The initial reaction to Kengo Kuma’s design for the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Memorial has not been kind. Criticism seems to fall into three buckets: its abstract design, the absence of a clear heroic tribute, and a lack of a “roll call” or list of names of the fallen. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL now in Congress, called it a “jazz hands monument to our fallen brothers and sisters.” Sen. Jim Banks, another Navy veteran-turned-lawmaker who served in Afghanistan, referred to it as “disconnected abstract art.

Pompano Beach, Florida – A new report by the London-based think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, entitled “Russia’s UAV Campaign over Europe,” concludes that over the past 15 months, Russia is believed to have launched regular UAV incursions into NATO airspace. These violations were not carried out, however, for the simple purpose of harassment or to gauge how long these NATO militaries would take to respond to airspace violations or other hostile acts.

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Joseph Trevithick, The WarZone
GAO previously questioned the Navy’s choice of a C-130-based aircraft to meet its nuclear command and control needs.

DefBlog
New footage from American Rheinmetall shows the company’s XM30 infantry fighting vehicle concept in greater detail

Jared Keller, Defense News
The U.S. military is closing in on its high-energy laser weapon of choice for counter-drone missions. Now it needs the vehicles to support it.

Following confirmation that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force 1st Air Brigade had been re-equipped with J-20A fifth generation fighters, significant questions have been raised regarding the implications of this enhancement to the elite unit’s combat capabilities. The brigade transitioned from baseline J-20 fighters to the heavily enhanced J-20A variant, with its older fighters being reallocated to lower priority units.

This video describes the military situation in

Footage released by Russian sources has shown the T-90M main battle tank in a new configuration, which integrates further explosive reactive armour, anti-drone ‘cage’ protection, and the Arena-M hard kill active protection system.

This video describes the military situation in

Editor’s note: This is the first article in a limited series celebrating American defense technologies born from wartime and their effects on broader national security, politics, and society. This series will run for several weeks to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, and winners will be selected by a reader vote undertaken through our newsletter later this summer. Prior installments can be found at the Arsenal of Innovation page.

For many observers, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech on the future of NATO, delivered in Brussels on June 18, 2026, constituted a perfect example of how the Trump administration is angrily abandoning the longstanding U.S. commitment to European security. The prevailing picture is that the administration is eager to shift the burden of Europe’s defense and is thus moving to withdraw U.S. forces from the continent, even though Europe is moving to do more militarily.

MP calls for more to be done on ‘dire sta

Footage released on July 3 has confirmed the delivery of J-20A fifth generation air superiority fighters to a fourth air brigade in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force, namely the 1st Air Brigade at Anshan under the Northern Theatre Command. The 1st Air Brigade was notably also the fourth unit to receive baseline J-20 fighters, which were first delivered in January 2021, while also being the first frontline unit to receive J-20s powered by indigenous WS-10C engines.

New footage released on July 3 has shown a Russian Aerospace Forces Su-57 fifth generation fighter carrying four externally mounted R-77 active radar guided air-to-air missiles, with the new configuration appearing to be optimised for medium range air defence operations. With the Su-57 estimated to be able to carry up to six R-77M missiles internally in its primary weapons bay, the carriage of four external missiles increases its total payload to ten beyond visual range missiles.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have conducted their first-ever ballistic missile strike against Moscow, marking a major milestone in the country’s rapidly expanding long range attacks on major population centres. Although Ukrainian authorities have not officially confirmed the weapon used, Russian military sources and multiple media reports have claimed that the attack employed a newly developed Ukrainian-produced ballistic missile.

Russia is fighting this war badly. That is not the same as losing it; the difference is the whole argument.

The latest CSIS assessment hands Washington the numbers it has wanted to hear for three years. Roughly 1.4 million Russian casualties since February 2022.

Putin and Russian Military Creative Commons Image

Somewhere between 400,000 and 450,000 dead. Advances in some sectors are measured not in miles but in tens of meters a day.

A monthly loss rate that may now be running ahead of the pace at which Moscow can put fresh men into uniform.

For most of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has fought a defensive war. It was outgunned and outnumbered from the start, with Kyiv focusing on holding territory while pleading with its Western allies for long-range weapons that it argued were necessary to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.

Even as recently as last year, when Zelenskyy had a tense meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House, it appeared possible that Ukraine’s military campaign could be scaled back under mounting political pressure.

