Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

A coalition of federal employee unions this week urged a federal appeals court to compel a lower court judge to act upon a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s introduction of essay questions that many say amount to a presidential loyalty test for federal jobseekers.The American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the National Association of Government Employees sued the Office of Personnel Management last November after the government’s dedicated HR agency introduced four essay questions to be issued with all federal job postings, including one question asking applicants their favorite Trump policy or…

Finally, it seems that there is some much-needed transparency coming to other transaction agreements. A new bill from Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) passed the upper chamber today requiring public disclosure of OTA awards. That, combined with a provision in the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2027 requiring similar public sharing of OTA awards, is the strongest signal yet that the frustration with this approach is real. And while we are talking about the need for transparency, the General Services Administration seems also to have gotten an earful from industry…

In this episode of The Spear, Dr. Charlie Faint hosts Lieutenant Colonel Tiane Garner, commander of the Multi-Domain Effects Battalion (MDEB) in the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, to discuss the Army’s evolving approach to operations in the Indo-Pacific. Drawing on nearly two decades of service that began as a transportation officer running convoy security missions in Iraq before transitioning to military intelligence, Tiane explains how the MDEB integrates intelligence, cyber, electronic warfare, space, and unmanned systems to provide long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting capabilities in support of the joint force. She also details lessons learned from Pacific Pathways exercises in…

Before SpaceX IPO, Investors in China Secretly Acquired A businessman with ties to Chinese military contractors was among the overseas investors who acquired stakes in SpaceX while it was still a private company. An entity linked to the Qatari royal family also took a stake.The new details come from a private investor list obtained by ProPublica that sheds light on a particularly delicate issue for Elon Musk’s rocket company: which people in countries like China bought into the company, and how. SpaceX built its business off sensitive U.S. government work like making spy satellites for the Pentagon. While there is no ban…

Diehl Defence has signed an agreement with General Atomics Europe, the former owner of EST Energetics GmbH in Rothenburg/Saxony, to acquire the company. A subsidiary of Diehl Defence will take over the business operations of EST Energetics. The legal transfer will take place on July 1, 2026. Since its founding in 1994, EST Energetics has been involved in the recycling of lithium-metal batteries, airbag disposal, the recycling of fireworks, as well as the demilitarization of military equipment, and currently has more than 60 employees. Diehl Defence intends to continue business operations with the current workforce and to expand its activities…

Issue Brief June 18, 2026 • 6:32 pm ET Print this page By Christopher Lee, Ben Blane, and Markus Garlauskas Bottom lines up front The current US military command-and-control construct in the Indo-Pacific is built on a hub-and-spoke model not well suited to the critical subregion of Northeast Asia. The United States should establish a new Northeast Asia Command with responsibility over US military operations and military coordination with allies in this subregion.This new command could help bypass political resistance to military coordination between Japan and South Korea, help build a “kill web” in the first island chain, and support…

The U.S. Navy on Thursday ended its blockade of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command announced.President Donald Trump issued the directive, ending an operation that began on April 12 and led to the redirection of 142 commercial vessels and disabling of nine non-compliant vessels.“Our great naval ships will remain in the general area to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect,” CENTCOM said.The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday that calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the…

While many observers describe the current confrontation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran as a quagmire, stalemate, or even a “new Vietnam” for Washington, the crisis may be better understood through a different historical analogy: the 1956 Suez Crisis. Historical analogies play an important role in shaping how policymakers and scholars interpret contemporary conflicts. The Vietnam analogy highlights the dangers of military overextension, asymmetric warfare, and the difficulties that great powers encounter when attempting to impose political outcomes upon determined adversaries. These concerns are not without merit. Yet while Vietnam illuminates the operational challenges of protracted conflict, it may…

The Department of Veterans Affairs is eliminating activity geared toward veterans’ gender identities and reclassifying its LGBTQ+ care coordinators, according to an internal memo made public this week.The purpose of the June 12 memo, it says, is to bring the department into compliance with two executive orders signed last year at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term: one that ended the federal government’s diversity, equity and inclusion activities and another that required the federal government to recognize two biological sexes.Undersecretary for Health John Bartrum sent the directive to all Veterans Health Administration senior leaders, as well as directors…

LASERD NOMAD warning system. (© Sentinel Photonics) Sentinel Photonics, the UK-based laser threat detection specialist, today announces the launch of LASERD NOMAD, the first of its range of vehicle-mounted laser warning systems. LASERD NOMAD is built for rapid deployment on armoured and soft-skinned military and security platforms. NOMAD extends Sentinel’s proven LASERD technology to mobile operations, from boats to land vehicles. It delivers real-time laser threat awareness, giving crews 10 to 30 seconds to take defensive action before a strike or a precision-guided munition hits. Alerts are delivered via audio and visual cues on a rugged Android device running Sentinel’s…