Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

The Trump administration’s latest nominee to lead the nation’ top public health agency drew frustrated reactions from some U.S. senators on Wednesday when they pressed her on whether she would protect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from political meddling. Dr. Erica Schwartz told the Senate health committee she “will never betray the science” and pledged to use “radical transparency” in a bid to rebuild public trust in the agency. But several senators questioned how she might handle pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly moved to alter U.S. vaccine and CDC policies. Schwartz repeatedly…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Mykhailo Fedorov as the country’s minister of defense after just six months in office as part of a major shake-up in Kyiv’s leadership.The move, which has been the subject of speculation, was confirmed when Fedorov published a farewell social media post on Wednesday. It followed Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko’s resignation at the request of the president on Tuesday, which triggered the removal of and subsequent need to reappoint all the ministers currently serving in her cabinet. “It has been a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as Minister of Defense,” Fedorov wrote in the…

The Trump administration’s “NATO 3.0” concept calls for European allies to assume primary responsibility for their own conventional defense while the United States redirects resources to other priorities and pursues diplomacy with Russia. Unfortunately, the administration’s pursuit of other goals is undercutting this vision. Washington has sought territorial concessions from allies, imposed tariffs, weighed in on allies’ domestic politics, and engaged in operations against Iran that depend on a robust US military presence in Europe. Collectively, these policies have eroded the perception of shared interests needed for continued partnership, added friction to European rearmament, and delayed US posture changes. To…

Rheinmetall is delivering artillery ammunition to Ukraine from Unterlüß for the first time. Until now, deliveries had come from other sites within the Rheinmetall production network. This first delivery from Unterlüß to Ukraine comprises a low five-figure number of projectiles, in addition to propellant charges from other sites. More than half of the order has already been delivered. The remaining projectiles and propellant charges are due to follow by the end of 2026. For the first time, projectiles from the new ‘Werk Niedersachsen’ (Lower-Saxony plant) are being delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces. The RH1412 projectiles are the latest product…

Army Announces Project Convergence-Capstone 6: A Milestone in Modernization WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army will execute Project Convergence-Capstone 6 from July 20 to July 29 at Fort Irwin, California. Directed by Lt. Gen. Michael McCurry, commanding general of the Army Futures and Concepts Command, PC-C6 aims to rigorously experiment with future technologies by significantly expanding the scope, scale and complexity of operations previously tested at the 4th Infantry Division’s Ivy Sting and Ivy Mass exercises. The central focus of PC-C6 is the continued validation of the Next Generation Command and Control architecture, designed to ensure U.S. and allied forces can…

A U.S. Navy vessel that was being serviced inadvertently dumped hazardous material into the surrounding bay on Monday, the service said.The Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Sampson was at the Vigor Shipyard on Harbor Island in Seattle, Washington, undergoing defueling operations when an estimated 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the surrounding water.“The Navy is working with shipyard contractors and spill response partners to resolve this quickly and responsibly,” the Navy said. “Active, 24-hour on-site recovery operations are underway and most of the fuel has been recovered.”Initial estimates said the amount of oil spilled was closer to…

It’s not uncommon for transitioning military members to feel stripped of much of what they relied on in the military to assert their voices. One of my recent clients was a highly decorated military officer who was in the midst of a frustrating transition to running a large team in a global consulting firm. He asked, “Does my rank mean nothing today, in my civilian career?” This client was struggling with some of the better known cultural changes from the military to the private sector. He had been accustomed to entering a room where his positional authority was evidenced by…

The U.S. Army has agreed to help test a weapon that fires interceptors using magnets instead of gunpowder or rocket fuel, betting that ditching traditional propulsion might finally solve a math problem that has been quietly draining America’s missile stockpiles. Auriga Space, a California company building electromagnetic launch technology, and the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development […]

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org House lawmakers unveiled a new funding bill July 15 that provides $60 billion for defense—$290 billion less than what the President’s budget requested. The bill leaves President Trump’s plans for a $1.5 billion defense budget in doubt for this year. Dubbed “Reconciliation 3.0” the bill is intended to be pushed through under a process called reconciliation, a maneuver designed to circumvent the Senate’s requirement for supermajority of 60 votes to pass.…

Six F-39E Gripen aircraft from the Brazilian Air Force took part in the multidomain exercise SALITRE 2026, marking the Brazilian fighter’s first participation in a multinational operation outside Brazil. In Chile, six Brazilian Air Force fighters were carrying out air defence, escort and patrol missions alongside aircraft from five other countries. Operating from Cerro Moreno Air Base in Antofagasta, Chile, the exercise brought together more than 1,500 military personnel from the participating countries and around 60 aircraft, which completed more than 250 flight hours across different missions on site. Alongside aircraft from Chile, Argentina, Colombia, the United States and Paraguay,…