The Pentagon has unveiled the USX-1 Defiant, a first-of-its-kind autonomous warship built under DARPA’s No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program, designed to operate at sea for up to a year without human presence or maintenance. Christened earlier this month in Puget Sound, the 180-foot, 240-metric ton vessel has no bridge, corridors, or crew facilities, reflecting a radical departure in naval architecture. Developed with a $25 million budget, the Defiant is part of a broader U.S. Navy push to counter China’s expanding fleet in the Indo-Pacific by deploying unmanned ships that can take on dangerous missions without risking lives. While unarmed for now, concept designs include missile systems controlled remotely by humans, echoing earlier experiments with the unmanned vessel Ranger. Congress has already approved more than $2 billion in funding for uncrewed ship programs, underscoring their importance in future naval warfare. If successful in sea trials, the Defiant could be rapidly produced at smaller shipyards and eventually join the Navy’s Unmanned Maritime Systems fleet. Click here to read more.

At Camp Grayling in northern Michigan, more than 7,500 U.S. troops and international partners—including over 500 Taiwanese soldiers—took part in Northern Strike 2025, the Pentagon’s largest reserve component exercise, which for the first time simulated an Indo-Pacific conflict scenario amid rising tensions with China. Spanning land, air, and maritime domains across Michigan’s vast training grounds, the drills included supply drops in Lake Huron, special operations island resupply missions, live-fire air-to-ground strikes, B-2 Spirit stealth bomber landings outside their home base, and rapid runway repair using new fiber-reinforced plastic matting designed for dispersed island warfare. The exercise, which also featured Marines, National Guard units, and allies from nine nations, is now permanently oriented toward preparing for large-scale combat in Asia, reflecting Washington’s strategic pivot. Planners said the training not only strengthens combat readiness but also signals deterrence by demonstrating the U.S. military’s ability to operate jointly and flexibly against powerful adversaries like China. Click here to read more.

A US Air Force B-2 Spirit—escorted by four F-35s—performed a flyover as Russian President Vladimir Putin met President Donald Trump on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, for a summit focused on the four-year war in Ukraine; flight data showed two B-2s staged from Whiteman AFB, whose fleet famously executed June’s “Operation Midnight Hammer,” dropping 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Iranian nuclear sites before returning to Missouri, while the Alaska event unfolded amid Northern Edge 2025 exercises and a long history of U.S.–Russian aerial gamesmanship in the region, with F-22s flanking the red carpet on the ground as talks began. Click here to read more.

Eight Indiana National Guard soldiers were at the center of Kosovo’s worst clash involving U.S. troops since 2004 when a May 29, 2023, protest in Zvecan escalated into a violent riot. Leading Italian, Hungarian, and Polish peacekeepers under NATO’s Kosovo Force, they advanced to rescue two police vehicles trapped by an aggressive Serb crowd, which responded with bottles, bricks, and 56 grenades—both flashbang and fragmentation—injuring over 90 troops. Lt. Col. Jared Sheets led the shield wall to the trapped officers while Maj. Brendan Williams coordinated triage and mass evacuation, aided by medics, non-medical personnel, and UH-60 helicopters from the Alabama National Guard. Army investigators later found the grenades had been modified for greater impact. Seven of the eight Guardsmen sustained minor injuries but continued leading throughout the fight, earning Combat Action Badges alongside combat patches for all 300 soldiers in their brigade. The officers warned that the incident showed how quickly peacekeeping missions can turn deadly and the danger of complacency in volatile regions. Click here to read more.

Paratroopers tested the Overland AI ULTRA Fully Autonomous Tactical Vehicle during the multinational Agile Spirit 25 exercise in Georgia on July 29, aiming to enhance battlefield safety by keeping soldiers out of harm’s way. The ULTRA, an all-wheel, off-road vehicle capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds at speeds of 35 mph, ran mortar resupply missions for 60mm and 120mm units. Controlled via satellite or internet connectivity — or pre-programmed for autonomous routes — the system is designed to be affordable and expendable, costing far less than crewed combat vehicles. Overland AI sees future roles for ULTRA in breaching obstacles, reconnaissance, and medical evacuation. Army leaders say exercises like Agile Spirit help test and refine such capabilities, with soldiers reporting strong interest in wider adoption. Click here to read more.

The Coast Guard has commissioned the USCGC Storis, its first new icebreaker in more than 25 years, converting a former Royal Dutch Shell oil drilling support vessel to bolster U.S. Arctic capabilities ahead of new ship deliveries in 2030. The $125 million upgrade gives the Storis navigation, communications, and defensive enhancements, joining the Polar Star and Healy as the nation’s only icebreakers amid rising competition with Russia and China in the resource-rich Arctic. While Congress has approved $25 billion for 40 new cutters, including icebreakers, and $300 million for new port facilities, all three vessels will remain homeported in Seattle until at least next year. Click here to read more.