The U.S. Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane is returning to orbit on August 21 for its eighth mission, launching from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. While much of the mission remains classified, officials confirmed it will test advanced laser communications and a “quantum inertial sensor” to enhance secure data transmission and GPS-free navigation — key for operations in contested environments. This marks a rapid turnaround from its last mission, which ended in March after 434 days in orbit. The X-37B continues to play a critical role in orbital experimentation and military space strategy. Click here to read more.

In a major step toward deeper naval integration, the U.S. Marine Corps used MV-22 Ospreys in an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) mission during the Atlantic Alliance 2025 exercise—dropping sonar-equipped sonobuoys to help detect enemy subs. Though not part of the Osprey’s usual mission set, Marine aviators and crew chiefs adapted quickly, reflecting a broader strategic pivot since 2020 to counter rising Russian and Chinese undersea threats. While ASW remains a secondary role for Marine aviation, officials say its value lies in expanding reach and awareness when traditional assets are stretched. Click here to read more.

In an 80-minute War Zone exclusive, Lt. Col. “I,” the Israeli Air Force’s first Druze F-16I “Sufa” navigator, details the jet’s long-range punch, intelligence tools and two-crew tactics, recounting sorties from Lebanon in 2006 to precision strikes during 2025’s Operation Rising Lion against Iran—where, he says, not a single SAM was fired at Israeli aircraft. The veteran describes how F-35s gathered stealthy intel for F-16Is and F-15s, why conformal-tanked Sufas haul heavier loads than Adirs, and his reliance on JDAMs, Rampage and other standoff weapons to hit Gaza targets while trying to spare civilians. He defends Israel’s conduct as uniquely restrained, praises ground–air integration, lauds maintenance crews keeping decades-old jets flying an intense tempo, and calls the Iran raids a textbook case of training and tech yielding “unbelievable” success. Looking ahead, he wants bunker-buster heft akin to America’s MOP and sees more F-35s and new F-15EX-style Eagles—not additional F-16s—as Israel’s future edge. Click here to read more.

A Pentagon-commissioned RAND report warns that Russia and China now outpace the U.S. in influence operations and urges the Defense Department to “rapidly adopt” generative-AI tools—such as the voice-cloning Ghost Machine—to let smaller psychological-operations teams create tailored audio, video, and graphic content at the speed of online narratives, swiftly expose disinformation (e.g., inflated civilian-casualty claims), and counter adversary messaging worldwide; while bulk AI output can “balance the battlefield,” the study cautions against copying Moscow and Beijing’s high-volume, low-credibility flood tactics, urging a precision-targeted “sweet spot” instead to retain trust and effectiveness. Click here to read more.

The Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer USS Sampson, deployed to bolster U.S. Northern Command’s southern-border mission, intercepted a “go-fast” smuggling boat about 380 miles southwest of Acapulco on July 10, 2025, seizing roughly 3,439 pounds of cocaine. Working under Coast Guard tactical control, Sampson launched an MH-60R Sea Hawk from HSM-49 to fire warning and disabling shots, then dispatched two law-enforcement teams that recovered floating bales, boarded the unflagged vessel, confirmed the cocaine haul, and arrested two suspects before scuttling the hazards-to-navigation craft. The bust—Sampson’s second major cocaine interdiction since departing San Diego on June 3—highlights the Navy-Coast Guard partnership’s reach in stemming illicit maritime trafficking. Click here to read more.

The U.S. Air Force is currently executing Resolute Force Pacific, its largest contingency response exercise in the Indo-Pacific, involving over 400 aircraft and 12,000 personnel across more than 50 locations and 3,000 miles. Running from July 10 to August 8, the exercise tests the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) strategy, which emphasizes dispersing forces to smaller, more flexible bases to reduce vulnerability to missile threats. The training includes joint and multinational operations, with aircraft like the F-22, F-35, and F-15EX operating from bases in Japan, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The exercise highlights improved interoperability and readiness across the region, although officials stress it is not in response to any specific global events. Click here to read more.