The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has been the backbone of the U.S. Navy carrier air wing since 2001. Eight hundred and thirty-eight built. Roughly 550 are still in active service. Combat missions over Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and now Iran during the opening waves of Operation Epic Fury. The aircraft Tom Cruise flew in Top Gun: Maverick. The aircraft that every American carrier strike group has built its operations around for the past two decades. Boeing is shutting down the production line in 2027, and the Navy has to make the existing fleet last into the 2050s.

The South Korean Defence Ministry has initiated the formal process to procure nuclear powered attack submarines, after the Navy submitted relevant documents to the Joint Chiefs of Staff outlining the need for the program and specifying requirements. The Joint Chiefs are now reviewing the Navy’s proposal, and are expected to hold a meeting before the end of the month to finalise the requirements for the program.

“The Dodge Durango of submarines.” That’s how a former U.S. Navy admiral described the Virginia-class attack submarine. The framing is correct by every credible technical measure. The Virginia-class is the most capable nuclear attack submarine ever built — quieter than the Russian Yasen-class, more heavily armed than the British Astute, and now carrying 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles per boat in the Block V configuration. It is also produced at half the rate the Navy actually needs.

The Cuban Armed Forces have deployed Soviet-supplied S-125M/M1 medium range surface-to-air missile systems for air defence exercises, at a time when the country faces an imminent threat of a U.S. led assault. Trump administration officials have since the beginning of the year provided multiple indications of plans to use military force against Cuba, with the bringing of charges by the United States against former Cuban leader Raul Castro, among other leadership figures, on May 20, considered a significant escalation intended to provide pretext for attacks.

Andrew White, Breaking Defense
The U.S.

Stars and Stripes
Somewhere between Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro on May 10, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz became the longest-serving flattop in Navy history, the service said this…

Sandy Clark, RCDefense
In the Navy’s force of helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft, we live and die by the “3-for-2” rule.

USNI N.

Tyler Rogoway, WarZone
We now know the building goes six floors underground and will have “the greatest drone empire you’ve ever seen that’s going to protect Washington” on its roof.

United States officials speaking to the Washington Post have reported that the Israel Defence Forces conserved its stockpiles of anti-ballistic missile interceptors during the 39 day war with Iran, which placed more pressure on U.S. forces in the Middle East to expend very high portions of their own stockpiles. According to three officials who spoke to the outlet, the U.S. Army expended over half its stockpile of interceptors for the THAAD system, making around 200 launches, while the Navy expended over 100 SM-3 and SM-6 anti-ballistic missiles.

This video describes the military situation in

China’s diplomats are on an “AI governance” offensive. At a May 5 United Nations meeting, China’s vice minister of science and technology championed China’s role in shaping U.N.-led frameworks that determine how the technology should be built and used. Just a week earlier, two top Chinese AI experts actively involved in Beijing’s governance efforts appeared by video on a Capitol Hill panel discussion hosted by Senator Bernie Sanders, touting China’s contributions to AI safety and cooperation.Norms and standards on AI development and applications are still being defined.

This video describes the military situation in

Gaza did not have to look the way it looks. That is not a moral claim. It is an operational one.Claims of necessity are invoked to explain the scale of civilian harm, but they founder in the face of operational logic. Supporters of Israeli methods argue that Gaza’s urban battlefield — tunnels, rocket fire, extreme population density, hostages held underground — left no viable alternative to large-scale destruction. That argument rests on a false assumption: that large-scale fires were inevitable rather than chosen, and that the only tradeoff was between more fires and mission failure.

Every time reports emerge about a potential reduction of U.S. forces or capabilities in Europe, the old continent falls into the same cycle of anxiety and panic. The same applies to announcements about delayed or suspended deployments, planned rotations, or broader force posture reviews.A brief historical reminder here is necessary.  The 2014 Wales Defense Investment Pledge is still often misunderstood in Europe as little more than an American demand for higher defense spending.

