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Last March, the customarily lively halls of the Air Force’s largest warfighting conference felt more like a ghost town. Military attendance at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium just outside of Denver had dwindled after a travel ban was put in place to curb federal spending. Air Force initiatives aimed at competing with China were frozen by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. As the Air Force waited for the administration to nominate its top leaders, there were no splashy policy announcements.Now, as the conference returns to Colorado this week, all of that has changed. Airmen and guardians have been approved…

Global Times By Guo Yuandan Published: Feb 21, 2026 07:30 PM A Chinese military source told the Global Times that from Friday to Saturday, the HMAS Toowoomba, an Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy, transited the Taiwan Straits. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried out full-process tracking, monitoring, and alert operations throughout the transit. NEWSLETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

21 February 2026 -The launch ceremony of the next-generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) “Ugolino Vivaldi” was held today at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Riva Trigoso. This is the first of four unitsthat Fincantieri is building for the Italian Navy. The vessels are part of a program assigned to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, a joint venture between Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%),by the Naval Armaments Directorate, part of the National Armaments Directorate. The vessel click on image to enlarge Attending the event were the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Vice Admiral Fabio Gregori; the Chief of Staff of the Liguria…

Feb. 20, 2026 Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org Space enables integrated defense to function as a unified, resilient architecture rather than a collection of standalone systems. Jeff Schrader, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development for Lockheed Martin Space, sits down with Air & Space Forces Magazine to highlight how space is foundational to integrated defense and how space-based architectures enable speed, resilience, and decision advantage in today’s complex and contested threat environment. Audio of this…

Harnessing the People: Mapping Overseas United Front Work in Democratic States | Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University wpDiscuzInsert

Sean Strickland shocked the world at UFC Houston, scoring his first finish in nearly three years and re-establishing himself as a legitimate contender in the 185-pound division. The former middleweight titleholder stepped into the main event spotlight against surging contender Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez in the evening’s main event. Despite walking into the bout as a near 3-to-1 underdog, Strickland looked spectacular through the first two rounds, utilizing his jab and teep kicks to keep Hernandez at bay. Near the halfway point of the third round, Strickland caught ‘Fluffy’ coming in with a nasty knee up the middle. With Hernandez clearly…

Ryan Garcia put together perhaps the most dominant performance of his professional career, handily defeating Mario Barrios to capture the WBC welterweight world title on Saturday. ‘King Ryan’ nearly ended things in the opening round, planting Barrios on the canvas with a looping right hand near the ropes. To his credit, Barrios popped up and weathered the ensuing storm, though it quickly became clear that he had no answer for Garcia’s speed. Through the entire 12-round affair, Garcia controlled the action as Barrios struggled to find any offense. There was a window of opportunity for Barrios in the eighth round…

20. 2. 2026 – Excalibur International, part of the CSG group, has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of a NATO member country in Western Europe for the supply of tens of thousands of artillery and mortar ammunition worth a total value in the low hundreds of millions of euros. The contract was awarded on the basis of an accelerated tender procedure due to the urgent need to replenish the ammunition stocks of the armed forces of a NATO member country. MSM Group will work closely on the project as well, which is also part of the CSG…

Introduction The strategy genre is currently undergoing a massive “Tactical Pluralism” in 2026. After years of being told the RTS was a relic of the past, we are seeing a rare alignment where the “Old Guard” of base-building icons and a fresh wave of innovative tactical titles are coexisting in a vibrant, competitive ecosystem. Whether you are a veteran of the keyboard-clacking StarCraft era or a tactical mind looking for the next great operational challenge, the current crop of RTS games offers a level of depth and variety we haven’t seen in a decade. This list focuses on the games…

Listen to the article 4 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. The United States and Indonesia on Thursday finalized the terms of a framework trade agreement that would limit reciprocal tariffs on imports from Indonesia at 19%. As part of the agreement, first reached last July and signed by leaders of both countries Thursday, the U.S. also said it would remove levies for certain products from Indonesia in accordance with a November executive order that exempted over 200 agricultural goods. The U.S. further agreed to eliminate tariffs for other products, including some live…