Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

In the months after Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, in May 2025, he kept a relatively low profile. He fulfilled prescheduled trips to Turkey and Lebanon and released just one pontifical document, on the church’s love for the poor, begun by Pope Francis. But in 2026, Leo has come into his own with biblical messaging against war. At a Mass on January 1, after the Trump administration had killed more than 100 people by attacking boats in international waters in the preceding four months, the pope challenged policies undermining “diplomacy, mediation, and international law.” In an annual address to…

The TWZ Newsletter Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is moving to demonstrate a new, fully integrated extended-range strike capability for the AC-130J Ghostrider gunship. The two core elements of this effort are an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar and the AGM-190A Small Cruise Missile (SCM), work on which has been underway separately for some time now. TWZ has long highlighted how giving the AC-130J an AESA radar would boost its ability to engage targets at longer ranges. This, in turn, could also help ensure the…

Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), announced today at SOF Week the official launch of its new FirstLook® 125 throwable personal reconnaissance robot. The FirstLook 125 unmanned ground system delivers real-time visual, thermal, and audio situational awareness across complex terrain, lowering force risk and enabling faster decision-making. Purpose-built for coordinated ground-air missions, FirstLook 125 shares a common controller and operational architecture with Teledyne FLIR Defense’s Black Hornet® 4 nano-drone. This enables a single user to deploy and manage both systems without changing tools or workflows. The commonality extends FirstLook beyond ground-only reconnaissance, allowing users to combine interior…

The UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi is official.The promotion announced on Monday that, once again, their heading back to the UAE for a summer Fight Night card. UFC Abu Dhabi is set for July 25 at Etihad Arena, and streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S.No fights were officially announced, but MMA Fighting already reported a lightweight clash between Ismael Bonfim and Axel Sola is set for the card.During the 2025 promotional Fight Night visit to Abu Dhabi, the main event saw former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker face Reinier de Ridder in a five-round contest. After a competitive 25 minutes,…

Navy officials told senators in Washington on Tuesday that reports about plumbing issues aboard the world’s largest aircraft carrier were embellished and not entirely true.Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said that challenges with the USS Gerald R. Ford’s toilets were the result of misuse by sailors and the natural wear and tear of a historically long deployment.“If that system is operated in accordance with procedure, then it does not clog,” Caudle said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing regarding the Navy’s fiscal 2027 budget request.Military Times reported in January that the Ford, which contains approximately 650 toilets,…

The Trump administration is planning to tell NATO allies this week that it will shrink the pool of military capabilities that the U.S. would have available to assist the alliance’s European nations in a major crisis, three sources familiar with the matter said. Under a framework known as the NATO Force Model, the alliance’s member countries identify a pool of available forces that could be activated during a conflict or any other major crisis, such as a military attack on a NATO member.While the precise composition of those wartime forces is a closely guarded secret, the Pentagon has decided to…

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre fears Conor McGregor won’t be ‘close to what he was’ in his UFC 329 comeback fight. After almost five full years away from the Octagon, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor will fight Max Holloway in a highly anticipated showdown at UFC 329 to cap off International Fight Week. McGregor hasn’t fought since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, and his most recent comeback attempt at UFC 303 was scratched due to a toe injury. Many questions loom over McGregor’s latest planned return to the Octagon, especially after five years since…

The World Procurement Congress 2026 in London is set to be the largest yet, with senior procurement executives joining us from all four corners of the world. It will be a perfect opportunity to reset, recharge and swap ideas with peers from across the ecosystem. With hundreds of CPOs in attendance, the InterContinental London O2 will be transformed into a procurement playground, with new connections taking place, challenges being shared and real value being created. It really is the best opportunity to absorb new ideas and challenge your beliefs. I’ll be facilitating several conversations throughout the week, but one session…

Getting older does not mean getting weaker. In fact, many athletes perform at a very high level well into their 30s, 40s, and beyond. However, training after 30 does require a smarter approach. Recovery slows slightly, muscle protein synthesis becomes less efficient, and joint stress accumulates over years of hard training. The good news is that compound exercises remain one of the most effective tools for maintaining strength, muscle mass, athletic performance, and long term health. Compound exercises train multiple muscle groups and joints at the same time. This creates a greater training stimulus while improving coordination, balance, and movement…

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.— Excellence is difficult to achieve but sustaining it under pressure requires more than talent. It requires trust, preparation, accountability and a culture built before the moment of performance arrives. That pursuit of excellence brought the2025 Super Bowl LX Champion Seattle Seahawks coaching staff to 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) on May 15, for a leadership exchange focused on building, maintaining and sustaining elite teams. The engagement included 1st SFG(A) senior leaders, Operational Detachment Alpha team members, and Tactical Human Optimization, Rapid Rehabilitation and Reconditioning (THOR3) staff with the goal to exchange best practices with Seahawks personnel…