Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

Taiwan needs a “hornet’s nest” of drones to help deter conflict and provide security, the top U.S. diplomat to the democratically governed island said on Thursday.The United States, Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, has strongly backed the government’s military modernization plan and increased defense spending.Taiwan says it needs to bolster its defenses in the face of a stepped-up threat from China, which claims the island as its own territory.Speaking at a forum on drones in the central city of Taichung, Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan and…

A U.S. Air Force commander for medical services at a Virginia base was removed from her post this week, according to Air Force officials.Col. Tracy Allen, commander of the 633rd Medical Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, one of the largest Air Force bases, was relieved of command on Tuesday because of a “loss of confidence,” a Langley spokesperson told Military Times on Thursday.Allen was removed by Col. Stephen Anderson, 633rd Air Base Wing commander, “after careful consideration.”The base did not provide a specific reason for Allen’s removal beyond citing a loss of confidence in her ability to lead.Until a new…

By Alex Raufoglu July 04, 2026 WASHINGTON — As NATO leaders prepare to gather for next week’s summit, a group of senior European conservative lawmakers visited Washington with a message they hope will resonate inside the Trump administration: Support for Ukraine and concern over Iran are not mutually exclusive. The intervention comes at a delicate moment for the transatlantic alliance. Following recent US military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, President Donald Trump’s frustration with several European allies over their reluctance to support aspects of the US operation has added a new source of tension to an alliance already grappling with…

European NATO allies have largely filled the gaps left by the United States in the alliance’s defense plans, NATO’s top commander said on Thursday, adding the bloc was looking at workarounds to address the remaining shortfalls in a few areas.“In a matter of weeks, European allies have largely filled the gaps left by U.S. reductions to the NATO Force Model,” NATO’s top commander, U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, said in information provided to Reuters when asked for comment on the topic.“And in those few areas where they haven’t, where they do not currently have a like capability to replace,…

For decades, underground warfare was viewed as a niche military problem. Today, it has become a defining feature of modern conflict. From Hamas’s extensive tunnel network beneath Gaza and Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure in Lebanon to Iran’s hardened missile facilities and the expanding subterranean systems in Ukraine, North Korea, and China, military forces are increasingly using the underground for protection, command and control, logistics, and maneuver. As drones, persistent surveillance, artificial intelligence, and precision strike make the surface battlefield more transparent and lethal, the strategic value of operating beneath it continues to grow. In this episode of the Urban Warfare Project…

On the Fourth of July, America usually rolls out flags, fireworks, and enough grilled meat to make a cardiologist stare into the middle distance. In the fight game, though, one image fits the holiday better than the rest: Don Frye walking forward like the national anthem grew a mustache and decided to throw hands. Frye’s place in MMA history is secure because he arrived in the UFC in 1996, won UFC 8, then came back and won Ultimate Ultimate 96, giving him two tournament titles in the same year and instant status as one of the sport’s defining early names.…

By Mike Eckel July 04, 2026 In the years before Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine, Kostyantynivka was better known as a city of 66,000 with a thriving glassmaking industry, a strategic location at the crossroads of two major highways, and a busy railway junction. These days, Kostyantynivka is a crater-pocked wasteland of smoldering rubble leveled by drones, artillery, and, in recent weeks, devastating Russian glide bombs. Russian forces are hell-bent on capturing the city, an important part of what’s known as the “fortress belt” — a major line of Ukrainian defenses for the eastern region of Donetsk. With small pockets…

Michael Chandler appears ready to make a move up to 170 pounds.Earlier this week, Chandler shocked fight fans by sharing a massive weight gain from his lightweight clash with Mauricio Ruffy at UFC White House last month. Chandler lost that fight — which was his fourth defeat in a row — but the 40-year-old veteran still plans on continuing his career with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). After all, Chandler is still one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC roster today and someone who always comes into fight night in incredible shape.Assuming Chandler is welcome back inside of the…

Saronic on July 2, 2026 announced the launch of its first Mirage, a 52-ft. (16-meter) dual-use Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) that joins the 24-ft. (7-meter) Corsair and 180-ft. (55-meter) Marauder as the third flagship platform in Saronic’s growing fleet, and is the latest milestone in a production model delivering autonomous vessels at speed and scale. Saronic Technologies press release Mirage went from initial design to launch in under a year, and now begins on-water trials at the company’s privately funded test facility in Galveston, Texas, with the next hull already on the production line at the company’s Austin headquarters. “We…

The revival of territorial disputes and the de-thawing of conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guyana, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula have drifted closer to armed conflict in recent years due to changes in the global geopolitical order and the emboldening effect created by the coalescence of the Neo-Authoritarian Bloc (NAB) and its apparent military successes to date. I use the term NAB to refer to the collective of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Venezuela, and Myanmar. As I argued in 2023, this bloc has altered the trajectory of global conflicts, emboldened revisionism and opportunistic territorial aggression, and has established…