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USS George Washington Move a ‘National Security’ Risk for US: Retired-Admiral

Published

Aug 18, 2026 at 01:46 PM EDT

By Ellie Cook

Senior Defense Reporter

Moving the USS George Washington from the Pacific to the Middle East will pose a "national security risk" to the United States, a former commander on the aircraft carrier has said, as the final carrier deployed in Asia becomes the latest U.S. Navy ship to be sucked into the war with Iran.

The George Washington is expected to relieve the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln has found itself the focus of Democratic calls for investigations into reports of dwindling supplies and poor mental health among the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines who have not set foot on land since December, which has put fresh attention on living conditions aboard U.S. Navy ships.

They also raised concerns that the U.S. Navy, while powerful, is overly stretched by the months of war in the Middle East and not prepared enough for a potential future confrontation with China.

Redeploying the Washington to the Gulf will leave the U.S. "with limited naval presence" for over a year and a half, because the carrier will return for a maintenance stint once it's finished in the Middle East, said retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, a former commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 aboard the Washington who also headed operations for the U.S. Pacific Command.

"This is a national security risk as it sends a weak deterrence message to China and does not assure Americas allies and partners in the Pacific," Montgomery, who is now with the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told Newsweek.

The White House referred queries to the Pentagon, which doesn't comment on topics it says would compromise operational security. The U.S. Navy referred questions to the U.S. Pacific Command, which Newsweek has contacted for comment via email.

President Donald Trump and his administration have signaled to U.S. allies that their defense spending must surge so the U.S.'s forces can be freed up to meet the threat posed by China's burgeoning, sophisticated military.

The White House, while insisting it's focusing on the Indo-Pacific, has piled pressure on Japan, Taiwan and South Korea to invest in their militaries and has often rattled officials in their capital cities.

Trump abruptly scaled back planned U.S. military drills with South Korea on Sunday, just hours before wargames largely focused on how to tackle North Korea kicked off. The president said the exercises, which Pyongyang condemned, were "totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea while also blaming the eleventh-hour change on Seoul's unwillingness to join the U.S.'s war against Iran.

In May, Trump worried Taiwanese lawmakers by appearing to use weapons sales to Taipei, which are vital for Taiwan's armed forces, as a bargaining chip with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Beijing considers Taiwan, a self-governing island since 1949, to be a breakaway part of China and has pledged to bring the territory back under its control, including by using military force. The U.S. has long supported Taiwan with aid and weapons, but doesn't officially recognize Taipei because it adheres to the "One China" principle.

U.S. officials have said Xi wants China's armed forces to be able to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, even if war plans are not put into motion around that date.

China already has a formidable military force, including a nuclear arsenal, while the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) now has more ships than the U.S. Navy. Chinese ships and planes are outfitted with advanced, long-range missiles, and its nuclear program is under few restrictions.

Beijing "is quite happy with U.S. distraction, with the frustration of U.S. allies and partners," Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank, told the Associated Press.

The Washington's Journey

By Thursday, the Washington was moving through the Singapore Strait, according to the U.S. Navy.

An unnamed official speaking to the Associated Press said the ship was transiting the Strait of Malacca, just north of the Singapore Strait, late Thursday evening.

The Strait of Malacca joins the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. When the Lincoln was redirected toward the Middle East, it also passed through the Strait of Malacca toward the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. said the Washington was in Guam in mid-June and was tracked operating in the Philippine Sea by early July. The carrier arrived in Da Nang, central Vietnam, for another scheduled port call on July 30 and left just under a week later.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Sam Wilson.

USS George Washington Move a ‘National Security’ Risk for US: Retired-Admiral

Published

Aug 18, 2026 at 01:46 PM EDT

By Ellie Cook

Senior Defense Reporter

Moving the USS George Washington from the Pacific to the Middle East will pose a "national security risk" to the United States, a former commander on the aircraft carrier has said, as the final carrier deployed in Asia becomes the latest U.S. Navy ship to be sucked into the war with Iran.

