Vietnam veteran’s gravestone somber reminder of war’s toll
“Unless he is caught up in murderous ecstasy,” Glenn Gray wrote in reflection of his time as a draftee in the U.S. Army during the Second World War, “destroying is easier when done from a little remove.” In the link between distance and ease of aggression, there’s a direct relationship between empathy, physical proximity of the victim and the resultant difficulty and trauma of the kill, according ...[Read More]
Australia, Philippine, U.S. forces conduct multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity
The combined forces of Australia, the Philippines and the United States conducted a multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, April 9-12, 2026. This activity demonstrated a collective commitment to strengthening regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
US blockade of Iran will be major military endeavor, experts say
A U.S. naval blockade of Iran is a major, open-ended military endeavor that could trigger fresh retaliation from Tehran and put tremendous strain on an already fragile ceasefire, experts say. President Donald Trump, in a social media post after no deal emerged from peace talks this weekend in Islamabad, said the U.S. Navy “will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or ...[Read More]
US Navy to blockade Strait of Hormuz ‘effective immediately,’ Trump says
President Donald Trump said on Sunday the U.S. Navy would immediately start blockading the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes after marathon talks with Iran failed to reach a deal to end the war, jeopardizing a fragile two-week ceasefire. Trump also said in a post on Truth Social that the U.S. would interdict every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran, and begin destroying...[Read More]
Iran War Diverts US Military and Attention from Asia Ahead of Trump’s Summit with China’s Leader
By the time Trump rolled out his national security strategy in late 2025, the U.S. strategy in Asia had been narrowed to military deterrence in the Taiwan Strait and the First Island Chain.
USS Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. (DDG 124) Commissions
The U.S. Navy welcomed a new Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer to the fleet Saturday morning during the commissioning ceremony of USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) at Naval Station Norfolk.
US military begins clearing Strait of Hormuz, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the United States military has started to clear the Strait of Hormuz, and that all of Iran’s minelaying ships have been sunk. “We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding that “all 28” of Iran’s “mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea.” Minute...[Read More]
Meet the Four Navy Sailors Who Welcomed Artemis II Astronauts Back to Earth
The Navy dive team lead called the experience “the honor of a lifetime.”
UK Puts Chagos Islands Handover Deal on Hold After Trump Withdraws Support
A military base on Diego Garcia, one of the islands, has supported U.S. military operations from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan and as a base for American bombers in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
The only Navy Seabee awarded the nation’s highest award for valor
Fought on the night of June 9-10, 1965, the Battle of Dong Xoai was, as was often the case in the Vietnam War, hard to pin down as to the winner. One thing is certain, however. It produced two Medals of Honor — and one had the unique distinction of being a Seabee. Marvin Glen Shields was born in Port Townsend, Washington, on Dec. 30, 1939. After high school his family moved in 1958 to Hyder, Alask...[Read More]
Pentagon, FAA sign agreement on deploying anti-drone laser system near Mexico
The Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon said on Friday they had signed an agreement allowing the government’s use of a high-energy laser counter-drone system along the southern U.S. border with Mexico. The agreement came after the FAA conducted testing in New Mexico on the laser system used by the Pentagon and Homeland Security Department and validated that proper safety controls are in p...[Read More]
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ finds a new voice
Published in January 1929, “All Quiet on the Western Front” sold a million copies in Germany in its first year and two million around the world. Just a little over a decade after World War I ended, Erich Maria Remarque’s readers found themselves behind the German front lines, empathizing with German soldiers who had once been mortal enemies to the Americans, British and the French. Like the outcro...[Read More]