Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

Seth tracked Murray down via Facebook Messenger and asked: “Hi Murray, really appreciate your AWA podcast, great short bursts of knowledge. One question that bugs me about legionaries. Why did the Romans completely abandon the spear in favour of the pilum? Does it function effectively as a thrusting weapon as well as a thrown weapon? If you have a space for a two-for, do you have time to talk about the comparative effectiveness of slings vs bows in the classical world? When did slings drop out of use in organised warfare? That’s probably three, but you’ve made the mistake of…

The General Services Administration’s push to centralize government buying is as much a return to its roots as it is a Trump administration initiative, according to one of the leading architects of the consolidation.Laura Stanton, acting commissioner for GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, gave a bit of a history lesson during remarks at the GovExec-produced SAP NOW event on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. GSA started in 1949 as part of a series of recommendations from the Hoover Commission.“The reasons we were founded as agency are the same reasons and the priorities that I’m going to talk about today,” Stanton said. “Going back to those founding…

People’s Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:09, June 26, 2026 BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) — A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday slammed Japan and the Philippines for unilaterally launching so-called maritime delimitation negotiations while bypassing China. Such negotiations have seriously violated international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as the basic norms governing international relations, and have gravely infringed upon China’s maritime rights and interests, said Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense. Zhang made the remarks at a press conference in response to a query about earlier negotiations between Japan…

The U.S. Air Force is seeking the next generation of a long-range weapon with the capability to reach a minimum of 1,000 nautical miles in an Industry Day hosted by the service.For two days in late August, the Industry Day is slated to accommodate traditional and nontraditional vendors who are interested in providing the Air Force with the weapon that has both an air-to-air and air-to-surface variant, according to an Air Force Materiel Command notice posted Wedesday. “This two-day engagement will provide a comprehensive overview of the [Air Force Long Range Weapon, or AFLRW] purpose, performance requirements, and fielding timeline…

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) has placed its first delivery order to Polaris Government and Defense on the new Ultra-Light Tactical Vehicle (ULTV) contract, ordering more than 70 MRZR Alphas and numerous accessories vital to mission success. More than half the vehicles ordered were the new 5kW export power variant and the remaining were the standard, 1kW version – all are green, four-seat vehicles. Polaris accessories included in the order have been commonly incorporated on MRZR Alpha ULTVs for the Marines and include: Roof Kit – reversible roof kit with multicam-patterned camouflage on one side and olive drab on…

The White House budget office wants to raid a Navy radar-plane account and a classified Air Force line to pull the E-7 Wedgetail back from the dead.The maneuver surfaced in a Wednesday report accompanying the House Appropriations Committee’s fiscal 2027 defense bill, and it runs on money the White House went looking for a week earlier. In a June 17 budget amendment to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., the Office of Management and Budget asked Congress to steer more than $1.55 billion into the Air Force’s research and development account to keep the airborne battle management jet alive — money…

UFC Baku could be Rafael Fiziev’s last chance to get back on track.The proud Azerbaijani fighter has a home date Saturday as he takes on Mexico’s Manuel Torres, who has won two straight and five of six since being signed off of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021.Once a surging lightweight contender himself, Fiziev is coming off of a knockout loss to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325 and has won just once in his past five fights. Fiziev always puts on a show and is a fan favorite, but if he can’t score a win tonight under favorable circumstances, it…

To understand how close Myanmar’s pro-democracy resistance came to victory last year — and how far it has slipped since — there is no sharper microcosm than the story of a Gen Z sniper. In April 2025, a female teenager, Anina, enraptured the world, her youth-driven “Spring Revolution” a vivid foil to the sclerotic forces of military dictator Min Aung Hlaing (officially called the Tatmadaw). When her unit captured the town of Falam, fortune seemed on the resistance’s side. Yet, a year later, regime troops stormed Anina’s hometown, a stunning blow to the resistance.Many observers had predicted the junta’s impending…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Joe Lauzon has inked a new deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) to debut on the promotion’s upcoming BKFC 92 fight card on Aug. 29 from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.While Lauzon is from the Massachusetts area and should attract some extra attention locally, the former UFC fighter hasn’t competed in any form of combat sports since a surprising TKO victory over Jonathan Pearce all the way back in 2019. That was under the UFC banner, but almost seven years ago. It’s unknown at this time what Lauzon has left in the tank…

All five active-duty military services met or exceeded their fiscal 2025 recruiting goals, according to the Department of Defense, marking what Pentagon officials described as the strongest recruiting performance in 15 years. The Army signed contracts with 62,050 recruits, or 101.72% of its goal, while the Navy brought in 44,096 recruits, exceeding its target by more than 8%. The Air Force recruited 30,166 airmen; the Space Force brought in 819 Guardians; and the Marine Corps met its goal of 26,600 recruits.Collectively, the five services achieved 103% of their active-duty recruiting mission, according to Pentagon officials. After several years of recruiting…