The George Washington is expected to relieve the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln has found itself the focus of Democratic calls for investigations into reports of dwindling supplies and poor mental health among the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines who have not set foot on land since December, which has put fresh attention on living conditions aboard U.S. Navy ships.

They also raised concerns that the U.S. Navy, while powerful, is overly stretched by the months of war in the Middle East and not prepared enough for a potential future confrontation with China.

Redeploying the Washington to the Gulf will leave the U.S. "with limited naval presence" for over a year and a half, because the carrier will return for a maintenance stint once it's finished in the Middle East, said retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, a former commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 aboard the Washington who also headed operations for the U.S. Pacific Command.

"This is a national security risk as it sends a weak deterrence message to China and does not assure Americas allies and partners in the Pacific," Montgomery, who is now with the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told Newsweek.

The White House referred queries to the Pentagon, which doesn't comment on topics it says would compromise operational security. The U.S. Navy referred questions to the U.S. Pacific Command, which Newsweek has contacted for comment via email.

President Donald Trump and his administration have signaled to U.S. allies that their defense spending must surge so the U.S.'s forces can be freed up to meet the threat posed by China's burgeoning, sophisticated military.

The White House, while insisting it's focusing on the Indo-Pacific, has piled pressure on Japan, Taiwan and South Korea to invest in their militaries and has often rattled officials in their capital cities.

Trump abruptly scaled back planned U.S. military drills with South Korea on Sunday, just hours before wargames largely focused on how to tackle North Korea kicked off. The president said the exercises, which Pyongyang condemned, were "totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea while also blaming the eleventh-hour change on Seoul's unwillingness to join the U.S.'s war against Iran.

In May, Trump worried Taiwanese lawmakers by appearing to use weapons sales to Taipei, which are vital for Taiwan's armed forces, as a bargaining chip with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Beijing considers Taiwan, a self-governing island since 1949, to be a breakaway part of China and has pledged to bring the territory back under its control, including by using military force. The U.S. has long supported Taiwan with aid and weapons, but doesn't officially recognize Taipei because it adheres to the "One China" principle.

U.S. officials have said Xi wants China's armed forces to be able to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, even if war plans are not put into motion around that date.

China already has a formidable military force, including a nuclear arsenal, while the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) now has more ships than the U.S. Navy. Chinese ships and planes are outfitted with advanced, long-range missiles, and its nuclear program is under few restrictions.

Beijing "is quite happy with U.S. distraction, with the frustration of U.S. allies and partners," Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank, told the Associated Press.

**The Washington's Journey**

By Thursday, the Washington was moving through the Singapore Strait, according to the U.S. Navy.

An unnamed official speaking to the Associated Press said the ship was transiting the Strait of Malacca, just north of the Singapore Strait, late Thursday evening.

The Strait of Malacca joins the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. When the Lincoln was redirected toward the Middle East, it also passed through the Strait of Malacca toward the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. said the Washington was in Guam in mid-June and was tracked operating in the Philippine Sea by early July. The carrier arrived in Da Nang, central Vietnam, for another scheduled port call on July 30 and left just under a week later.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Sam Wilson.

USS George Washington Move a ‘National Security’ Risk for US: Ex-Admiral

Published
Aug 18, 2026 at 01:46 PM EDT

By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter

Moving the USS George Washington from the Pacific to the Middle East will pose a "national security risk" to the United States, a former commander on the aircraft carrier has said, as the final carrier deployed in Asia becomes the latest U.S. Navy ship to be sucked into the war with Iran.

The George Washington is expected to relieve the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln has found itself the focus of Democratic calls for investigations into reports of dwindling supplies and poor mental health among the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines who have not set foot on land since December, which has put fresh attention on living conditions aboard U.S. Navy ships.

They also raised concerns that the U.S. Navy, while powerful, is overly stretched by the months of war in the Middle East and not prepared enough for a potential future confrontation with China.

Redeploying the Washington to the Gulf will leave the U.S. "with limited naval presence" for over a year and a half, because the carrier will return for a maintenance stint once it's finished in the Middle East, said retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, a former commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 aboard the Washington who also headed operations for the U.S. Pacific Command.

