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Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tokyo will not rule out nuclear-powered submarines as it considers future defense capabilities, marking another step in Japan’s growing debate over whether to acquire SSNs. Speaking at a press conference on September 11, Koizumi was asked about reports that a U.S. Navy official had expressed a positive view of Japan potentially acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. While declining to comment directly on individual media reports, Koizumi said the option would be considered as part of the government’s planned revision of Japan’s three key national security documents: the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, a remarkable revelation after previous warnings about countries such as Russia possibly weaponizing a global frontier long agreed in treaties to be used for only peaceful purposes. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told the Air and Space Cyber Conference in Maryland on Monday that the U.S. has fielded “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.” Meink did not detail what the weapons were, how they work or if they were targeting other objects in…

The TWZ Newsletter Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. The top U.S. Air Force officer in Europe, who also serves as the NATO Allied Air Command leader, said he has been tasked with enacting new alliance plans to defend against cruise missiles and drones. He was responding to questions about a drone that NATO had to shoot down after it entered Lithuanian airspace overnight. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday morning that the incident was “part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation against Europe, testing…

Alexander Volkanovski is used to being the smaller man in the cage, but his latest side quest is just ridiculous.The former UFC featherweight champion stepped into the cage with NFL star Jordan Mailata, Volkanovski’s countryman and a Super Bowl winner with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mailata participated in a series of challenges, first going blow-for-blow with Volkanovski on a punch machine, then seeing how well he could absorb Volkanovski’s body blows firsthand, and then getting taken off of his feet by Volkanovski.Through it all, the 6-foot-8 Mailata was a good sport, though on more than one occasion he questioned his own…

More than one year after Sean Strickland stormed a regional MMA cage and punched him in the face, undefeated Middleweight prospect Luis Hernandez will compete for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract tonight (Tues., Sept. 15, 2026) on Contender Series inside Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.Hernandez — a full-time Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputy better known as “The Stache” — will put his perfect 7-0 professional record and 100-percent finishing rate on the line against towering French prospect Hugo Guillon (7-1).Of course, most fight fans probably remember Hernandez from his wild encounter with Strickland and fellow UFC veteran Chris Curtis at…

The Party-Based RPG Fest 2026 kicked off just a few hours ago, and, as the name suggests, it’s right up our alley, featuring plenty of CRPGs, Tactical RPGs, and dungeon crawlers. The festival runs through September 21, with tons of playable demos and discounts available throughout the event. I’ve taken a quick look at some of the new games worth trying and put together a list of 10 titles, which I’m planning to follow up with another list later this week. One practical distinction before we start: some entries use Steam Playtest rather than a standalone demo, so check the…

After training in karate for the better part of two decades, Garry Howard came across Steven Seagal’s film Above the Law. Through a series of events stemming from a complimentary phone call, Howard found himself in front of the man himself and secured consistent instruction from Haruo Matsuoka, who made an annual trip to the small town of Brazil, Indiana. In this interview, Howard provides perspectives on both Seagal and Matsuoka, the growth of the latter, and how practitioners continue to refine their understanding long after the moment of “knowing” has passed. All images provided by Garry Howard. MAYTT: You…

The 34th International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) opened in Kielce, Poland, from 8 to 11 September 2026, underlining the country’s growing centrality to European defence procurement, industrial cooperation and NATO security. Held at the Targi Kielce exhibition and congress centre, the event brought together government representatives, military leaders and industrial partners at a time when Poland is accelerating the modernisation of its armed forces and seeking to deepen defence-industrial ties with Allied nations. This year’s edition was presented as the largest in the exhibition’s history. More than 1,200 exhibitors took part, alongside over 40,000 visitors and more than 60 official…

An Australian Army Hawkei High Mobility Launcher from 16 Regiment fires an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at the Woomera test range in South Australia. (ADF)Australia announced on 9 September that its National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) achieved a final operational capability in June. This means the air defence system is now fully ready for operations.NASAMS is operated by the Adelaide-based 16 Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery of the Australian Army’s 10th Fires Brigade. It is designed to detect, track and shoot down aerial threats such as cruise missiles, aircraft, helicopters and drones.The FOC declaration came after Exercise Raptors Strike in Cultana,…

Bottom lines up front SEOUL—In a social media announcement that sent shockwaves across Asia a few weeks ago, US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises” with South Korea, noting that “I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks!’” If US allies in Asia are surprised that Trump is demanding more help on Iran, then they haven’t been paying attention to his complaints, which go back well before he launched this war. Since…