Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 11: Conor McGregor of Ireland warms up prior to his fight during the UFC 329 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Welcome to Midnight Mania! Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. 41-year-old Rafael dos Anjos returns to action after two years at UFC 332: I’d love to see Rafael dos Anjos still in good fighting form, but it’s hard to be optimistic after THREE knee surgeries in the last two…

HONOLULU — Faster intelligence gathering and analysis enabled by AI is allowing special operators to pull off missions that would have been impossible years ago, U.S. Special Operations Command leader Adm. Frank Bradley, said Wednesday. But malign actors empowered by simple AI tools are undermining military and civilian leaders’ confidence in digital information, he said. That credibility decay, raising doubt about what is and is not true, will affect not just operations but the ability of the United States to “generate that unity of effort” to deter or defend against adversarial attack, he said. “I have been plagued by my own…

The Pentagon took major action against Stars and Stripes on Friday, firing its publisher, editor and a Middle East reporter. The Aug. 21 terminations included publisher Max Lederer Jr., editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte, announced by the publication itself while the outgoing staffers vowed to maintain editorial independence. Slavin, who told CBS News in a July interview that he stood by the publication’s “editorial independence” and not kowtowing to the Pentagon’s agenda or control, told the publication following his firing that he received a notice of proposed separation and is reviewing it. Slavin became editor in 2025 after…

The Department of Defense does not request enough funding to fully meet its installation maintenance and major improvement needs, a Government Accountability Office report found.The department sought to fund 90% of its maintenance needs, but the GAO found that the services continue to request funding for only about 80% of their needs, according to the report released Friday. The funding shortfall led to an estimated $285 billion of maintenance backlogs in fiscal 2025.“DOD has not fully determined the risks to its mission and to the quality of life of its personnel as a result of not meeting its funding goal,”…

Every medic gets asked the same question. It usually comes when working — hands busy, casualty on the ground, the situation still unsettled. The soldier looks up and asks, “Am I going to be okay?”While the military trains medics relentlessly to treat the wound, we do not train them to handle the question.I have spent years on both sides of that moment. I am a 68W combat medic instructor and a Tactical Combat Casualty Care instructor with the West Virginia Army National Guard, and I am also an endorsed chaplain. This role encompasses teaching soldiers how to control hemorrhage and…

“You cannot be at mental peace always. You will be worried. So even my family — they are scared all the time, and they were anxiously praying [for] the vessel [to] come out of this area safely.” While Captain Chirag operates a commercial cargo vessel in the Red Sea, his comments in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attacks in the Middle East could just as easily be attributed to the hard-charging crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Carney and other surface combatants fighting Houthi threats, or the experiences of the sailors assigned to Carrier Strike Group Three engaging…

Rafael dos Anjos is back.The former UFC lightweight champion competes for the first time since October 2024 when he takes on Alexander Hernandez (18-9) in a welterweight bout at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Damon Martin confirmed the matchup with sources with knowledge of the bout following an initial report from ESPN Brasil.Dos Anjos (32-17) was last seen at UFC 308, where he suffered a technical knockout loss in just 90 seconds after he was felled by a knee injury. He was later diagnosed with a torn ACL. The 41-year-old Brazilian…

Babcock International Group has taken a significant step forward in its partnership with Danish industry through a number of major agreements unveiled at DALO Industry Days, strengthening cooperation across the maritime defence sector. Babcock press release Babcock today signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with Danish technology companies, STORMBORN and CUBEDIN, to examine future hybrid naval capabilities and autonomous systems integration – supporting Babcock’s vision for a hybrid Danish fleet where crewed ships and unmanned systems operate together. A third MOU was also signed at DALO Industry Days between Babcock and SH Group, which will explore collaboration on ship and naval…

Max Holloway is not impressed with the excuses Conor McGregor has been making after UFC 329. McGregor returned to the octagon after 5 years at UFC 329 and had planned a ‘generational beating’ of Holloway in their rematch. However, his plans were ruined after he tore his ACL and meniscus while throwing a wild flying kick when the bout began. Once the Irishman’s lead leg was injured, he kept falling to the ground, which led referee Mike Beltran to stop the contest after just 69 seconds, and “Blessed” won by TKO. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 11: (L-R) Conor McGregor…

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — In August 2026, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Twentynine Palms recognized Hospital Corpsman 1st Class April Million as Senior Sailor of the 3rd Quarter, highlighting her leadership, mentorship and commitment to supporting operational readiness and patient care aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms. Million, a Palmdale, California, native, serves as the leading petty officer (LPO) for the Adult Medical Care Clinic (AMCC), where she oversees clinical operations and administrative responsibilities while providing mentorship and guidance to Sailors assigned to the clinic. “A typical day for me consists of ensuring the…