Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

Japan’s foreign and security policy changed significantly over the past decade in response to a more contested Indo-Pacific order. Central to this evolution is the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) strategy, which originated under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as a broad, normative vision promoting the rule of law, freedom of navigation, and economic prosperity (Nagy 2021; Hosoya 2019). However, as systemic pressures have intensified – most notably China’s maritime assertiveness, the geopolitical shock of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – Tokyo has profoundly recalibrated its approach (O’Shea and Maslow 2024). Viewing this shift through the lens of neoclassical realism, this study…

The U.S. Marine Corps has inked a $5.1 million contract with the virtual reality company XR Training (XRT) to develop a crew gunnery training prototype for the new amphibious combat vehicle that will simulate an all-out fight with an unpredictable adversary.The other transactional agreement, or OTA, contract award — used to fast-track prototyping and development — is the fourth such award for the company, which has assumed a significant role in the overhaul of Marine Corps amphibious vehicle training.While ACV is a more complex vehicle than its predecessor and fielded in multiple variants, the more rigorous approach to training is…

Islam Makhachev, Dillon Danis, Conor McGregor, and a few others in the MMA community have reacted after Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal earlier today in the UEFA Champions League final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Daniel Cormier, Paddy Pimblett, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and P4P king Makhachev were in attendance for the finals and witnessed PSG edge Arsenal 4-3 in a dramatic penalty shootout to secure their second consecutive Champions League title. [Image via PSG on Facebook] MMA world reacts after Paris Saint-Germain defeats Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League Final Dillon Danis reacted to Arsenal’s defeat provocatively, posting footage of himself…

Adversaries have used commercially available location data to target U.S. servicemembers in war zones, a bipartisan group of lawmakers revealed Thursday. In a letter to Pentagon CIO Kirsten Davies, 14 members of Congress — led by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C. — warned that the department “has not taken basic steps to protect U.S. military personnel from the serious counterintelligence and force protection threat posed by the collection and sale of personal information, including cell phone location data, by data brokers.”Reuters first reported the news. Last month, U.S. Central Command revealed to lawmakers that it “has received multiple threat reports…

Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. The U.S. and Taiwan have finalized a trade and investment agreement that caps Section 232 tariff rates on specified imports from Taiwan at 15%, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The U.S. locked in the rate cap on Section 232 tariffs on certain Taiwan automobile parts, timber, lumber and related wood products, along with some aircraft parts containing steel, aluminum or copper, per the document published May 28. The tariff changes are retroactive to May 1. The finalized agreement is narrowly focused…

A wide, well developed back is one of the most recognizable signs of strength and athleticism. Broad lats create the V taper physique many people want, but a stronger back also improves posture, shoulder health, pulling strength, and athletic performance. The good news is that you do not need a fully equipped gym to build width in your upper body. With the right bodyweight exercises, you can effectively target the muscles responsible for creating a wider back. Bodyweight training has often been underestimated for muscle growth. However, research shows that resistance created through bodyweight movements can stimulate hypertrophy when exercises…

Here are some of the federal government’s top recent personnel changes, brought to you by our partners at Leadership Connect: Darin D. Smith has a new position as U.S. Attorney (Incoming) at Wyoming District, United States Department of Justice [DOJ]Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation (PAS) Recently: Interim U.S. Attorney at Wyoming District, United States Department of Justice (2025 – 2026) Zachary A. Keller has a new position as U.S. Attorney (Incoming) at Louisiana – Western District, United States Department of Justice [DOJ]Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation (PAS) Recently: Interim U.S. Attorney at Louisiana – Western District, United States Department of Justice (2025 – 2026) Ethan Fallang has a new…

People’s Daily Online (Xinhua) 17:18, May 29, 2026 UNITED NATIONS, May 28 (Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for immediate and sustained de-escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Ukraine following Russia’s massive strikes across Ukraine over the weekend, Guterres said the direction of the conflict risks getting out of control. He warned of the risk of miscalculation and escalation with unknown and unintended consequences. “Let’s speak plainly. The current course is not sustainable. This trajectory must change. The death spiral must stop,” said Guterres. Since February 2022 when the conflict broke…

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers lost $12.8 billion to fraud in 2024, with actual losses estimated to be as high as $196 billion. Research on financial fraud knowledge is scant, limiting development of effective protection tools. Using RAND’s American Life Panel, 1,509 respondents (ages 21–90) listed up to five fraud schemes and tactics. We explore respondents’ conceptualizations of fraud types through the freelisting technique and categorize the answers into five groups: threat-, opportunity-, consumer-, imposter-, and ID-based frauds. We find that women mention more imposter-based and fewer ID-based scams than men, while older adults mention more consumer-based scams…

Contracts DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY The Boeing Co., Saint Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a maximum $528,320,491 modification (P00008) to a definitized delivery order (SPRPA1-24-F-0051) issued against a three-year basic ordering agreement (SPRPA1-22-D-001U) for the Performance-Based Support contract. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The performance completion date is Sept. 16, 2027. Using military services are Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Weapons Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Labatt Institutional Supply Co.,…