Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

UFC star Conor McGregor‘s comeback fight after five years away has finally been announced – and as it turns out, there’s a whole lot more going on that day too. Conor McGregor is easily the biggest star in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and nobody can deny that. Alas, after being gone for so long, many wondered whether or not he would ever opt to compete again. As it turns out, he is more than willing to step into the fire, as he prepares to square off with Max Holloway, a man he fought and defeated over a…

Manching, Germany, 20 May, 2026 – Airbus Helicopters and the Spanish Navy successfully completed a tactical flight trial earlier this month in Rota, Spain. The exercise integrated the offshore patrol vessel Rayo with a Spanish Navy H135 helicopter and two different uncrewed aerial systems, the Airbus Flexrotor and Alpha Unmanned Systems´ A900  using the Airbus Helicopterssolution. The exercise validated the real-time control of the drone and sharing of imagery between uncrewed systems, helicopters, and naval vessels to establish a multi-domain operational link. This capability allows the ship to access critical information from areas far beyond its own sensor range directly…

US soliders – part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division – prepare for a multinational force-on-force exercise during Saber Strike in Finland, 18 May 2026. Credit: DVIDS. The US has announced the withdrawal of a Brigade Combat Team from Europe Now, American troop numbers on the continent have fallen to 2021 levels Yet skilful US diplomacy implies the continued backing of Europe’s stratgeic nuclear architecture The US Department of War has announced the drawdown of one of four Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) in Europe. Each of these units contain at least 4,000 troops, which will bring…

More than three-fourths of 112 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers earned four- or five-star ratings from the federal government for quality, according to new data released Monday.For the second year , no VA hospitals received a one-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that publishes quality assessments for U.S. hospitals based on mortality rates, patient safety, hospital readmissions and other measures. CMS began rating VA hospitals in 2023. That year, of 114 facilities that were evaluated, nearly 30% received five stars; 37% received four…

The Trump administration is considering a military escalation to break the diplomatic impasse with Iran, despite having formally notified Congress that Operation Epic Fury has been terminated. Adm. Brad Cooper, the chief of U.S. Central Command, said on Tuesday that American forces in the Middle East remain deeply entrenched in the region and are at the highest level of readiness. “I am prepared to execute a broad range of contingencies,” Cooper testified before the House Armed Services Committee. “We’re prepared for further direction depending on how negotiations go.”In the meantime, Cooper told lawmakers that CENTCOM will maintain its blockade on…

As the Pentagon requests a massive budget increase to develop autonomous weapons, some senators worry that DoD policy isn’t keeping pace. DOD’s “policy architecture really has to scale with it,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said Tuesday during a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. “And this is where we probably lag behind.” During the hearing, which focused on science priorities in the Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget request, Ernst pointed to a massive increase proposed for the Defense Autonomous Working Group, or DAWG.The Trump administration is seeking $55 billion for DAWG, up from its $225 million budget…

Sweden chose France over Britain and Spain on May 19, selecting Naval Group’s FDI frigate to form the backbone of the Royal Swedish Navy’s first serious blue-water combat capability in four decades. The announcement came aboard the Visby-class corvette HMS Härnösand at Skeppsbron in Stockholm, where Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Defense Minister Pål Jonson, and […]

More money to counter drones and attack underground targets is necessary for future fights, the head of U.S. Central Command said on Thursday, as lawmakers praised and grilled the four-star admiral about the war in Iran.In his first House Armed Services Committee appearance since the Iran war began, Adm. Brad Cooper said the U.S. military has changed even in the past eight weeks, leaning on LUCAS drones as well as land-attack missiles and finding cheaper ways to fight off Iranian drones and other weapons. But when asked by Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., what additional support was needed, the four-star admiral had…

[May 20, 2026] – Smart Shooter, a designer, developer, and manufacturer of innovative fire control systems, announced today that it has signed an agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defense to supply SMASH Hopper lightweight remote-controlled weapon stations, including spare parts and related services. SMASH Hopper is a portable fire control system designed for remote operation and deployment on stationary and mobile platforms, including light vehicles, robots, and fixed posts. Its compact size and low weight make it well-suited for complex and diverse operational environments and missions, including built-up urban areas, border defense, and sensitive facility protection, addressing a range…

A TIGTA report found about 300 IRS employees claimed to work more than 12 hours in a day, and 14 employees reported working more than 20 hours in a day. Jory Heckman@jheckmanWFED May 19, 2026 6:24 pm 3 min read The IRS is seeing an uptick in overtime hours, after shedding more than a quarter of its workforce last year. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reports that regular work hours at the IRS decreased by 14% between 2024 and 2025. Last year, the IRS shed more than a quarter of its workforce largely through deferred resignation and early…