News
US launches ‘self-defense’ strikes against Iran amid ongoing ceasefire
The U.S. military on Monday conducted “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, U.S. Central Command said, to prevent Iranian hostilities toward U.S. troops. The strikes targeted missile launch sites and Iranian boats that were in the process of laying mines, according to Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson. “U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using re...[Read More]
US lawmakers release $839B compromise defense spending bill
The House and Senate’s conferenced version of a fiscal 2026 defense budget would restore funding for the Navy’s next-generation F/A-XX fighter and up the Pentagon’s spending request on the Air Force’s F-47. In materials released Monday, the House Appropriations Committee said the compromise $839 billion spending bill would provide $3.9 billion for the military’s sixth-generation aircraft. That wou...[Read More]
US Marine Corps advances plans for drone wingman
The Marine Corps has big plans in 2026 to advance toward fielding a drone wingman to collaborate with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. On Tuesday, the Corps released its 2026 Aviation Plan, outlining its strategy to maintain and develop its aviation fleets. A top priority: testing and developing Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) TACAIR, an unmanned “collaborative combat aircr...[Read More]
US Marine Corps anti-ship weaponry to see exercise action on remote Japan island near Taiwan
MANILA, Philippines — The U.S. Marine Corps will deploy its ground-based anti-ship and air-defense systems to Japan’s southwesternmost island for exercise Keen Sword, placing new U.S.-Japan capabilities on an island sitting just 110 kilometers from Taiwan. Keen Sword, the largest U.S.-Japan biennial joint drill, will feature two key systems of the Marine Corps’ littoral force: the anti-ship NMESIS...[Read More]
US Marine Corps stands up 3 new combat logistics companies in Japan
The U.S. Marine Corps activated three new companies last month as part of the service’s Force Design 2030 recalibration toward agile logistics across the contested island chains of the Indo-Pacific. Combat Logistics Battalion 4 officially stood up its Headquarters, Alpha and General Service companies during a Nov. 14 ceremony aboard Camp Schwab, Japan, the Marine Corps announced. A fourth combat l...[Read More]
US Marine Corps welcomes delivery of final MV-22B Osprey
A staple of the skies during the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Marine Corps’ MV-22B Osprey began its final chapter in service on Tuesday with the delivery of the last model. With the acceptance of the 359th — and final — tiltrotor aircraft, the Marine Corps marked the end of the MV-22B Osprey program of record, a milestone that will now shift efforts towards “sustaining and modernizing th...[Read More]
US Marine Corps, Navy join forces to combat insufficient amphibious fleet size
The U.S. Marine Corps and Navy are collaborating to boost the nation’s current inadequate amphibious fleet size, according to the top-ranked U.S. Marine Corps officer. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said at the 2026 Sea-Air-Space Conference during a Tuesday keynote that the two services are working together with a “unified sense of purpose” to increase the size and availability of the U.S...[Read More]
US Marine Stand-In Forces in the Pacific worry China, report details
Plans by the U.S. Marine Corps in recent years to reorganize itself for small-unit expeditionary warfare have drawn fire from traditionalists who worry the service’s capabilities will be gutted in the process. For some Chinese naval officers, however, the prospect of facing missile-equipped Marine Stand-In Forces, or SIF, on Pacific islands is concerning. “The USMC’s continuous refinement of the S...[Read More]
US Marines board and redirect Iranian-flagged tanker amid ongoing blockade
U.S. Marines intercepted and redirected an Iranian-flagged commercial oil tanker they suspected of evading the U.S. Navy blockade on Wednesday. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded the M/T Celestial Sea as it traveled in the Gulf of Oman, potentially toward an Iranian port. They searched the ship and forced it to alter its course in adherence with the blockade, according to U.S....[Read More]
US Marines flew on New England Patriots’ private jet to Norway
Just days before the New England Patriots secured a spot in the 2026 Super Bowl and moved within reach of a record seventh championship title, U.S. Marines were passengers aboard the team’s private jet en route to Norway. The Marines deployed to Bardufoss on a combination of military and commercially chartered aircraft – including a Patriots-branded Boeing 767 – to begin preparations for a Norwegi...[Read More]
US Marines flew on New England Patriots’ private jet to Norway
Just days before the New England Patriots secured a spot in the 2026 Super Bowl and moved within reach of a record seventh championship title, U.S. Marines were passengers aboard the team’s private jet en route to Norway. The Marines deployed to Bardufoss on a combination of military and commercially chartered aircraft – including a Patriots-branded Boeing 767 – to begin preparations for a Norwegi...[Read More]
US Marines help gun down beach invaders in simulated Philippines defense
PALAWAN, Philippines — The peace of the idyllic cove, where palm trees fringed a golden beach, was suddenly shattered by the launch of rockets from an American HIMARS. The battle was soon joined by a cacophony of blasts and booms from bombs delivered by fighter jets, 105mm towed howitzers, 81mm mortars, and Javelin and TOW missiles. The tropical location was the west coast of Palawan, an elongated...[Read More]