Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

DOGE reported $1.76 billion in savings from terminating a Defense Health Agency information technology contract providing IT services to more than 700 military treatment facilities worldwide.The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the contract was never terminated; no work was removed, there was no reduction in its scope or value, and no funds were deobligated, according to a GAO review released on Aug. 6.GAO’s review found that after DHA officials discussed the contract with DOGE, DOGE agreed that no action should be taken to terminate it, yet the $1.76 billion savings claim remains on DOGE’s Wall of Receipts.DOGE’s April 14, 2025…

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Program Manager Ground Weapons Systems (PM GWS) within PAE Marine Corps began fielding the Squad Aiming Laser (SAL) to the School of Infantry-East at Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 27 and 28, equipping infantry, reconnaissance and special operations forces with a compact, high-precision tool for the modern battlefield. SAL is an ultra-compact, all-digital, multi-function laser system. It provides both visible and near-infrared (NIR) aiming pointers and illumination, allowing Marines to locate, identify, and engage targets in the most contentious environments and harshest conditions. Harry Mandeles, the project officer for the Optics Team at PM GWS, said the…

Though Sega intended for Panzer Dragoon Saga to compete with Final Fantasy 7, it feels like a game specifically engineered to dodge mainstream success. Released in 1998 for the Sega Saturn, Team Andromeda’s final game was a bold, ambitious experiment, ahead of its time and out of step with console RPG conventions. Developed before Square’s blockbuster set the template for big-budget RPGs, but released about a year after, Panzer Dragoon Saga is a fascinating alternative vision of what a role-playing game could be. Then and now, nothing else plays like Panzer Dragoon Saga’s unconventional hybrid of RPG and rail shooter…

Raytheon and CET demonstrated the Hadalus low-cost, long-endurance UUV in a U.S. Navy test, proving submerged launch and autonomous mission capabilities. Raytheon press release Raytheon, an RTX business, and Composite Energy Technologies (CET) have successfully demonstrated the undersea launch capabilities of Hadalus, a new, low-cost, long-endurance unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). During a recent U.S. Navy exercise, the UUV completed a series of at-sea missions on a Navy undersea test range, successfully demonstrating its undersea launch capabilities while submerged. This marks the first time the U.S. Navy has seen this integrated capability in the water and points toward a future where…

It has been a harsh downfall for UFC veteran and former Bellator champion Patchy Mix. Patchy Mix Misses Weight Ahead of his scheduled fight against Shoko Sato at RIZIN 54, Mix missed weight by a whopping 6.3 pounds, weighing in at 140.8 pounds for his scheduled bantamweight bout. In RIZIN, fighters must weigh 134.5 pounds or less for a bantamweight contest. The fight will proceed despite the significant weight miss. However, this essentially becomes a can’t-win situation for Patchy Mix. Should “No Love” earn a victory or the fight end in a draw, the result will be overturned to a…

Key PointsWest Point Cadet Alex Anteen spent three weeks working with DEVCOM Armaments Center engineers at Picatinny Arsenal on counter-drone targeting algorithms.The algorithms are in the simulation phase, testing engagement strategies against multi-axis drone swarm scenarios to reduce munitions depletion.A West Point cadet has spent three weeks helping Army engineers solve a math problem that could determine how many enemy drones an American air defense system can shoot down before it runs out of ammunition. Cadet Alex Anteen, a member of the U.S. Military Academy’s class of 2028, worked alongside scientists at the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center,…

Beijing’s thinking on Taiwan has shifted decisively from peaceful accommodation to absorptive control. As Taiwanese identity and democracy have become entrenched, Xi Jinping’s unification terms have hardened, demanding full political integration rather than offering genuine autonomy. Drawing on PRC academic and policy literature, this paper finds that Chinese scholars see a form of phased subjugation for the island: an immediate security crackdown neutralising political opponents; institutional restructuring beyond what has taken place in Hong Kong; and a decades-long psychological re-engineering project so Taiwanese come to identify with the CCP’s China. Millions of Taiwanese would be excluded from public life and…

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum, only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war. The perspectives gathered here are varied, candid, and often surprising, together forming a more complete picture of Ukraine as it really is.Frontline and StrategyЦензор.НЕТ…

Carlos Prates has shared his prediction for the upcoming welterweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry. The two will square off at UFC 330, which is set to take place at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this Saturday. Islam Makhachev will take on Ian Garry at UFC 330 [Images via UFC and @MAKHACHEVMMA on X] In a video shared by UFC on their social media, Prates predicted that the fight would go to the judges’ scorecards, adding that the challenger would emerge victorious. He said: UFC 330 – Ian Garry is gonna beat [Islam] Makhachev…

Raytheon announced that a new Missile Defense Agency contract supports the production and sustainment of Standard Missile-3 Block IIA (SM‑3 IIA) interceptors, building on Raytheon’s investments to expand capacity and accelerate delivery. Raytheon press release Raytheon, has received a $745 million contract from the Missile Defense Agency for the production and sustainment of Standard Missile-3 Block IIA (SM‑3 IIA) interceptors. “SM-3 Block IIA is a cornerstone of regional defense, giving the U.S. and allied partners greater reach, accuracy and confidence against evolving threats,” said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon. “We’ve made sustained investments in our production lines…