Medal of Honor recipient Bruce Crandall, whose heroism was chronicled in ‘We Were Soldiers Once,’ dies at 93
Ret. Col. Bruce Crandall, who led more than 900 combat missions during two tours in Vietnam and received the Medal of Honor for repeatedly flying his helicopter into intense enemy fire to evacuate dozens of wounded troops, died on May 31. He was 93. Crandall, while recognized for his heroism, will be best remembered for the “warmth of his wit, the depth of his humility and the fierce loyalty he ga...[Read More]
US Navy selects companies for at-sea MUSV prototype testing
May the best Unmanned Surface Vessel win. The U.S. Navy announced Friday that it selected seven companies to compete for the service’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel contract. At-sea testing of the vessels is slated to begin next month, with companies whose MUSVs successfully complete the trials set to receive $15 million and be eligible for “follow-on production,” according to the Navy. Testing i...[Read More]
Task Force Ashland’s Navy-Marine Corps team returns to San Diego after four months of operations in the Indo-Pacific
Marines and Sailors of Task Force (TF) Ashland returned to San Diego aboard Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), following four months of operations in the Indo-Pacific region, June 1, 2026.
US court blocks Pentagon from removing transgender troops, for now
A U.S. appeals court on Monday said President Donald Trump’s administration could, for now, bar transgender people from enlisting in the military, but blocked the expulsion of current service members while a lawsuit plays out. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in a 2-1 ruling said the 2025 policy was unlawfully motivated “by the bare desire to harm a politic...[Read More]
Trump invokes national security in push for White House ballroom ‘drone port’
President Donald Trump on Sunday assailed a federal judge’s injunction halting aboveground construction of the White House ballroom, emphasizing the enhanced security features that form a key part of the project. In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote that U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, should “stop playing games with America’s Security.” Trump added an omino...[Read More]
US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes
The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics, according to a newly posted federal notice, a move that comes amid the U.S.’s shrinking military footprint in the region. The solicitation, issued in late May on behalf of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Somalia, or JSOTF-SOM, calls for three cultural a...[Read More]
Beating the clock: FRCE rapid repair team keeps C-130 on schedule
What started as a routine inspection on a KC-130J Hercules at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) quickly turned into a coordinated, cross-functional team effort to repair and return the aircraft to the fleet on time.
US military continues self-defense strikes against Iran, intercepts missiles
The U.S. military targeted Iranian radar and command control sites this weekend in response to hostile acts from the country, according to U.S. Central Command. The U.S. launched self-defense strikes, including fighter jets that destroyed Iranian air defenses, a ground control station and two suicide drones attempting to thwart the safe passage of ships in surrounding sea passages. “The measured a...[Read More]
Not ‘just a gun’: New SOCOM rifle allows barrel swapping and cartridge changes
U.S. Special Operations Command will begin fielding the MK24 Medium Range Gas Gun Assault before the end of the fiscal year, furthering SOCOM’s shift away from legacy cartridges like the 7.62mm NATO round, according to a recent report. SOCOM spokesman Navy Cmdr. Joe Vermette told Task & Purpose the MRGG-A will completely replace the MK17 SCAR. He added that SOCOM is “pursuing a rapid fielding ...[Read More]
Philippine, U.S. forces conduct Maritime Cooperative Activity
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Coast Guard conducted a Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, May 26-30, 2026. This activity demonstrated a collective commitment to strengthening regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
US general holds rare meeting with Cuban military officials near Guantanamo Bay
The top U.S. general overseeing forces in Latin America held a rare meeting on Friday with senior Cuban military officials at the perimeter of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the U.S. military said on Friday, confirming a Reuters story. U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Francis Donovan, the head of U.S. Southern Command, briefly discussed operational security matters with the Cuban delegation, which...[Read More]
Trump-class battleships should not be built until weapons technology is ready, lawmakers say
Congressional Republicans and Democrats included a short provision in proposed defense legislation on Tuesday that provides more clarification on what is needed for the construction of Trump-class battleships. Lawmakers in the House Armed Services Committee announced their $1.15 trillion fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, stipulating that the new battleship built in the president...[Read More]