Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

Members of the Senate tasked with advancing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to be the nation’s top law enforcer on Thursday pushed the vote back one week.The Senate Judiciary Committee’s delayed vote to send the controversial nominee to the full Senate is “per standard committee practice,” according to a spokesperson for Chairman Chuck Grassley.The Iowa Republican and the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., used the time that had been allocated for the vote to comment at length on Blanche’s nomination. Grassley then recessed the session because too many Republicans were absent,…

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The Indonesian Air Force will soon add yet another aircraft type to its eclectic fleet, after a deal with Leonardo for a dozen M-346F Block 20 light fighters was announced this week.Lorenzo Mariani, Leonardo’s CEO and General Manager, said: “The introduction of the M-346F in Indonesia provides clear evidence not only of the aircraft system’s inherent quality, but also of the country’s continued and yet growing trust in our capabilities across domains.”Leonardo said the sale “includes the localization of a range of support, maintenance, overhaul and training capabilities, as well as human capital development.”The Italian-built M-346…

The 58th International NKKO Summer Camp was successfully held at the Papendal Sports Centre in the Netherlands, bringing together more than 130 Kyokushin karate practitioners from across Europe. Participants from the Netherlands, Poland, France, Spain and other European countries gathered for several days of intensive training, technical development and international exchange. The camp provided an opportunity for karateka of different ages and experience levels to challenge themselves, expand their knowledge and strengthen the values of discipline, respect and camaraderie that define Kyokushin Karate. The training sessions were led by an experienced international team of instructors, including Shihan Antonio Piñero, 9th…

After its selection, the ARION-SMET 6×6 UGV from Hanwha Aerospace is now awaiting a South Korean army contract. (Hanwha Defense)According to an announcement by the South Korean government on 16 July 2026, a future contract for new unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) is to be awarded to Hanwha Aerospace. The unmanned platform selected as preferred bidder is the ARION-SMET.This name is an acronym for Autonomous and Robotic Systems for Intelligence Off-road Navigation – Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport. It is a 6×6 UGV weighing 1.8 tonnes and its batteries permit a road range of 100km.This news relating to the Republic of Korea…

The BAE Systems Brontanax prototype CCA was unveiled at Farnborough. (David Oliver)On the day when the new Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, announced at Farnborough 2026 that £298 billion would be allocated to defence spending over the next four years, including £15 billion more than the previous settlement, BAE Systems revealed Brontanax, the UK’s first autonomous collaborative combat aircraft (CCA). Named after the Ancient Greek words for “thunder” and “king,” the uncrewed jet Brontanax is about the size of a Hawk trainer and is designed to operate alongside RAF Typhoons, F-35s, and the future sixth-generation fighter, Tempest, providing electronic warfare and precision-strike…

By most accounts, China has the upper hand in its growing economic confrontation with the United States. In April 2025, after Washington levied heavy tariffs on China, Beijing responded with export restrictions on rare-earth minerals that led the Trump administration to back down. And in May 2026, when U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Beijing, the American delegation fell short of even its very limited objectives. The most notable success Trump could point to from the summit was Beijing’s agreement to buy 200 Boeing aircraft, but even that was a big step down from the…

FARNBOROUGH, England—The German navy is buying eight submarine-hunting P-8A aircraft, but it would welcome more, said the nation’s head of naval air warfare. “No, eight is not enough. Give me 10, and I will say I need more. And give me 12, I will say give me more,” Capt. Broder Nielsen, the commanding officer of Germany’s naval air command told reporters Wednesday at the Farnborough International Airshow. NATO countries are working to bolster their anti-submarine capabilities to protect against Russian activity in the region, including attacks on undersea cables. Earlier this month, Denmark agreed to buy two Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft and…

After reviving from cancellation, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is now available (for most players), and it seems the developers were preparing a little surprise for today’s launch. Paramount Games and Gameplay Group International just announced they’re adding a free DLC character to the game while also sharing a development newsletter to address some of the missing features and concerns. Said new fighter is Tagah. If his name doesn’t…

On a reconnaissance patrol, breaking down the load to reconfigure kit isn’t an option. The FirstSpear IMBREX™ OFFSET RECONNAISSANCE CHEST RIG is a purpose-built, split-front chest rig engineered specifically for the SOF reconnaissance and patrol operator managing simultaneous movement, communications, and weapon employment without stopping to reconfigure kit. It opens laterally like a garment, not over the head, allowing the operator to don, doff, and adjust mission-essential gear without compromising the loadout. Ammunition, dual-radio carriage, End User Device (EUD) management, and medical and signal carriage for four CAT tourniquets and four NSN chemlights are integrated into a single low-profile platform…

Let’s not start picking out uniforms just yet. The chorus calling for a Cyber Force continues to grow by the day, but the debate has its priorities backward. In June, an amendment from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) calling for the creation of a cyber service within the Department of the Army failed in the Senate Armed Services Committee by a single vote. Support is popular on both sides of the aisle, with Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) quoted as saying that a “Cyber Force is inevitable.” The highly anticipated June 2026 Center for Strategic and International Studies report skips the question of whether the Department needs a Cyber Force and…