Join us as The Royal British Legion hosts “Re

The Cuban Armed Forces have launched live fire air defence exercises, deploying modernised Soviet S-125 medium range surface-to-air missile systems, in what analysts have assessed to be a simulation of a U.S. assault on the country. This has occurred as the U.S. Navy deployed the nuclear powered supercarrier, USS Nimitz, and its strike group, into the Caribbean Sea. The exercises closely follow the bringing of charges by the United States against former Cuban leader Raul Castro and others in the country’s current and former leadership for allegedly conspiring to kill U.S. citizens.

Footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry has shown the delivery of Russian nuclear warheads to equip Belarusian Armed Forces Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile systems, as part of the nuclear-sharing arrangement between the two countries that has been in effect since 2023. State media reported that several Iskander systems have been stationed in Belarus, while “special munitions,” the Russian military term for nuclear payloads, are stored separately at a secure facility.

The Russian Aerospace Forces scrambled Su-35 and Su-27 fighter aircraft to repeatedly intercept a British Royal Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft operating near Russian forces over the Black Sea. The British Ministry of Defence on May 20 published footage of the incidents, which included a very close approach by a Su-35 that triggered the British aircraft’s onboard emergency systems and automatically disable its autopilot. A Su-27 subsequently made six passes directly in front of the RC-135, closing to within six metres of its nose.

The Chengdu J-20A — the upgraded variant of China’s J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter — is being assigned to top-tier PLAAF formations within direct operational reach of Taiwan and the First Island Chain. Senior National Security Editor Brandon Weichert argues the J-20A is best understood not as China’s answer to the F-22 Raptor but as a long-range battle manager — a flying quarterback designed to orchestrate the wider kill chain across PL-15 long-range missiles, drone swarms, naval forces, ground-based missile batteries and airborne early warning aircraft.

The U.S. Navy’s Block V Virginia-class fast-attack submarine adds an 84-foot Virginia Payload Module that triples Tomahawk cruise missile capacity from 12 to 40 per boat. The increase matters because Operation Epic Fury against Iran depleted nearly one-third of America’s prewar Tomahawk inventory — over 1,000 of 3,100, according to CSIS. The U.S. Navy is also retiring four Ohio-class SSGNs between 2026 and 2028, removing 616 Tomahawk cells, and twelve Ticonderoga-class cruisers, removing another 2,080 vertical launch cells. Tomahawks cost between $1.

The Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) — the joint sixth-generation fighter program between Britain, Italy, and Japan — is facing its first major crack. BAE Systems has warned that roughly 4,000 British engineers and personnel working on the program will be reassigned within ten weeks if the British government does not finalize longer-term contracts before the temporary bridge funding ends in June. Britain has already paid £686 million into Edgewing, the industrial venture combining BAE Systems, Italy’s Leonardo, and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co.

TAMPA, Fla. — While U.S. forces deployed to the southern border employ several fixed and mobile counter-drone systems, the top general in charge of stateside defense said troops lack adequate technology for patrols.
Within days of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, troops quickly flooded to the southern border as part of the administration’s crackdown on immigration, soon taking to mounted and dismounted patrols along the barrier.
Since then, the region has become what officials dubbed a testbed for counter-UAS systems, part of an effort to zap drones coming over the border. Gen.

Australia transferred 49 retired M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks to Ukraine as part of a roughly $160 million military aid package, with Washington’s approval. The tanks were being replaced in Australian service by newer M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams. Ukraine’s First Separate Assault Regiment then welded anti-drone cope cages, explosive reactive armor bricks, electronic warfare protection, anti-FPV spike barriers, and locally adapted communications onto the tanks before sending them into combat.

Israel operates a fleet of German-built Dolphin II submarines designed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems as the cornerstone of the country’s sea-based nuclear deterrent. The 225-foot boats displace 2,400 tons submerged, reach 25 knots, and use air-independent propulsion to stay submerged for up to 18 days. The INS Tanin and INS Rahav were commissioned in 2014 and 2016.

In case you didn’t already know this, James Stewart—yes, “It’s A Wonderful Life” Jimmy Stewart—set down his Academy Award and put on the uniform of the Army Air Corps to fight in World War II. He enlisted as a private and by the time the war was over, he had flown 20 combat missions over Germany as leader of a squadron of B-24s, earning him the rank of colonel, not to mention his two Distinguished Flying Crosses and the French Croix de Guerre.

