Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

For Harper Cline, Sept. 11, 2001, is not a memory. It is a story she inherited.“Everyone knows exactly what they were doing on that day, or where they were, but it’s weird too, because we don’t know what life was like before that,” the high school senior from Bradenton, Florida, explained.She was born into a country already at war. By the time she was old enough to understand what war meant, American troops had been fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq for years.“I almost feel numb to all of the violence of it, because we were told about it so much…

Many of the articles about the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, will likely begin with the writer sharing where they were that fateful Tuesday morning. I can’t start this piece that way, however, because I don’t remember anything from that day. Because I was 4. While there was a time when the only segment of the population that would have had little to no memory of the attacks was young children, I was born the same year as former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., the youngest member of Congress. More people…

Introduction Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury collectively reveal something interesting about the future of modern warfare. In June 2025, Operation Midnight Hammer marked several firsts: the largest strike using B2 bombers, the longest continuous flight of B2 since 2001, and the first mission to demonstrate the utility of massive ordnance penetrating bombs (MOP), dropping a total of 14 MOP on two Iranian nuclear facilities—Natanz and Fordo. Building on this, Operation Epic Fury has seen a record number of strikes, amounting to more than 13,000 targets destroyed (as of April 2026), yet Iran has not fully yielded to US…

The TWZ Newsletter Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. Work at a specialized underground weapons test site in New Mexico, contracted earlier this year, was linked to planning for a potential new operation targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, according to a report from CNN. The U.S. military has notably left Iran’s hardest-to-reach site under Pickaxe Mountain untouched so far, but President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials have been openly talking about striking it. On February 27, the day before U.S. and Israeli forces launched their initial wave of strikes on Iran,…

MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense announce the notification by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) of long-range land strike. The two companies have been chosen to provide the sovereign THUNDART solution, designed to renew France’s ground-launched tactical deep strike capability by preparing the replacement of the Unitary Rocket Launcher (LRU, Lance-Roquettes Unitaire). Developed jointly by MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense, THUNDART will provide the French Army with a new long-range precision strike capability, adapted to the requirements of high-intensity conflict and capable of operating in the most contested environments. Designed, developed and produced in France, THUNDART will also…

Hanwha Aerospace signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia to deliver 18 K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher systems, associated rocket ammunition and support vehicles.The agreement marks Hanwha Aerospace’s first defence contract with Croatia, establishing the foundation for long-term defence cooperation.The contract further expands Chunmoo’s presence in Europe, demonstrating the system’s proven capabilities and its growing recognition as a trusted long-range precision fires solution.Hanwha Aerospace signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia for the Chunmoo Multiple Rocket Launcher System (MRLS), marking its first defence contract with Croatia and further…

Three years ago, the Defense Department led an ambitious international effort to better protect civilians during combat, a movement built on the bloody lessons of Afghanistan and Iraq.The Pentagon created a network with European partners, driving the creation of shared standards. Civilian harm experts described the moment as a “unique opportunity” for American leadership by example.Today, those efforts continue — without the United States, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismantled the civilian protection mission.And Thursday, no U.S. delegation will be in the room when the international forum the U.S. cofounded meets at NATO headquarters in Belgium.The country’s absence from the International Contact Group on…

Islam Makhachev has been dealing with a “few small issues” after his latest fight. Most recently, welterweight titleholder Makhachev defeated Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 by unanimous decision to successfully defend his 170-pound strap. PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 15: Islam Makhachev of Russia and Ian Machado Garry of Ireland embrace after a welterweight title bout during UFC 330 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on August 15, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) The Russian phenom who’s soon going to turn 35 wants to fight again before Ramadan 2027. During a recent interview with MatchTV, Pound-for-Pound king Makhachev…

French naval architecture and marine engineering firm MAURIC has recently been selected to undertake the design studies for five 38-metre Riverine Patrol Vessels for the Bangladesh Coast Guards. MAURIC press release This contract marks a further commercial success for the naval architecture firm in Asia. MAURIC and Norwegian company NORDIC NAVAL AS have been selected to supply the shipyards with the Design package together with the main equipment. The five units will be built in Bangladesh by Dockyard & Engineering Works Limited, with construction scheduled in Q4 2026.  The patrol vessels, 38 metres in length and capable of reaching 22…

Connor Wood first started learning to sword fight when he was a child and that ultimately led him to join the Society for Creative Anachronism. In pursuing the historical sources, he soon crossed over in Historical European Martial Arts and saw a myriad of overlaps between the two movements. Today, Wood discusses the evolution of HEMA and the SCA, the cultural tensions that have developed between the two communities, and the ways tournament structures shape martial practice, along with mentorship, pedagogy, ranking systems, competitive incentives, and the ongoing debate between specialization and cross-training. Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow:…