TOS-1. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Putin Knows He’s Losing The War With Ukraine: Russian President Putin has publicly acknowledged for the first time that the cause of Russian citizens facing fuel shortages is due to waves of Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside the country.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has now dragged on longer than World War I and World War II, which Russia calls “The Great Patriotic War.”

Russian President Putin. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Putin in 2021. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Pentagon awarded a $500 million contract to AeroVironment, a defense company that makes Switchblade loitering drones and other tech such as the LOCUST directed energy laser, to procure commercial counter-drone technology for the military over the next three years.
The award language contained few details, but was listed under the Army section of the Defense Department’s online contract update posted Wednesday.

2022 vs.

A battle in Congress has sparked a fierce debate among veterans groups about whether legislation that would expand benefits for veterans, caregivers, and survivors is worth the price of reducing future disability ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus.
Many of the more than 60 bills that are bundled in the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act are legislative proposals that veterans service organizations have long fought for, such as the Major Richard Star Act, which allows veterans with fewer than 20 years of service to collect both disability compensation and retirement pay at the same time.

The Defence Secretary insists they do, but ques

The Air Force recently experimented with multiple artificial intelligence tools designed to improve battle management, expanding on and validating the service’s past work to test the technology for future operations.
The Department of the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) Cross-Functional Team hosted its inaugural Multi-Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming (MASH) experiment in May. Held in Las Vegas, Nevada, the two-week event was the latest in a series of wargames designed to develop and test industry’s AI-enabled battle management tools.

The war in Ukraine, which many thought would be over in a matter of days or weeks, has now stretched on for four and a half years, and the cost in human lives is mind-numbing.

The war’s total casualty count is now over 2 million and is probably even higher than that, as Ukrainian casualties are probably underreported.

Su-34 Fullback. Creator: Vitaly V. Kuzmin. Credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin

While Russian President Putin continues to paint a picture of inevitable victory, Moscow hasn’t accomplished one of its strategic goals since the start of this “special military operation.

The conflict with Iran has cost the typical American household an estimated $1,000, with some estimates going as high as $2,200.

These financial burdens stem from a combination of direct military spending and indirect costs of high fuel prices, food, and other expenses passed on to consumers.

This was according to an estimate shared last week by Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi.

Gas Prices Are Not The Only Culprit In Consumers’ Cost Increases

President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders in the Oval Office, Thursday, April 24, 2025.

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Raven has rarely been seen in action on the gro

How should defence money be spent?

As Ukraine continues its long-range strikes against targets deep inside Russian territory, the betting markets are signaling something interesting: the world seems to think that Vladimir Putin’s days as Russian president are coming to a close.

While most analysts still don’t predict an imminent ousting of the Russian president or a collapse within the Kremlin, traders on the prediction market Polymarket have increased the implied probability that Putin might simply step down some time this year.

Tu-22M3 Russian Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Iranian energy crisis has produced an outcome that few analysts anticipated. China, despite being the world’s largest energy importer, has emerged as one of the principal strategic beneficiaries of the conflict.

Rather than being crippled by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Beijing has used years of preparation to cushion the blow while turning the crisis into an economic and geopolitical opportunity.

President Donald Trump boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Thursday, September 11, 2025, for a trip to New York.

Putin on the ropes? Place your bets and try to predict the future for a potential big payday – it’s a new trend sweeping the world.

By now, you likely realize you can bet on the outcome of geopolitical events.

Use websites or apps like Polymarket and Kalshi, and bet on predictions about anything from elections to war victories. Now, the betting market has targeted what will become of Russia and specifically the future of Vladimir Putin.

If Putin Goes Bye Bye, Millions Can Be Made

Putin in May of 2026.

One of Vladimir Putin’s more endearing features is that he never fails to remind us that he is evil. Not just a run-of-the-mill evil tyrant who enjoys his tyranny, but a dedicated practitioner of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

His latest proud achievement?

Killing at least 20 Kyivites, and wounding scores more, in an 11-hour barrage on July 1-2 intended to kill civilians and civilian targets.

Their crime? Resisting his war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by retaining their Ukrainian identity.
Ukrainians are used to Putin’s savagery.

The lead military author of the Strategic Defen

Following the recent increase in Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian oil refineries, bets are now on as to whether Vladimir Putin’s position in power will survive the war in Ukraine. Bettors on the Polymarket prediction market are investing heavily in the prospect that the Russian President will be stripped of power as early as this year. Over the past several months, Russia has indeed taken a psychological beating, with Ukrainian drones reaching further behind the front lines and causing fuel shortages throughout the country.

