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China gifted two Type 056C corvettes to the Royal Cambodian Navy, similar to the PLA Navy example pictured here. (Gordon Arthur)The Royal Cambodian Navy has received its first modern surface combatant, with reports that a Chinese-built Type 056C Jiangdao-class corvette had arrived at Ream Naval Base on 4 April.Citing naval sources, The National Thailand newspaper reported that the vessel underwent an official handover to the Cambodian navy on 8 April. The second vessel is expected to be delivered in June this year.Beijing announced in 2024 that it would donate two Type 056C corvettes to Cambodia, as part of efforts to…

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started the Iran war off with a bang — not just the bang of bombs and rockets, but the rhetorical bang of declaring their intent to spur the Iranian people to overthrow the Islamic Republic.As a ceasefire pauses more than a month of combat, and failed talks lead to a planned blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, what has happened to their dreams of regime change? They seem to have fallen prey to the magical thinking of South Park’s underpants gnomes — you know, the episode where Stan, Kyle, and…

In September 2024, The New York Times published an op-ed by Raj M. Shah and Christopher M. Kirchhoff. They argued that the United States needed to urgently adopt AI-powered weapons systems to keep up with a so-called civilizational race with China. They also that the military needed to overhaul its technological capabilities to keep up with AI-driven warfare. Since then, that vision has ceased to be on the opinion pages and has become a living reality. The United States launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, striking over 1,000 targets within the first 24 hours, which CENTCOM attributes in…

The promotion is heading back “Down Under” with a banger.Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena collides with No. 5-ranked Carlos Prates in the main event of UFC Perth, which will take place next month (Sat., May 2, 2026) inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.Today, the promotion released UFC Perth’s promotional poster on social media.It may not be the most eye-popping design, but the card itself more than makes up for it.Maddalena (18-3) returns for the first time since losing his title to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322. Prior to that setback, “JDM” was on a tear…

USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124). Credit: Naval Sea Systems Command via Facebook. The US Navy has commissioned the guided-missile destroyer USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) at Naval Station Norfolk on 11 April 2026.   The vessel, classified as an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, officially joined President’s Golden Fleet following a ceremony attended by approximately 1,800 guests, including senior military officials, sailors, marines, veterans, and family members.  Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan was the principal speaker at the event, delivering remarks alongside Naval Operations vice chief admiral James…

Global Times By Global Times Published: Apr 13, 2026 12:49 PM From April 9 to 12, the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea, Senior Captain Zhai Shichen, spokesperson for the PLA Southern Theater Command, said in a release published by the theater command on Monday. The spokesperson said the Philippines rallied extraterritorial countries to organize so-called “joint patrols,” which disrupted the South China Sea and undermined regional peace and stability. The theater command’s forces will resolutely defend China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and firmly safeguard…

DALLAS, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. government awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a multibillion-dollar contract to continue critical accelerated production of PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE). The $4.7 billion undefinitized contract action (UCA) enables Lockheed Martin to advance production acceleration and deliver record numbers of combat-proven interceptors for American and allied forces this year. The contract follows the landmark framework agreement signed with the Department of War (DoW) on Jan. 6 to ramp up PAC-3 MSE production as part of the administration’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy, and a decisive step that gives our warfighters an unmatched defensive shield. WHY IT…

HMS Penzance (left) and HMS Brocklesby off the coast of Bahrain in 2021. Credit: UK MoD/Crown copyright UK removed its Gulf minehunters with no ready replacement Hormuz crisis: UK lacks MCM ships in region and enough escorts to contribute Uncrewed ARCIMS is coming, but not deployable/protected yet The UK’s decision to decommission its Sandown– and Hunt-class mine countermeasure fleet, a number of which were based in the Middle East, without an immediate replacement is the latest in a series of defence missteps taken by consecutive UK governments. As recent as January 2026, the UK Royal Navy was able to call…

The BTR-4 armoured personnel carrier. Credit: Ukraine MoD Ukraine outlined upgraded BTR-4 ‘Bucephalus’ capabilities (layout, RWS, armour); fleet size unclear, estimated ~200–400. Three-compartment design with internal passage and rear doors; up to 110 km/h road, 60 km/h off-road. BM-7 Parus RWS (30mm + grenades/MG + ATGM option), add-on armour, and fully amphibious (10 km/h in water). Ukraine has revealed details of its BTR-4 ‘Bucephalus’ armoured personnel carrier (APC), a localised variant of the Russian-origin BTR design first introduced into Ukrainian service in 2014 and since upgraded through lessons learned during its ongoing war against Russia. In a 9 April release,…

CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa, Japan – U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Charles Grubbs, a native of Florida and a defensive cyberspace operator with 3d Cyber Warfare Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, was named the Cyberspace Warfare Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year on April 7, 2026. Grubbs said he was both surprised and humbled when he learned he had been selected. “It was pretty surprising, because I got the email over the weekend,” said Grubbs. “It’s very humbling. You don’t see the other people you’re competing against, so you really don’t know what you’re even comparing yourself to.” Rather than focusing…