China’s J-15 Flying Shark, the backbone of the PLAN’s carrier air wing, traces its origin to a single T-10K-3 Su-33 prototype that Beijing bought from Ukraine in 2001. Russia had refused to sell production Su-33s unless China ordered at least 50, citing past Chinese reverse-engineering of the Su-27 into the J-11. Beijing reverse-engineered the aircraft instead. Early J-15s used Russian AL-31F engines; since 2022, newer J-15T variants fly on domestically produced WS-10B engines.

The Kitty Hawk-class — the USS Kitty Hawk, USS Constellation, and USS America — were America’s last great conventionally powered supercarriers. Each ship displaced about 84,000 tons fully loaded, exceeded 32 knots on eight boilers and four Westinghouse steam turbines, and carried up to 90 aircraft ranging from the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet to the E-2 Hawkeye and EA-6B Prowler. The class anchored U.S. naval aviation through Vietnam, the Cold War, the Gulf, and the Global War on Terror. The USS Kitty Hawk earned a Presidential Unit Citation during the Tet Offensive.

The U.S. Air Force announced in May that the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program completed its Critical Design Review, clearing Boeing to begin converting the first two B-52H bombers into the upgraded B-52J configuration later this year. Rolls-Royce will supply eight F-130 engines per aircraft to replace the Pratt and Whitney TF-33s that have powered the bomber since the Cold War. The Air Force has warned the TF-33 becomes unsustainable beyond 2030. The first two converted aircraft will test at Edwards Air Force Base before fleet-wide conversion.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation confirmed on May 19 that the new two-seat Su-57D Felon stealth fighter completed its first flight, with Sukhoi chief test pilot Sergei Bogdan at the controls. The Su-57D features an elongated canopy and a tandem cockpit configuration, with the second crew member positioned behind and above the pilot. First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said the aircraft will function as a combat trainer and a command-and-control platform. UAC CEO Vadim Badeha said the aircraft is intended for export. Algeria, India, and North Korea are among potential customers.

A remarkable story of resilience and courage un

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle told Congress this month that the Trump-class nuclear-powered guided-missile battleship will use the A1B nuclear reactor — the same one that powers the Ford-class aircraft carrier. The lead ship will be named the USS Defiant. The Navy considered conventional propulsion to speed delivery but ultimately returned to nuclear, with Caudle saying nuclear is the exact right answer. Existing Ford-class reactor plant components — steam generators, pressurizers, reactor coolant pumps — will carry across.

In future fights, deployed troops could be resupplied with critical supplies by a six-wheeled vehicle that is small enough to be transported in an MV-22B Osprey, so it can go places larger vehicles can’t reach, according to Polaris, which is developing the vehicle for the military.
The Polaris MRZR Alpha 6×6 can carry up to 3,000 pounds of cargo, which is about 1,000 pounds more than what can be carried by the Marine Corps’ four-seat version of the vehicle, said Erin Telander, defense program manager for Polaris.

Israel’s F-16I Sufa — Storm in Hebrew — is a heavily modified two-seat F-16D Block 50/52 built by Lockheed Martin and customized by Israeli defense industries for the Israeli Air Force. The Sufa can reach Iran or Libya without refueling thanks to Israeli-designed conformal fuel tanks that extend its range by 50% and let it carry 50% more weapons. Israel operates more than 360 F-16s — second only to the U.S. Air Force globally. Half of the aircraft’s avionics are Israeli, including the Elisra SPS 3000 self-protection jammer and Elbit’s DASH IV helmet.

Rear Admiral Mike Brookes testified to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission in March that Beijing is building an undersea Great Wall of sensors — integrating air, surface, seabed, and undersea systems into a networked architecture designed to track American submarines and push them out of contested waters. China’s Blue Ocean Information Network combines a seabed sensor grid with satellite imagery from the Ocean Star Cluster, smart buoys, wave gliders, autonomous underwater vehicles, and the Deep Blue Brain data integration system.

This video describes the military situation in

China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force has deployed the upgraded J-20A stealth fighter to the 41st Air Brigade at Wuyishan Air Base in Fujian province, directly across the Taiwan Strait from the island. The brigade replaced its 1960s-era J-7s with baseline J-20s in 2023, and the J-20A introduces China’s long-awaited WS-15 engine — providing more thrust, longer range, better supercruise, and ending Beijing’s dependence on Russian AL-31 powerplants.

