Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

There’s an undisputed trinity of strategy gaming franchises in the world. Ask anyone- any gamer, any non-gamer- and chances are, they all have heard about one of these: Age of Empires, Civilization, and Total War. Now, for the first time in the franchise’s history, an enhanced version of a game was announced, and it’s none other than Total War: SHOGUN 2, the most beloved game in the series, with a new “Complete Edition”. Set to have improved visuals, updated lighting, shadows, and textures. Add to that modernized controls, 4K UI scaling, and 50 newly playable minor factions! Like many of…

The U.S. military has incurred about $38 billion in costs from combat operations against Iran through Aug. 1, while the conflict’s main opportunity cost has been the missile-defense interceptors the Pentagon has expended defending U.S. forces and allies, according to a new Congressional Budget Office analysis released today. CBO estimates the conflict has consumed between one-half and two-thirds of the U.S. inventory of certain missile-defense interceptors since June 2025, leaving the military with fewer weapons available for a future conflict. Rebuilding those stocks could take at least five years, even if production rates increase, the agency found. The estimate includes…

The U.S. Air Force will recapitalize aerial refueling tanker aircraft for decades longer and build new platforms for their sustainment in the meantime, service leaders and industry partners said Tuesday.To support the tanker aircraft and the anticipated mission capability rates, the Air Force should continue prioritizing available spare parts and modernization efforts for the aircraft, officials and industry experts said during a panel at the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference.“The last KC-135 pilot has not been born,” Air Mobility Command Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Gerald Donohue said during the panel, titled “Long-Range Airpower: Lessons…

Renato Moicano put Brian Ortega on blast after the latter pulled out of their UFC 331 fight, citing an injury. With not even a week left for the event, Ortega withdrew from the bout due to a nasty cut above his left eye – a freak headbutt accident during a jiu-jitsu session. ‘T-City’ drew criticism from most of the MMA community, and he hit back in a video posted on Instagram. He said: For all of you who are saying that I pulled out because I’m scared, I’m ducking, whatever – you guys are stupid people among stupid people, straight…

Terry Gerton Congress. Both chambers are back in Washington this week, but apparently only briefly. Let’s start with the schedule. The House says they’ve got four days. The Senate started with a What are you hearing now? Loren Duggan Well, I think the House will stick to those four days, even though there are already calls from some lawmakers to stay around. But the Senate, like you said, has three weeks on the books, and I think it’ll depend on what they really want to get done and what they can get done over that period of time, whether it…

U.S. air base defense is at an inflection point: It faces new challenges as legacy Army–Air Force arrangements fail to address emerging aerial threats, especially small drones. These inexpensive, adaptable systems expose vulnerabilities in installations reliant on overstretched Army defenses. In this paper, the author examines the evolving challenge of defending U.S. Air Force installations against a rapidly expanding spectrum of aerial threats, with a focus on small unmanned aerial systems. Technological developments and recent organizational changes, including counter–small unmanned aerial system responsibility shifts and the Golden Dome and Joint Interagency Task Force 401 initiatives, give the Air Force an…

“In Sept. 2023, McCracken was out for a run near his home in Liverpool, England, when he crossed the road with his headphones playing at full volume. He never heard the bus driver sounding the horn.Then BOOM …The bus slammed into McCracken and dragged him approximately 60 feet (or 18 meters) along the road before finally coming to a stop. Witnesses found him unconscious behind the bus and initially believed he was dead.”*****Read the miraculous survival story here and more on McCracken’s Contender Series outcome here.

More than half of the Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers have reported severe staffing shortages for jobs such as nurses, nursing assistants and psychologists, according to a new report from the VA’s Office of Inspector General.In a report published Friday, the VA watchdog found that 59% of the VA’s 139 reporting facilities struggle to hire qualified practical nurses and 58% face issues hiring psychologists. For non-clinical staff, 57% of Veterans Health Administration leaders reported shortages of potential VA police officers while 53% faced problems hiring custodians.The report, based on surveys from late March and early April, shows VA hospital…

The Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) has joined the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) Framework Agreement for procurement of cognitive High Frequency (HF) radios. By joining the agreement, DALO can procure KNL’s Cognitive Networked HF (CNHF) systems under the terms of the existing framework. The other parties to the agreement are KNL, a subsidiary of Telenor Group, the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV). The agreement strengthens Nordic defence materiel cooperation and creates further opportunities for the adoption of interoperable HF communications solutions across the Nordic countries, including Danish Armed Forces. NORDEFCO…

At the 2026 edition of the Kielce exhibition Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW), part of PGZ (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, the Polish Armaments Group) unveiled the CBWP, the acronym standing for Ciężki Bojowy Wóz Piechoty, Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle in Polish language. The new vehicle ensures a much higher protection compared to the Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle, with a mass increase of over 40% compared to the new Polish Land Forces IFV click on image to enlarge Increasing crew and infantry squad protection, this is the main objective of the new heavy infantry fighting vehicle, CBWP in Polish acronym, which advanced technology…