Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

WARSAW, Poland — Drawing on lessons from the Iran war, a study shows how Russia could force Lithuania into capitulation in 90 days with no soldiers crossing the border.Drafted by the Baltic Defense Initiative, a small think tank based in Vilnius, the scenario exposes specific vulnerabilities of the Lithuanian defense posture, with the aim to plug gaps as soon as possible.Fast-forward almost two years into the future, when the effects of right-wing, anti-European movements taking power in Europe meld with the fallout of a prolonged Iran war dragging Washington down, the scenario goes.“December 2027. Marine Le Pen withdraws France’s nuclear…

Paddy Pimblett couldn’t believe Carlos Ulberg pulled off the KO win at UFC 327 despite being injured. Ulberg and Jiri Prochazka collided in the main event of UFC 327 in Miami this past Saturday. The vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship was at stake. Early on in the fight, Ulberg planted his foot the wrong way, and he suffered a knee injury as a result. It was clear that Ulberg wasn’t moving around normally, but he caught Prochazka with a hook that dropped him. “Black Jag” followed up with some ground punches to finish his opponent in the opening frame. The…

On April 11, 2026, the U.S. Navy welcomed a new Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer to the fleet during the commissioning ceremony of USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) at Naval Station Norfolk. U.S. Navy press release Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) was commissioned before a crowd of approximately 1,800 guests, including senior military leaders, Sailors, Marines, veterans and family members. Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan served as the ceremony’s principal speaker, joining Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James W. Kilby and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith…

Swedish soldier operates 30mm truck-mounted Trackfire ARES. The system provides a layer to the Gute II anti-drone concept. Credit: Saab. Gute II builds on a layered anti-drone system proven in Gotland last year Gute II utilises the Giraffe 1X radar, a C2 system, 40mm and 30mm guns The FMV has committed to contracts with suppliers at a cost of nearly $1bn On the Baltic island of Gotland, about 56 miles east of mainland Sweden, local conscripts alongside the Defence Material Administration (FMV) conducted a military exercise proving a range of sovereign air defence systems in June 2025. Gute I, as…

NHS England is spending £46,000 on “benchmarking” as it gears up for what looks like the next round of negotiations behind one of the UK public sector’s biggest software deals. A newly published notice shows that NHS England has hired IDC to provide “benchmarking and advisory services” on software licensing and pricing via the G-Cloud 14 framework. The contract runs from April through August and is tied to “preparation for large-scale software licensing procurement,” which is about as close as the document gets to saying what this is really about. No vendor is named, which is typical for this kind…

The heightening of global tensions to a level not seen since the end of the Cold War is placing renewed emphasis on the acquisition of ‘high end’ warfighting weaponry. In the maritime sector, this trend is particularly evident in a significant increase in submarine acquisition to stabilise and, ultimately increase, underwater force structures. This status report provides a broad overview of the programmes for crewed submersibles currently being pursued by NATO fleets. United States The US Navy operates by far the largest NATO submarine force. As of the end of 2025, a total of 14 nuclear-powered strategic missile submarines (SSBNs),…

UFC 327 is in the books after another successful night of fights in the Kaseya Center, Miami. The light heavyweight division has a new king in Carlos Ulberg. Miami has become a highlight destination for UFC fans over the last few years with exceptional events always catching fire in “The Magic City.” Carlos Ulberg Stuns Jiří Procházka In the main event the vacant light heavyweight belt was up for grabs between the two leading contenders at 205lbs. After Alex Pereira vacated the belt to pursue a title at heavyweight it was clear that Carlos Ulberg vs Jiří Procházka was the…

Delusion is a powerful thing.Former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes returned to the win column at UFC 327, defeating Johnny Walker via split decision on the main card this past weekend (Sat., April 11, 2026) inside Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.The result kept Reyes firmly in the Top 10.The performance, however, left a lot to be desired.Still, Reyes doesn’t see the issue.“I did expect him to be a little more aggressive, but this is super f—king dangerous game, man,” Reyes said during his post-fight press conference. “Anything he did, I expected. I wasn’t caught…

Support automated part authentication and just-in-time processes. Automatically generate decision-making data on critical inventory consumption. Reliable AIDC-solutions can strengthen Defence industry supply chain integrity and resilience. One for all With the European Union reinforcing its defence industry supply chains, many companies are joining the effort to ReArm Europe. A growing Defence supplier landscape is boosting production capacity and capability, while also increasing complexity. An unambiguous data structure, that can be generated at various levels of automation, is key to maintain supply chain integrity and resilience. But what are the key elements of such a structure? An unambiguous language NATO has…

JUST IN Viktor was not the victor. In elections on Sunday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party lost to Péter Magyar and his Tisza party in a landslide, with Tisza securing a two-thirds supermajority in parliament.  This evening, tens of thousands of Hungarians gathered on the banks of the Danube awaiting Magyar’s victory speech, Atlantic Council fellow András Simonyi reports from Budapest. They chanted “Russians, go home!”—the slogan of the country’s 1956 revolution. Simonyi, a former Hungarian ambassador to the United States and NATO, believes revelations shortly before the election about the close relationship between the Kremlin and Orbán’s government helped tilt the vote in Magyar’s favor. We turned to more Atlantic Council experts to assess what’s next for Hungary,…