The post ‘Duty to Disobey’: New Film Exposes Fallout From Military COVID Vaccine Mandates appeared first on Armed Forces Press.

In 2025, Choong-Koo Lee wrote, “Putting the Screws on the Partnership Between North Korea and Russia,” where he argued that the United States and South Korea should work together to weaken Pyongyang and Moscow’s military relationship. A year later, we asked him to revisit his arguments.Image: The Kremlin via Wikimedia CommonsIn your 2025 article, you argued that the United States and South Korea should work together to limit the deepening military relationship between Russia and North Korea. How has the U.S.

NASA’s Galileo spacecraft launched aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on October 18, 1989 and reached Jupiter on December 7, 1995 after a six-year journey involving gravity-assist flybys of Venus and Earth. It became the first spacecraft to orbit an outer planet. Galileo’s atmospheric probe endured deceleration forces of nearly 228 Gs and temperatures of 15,000°C while measuring winds exceeding 400 mph inside Jupiter. The orbiter found strong evidence of a global liquid-water ocean beneath Europa’s ice and revealed Io as the most volcanically active body in the Solar System.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has frozen the broader Lockheed Martin F-35A purchase, committing to only 16 of an originally agreed 88 jets in a 2023 deal worth roughly C$19 billion. Ottawa is reportedly weighing Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen-E as an alternative with potential domestic assembly. The Pentagon paused U.S. participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense on May 18 — the bilateral forum created under the 1940 Ogdensburg Agreement that laid groundwork for NORAD.

In the next war, soldiers may look through a digital lens and see a landscape and a heads-up display that looks familiar to gamers: directional markers on a compass, messages from their command, and other icons and tags marking key individuals or locations in their field of vision.
EagleEye is Anduril’s new headset that the company says will give soldiers “immediate battle space in a dismounted way,” Grant Hartanov with Anduril told Task & Purpose. The idea is that troops can see everything in front of them, plus other helpful features like a navigation compass or battlefield alerts.

Only 5% of fighter pilots in World War II achieved ace status — yet that 5% accounted for nearly half of all air-to-air kills during the war. In Korea, just 38 jet aces were responsible for more than a third of the 823 MiG-15s shot down by the Fifth Air Force. Air Force psychologist E. Paul Torrance studied 31 aces and 62 less successful combat pilots and identified four common traits: uber-aggressiveness, extreme self-confidence, fanatical devotion to flying, and high risk-taking.

How did low-tech, cheap weapons completely chan

The USS Gerald R. Ford has returned home. The carrier saw action off both Venezuela and Iran in an epic deployment, one of the longest of any aircraft carrier since World War II. With her sister ship, the USS John F. Kennedy, set to enter service next year, the mechanical and morale difficulties towards the end of Ford’s deployment have raised questions about the future of the CVN-78 design, and about the health of the US Navy’s carrier fleet more generally.

Teething Problems for USS Gerald R. Ford

Pre-Commissioning Unit John F.

His mother sent cookies. She sent canned goods, too. And every month or so, somewhere in the rotation, a can of sardines showed up at whatever firebase Pvt. Mike Vining was operating out of in Vietnam.
He never ate a single one.
His little brother had told their mother that sardines were a good thing to send, certainly with his older brother’s best intentions in mind. So she sent them faithfully, alongside the cookies and the rest of it. Vining just traded them away quietly and never made much of it.

The UK Armed Forces look to win their third con

The UK Armed Forces look to win their third con

Ukrainian one-way attack drones have become Kyiv’s primary equalizer against Russia, accounting for roughly 80% of Russian battlefield casualties and striking oil and gas infrastructure as far as 2,000 kilometers from the front. About 70% of the Russian population now lives within range of Ukrainian drone attacks. A Gazpromneft refinery in southern Moscow has halted oil processing for fear of strikes. The Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery at Kstovo — Russia’s fourth-largest by volume — has been hit.

The Defence Research & Development Organisation has completed final trials of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile.