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Top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees warned acting spy chief Bill Pulte on Monday not to use his temporary post to make major changes at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, citing concerns that he could pursue sweeping personnel cuts or politically motivated declassification decisions before a Senate-confirmed director is in place.In a June 22 letter to Pulte, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Pulte should not take actions “more appropriately left to a Senate-confirmed Director”…

03:27 22.6.2026 Pakistani and Qatari mediators said on June 22 that US-Iran negotiations have concluded, with the two warring sides agreeing on a framework toward reaching a final peace deal within 60 days, including the guarantee of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and an end to fighting in Lebanon. Few specific details were announced in the joint Qatari-Pakistani statement, and the agreement appears to reflect the aspirational goals announced in a previously agreed memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the US and Iranian presidents last week. That MOU left open to interpretation many terms of a 14-point agreement.…

A vessel approaching a critical energy terminal suddenly disappears from AIS tracking. At the same time, a coastal surveillance system detects unusual activity nearby, while a separate security platform generates alerts around the facility’s perimeter. None of these observations necessarily indicates a threat. Yet many maritime incidents begin exactly this way: fragmented observations distributed across multiple systems, with no single organization seeing the complete picture. This increasingly reflects the reality of modern maritime operations. More than 90 percent of global trade is transported by sea, while ports, coastal facilities and offshore assets continue to grow in both economic and strategic…

Every generation of military strategists produces its share of prophets, men and women convinced they have finally witnessed the weapon that will end the age-old calculus of land warfare. After the trenches of the Somme, it was the machine gun. After the Russia-Ukraine War, it is the drone. Today, a chorus of defense commentators, Silicon Valley evangelists, and think tank scholars are converging on a consensus: Aerial drones will define the next century of conflict. They are wrong—or rather, they are asking the wrong question entirely. The right question is not What can drones do? It is What can drones…

The battle over a visa for the mother of a revered soccer goalie has put a spotlight on the archipelago of Cape Verde, whose residents have a storied legacy of service in the U.S. military, including one sailor who some researchers consider to be the first African-born recipient of the Medal of Honor.Forty-year-old goalie Josimar “Vozinha” Dias recently earned a certificate from the Guinness World Records book as “the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet” in a World Cup debut with his acrobatic play on June 15 for the Tubarões Azuis — Blue Sharks — of Cape Verde, turning…

ROME — An Italian M-346 jet trainer has controlled a Baykar Kizilelma drone in flight during a loyal wingman trial in Turkey.The Leonardo test jet flew alongside the Turkish drone at Baykar’s flight and test center in Çorlu, Leonardo said in a statement.The flight followed the signing of a drone cooperation deal between Italy’s Leonardo and Baykar last year, which envisaged the construction in Italy of Baykar drones with Leonardo systems on board.The flight test campaign in Turkey involved two Leonardo M-346 jets: a Leonardo owned M-346 Fighter Attack Variant, with an Italian Air Force trainer acting as chase aircraft…

People’s Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:13, June 22, 2026 TEHRAN, June 21 (Xinhua) — The Iranian delegation left negotiations with the United States in Switzerland on Sunday in protest of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to launch further strikes against Iran, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Tasnim cited a source close to the delegation as saying that “the negotiations stopped minutes ago.” Meanwhile, Iran’s state-run Press TV quoted a source as saying that the delegation raised objections directly with the U.S. side, and “is assessing the conditions to give a proper response” to Trump’s threat. Earlier in the day, Trump…

Bo Nickal is making his long awaited return to wrestling at RAF 12 when he faces 2026 NCAA champion Max McEnelly on Aug. 22 in Cleveland.RAF officials announced the pairing on Monday.Nickal actually performed at the first ever RAF card in August 2025 where he defeated Jacob Cardenas in his first wrestling match since falling short from making the 2020 Olympic team. Nickal has been expected to appear at other RAF events including a showdown booked against Olympic silver medalist and fellow MMA star Yoel Romero but the Cuban missed weight and the matchup was scrapped.Now after his knockout over…

If you drew a circle around the world’s most sensitive military crossroads, chances are the Middle East would sit right in the center of it.From the deserts of Qatar to the waters of Bahrain, a network of U.S. military installations stretches across the region like a series of interconnected outposts. Some are massive cities hidden behind security fences. Others are small, little-known facilities that rarely make headlines. Together, they form one of the most important military footprints on Earth.The topic of US Military Bases in Middle Eastern countries often sparks debate. Supporters view these installations as essential for regional stability,…

Congress is considering legislation that would expand protections for military whistleblowers by expressly prohibiting retaliatory security clearance reviews and retaliatory psychiatric or medical examinations. The proposal appears in Section 527 of S. 4784, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027. The provision would amend 10 U.S.C. § 1034, the statute that protects members of the Armed Forces from retaliation for making protected communications to Congress, inspectors general, law enforcement officials and other authorized recipients. Current law prohibits a range of retaliatory personnel actions against service members who make protected disclosures.…