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A Japan-based U.S. Marine Corps unit designed to lock down maritime chokepoints and sink naval vessels has deployed the first forward-based American anti-ship missiles along the first island chain this week.  Stationed on Okinawa, Japan, the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) is the most recent of the service’s next-generation units derived from Force Design concepts that aim to train, equip and deploy Marines capable of fighting across the littorals of the Western Pacific.  This week, the service announced the unit had formerly received the anti-ship missiles and air defense systems that will form the backbone of its operations. Redesignated in…

GROTON, Conn., June 25, 2026 — ThayerMahan, Inc. has been awarded a contract to deliver dozens of Outpost® acoustic intelligence payloads, along with TransparenSea® processing software, to an international defense customer. The award represents one of the largest fielded deployments of unmanned acoustic sensing systems supporting persistent undersea surveillance and USW (Undersea Warfare) missions. ThayerMahan to deliver dozens of Outpost acoustic intelligence payloads to international defense customer. The selection followed a rigorous, multi-phase evaluation that included controlled validation, extended at-sea deployments, and head-to-head comparative trials against multiple payloads under representative mission conditions. Testing focused on detection performance, tracking reliability, system…

On Episode 290 of The Menace Podcast, host Dennis “The Menace” James was joined by regular panelists Milos Sarcev and Jose Raymond, and the gang discussed Nick Walker’s chances of winning the 2026 IFBB Tampa Pro against popular contenders like Joe Palacios.   The Tampa Pro will take place between July 30 and August 1, 2026, and is a proving ground where the winner in the Open division will receive qualification for this year’s Mr. Olympia final in Las Vegas. One man who is always considered to be an easy pick is Nick Walker, but he’ll face stiff competition in Florida.…

Listen to the article 5 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. A wave of U.S. Postal Service pricing changes is set to take effect next month, introducing fresh cost pressures for parcel shippers. On July 12, the agency will change how it calculates the size and rates for large-but-lightweight packages, expand its dimensional reporting requirements, and eliminate ounce-based rates for certain USPS Ground Advantage shipments. Some of the changes could catch unprepared shippers off guard and increase their transportation costs, experts told Supply Chain Dive. The changes align the Postal Service’s pricing practices…

A new agentic-AI tool will continuously scan intelligence feeds and operational networks to provide U.S. military commanders with targeting options “within seconds,” the Pentagon announced Thursday.Dubbed Agent Network, the new tool will employ “agents”—artificial-intelligence entities that perform tasks on behalf of a user, such as running a scheduled search or executing an email campaign—to “continuously scan defense intelligence and operational systems, translating findings into clearly presented options,” said a press release, which added: “Agent Network does not autonomously select or strike targets; it ensures commanders remain in charge of every decision.”It is one of seven “pace-setting” projects originally unveiled in…

U.S. Army soldiers attached a solar-powered fixed-wing aircraft to a high-altitude balloon at Orote Airfield on Naval Station Guam on June 24, 2026, and prepared to launch the combination into the stratosphere as part of Valiant Shield 2026, the largest U.S.-led joint exercise in the Indo-Pacific. The aircraft is the Apollo R, built by Icarus, […]

When a borrower certified eligibility for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, the lender processed the application. For qualifying PPP loans, the Small Business Administration guaranteed 100% of the loan amount. Federal exposure could attach before a program-specific government eligibility check tested that certification against independent records. PPP later gained additional safeguards, but the initial design lesson remains. In early June, the House of Representatives moved forward a slate of anti-fraud measures. Several bills passed, including the TRUE Accountability Act by a vote of 384-0 and the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act by a vote of 393-0. The Fraud Prevention…

Abstract While conventional wisdom suggests small states facing gray zone maritime pressure require external protection or significant force expansion, systematic examination of Seychelles, Mauritius, and the Philippines reveals that resilience depends more on governance, legitimacy, and persistence than firepower. These cases demonstrate six counterintuitive findings: law-enforcement primacy outperforms military responses, littoral waters matter more than distant EEZs, evidence collection functions as operational capability, transparency serves as deterrence, persistence trumps resolution, and partner support must avoid dependency. For U.S. security cooperation, these findings suggest prioritizing institutional capacity building over platform transfers and measuring partner independence rather than equipment delivered, producing more…

Conor McGregor isn’t making a hit list now that he’s ready to return to action at UFC 329 but there are definitely plenty of options awaiting him.First up is his showdown against Max Holloway on July 11 but McGregor has made it clear that he wants to stay busy now that he’s healthy and ready to compete again. But what about making another run at a title and perhaps setting up a showdown against new lightweight champion Justin Gaethje?“Max has flatlined Justin,” McGregor told Paramount. “He knocked him out. Face down. Out cold.“Justin’s OK. When he’s on, Justin’s OK. When…

Brian Ortega has a come-to-lightweight moment ahead of his most recent fight.It’s been 10 months since Ortega was last seen in the octagon losing a decision to Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai. Originally scheduled to take place at featherweight, the bout was bumped up to a 153-pound catchweight limit after Ortega suffered a scare before the fight. During his weight cut, Ortega ended up passing out and waking up in an emergency room.That was a clear sign Ortega’s featherweight days might be numbered.“I left the hospital, straight to weigh-ins and then that was it,” Ortega said on the JAXXON podcast.…