign.

New data published by the Washington-based ISW this week suggests that Russia’s territorial gains have collapsed in the first half of 2026, despite numerous offensives across the front in Donetsk.

HMS Dragon conducts an Replenishment at Sea (RA

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The French Rafale fighter program on July 4, 2026, marked 40 years since the first flight of its first technology demonstrator in 1986, with the program having since evolved into by far the most successful in Europe in the post-Vietnam War era. The French Air Force began defining requirements for the fighter in 1983, just three years before its first flight, although major development delays meant that it would be 18 years before the aircraft could be belatedly brought into service in 2001.

Chinese state media has for the first time unveiled images of the terminal stage of its DF-26D intermediate range ballistic missile, after the missile was first unveiled in October 2025 to modernise the People’s Liberation Army’s land attack and anti-shipping capabilities against targets in the mid-Pacific and beyond.

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment headed t

A recent report to the U.S. Congress by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has confirmed that preliminary design work on the DDG(X) next generation destroyer program was initiated in June 2025, and that the program is also conducting land-based test site construction activities and procurement of long-lead time materials. This follows confirmation in mid-June that the U.S.

U.S. officials are increasingly viewing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) as a strategic technology comparable in importance and destructive potential to nuclear weapons, particularly because of its potential to transform cyber warfare and intelligence operations. These concerns were recently highlighted by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who noted that advanced AI-powered cyber capabilities could be considered “digital nuclear weapons.” He stated that AI would dramatically increase the stakes in strategic competition with U.S.

Footage released by the state run Korean Central News Agency has shown the Korean People’s Army Navy’s new Choe Hyon class destroyer, the Kang Kon, launching the largest salvo of cruise missiles ever seen in a peacetime exercises, with consecutive launches of 12 missiles from its vertical launch system. The launches were conducted as part of the most comprehensive known naval weapons trial in the history of the North Korean surface fleet, which included an evaluation of the ship’s broader combat systems.

The Egyptian Armed Forces have for the first time publicly displayed the 9A83ME Transporter Erector Launcher and Radar from the S-300VM long-range surface-to-air missile system, drawing attention to one of the country’s most significant defence procurements made in decades. The launcher was unveiled during the official inauguration of Egypt’s new Strategic Command Headquarters, commonly known as the Octagon.

Putin Is Under Pressure At Home: Ukraine’s long-range strikes against Russia continued overnight, with drones and missiles hitting more energy infrastructure. This time, an oil terminal near St. Petersburg was hit, igniting a major fire and causing explosions that were recorded and shared online. Additional attacks hit power infrastructure in the Belgorod region and military facilities supporting the war effort. It’s just the latest round of attacks in an ongoing Ukrainian barrage that is forcing Moscow to rethink how it fights this war.

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The world’s fastest-growing sport has fou

This video describes the military situation in

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Public Domain

250 years ago, today, July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. Written by Thomas Jefferson, the proclamation officially severed our political ties to England and asserted our status as an independent nation. It was the shot across the bow by thirteen colonies against the most powerful nation in the world.
250 years ago, the British Navy ruled the seven seas with more than 270 vessels, including a hundred heavily armed warships called “ships of the line” the Aegis guided missiles Cruisers of the day.

According to reports, America has warned the government of NATO-member Poland that Russia is planning an armed “provocation” against the Central European nation in order to test the alliance’s solidarity and the members’ willingness to fulfill their Article 5 obligations of the transatlantic charter.

The exact scenario is unclear, but the most plausible is that Polish critical infrastructure could be targeted by Russian missiles and drones.

Aaron-Matthew Lariosa, Naval News
The U.S.

Caitlyn Burchett, USNI News
Nimitz was the first in a series of nuclear-powered super carriers that have remained the centerpiece of American power projection

Lindsay, Military.com
Medal of Honor recipient Clint Romesha says veterans aren’t broken and calls for more opportunity, connection and support after service.

C. Allen, American Thinker
In July 1776, Congress proclaimed independence—and George Washington prepared an army to defend it.

The WarZone
NASA will lead waves of aircraft, from stealth bombers to VIP helicopters, over the Mall to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

Ukraine’s program of medium-range strikes on Russian military targets in occupied Crimea and southern Ukraine is now fatally disrupting Moscow’s military logistics chain. The lack of any logistical support or transport is now forcing some Russian infantry units to walk up to 19 miles to reach their frontline positions.

This development was reported by Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, on Wednesday, 1 July. Fedorov was speaking at a joint press conference in Kyiv with Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson.

Today’s 4th of July celebration in Washington, D.C. will feature a nine-hour airshow involving waves of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft from across the military, including historic F-5s to modern fighter jets.
Freedom 250, the organization behind many of the events in the capital for the nation’s 250th birthday, released the schedule for the 4th of July airshow, which includes more than 30 specific waves of aircraft spanning almost every branch of the armed forces, minus Space Force.

In spring 1968, Jim McCloughan signed a contract to teach and coach two sports at a high school in his native Michigan.
The next week, McCloughan received a letter that the United States military needed him more. Drafted into the Army, McCloughan reported to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for basic training. He then went to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio to become a combat medic.
Also Read: How the US protected ‘utterly irreplaceable’ documents during World War II
McCloughan (pronounced Muh-clue-in) became an exceptional medic.

There continues to be confusion about just what weapon Ukraine fired at Moscow on Tuesday, 30 June, during a missile alert. Russia’s Defense Ministry (MoD) has claimed that Ukraine used a ballistic missile in an attack on Moscow for the first time, although the model and type of missile remain to be identified.

In the MoD Thursday daily briefing, the Russia briefer stated that Moscow’s air defenses had intercepted what it called a “long-range operational-tactical missile” within the past 24 hours.

“Moscow Will Fall” – The Overnight Strikes Just Got Worse –  Overnight on July 2, Russia and Ukraine endured another night of long-range strikes overnight, with Moscow continuing its devastating aerial bombardments of Kyiv as Ukrainian forces struck more energy infrastructure in Russia and Russian-occupied territory. While Russia relied on overwhelming missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, despite Moscow claiming the strikes targeted military sites, Ukrainian forces continued to target the fuel infrastructure that economically supports the war in Ukraine.