The U.S. Marine Corps held its first-ever Thunderstruck Communications Competition, a service-wide event designed to test the tactical, technical, and physical skills of Marine communicators under field conditions. Fifteen teams from across the fleet competed in the six-mile challenge at Camp Pendleton, which included high-frequency radio, satellite communications, and data networking tasks alongside weapons handling and navigation drills. Hosted by Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38, the event highlighted the vital role of resilient command and control in modern operations. A team from the 1st Marine Logistics Group headquarters regiment took top honors in the inaugural contest. Click here to read more.

U.S. and NATO special operations forces have launched Exercise Adamant Serpent in Norway, a two-week Arctic training operation involving about 400 elite troops from the U.S., Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The drills, based at Rygge Air Base, aim to strengthen rapid-response capabilities and joint readiness in the increasingly strategic High North, where melting sea ice has heightened interest in new trade routes and resources. The exercise coincides with NATO’s new Combined Air Operations Centre opening in Bodo and its annual nuclear readiness exercise, Steadfast Noon, underscoring the alliance’s focus on deterring aggression in the region. Click here to read more.

San Francisco’s Fleet Week is proceeding despite the federal government shutdown, thanks to international support from Canada and Colombia. While the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels were grounded, the Canadian air force’s Snowbirds will headline the air show, and Colombia’s three-masted tall ship, the ARC Gloria, will dock at the Port of San Francisco. Mayor Daniel Lurie emphasized the event’s tradition, begun by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 1981, as a tribute to military service members. The festival, drawing over a million visitors, features ship tours, live music, and exhibits on disaster preparedness. Colombian Consul General Sonia Marina Pereira Portilla highlighted the event as an opportunity to strengthen ties between nations. Click here to read more.

Canada is nearing a crucial decision on its future fighter fleet as it continues to review whether to proceed with its full order of 88 F-35A Lightning IIs or consider a mixed fleet that includes another aircraft type. Despite the review, officials insist the country’s F-35 program is moving “full steam ahead,” with 16 jets already under contract and the first deliveries expected next year. Rising costs, trade tensions with the U.S., and political pressure have complicated the decision, but defense experts and allies warn that deviating from the F-35 could hurt interoperability with NORAD and increase long-term expenses. With adversaries like Russia and China advancing their own fifth-generation fighters, maintaining the F-35 path appears increasingly necessary for Canada’s defense future. Click here to read more.

Two years after Hamas’s October 7th, 2023, attacks, Israelis gathered to remember the tragedy and honor the nation’s resilience, joined by more than 600 Christians from 50 nations showing solidarity and prayerful support. As hostage negotiations continue in Cairo, Israeli leaders reflected on the pain, strength, and faith that have carried the country forward, praising American and evangelical allies for standing with Israel through its darkest days. Retired General Amir Avivi called recent military victories “miraculous,” while Christian leaders urged believers worldwide to stand firm with the Jewish people and the land of Israel. Click here to read more.

Sikorsky has unveiled its Nomad family of scalable VTOL drones, marking a major leap in autonomous aviation technology. The new tail-sitting, twin-proprotor “rotor blown wing” designs range in size from small hybrid-electric models to aircraft comparable to the Black Hawk helicopter, all capable of vertical takeoff, long endurance, and autonomous operation. Designed for missions such as reconnaissance, light attack, and logistics, Nomad drones combine helicopter-like versatility with airplane-like speed and range. Featuring MATRIX autonomy technology and modular hybrid powertrains, the Nomads can be rapidly deployed from land or sea with minimal crews. Sikorsky says the system represents a new generation of runway-independent aircraft that will enhance U.S. military operations and could even evolve into passenger-capable variants in the future. Click here to read more.

As U.S. counter-narcotics operations escalate in the Caribbean—with Marine F-35Bs forward-deployed to Puerto Rico and other assets active—Venezuela is redeploying air defenses and warning it’s tracking U.S. jets, prompting a fresh look at its layered, highly mobile mix of Russian-supplied systems and aging kit: the Air Force fields ~21 Su-30MK2V fighters with R-77/R-27 and R-73 missiles (a few legacy F-16s remain, largely short-range only), while the Army operates long-range S-300VM/Antey-2500 batteries, Buk-M2 medium-range systems, modernized S-125 Pechora-2M, thousands of Igla-S MANPADS, RBS 70s, and ZU-23-2 guns; the Navy adds limited shipborne and shared Buk coverage. This mobility and diversity complicate U.S. planning, likely forcing reliance on stealth platforms (F-35), stand-off weapons, and robust SEAD/CSAR support if strikes expand inland against cartels or the Maduro regime. Despite sanctions eroding some capabilities, even older Venezuelan systems—if dispersed and used opportunistically—can threaten non-stealth aircraft, echoing lessons from other conflicts where rudimentary defenses scored hits. With Venezuelan S-125s seen moving toward the coast and Caracas signaling a potential state of emergency, the risk of confrontation—and the premium on U.S. stealth, electronic warfare, and ISR—appears to be rising. Click here to read more.

The U.S. Marine Corps officially retired its Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) after more than 50 years of service during a ceremony at Camp Pendleton on September 26, 2025. First introduced in 1972, the AAV served as the Corps’ primary ship-to-shore vehicle and was used in missions from Grenada in 1983 through Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in humanitarian operations. Marine leaders praised the AAV’s versatility and the generations of Marines who relied on it in combat, calling it central to the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. The vehicle, which replaced World War II-era landing craft, underwent multiple upgrades over the decades but is now being succeeded by the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). Built by BAE Systems, the ACV offers faster speeds, stronger armor, and modern blast protection, carrying 16 Marines and capable of traveling both on land and at sea. The Marine Corps plans to field more than 600 ACVs to fully replace the AAV. Click here to read more.

Romania has formally requested parliamentary approval for a massive $7 billion deal with the United States to purchase hundreds of M1A2 Abrams tanks, marking one of its largest defense acquisitions to date. The plan is part of Romania’s Army 2040 modernization program, which seeks to phase out Soviet-era equipment, boost digital command capabilities, and strengthen NATO integration by the next decade. The first stage of the plan builds on Romania’s 2023 order of 54 Abrams tanks, adding training, simulators, ammunition, and spare parts worth about $485 million. The centerpiece, however, is the proposed purchase of 216 more Abrams tanks and 76 support vehicles, plus facilities for logistics, training, and long-term maintenance, estimated at $7.6 billion. Romania, which shares a 400-mile border with war-torn Ukraine, has consistently met NATO’s defense spending benchmark for nine years and has become one of the alliance’s more outspoken critics of Russian aggression, especially as Russian drones repeatedly violate its airspace. If approved, the Abrams deal would solidify Romania’s role as a key NATO bulwark on the eastern flank. Click here to read more.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced sweeping reforms to strengthen the U.S. military, highlighting a return to tradition by renaming the Department of Defense back to the Department of War. Speaking before hundreds of military officials at Quantico, Hegseth emphasized that the goal is not to seek conflict but to secure peace by preparing America’s armed forces to be as strong and disciplined as possible. Among the changes, he introduced high, gender-neutral physical standards for combat roles to ensure that only the most capable troops serve in frontline positions, reinforcing merit and readiness over quotas. Hegseth celebrated America’s legacy of strength and service, vowing to eliminate distractions that weaken morale and to restore focus on mission effectiveness. His address, delivered alongside President Trump, was positioned as a bold step toward revitalizing military excellence and ensuring the United States is fully prepared to defend its peace and freedom. Click here to read more.