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Issued load is only part of the problem. The real burden shows up in the field. After rain, river crossings, or sustained humidity, standard loadcarriage systems absorb and retain water. According to research published in Sage Journals, Soldiers are routinely “exposed to full clothing saturation” in operational environments. That moisture doesn’t just disappear, it adds weight, increases fatigue, and degrades performance. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jessica Scott, www.dvidshub.net/image/6652157/jungle-operations-training-course-train-up-25th-infantry-division-lightning-academy The load our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen carry already places significant strain on the body. When that load becomes saturated, the impact compounds. Studies referenced in PubMed Central indicate excess…

The term “affordable mass” entered public defense discourse in 2021 as a munitions concept, which the Air Force adopted in 2023 to describe its effort to field large numbers of lower-cost, semi-autonomous aircraft to complement crewed fighters. The term has since spread in defense reporting, think-tank commentary, service initiatives, and even on War on the Rocks.The Air Force, Army, and Navy are all pursuing low-cost, high-volume buying efforts to augment the force of the “few and exquisite” with the “affordable and plentiful,” and the Pentagon is requesting $54 billion to dramatically expand autonomous drone warfare efforts. The Air Force calls…

Turkey has tried its best to stay out of the Iran war, studiously maintaining its neutrality. In this effort, it can point to precedent from its own history. Generations of Turkish policymakers cite the high-stakes balancing act Ankara performed during World War II as one of the golden chapters of Turkish diplomacy. At the time, Turkey’s leaders were acutely aware of the young republic’s geopolitical isolation and military vulnerability—and determined not to repeat the error of their Ottoman predecessors, who picked the wrong side in the previous world war, bringing about the collapse of the empire. As war raged at…

Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry have been doing plenty of talking outside of the cage, but we still don’t know if they’re going to meet inside of it anytime soon.The latest exchange between the UFC welterweight champion and his would-be challenger took place on social media, with Garry putting up a post on Instagram in which he questioned why Makhachev is yet to book a title defense, and Makhachev responding via Twitter that he is “ready at any time.”See the fighters’ comments below.“First you say you have a hand injury,” Garry wrote. “Dana [White] said August, you’re saying July…

Rheinmetall has received another Billion-euro-contract from the Bundeswehr in the field of soldier-systems. The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has placed a call-off order with Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH for additional ‘Infantry Soldier of the Future – Enhanced System’ (IdZ-ES) soldier-systems under a framework agreement. The contract covers the modernisation of existing systems and the delivery of additional 237 platoon systems. It is worth €1.04bn gross. The systems have are to be delivered between November 2027 and December 2029. Additional 8,600 soldiers will receive the IdZ-ES system. In total, the Bundeswehr will then be equipped…

Aljamain Sterling believes he’d bring a different set of issues for Alexander Volkanovski as opposed to the Islam Makhachev fights. Volkanovski had two clashes with the now reigning UFC Welterweight Champion. In their first encounter, “The Great” had a competitive grappling affair but fell short via unanimous decision. Volkanovski was slept by a head kick in their rematch. Fresh off his UFC Vegas 116 win over Youseff Zalal, Sterling explained to UFC News how he’d pose a new threat that Volkanovski didn’t see in his bouts with Makhachev (via Bloody Elbow). “When he fought Islam, Islam had his back,” Sterling…

A pair of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles mounted on an MQ-9 Reaper drone. Credit: Michael Fitzsimmons/Shutterstock.com. The US Department of State has authorised a potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Netherlands involving Hellfire missiles and associated equipment, with an estimated value of $200 million. The Netherlands seeks to acquire up to 530 AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles.  Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more In addition, the proposed deal also includes non-major defence equipment items such as technical assistance from the US Army Aviation and Missile Command Security Assistance Management Directorate, support from the Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions Project Office,…

By RFE/RL April 27, 2026 The suspect in the shooting at a Washington gala where President Donald Trump was due to speak on April 25 is scheduled to make a court appearance on April 27, US officials said, as law-enforcement authorities seek to determine a motive for the attack by the heavily armed man. The man, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of California, had sent a manifesto to his family before the shooting, calling himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin,” Reuters quoted a law-enforcement official as saying. Late on April 25, a gunman charged through security at the White House…

Dustin Poirier likes what he sees in Josh Hokit.This past Saturday’s UFC 327 event featured a star-studded lineup and results to match, with Carlos Ulberg scoring one of the most dramatic knockouts of the year against Jiri Prochazka to claim a vacant light heavyweight title, Paulo Costa upsetting the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov, and the legendary Cub Swanson having his hand raised in his final fight.But the most talked-about fighter at the end of the evening might have been Josh Hokit. In just his third UFC fight, Hokit out-brawled perennial heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes en route to a thrilling decision win,…

Terry Gerton We’ve got a couple of things to talk about. The first is a new request from OPM for medical claims data. They’re looking for detailed medical and pharmacy claims data from FEHB and postal service health insurers. What is this all about? John Hatton This was a recent notice came in December. They were requesting comments. It got a little bit more attention in the last couple of months. And this is something OPM has requested before, as far back as 2010 under the Obama administration. It had some pushback from the insurers, the plant carriers at the…