"This is a national security risk as it sends a weak deterrence message to China and does not assure Americas allies and partners in the Pacific," Montgomery, who is now with the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told Newsweek.

The White House referred queries to the Pentagon, which doesn't comment on topics it says would compromise operational security. The U.S. Navy referred questions to the U.S. Pacific Command, which Newsweek has contacted for comment via email.

President Donald Trump and his administration have signaled to U.S. allies that their defense spending must surge so the U.S.'s forces can be freed up to meet the threat posed by China's burgeoning, sophisticated military.

The White House, while insisting it's focusing on the Indo-Pacific, has piled pressure on Japan, Taiwan and South Korea to invest in their militaries and has often rattled officials in their capital cities.

Trump abruptly scaled back planned U.S. military drills with South Korea on Sunday, just hours before wargames largely focused on how to tackle North Korea kicked off. The president said the exercises, which Pyongyang condemned, were "totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea while also blaming the eleventh-hour change on Seoul's unwillingness to join the U.S.'s war against Iran.

In May, Trump worried Taiwanese lawmakers by appearing to use weapons sales to Taipei, which are vital for Taiwan's armed forces, as a bargaining chip with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Beijing considers Taiwan, a self-governing island since 1949, to be a breakaway part of China and has pledged to bring the territory back under its control, including by using military force. The U.S. has long supported Taiwan with aid and weapons, but doesn't officially recognize Taipei because it adheres to the "One China" principle.

U.S. officials have said Xi wants China's armed forces to be able to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, even if war plans are not put into motion around that date.

China already has a formidable military force, including a nuclear arsenal, while the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) now has more ships than the U.S. Navy. Chinese ships and planes are outfitted with advanced, long-range missiles, and its nuclear program is under few restrictions.

Beijing "is quite happy with U.S. distraction, with the frustration of U.S. allies and partners," Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank, told the Associated Press.

The Washington's Journey

By Thursday, the Washington was moving through the Singapore Strait, according to the U.S. Navy.

An unnamed official speaking to the Associated Press said the ship was transiting the Strait of Malacca, just north of the Singapore Strait, late Thursday evening.

The Strait of Malacca joins the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. When the Lincoln was redirected toward the Middle East, it also passed through the Strait of Malacca toward the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. said the Washington was in Guam in mid-June and was tracked operating in the Philippine Sea by early July. The carrier arrived in Da Nang, central Vietnam, for another scheduled port call on July 30 and left just under a week later.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Sam Wilson.

Maj. Jason Watson, a U.S. airman arrested after calling for President Trump’s removal over the Iran War, said on Monday that he was willing to accept punishment for his dissent.

An active-duty officer can be punished for “disloyal statements” or “contemptuous words” against the commander in chief and high-ranking government officials, an offense that can lead to dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of pay and a monthslong prison sentence.

“If I don’t put myself out there in a big way, then it’s just noise,” Major Watson said on Monday in an interview on CNN. “What is the highest price that I am willing to pay? And this is what I ultimately came up with.”

During the interview, Major Watson characterized the war in Iran as an act of American aggression and compared the U.S. military actions to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said the president “chose” the war despite consternation and advice against it within his cabinet officials, calling it “unconstitutional.” Major Watson added that his public dissent was motivated by his “oath to the Constitution” and urged other Americans to do the same.

“You do not have to be somebody special to take action and reject this government,” he said on CNN.

The Department of Defense referred questions to the Air Force, which did not immediately respond.

In July, Major Watson was arrested at the U.S. Capitol after attending a news conference organized by the Removal Coalition, an activist group that has called for Mr. Trump’s impeachment, conviction and removal from office.

After the news conference that Representative Al Green, Democrat of Texas, also attended, the major stood on the Capitol steps holding signs calling for the president’s removal. The U.S. Capitol Police then arrested him for unlawfully protesting on the steps of the House.

