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FORT MAGSAYAY, Philippines — As an American reconnaissance drone hummed overhead, soldiers of the U.S. and Philippine armies stormed forward through the jungle terrain, laying down suppressive fire on enemy positions.Finishing off the foe’s stubborn resistance, a Kestrel first-person-view (FPV) drone carrying an explosive payload slammed into the enemy bunker. Afterwards, sweating profusely in the 97ºF heat, the Americans and Filipinos secured the area.This jungle patrol in the thickly vegetated training area of Fort Magsaysay, located 75 miles north of Manila, was just one of many events taking place across the Philippines in Exercise Balikatan 2026.More than 17,000 troops from…

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has thrown his support behind proposed legislation that would give combat-wounded service members who are medically retired from the U.S. military their full retirement pay and Veterans Affairs disability compensation.During a hearing Thursday on the Defense Department’s $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 budget request, Hegseth said he supports the Maj. Richard Star Act — a bill that would give roughly 54,000 veterans their retirement pay and VA disability concurrently.“As I have said in the past to other organizations, we support the Richard Star Act,” Hegseth said during questioning by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.Blumenthal is a lead sponsor…

The proposal would expand the channels through which tenants can safely report their housing issues. Michele Sandiford May 1, 2026 11:28 am < a min read   The Pentagon is seeking to expand protections for military families living in privatized housing who report unsafe or inadequate living conditions. In a legislative proposal sent to Congress earlier this month, the Defense Department called for allowing tenants to report housing issues not just to landlords or their chain of command, but also to Defense Department housing officials, inspectors general and members of Congress. Currently, tenants are not protected from retaliation by the…

The United States has “a tight time window to adapt” to the “civilizational” challenge of adapting to AI, the former head of the Defense Department’s Office of Net Assessment, often referred to as the “Pentagon’s Think Tank,” told Defense One. He’s joining AI company Anthropic as a “strategist-in-residence” to lead analysis of how AI is affecting U.S. institutions and competition with China, the company announced Friday.James Baker led ONA from 2015 to 2025, when it was temporarily closed by the Trump administration. As the director he advised defense secretaries and national security advisors on the long-term effects of emerging technology…

By Sub-Lieutenant Keigan Gunther 1 May 2026 HMAS Warramunga and KD Lekir have wrapped the Malaysia-Australia Training Exercise (MASTEX) off Australia’s west coast, marking another iteration of the long-running bilateral activity. MASTEX is a biennial exercise that brings together the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy to strengthen operational integration and cooperation. Australia and Malaysia share a deep and enduring defence relationship built on decades of cooperation, mutual respect and aligned regional interests. This partnership is underpinned by the Malaysia-Australia Joint Defence Program (MAJDP), established in 1992, which continues to support people-to-people ties, training, exercise integration and operational…

Over the last three weeks, talks between Iran and the United States have stalled. The two countries have managed to preserve their shaky cease-fire. But despite days of both indirect and direct negotiations, including a dramatic, 21-hour high-level summit in Islamabad, a lasting deal remains far away.Part of this failure has to do with Washington’s misplaced expectations. U.S. President Donald Trump believes that the United States holds all the cards and can force Tehran into buckling, regardless of months of evidence to the contrary. But part of the problem is mutual mistrust. The roots of this mistrust date back to…

Patricky Pitbull will make his Karate Combat debut Saturday in Miami against lightweight champion Shahzaib Rind, and their final pre-fight staredown nearly ended in a brawl in the streets of Miami.Pitbull and Rind got too close and the Brazilian held him even closer with a body lock. Rind tried to push his face away, and threw a head kick as they separated. The kick missed, but Patricky’s brother, UFC featherweight Patricio Pitbull, stepped in and traded punches with Rind. Another member of Pitbull’s crew apparently got in as well, but staff managed to separate them all.Watch the near-brawl below.Patricky Pitbull…

Takeru Segawa is a ONE World Champion. He is also retired. On April 29 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, he did both in the same night. Takeru stopped Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the fifth round to claim the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Title in the main event of ONE SAMURAI 1, closing his professional career at 46-5 and collecting a 15 million yen performance bonus in the process. Takeru dropped Rodtang twice in the second round with left hooks, survived a fourth-round exchange that tested everything he had left, and finished the job with a right hand, a left…

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is ramping up its AI capabilities to hunt for Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes, a recently awarded contract shows.President Donald Trump has said the U.S. Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the strait, a vital sea route for oil shipments, whose disruption is increasingly threatening the global economy. Sweeping for underwater explosives could take months despite a tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran in their weeks-long war.The up to $100 million contract for the San Francisco artificial intelligence company Domino Data Lab could quicken…

Benoit Saint Denis and Paddy Pimblett appear to be headed for an International Fight Week showdown.According to multiple reports, Saint Denis (17-3, 1 NC) is set to face Pimblett (23-4) in a lightweight bout that take places July 11 at UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The matchup was first reported by Eurosport.France’s Saint Denis – No. 7 at 155 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings – is on a hot streak after a two-fight slump in 2024 that threatened to bump him from the contender line. “God of War” bounced back in a big way in…