President Donald Trump’s decision to redeploy the U.S. Navy’s flagship carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to South America for a drug‑interdiction mission has left the Mediterranean and Middle‑East seas without a carrier presence, creating a strategic gap as a fragile Israel‑Hamas cease‑fire hangs in the balance and tensions with Iran and the Red Sea’s Houthi rebels remain high; the move coincides with the decommissioning of the USS Nimitz, the USS Theodore Roosevelt’s shore‑based training, and a limited fleet of only three carriers worldwide, prompting concerns from analysts about pressure on the lone carrier group, potential instability in Venezuela, and the broader implications of concentrating U.S. naval power in the Western Hemisphere. Click here to read more.

 

President Donald Trump announced plans to issue an executive order mandating that future U.S. Navy aircraft carriers revert to steam‑powered catapults and hydraulic elevators, rejecting the electromagnetic launch system (EMALS) and advanced weapons elevators used on the USS Gerald R. Ford and its sister ships; he argued steam technology is simpler, more reliable and fixable with basic tools, while critics note that retrofitting the Ford‑class design would be costly, delay carrier deliveries and complicate integration with other modern systems, even as the Navy continues to grapple with EMALS reliability and seeks ways to accelerate the rollout of newer carriers; the proposal comes amid broader discussions about the Navy’s “Golden Fleet” concept and future ship architecture. Click here to read more.

 

The U.S. military’s fragmented cyber structure—where each service runs its own networks, training and terminology while Cyber Command’s 6,000‑person Cyber Mission Force struggles to integrate disparate teams—has spurred calls for a dedicated seventh branch, a “Cyber Force,” that would centralize recruitment, training, equipment and operational doctrine to match the unified approach of Special Operations Command; proponents argue a lean 10,000‑member service could curb talent loss, streamline offensive and defensive capabilities, and offset the strategic costs of cyber defeats, while critics caution about bureaucratic hurdles, potential duplication and the need for a more incremental reform of Cyber Command’s training oversight. Click here to read more.

 

General Atomics unveiled a conceptual rendering of its MQ‑20 Avenger drone equipped with a high‑energy laser mounted in a rotating nose turret—a design showcased at the AUSA expo that illustrates the company’s ongoing research into integrating directed‑energy weapons with unmanned combat aircraft, including its modular Gambit family; while the visual is a pure concept, General Atomics says it reflects real work on laser systems and UCAVs, pointing to past efforts such as HELLADS‑style laser tests, pod‑mounted laser concepts for MQ‑9 platforms, and collaborations with the Air Force’s CCA program, all underscoring a broader push to field aerial laser weapons despite technical challenges like power, cooling and environmental limits. Click here to read more.

 

Lockheed Martin announced that it aims to demonstrate a functional space‑based missile interceptor in orbit by 2028 as part of the Pentagon’s “Golden Dome” missile‑defense vision, which seeks to engage threats—especially boost‑phase ballistic and hypersonic missiles—far from U.S. territory; the company is shifting its R&D model to fund corporate‑level projects like this, building full‑scale prototypes rather than lab‑only concepts, while acknowledging the steep technical challenges of sensor integration, AI‑driven targeting, launch costs and the broader debate over space weaponization and the program’s projected hundred‑billion‑dollar price tag. Click here to read more.

 

Venezuela’s Russian‑supplied Kh‑31 (AS‑17 Krypton) high‑speed anti‑ship missile, launched from its aging Su‑30MK2V fighters, poses a genuine threat to U.S. warships operating near its coast, with a Mach 3.5 ramjet‑propelled flight, 18‑mile active‑radar lock‑on, 31‑mile range and a hardened warhead capable of piercing a ship’s hull; while the U.S. Navy has trained against the missile (using captured MA‑31 targets) and equips its surface combatants with layered air‑defense systems, the missile’s supersonic speed and low‑altitude maneuverability leave little reaction time, especially when vessels operate close to the Venezuelan shoreline, making the Kh‑31A a serious concern that the Pentagon monitors alongside broader regional deployments of amphibious groups and destroyers. Click here to read more.

 

Microsoft’s latest digital‑threats report reveals that Russia, China, Iran and North Korea have dramatically ramped up AI‑driven cyber campaigns against the United States—identifying over 200 AI‑generated malicious incidents this summer alone, more than twice last year’s count and ten times the 2023 level. Adversaries are leveraging generative AI to craft convincing phishing messages, deep‑fake officials, and automated attacks on critical infrastructure such as hospitals and transport systems, while criminal groups partner with nation‑states to steal data and demand ransoms. With many U.S. organizations still relying on outdated defenses, Microsoft warns that robust cybersecurity fundamentals are now essential to counter this accelerating AI‑enabled threat landscape. Click here to read more.

 

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.