The D.C. attorney general’s office decided not to prosecute Major Watson, but he was later taken into custody by the Air Force. Soon after his arrest, Troy E. Meink, the Air Force secretary, said on social media that his office would open an investigation into Major Watson’s conduct because it “takes allegations of misconduct seriously” including “any that might undermine the nonpartisan nature” of the military.

Mr. Watson said that he was not a member of the Democratic Party.

Military law, specifically Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, mandates punishment against “any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words” against the president, the vice president, Congress, civilian military leaders, any governor or state legislature. Article 134 punishes statements “made with the intent to promote disloyalty or disaffection toward the United States” by members of the military.

US pulls last aircraft carrier in Asia as Trump focuses on Iran and the Western Hemisphere

By BEN FINLEY and DIDI TANG

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s war against Iran is stretching the limits of U.S. aircraft carriers and leaving the western Pacific without one of the key American warships as China shows more signs of aggression.

The USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East amid growing concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed carrier. The Lincoln has had its time at sea extended from its original May return date to support operations against Iran.

The lack of a U.S. carrier in the Pacific may be short-lived if the Navy deploys another in the next couple of months. But it shows how the open-ended operations with Iran are running some American sailors ragged, analysts say, while the Trump administration further retreats from the Asia-Pacific region and focuses on the Western Hemisphere.

“The administration says that the Pacific is supposed to be the most important behind the Western Hemisphere,” said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Instead, the U.S. is “doing the exact opposite” of its previously expressed goal of pulling out of the Middle East.

American allies in the Pacific are unsettled over the unpredictability of the Republican administration, Poling said, while Beijing “is quite happy with U.S. distraction, with the frustration of U.S. allies and partners.”

China may take advantage of US carrier’s absence

Beijing sees the U.S. military presence in the region as a threat to China’s rise and an obstacle to its ambition to seize Taiwan, the self-governing island it claims as its own. But the United States has argued that the Pacific region is too important economically to lose.

No one expects China to invade Taiwan because an American aircraft carrier has left the region. But the carrier’s absence gives the Chinese another opportunity to show its strength, said Bryan Clark, a former Navy submariner who is a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute.

The Army has temporarily grounded training flight operations of the AH-64 Apache following Wednesday’s crash near Fort Hood that killed two soldiers. “The stand-down will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident,” the Army said in a news release Friday. “We currently have no additional information to share.” Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead were killed on a maintenance test flight when their AH-64E Apache attack helicopter experienced a mishap Wednesday in Salado, Texas.

A House bill filed this week would force the Air Force to keep at least 126 A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs, far more than were in the service’s plans, and to reverse a year’s work dismantling the aircraft’s maintenance depot, pilot training pipeline and weapons course.

Introduced Monday as H.R. 9780 by Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., the BRRRRT Act (Bolstering Recognition, Resurgence, Retention, and Remembrance of the Thunderbolt) gets its name from the bone-rattling “BRRRRT!” sound the jet’s 30mm Gatling gun makes when fired.

Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., is co-leading the bill. He and Hamadeh both sit on the Armed Services subcommittee that writes fighter force-structure policy, with Davis as the committee’s vice ranking member. Four Republicans also signed on as original cosponsors, including members from Georgia and Missouri, home to the last two A-10 bases.

The bill comes as the Air Force has ramped up A-10 divestment yet has not identified the aircraft that can, and will, take on the close air support and combat search and rescue missions the Warthog has assumed for decades. The service says those roles will be filled by some combination of platforms like the F-35A, F-15E and F-16.

“The A-10 has repeatedly proven itself on the battlefield, saving American lives and delivering unmatched close air support when our troops need it most,” Hamadeh said in a statement announcing the bill “The BRRRRT Act ensures we do not retire a proven weapons system before a certified replacement exists.”

The bill gives the Air Force 90 days after enactment to explain how it will restore depot work, training, sustainment and flight testing, programs that were all cut in anticipation of retiring the fleet.

The depot line at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, closed in February. The last class of new Warthog pilots graduated in April, and the Weapons School course at Nellis is winding down.