It’s the worst bloodbath since World War Two, and there is no let-up in sight. The war in Ukraine has now caused over 2 million casualties. The Russians alone have suffered 450,000 dead. The total in Russian dead, wounded, or missing has eclipsed 1.4 million. This has been a meat grinder of epic proportions, and no one seems to want it to end.

When will the killing stop? There must be some way these two countries could at least entertain a ceasefire.

The Navy is conducting market research for an “Advanced Emission Suppression Missile” with extended range that could knock out enemy air defense systems, according to a request for information released Wednesday.
The release of the RFI comes as the U.S. military works to boost its munitions arsenals. The Navy is also looking for new tools capable of degrading adversaries’ sophisticated integrated air defense architectures, such as those possessed by China.

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INKAS has revealed plans to open three new production facilities across Canada and the US, a move set to more than double the manufacturing space of the Canadian armoured vehicle manufacturer and systems integrator in North America.

Ukraine Is Bleeding Russia’s Economy Dry: Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign continues, with a new wave of drone and missile attacks hitting critical Russian energy infrastructure overnight on July 1-2. The ongoing attacks continue to expose one of Russia’s greatest vulnerabilities: an economy that is increasingly dependent on oil revenue to finance its war.

Ukrainian officials say that the overnight attacks struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, while Russian authorities acknowledged a strike on an industrial facility.

Russian Tu-160 Bomber.

As the Iran War appears to enter a lull, the Ukraine War is heating up once more. It seems that the war fever gripping the arc of Eurasia and the Middle East will not be stopped.

Russia had been effectively holding the line against Ukraine, while the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the front were diminishing with each intense engagement.

Putin in March of 2021 Russian Federation Photo

Russia was engaging in its traditional tactic of encircling targets, bombarding them, and attriting them until they broke. This is a laborious but methodical process.

The Pilgrims stopped at Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer. The U.S. Marine Corps was founded in a bar. One of the reasons Prohibition failed in in the United States is probably because this country was founded on and was fueled by booze from the get-go—and there just isn’t a lot Americans won’t do to keep the party going a little longer.

The senior commander who oversees healthcare services at one of the Air Force’s largest bases was relieved of command Tuesday, according to Air Force officials. Col. Tracy Allen was fired as the commander of the 633rd Medical Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, by Col. Stephen Anderson, the 633rd Air Base Wing Commander, “due to loss of confidence in her ability to lead.”
Base officials said Col. Michael Blowers, deputy command surgeon at Air Combat Command, has assumed responsibility of the unit until a new commander is selected.

Throughout military history, weapons have become symbols of national pride for countries the world over; England has the English longbow, Japan has the katana, Saudi Arabia even has the saif on its national flag. For a country founded after the invention of firearms, It would make sense to have such a weapon become its national symbol.
Also Read: The 10 longest-serving weapons in the US combat arsenalThe United States has produced numerous, iconic firearms that stood the test of time—some for a century (and longer).

Saudi Oil Exports Reach Post-Ceasefire High Through the Strait of Hormuz: Saudi Arabia is now exporting crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz at its fastest pace since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire came into effect. It’s good news for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has remained consistently optimistic about restoring the flow of oil through the Strait, and for the global economy. Gulf energy exports are, for now, recovering after months of disruption – and even after a weekend of continued military hostilities.

BFBS Forces News reporters Simon Newton and Han

The Air Force is hitting refresh on electromagnetic warfare with its first new electronic attack aircraft in forty years. The EA-37B Compass Call is a modified business jet that some experts are already calling a “game changer” thanks to its speed, range, high service ceiling, and ability to upgrade quickly to keep pace with new technology.
But at the same time, other experts warn that the service will need more Compass Calls than the Air Force plans on buying to meet the challenges of the invisible battlefield.

Stalled on the battlefield, American and Iranian negotiators have slowly been hammering out the details of a tentative deal to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Both sides are at a seeming stalemate: in the face of overwhelming American and Israeli military power, Iran has been badly battered, but seemingly not beaten. Both sides need a deal, albeit for different reasons.

In a wide-ranging interview published just days ago by the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin directly addressed the current energy shortage experienced today in Russia — and acknowledged that Ukrainian drone and missile strikes are responsible for the fuel crunch.

“As for the attacks on critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, they are, of course, creating problems,” Putin said. “That is obvious. We are currently seeing certain shortages, although they are not critical.”

Neptune Missile. Image Credit: Government of Ukraine.