Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

The fleet of six Collins-class submarines will undergo a life of type extension. HMAS Dechaineux is seen at the Exercise Kakadu fleet review in Sydney earlier this year. (ADF)Australia is set to begin a life-of-type extension (LOTE) programme for the Royal Australian Navy’s six Collins-class diesel-electric submarines. The aim is to keep the fleet of boats in service for another decade, pending the arrival of nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS.The LOTE programme, estimated to cost around A$11 billion (US$7.8 billion), will be carried out at ASC North in South Australia.Work is scheduled to commence at the end of May with HMAS…

Salah Eddine Hamli collides with Ylies Djiroun at PFL MENA: Pride of Arabia on May 24th in the co-main event of the card. As the former responded to the casual inquiry regarding how he is doing, Hamli said [via Bowks Talking Bouts], “I’m great, man. The last time [in PFL MENA], I’m a contender. Right now, I’m the champion of PFL MENA. I’m ready to show the people really top skills.” When asked if entering this season as the previous year’s champ changes his confidence or mental approach at all, or if it’s business as usual for Salah Eddine Hamli,…

JIATF-401 Drone Defense Marketplace Broadens Allied Access to Counter-Drone Capabilities WASHINGTON — International agreements with key allies continue to expand access to counter-unmanned aerial system capabilities. The U.S. secretary of the Army and key leaders from Australia, Poland and the Republic of Korea recently signed agreements enabling each country to procure C-UAS technologies through the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 drone defense marketplace. As the Department of War’s premier organization to synchronize C-UAS efforts across the Joint Force and interagency, JIATF-401 is helping allies and partners rapidly acquire state-of-the-art c-UAS capability to respond to the evolving threat of drones. The…

The accounts of the day said that an “awesome silence” so unnatural to Manhattan fell over the waterfront after the big guns of the battleship Missouri fired off blank charges from the Hudson River in tribute to the returning war dead. The silence then greeted the U.S. Army Transport ship Joseph V. Connolly as she sailed up the Narrows past the Statue of Liberty and eased into the berth at Pier 21 off W. 21st on Manhattan’s West Side on Oct. 26, 1947. The converted Liberty ship carried a cargo of 6,248 caskets bearing the remains of troops from the…

The first Boeing E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft destined for Royal Air Force service landed at RAF Lossiemouth in northern Scotland, beginning the final stretch of testing before the platform formally enters British military service. Registered as WT001, the aircraft flew north from STS Aviation Services at Birmingham Airport, piloted by a mixed crew […]

OMB told agencies to report federal spending going toward 49 nonprofit organizations, many of which focus on DEI, immigration support and humanitarian aid. Drew Friedman@dfriedmanWFED May 22, 2026 4:57 pm 2 min read The White House is seeking detailed spending information on federal dollars going toward dozens of nonprofit organizations, according to a memo obtained by Federal News Network. The memo, which the Office of Management and Budget circulated to executive branch agencies on May 13, calls on all federal departments and agencies to submit agency-level spending data related to a targeted list of 49 nonprofit organizations. The organizations named…

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran. Warthogs in the region have been spotted in official photos from earlier this month flying and refueling with a new probe-and-drogue aerial-tanking system. That comes a month after…

European defense ministers and more than four key decision-makers confirmed as forum speakers. High-level security forum to address defense procurement, strategic cooperation, and future battlefield technologies. As Europe accelerates defense modernization and expands defense procurement following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, KADEX and GLOBSEC have agreed to cooperate in establishing a new Europe–Asia security and defense cooperation platform. Under the partnership, GLOBSEC will invite at least four key decision-makers, including defense ministers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, and Italy, to participate as speakers at KADEX 2026. The forum is expected to bring together heads of state,…

Introduction Adolescence is a critical period during which teens initiate and escalate substance use, as well as begin learning to drive. Limited research has evaluated programs to prevent impaired driving behaviors in this age group. We tested effects of adding a single-session web intervention to existing driver education curriculum. Methods Driving school staff recruited participants aged 15.5 to 17 from 12 driver education programs. Participants were randomized to driver education only (usual care, 30 h) or driver education plus a single-session web intervention (webCHAT, ∼30 min). Participants completed surveys at baseline and six months. Results The sample (N = 198)…

The Pentagon announced the Replicator Initiative with fanfare in 2023, aiming to field vast numbers of affordable, expendable drones as a strategic counter to China. However, by 2025, the program was limping along due to congressional criticism over stalled progress and the absence of a permanent institutional home or consistent funding.The Pentagon officially dissolved Replicator in late 2025, absorbing it into the newly minted Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, or DAWG. Originally allocated a modest $225.9 million in the fiscal year 2026 budget, DAWG was widely expected to be just another iterative defense working group. But the Trump administration’s FY27 budget request has shattered those expectations.…