Under the bill, retiring more A-10s would become harder, as well. The defense secretary would first have to certify that a replacement is fielded and fully operational, and get that in writing from the Army secretary, the Marine Corps commandant and the head of U.S. Special Operations Command. A mission does not count as replaced, the bill says, if another aircraft picks it up as a secondary tasking.

Should the bill fail to pass, the terms could find their way into the annual defense authorization act instead, which is how the 103-jet floor came to be. Hamadeh took that route in June, placing two A-10 provisions in the House bill that reappear in the BRRRRT Act.

CENTCOM recently confirmed that more than 20 U.S. Navy ships are operating in the Middle East. On June 30, the majority of that force, including USS Abraham Lincoln, USS George H.W. Bush, and USS Tripoli, were pictured together in a photo exercise (PHOTOEX) and massive show of force with 16 other ships in the northern Arabian Sea. Two flights of 14 aircraft each from Carrier Air Wings (CVW) 7 and 9 conducted a flyover. Abraham Lincoln passed the 200 consecutive days at sea mark on the same day.

Memphis police say National Guard troops fired their weapons in the early morning hours Sunday, killing a man who was armed with a handgun.

Police say officers were responding to calls of shots fired in downtown Memphis just before 4:00 am local time when they saw "an armed male carrying a handgun." The man — identified by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson — fled on foot, pursued by Memphis police officers along with Tennessee National Guard soldiers who are assigned to the area.

What happened next was not immediately clear.

"For reasons under investigation, the situation escalated, resulting in two National Guard soldiers firing upon Johnson, striking and killing him," according to a statement from the TBI. Memphis police said the man had "turned toward NG members with his weapon" before the National Guard soldiers fired their weapons and struck him.

Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement officers were hurt in the incident, according to the TBI.

The TBI says it is investigating the incident at the request of Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. TBI agents are "working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews," the agency said.

The National Guard has been patrolling in Memphis since October of last year as part of a federal task force, established by President Trump, to combat crime in Memphis.

Memphis has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, according to data from the FBI. But Memphis police say overall crime and violent crime were falling in 2025 even before the National Guard deployment began. Still, some local residents told NPR they welcomed the federal intervention.

A judge in Tennessee sided with local officials, issuing a temporary injunction that blocked the deployment. But a state appeals court overturned that injunction in April, allowing the operation to continue.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will handle the investigation into the fatal shooting.

One of the Army’s most seasoned and high-profile officers is abruptly leaving the service and is expected to announce his retirement as soon as Wednesday, according to a U.S. official.

Gen. Chris Donahue has spent the past 18 months leading U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the command responsible for Army operations across both continents.

His departure comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presses ahead with a sweeping overhaul of the Pentagon’s senior ranks, firing or sidelining large numbers of top officers with little public explanation, including the Army’s top officer Gen. Randy George.

Soldiers at New Mexico’s McGregor Range Complex, part of Fort Bliss, say they regularly miss meals because the dining facility (DFAC) has lines that can take an hour or more. Some troops end up buying food out of pocket at the base exchange or food trucks. A Fort Bliss spokesman stated no soldier is turned away if they are in line before closing, and that hours have been extended and meal times staggered, though contract and funding limits prevent all day service. The article notes this is part of a pattern of DFAC access problems across multiple Army posts, despite recent modernization efforts like to go kiosks and privatized dining halls.

Discussion

The ongoing problems with military dining facilities baffle me, and let’s be fair, every E-6 and above, regardless of service, takes the mess hall and chow very seriously. There are few hills that NCOs from E-6 on up are prepared to die on, and one of them is the quality of the food and how it’s served and prepared. Every commissioned officer O-3 and above will also die on that hill. So it’s not a lack of attention from command authority that keeps letting these food service issues percolate. It has to be something else.

Is it as simple as a head count? Every E-5 and above has that whacked into their head, and every O-1 and above is beaten about the brow on head counts and their effect on meal service. In the Army at the O-3 command level, we assign our brightest officers the additional duty of food service officer, but I’ll tell you this: depending on the type of unit and where they are, that food service officer may spend more face time with the commander than any other position. It virtually becomes their full time job. People lose their jobs over it, battalion commanders, group or wing commanders, and the equivalent in other services. Everyone takes it very seriously. So why do we continue to have these problems with food service? Something doesn’t add up.

And here’s another layer: should we replace service members with contractors in dining halls? Will that change or fix the problem? The McGregor chow hall is already contract run, yet the lines are still out the door. Maybe the root cause isn’t just headcount accuracy or command emphasis, it could be baked into how we structure the contract or whether a contractor can truly flex to meet sudden surges the way military cooks once did.

Who remembers the overweight food service sergeant who couldn’t pass the PT test and smelled like liquor? He was untouchable because his food tasted like your grandmother’s and he never ran out of it.

The Bipartisan Women’s Caucus canceled its 28th annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, an event held to honor fallen servicewomen. The Navy, Air Force, and Space Force declined to participate, explicitly citing a January 2025 Executive Order and Department of Defense guidance that bar the use of official resources for events connected to diversity, equity, and inclusion or cultural awareness months. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed the decision was made in compliance with that policy.

The Army cited a scheduling conflict with its birthday, though a caucus spokesperson noted that had never been an issue in previous years. Meanwhile, a defense official stated the Marine Corps had planned to attend until the event was canceled and has supported it annually as long as anyone can remember, including in 2025. Neither the Navy nor the Army provided additional comment, directing questions to the Department of Defense, which referred matters back to the individual services.

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) says its forces have launched “additional self-defence strikes” against “multiple targets in Iran” as explosions have been heard from across the country.

Iran’s top joint military command says Strait of Hormuz has been closed and any vessel attempting to pass through will be targeted.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier said the country will “stand firm” and denounced US threats to target Iranian infrastructure.

The US military says it “disabled” a vessel in the Gulf of Oman as it was “attempting to transport oil from Iran”.

US uncrewed drone boat “found and rescued” two crew members after an Army Apache helicopter went down off the coast of Oman, the US military said early Tuesday.

US Central Command spokesperson Capt. Timothy Hawkins said, “A U.S. Navy surface drone found and rescued the crew from the water. U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59 is the Navy’s first operational AI and drone task force.”

Task Force 59, which was launched in 2021, includes uncrewed vessels and drones. It’s the first Navy task force of its kind.

“The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation,” US Central Command, the military branch responsible for operations in the Middle East, said in a post on X.

The loss of the aircraft marks the first loss of an Apache since the conflict with Iran began. It comes after hostilities in the region escalated over the weekend, with Iran and Israel exchanging their first direct strikes in months late Sunday.

The US military said the helicopter went down “while patrolling regional waters.”

US President Donald Trump commented on the incident overnight, saying “the pilots are fine” after being asked by reporters about a report that a US Army helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has launched missiles at Israel for the first time since a ceasefire with the US and Israel took effect in April. Iran's Revolutionary Guards called the attack a "warning" after Israel launched strikes against Beirut. Israel said its attacks in southern Beirut were targeting Hezbollah militants in response to fire toward Israeli territory. Israel has called the Iranian attacks a "grave mistake".

Captain, I have all hailing frequencies open across all sub-space bands! 🖖

Jury awards Nichelle Nichols' estate $13 million.

A Grant County jury found for the family of Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols in the wrongful death lawsuit filed against the Gila Regional Medical Center, which is located in Silver City, New Mexico. The jury deliberated for only a couple of hours on Thursday, June 4, before finding Grmc negligent for Nichols’ death.

BLUF: President Zelensky issued an aggressive 1,800-word open letter to Putin demanding a direct bilateral summit and a binding ceasefire. Far from a soft diplomatic plea, the timing and tone are explicitly tied to recent Ukrainian kinetic operations and window-of-opportunity targeting.

​​Shaping the Battlespace via Deep Strikes: Kyiv is pitching these talks immediately following successful long-range drone strikes against major Russian logistics hubs, oil infrastructure, and fuel depots (specifically targeting Crimea and St. Petersburg). Zelensky is weaponizing this deep-strike capability to show Moscow that Ukraine can bypass Russian air defenses and bring the material cost of the war directly to the Russian domestic population.

​Exploiting a Theater-Level Operational Pause: Kyiv is moving now because the US is heavily distracted by the regional conflict involving Iran. Zelensky bluntly acknowledged that European security cannot sit on standby while Washington's focus is pulled away, forcing a direct, localized tactical push.

​Attrition Realities: Zelensky’s push relies on the assessment that Russia’s offensive momentum is hitting a ceiling of diminishing returns relative to its domestic economic strain, using Ukraine's defensive resilience to force a diplomatic opening.

​Current Standstill: Putin is rejecting a pre-talk ceasefire, stating his forces are still advancing along the line of contact and demanding Ukraine formally cede four partially occupied regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia) and abandon NATO ambitions. Meanwhile, Trump has publicly greenlit the direct meeting concept, signaling that future compromises are on the table.

The US House of Representatives voted 215–208 to pass a war powers resolution ordering the withdrawal of American troops from the conflict with Iran, delivering a rebuke to President Trump. Four Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the measure, which invokes the 1973 War Powers Act to limit the president's ability to engage in hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.

Whether the resolution proceeds to the Senate remains an open question. The vote reflects growing bipartisan concern over escalating military actions and the administration's legal justification for engaging Iran without explicit authorization from Congress.

Not 'just a gun': New SOCOM rifle allows barrel swapping and cartridge changes

SOCOM is set to field the MK24 Medium Range Gas Gun Assault (MRGG‑A) before the end of this fiscal year, completely replacing the MK17 SCAR. Awarded to Iowa‑based LMT Defense under a 10‑year, $92 million contract, the MRGG‑A features a quick‑change barrel that lets operators swap between 7.62mm NATO and 6.5mm Creedmoor in about a minute. This flexibility addresses real‑world concerns: when partnered forces only have 7.62mm stocks available, operators can switch calibers in the field without carrying multiple weapon systems.

The 14.5‑inch barrel makes the MK24 feel like an M4 carbine but perform like the M110 semi‑auto sniper rifle. SOCOM chose 6.5mm Creedmoor after evaluating nearly two dozen cartridges in 2017 and finding it delivered the best overall performance at ranges around 1,000 meters. The shift away from legacy cartridges mirrors the Army’s move to 6.8x51mm for its Next Generation Squad Weapons. The manufacturer LMT Defense says the MRGG‑A is "a big one that I think is going to trickle down to more of your mainline units down the road.

A promising new tool for battlefield medicine: the U.S. Army's IBEX exoskeleton, which will be tested by the Army, Marines, and Navy. Unveiled on May 28, 2026, by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, the seven-pound Intrepid Battlefield EXoskeleton (IBEX) allows troops with lower-leg injuries—such as tibia fractures, torn ligaments, ankle sprains, and foot fractures—to stand, walk, and even shoot when evacuation is delayed.

Why this matters:

· Self-evacuation under fire: Traditional litter evacuation pulls two to four soldiers out of the fight. IBEX lets injured troops move themselves to safety, keeping more personnel combat-effective and presenting a smaller target for drones.

· Lightweight and deployable: At seven pounds and collapsible to the size of a water bottle, IBEX can be carried by medics or dropped from a cargo drone—it has survived a 400-foot fall.

· Smart design: A telescoping frame, harness, thigh corset, knee joint, splint, and rocker-bottom boot isolate the injured limb from bearing weight, reducing pain and preventing further damage. Users can drop prone, fire, and rise again.

· Built for real combat: From 2001–2018, over 22,000 deployed service members sustained lower-leg injuries; about 68% of extremity wounds were fractures or open injuries from gunshots, IEDs, or rough terrain.

· Path to fielding: Started in 2020, IBEX is now on its fifth-generation prototype with third-round funding. The Army, Navy, and Marines have completed field tests, a commercial partner has licensed it, and next testing is set for early next year in San Antonio.

It's a smart, practical evolution in troop survivability—not a miracle, but a genuine step forward.