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The U.S. Navy on Wednesday announced the 2026 recipients of the Expeditionary Warfare Excellence Awards, recognizing the top performing sailors and Marines from the 2025 calendar year. The awards, according to a NavAdmin, recognize those who have “significantly influenced the future of naval expeditionary warfare and amphibious capabilities” through innovation, leadership and teamwork. As part of the process, each service recognizes one enlisted and one officer from each branch.On the Navy side, Lt. Cmdr. Tyler Biggs, Amphibious Squadron Eight, has been named the Expeditionary Warfare Officer of the Year. Petty Officer 1st Class Bryant Campos, Joint Communications Unit, has been…

KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter jet for the first time since the American-designed planes arrived on the battlefield in 2024, the top-ranking U.S. general told Congress on Tuesday, emphasizing the impressive progress of Kyiv’s air defense forces in shielding the country’s skies.Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed to the kill at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing while being asked about a three-year halt in U.S. air-defense funding.“I want to highlight the incredible work the Ukraine industrial base is doing as they scale their own capabilities,” Caine said. “Recently we…

A drill instructor assigned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island was found dead in her apartment on July 17, the service confirmed.Sgt. Darilyn C. Duong, a DI with the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, was found in her apartment in Port Royal, just north of the installation. She was 25 years old.The cause of death is currently under investigation, Marine spokesperson 2nd Lt. Joshua Hartley said in a statement. “The Marine Corps extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and fellow Marines affected by this loss,” Hartley said. “At this time, it would be premature to speculate on the…

Editor’s note: This report contains discussion of suicide. Troops, veterans and family members experiencing suicidal thoughts can call the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 and dial 1, text 838255 or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net.The COMPACT Act allows eligible veterans and certain former service members to receive Veterans Affairs-funded emergency suicide crisis care at VA and community hospitals, even if they aren’t enrolled in VA healthcare. New data obtained by Military Times show 49,341 veterans have used the benefit since 2023, but veteran advocates and suicide prevention professionals say many eligible veterans still don’t realize it exists until they experience a…

This article was originally published by Michael Snyder at The Economic Collapse Blog.  Somehow we have convinced ourselves that AI companies that are bleeding billions upon billions of dollars are great investments because there is a possibility that someday they will eventually become profitable. But the losses just keep getting even bigger every year. Meanwhile, we are spending trillions of dollars to build even more AI infrastructure. There is no way that the AI industry is ever going to generate the sort of revenue that will justify that level of investment. What we are witnessing is a capital misallocation of…

For the first time in 99th Air Base Wing history, a woman has assumed command.Col. Christine Littlejohn took command of the Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, last week, according to a release, to lead 12 squadrons and two groups tasked with base operations support.Base officials did not comment on Littlejohn’s command but did provide Military Times with a list of former 99th commanders. Sixteen names graced the list before Littlejohn’s, and they all were men.“The Air Force selects its commanders strictly on merit,” a Nellis spokesperson told Military Times. “Col. Littlejohn has experience at various levels of command,…

Sign up for the Outdoor Life Newsletter Get the hottest outdoor news from Outdoor Life. Even though there are only a few dangerous snake species in the continental United States and Canada, these slithering creatures still inspire an ancient and instinctive fear among outdoorsmen and women. This dread around venomous snakes can be well founded, getting bitten by one of the following snakes could kill you, or at least wreck your day. Yet this fear of snakes often spills over as a prejudice against harmless snake species. So let’s focus on the serpents that can cause harm, as we take…

The U.S. Navy Reserve is offering enlisted sailors, officers and civilians sizable financial incentives to remain or join the service, the Navy announced Wednesday.Beginning June 1, 2026, individuals may qualify for several different bonus enlistment packages from the Navy Reserve as part of the fiscal 2026/2027 Recruiting and Retention Incentive Program. “Our people remain our greatest competitive advantage,” said Capt. James R. Prouty, commander of Navy Recruiting Reserve Command. “These expanded bonus opportunities represent a well spent investment in both the current force and the next generation of reserve sailors.”For the latter, the programs include the New Accession Training Enlistment…

Attorneys for a vacationing soldier who was shot when he was caught in a “hail of bullets” in front of the White House have filed a $25 million claim against the U.S. Secret Service.Private First Class Benjamin Del Real, Jr., 25, alleges negligence on the part of the Secret Service, accusing agents of failing to exercise reasonable care in responding to the incident of a shooter who opened fire on a Secret Service security post. The soldier and his father were visiting with Del Real’s sister, Sara, in Washington, D.C., and were walking to dinner on May 23 when they…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics A few months ago I would have said anyone who claims he can always catch bass was either crazy or just bragging, but I’ll listen politely now. It may be true. My new faith in infallible bass fishermen is the result of an invitation to fish with George Hary at a lake in central Florida. His letter reached me just when I was planning a fishing trip to Arkansas, Alabama, and points south, but the mere convenience of the trip didn’t influence me. Neither did George’s…

In early May, the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing loaded practice bombs onto its F-15EX Eagle IIs at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and dropped them on the range. The training marks the first time an operational unit has employed the Eagle II’s air-to-ground capabilities, according to the wing’s July 17 announcement.Crews loaded concrete-filled 500-pound BDU-50s and 2,000-pound BDU-56s, built to the size and weight of the real thing, onto the Eagle II’s hardpoints. Over 10 missions, the wing dropped 36 practice bombs, twenty-four 500-pounders and twelve 2,000-pounders, achieving satisfactory scores with zero safety incidents.Test crews at Eglin…

Low pay is the leading reason childcare providers leave their jobs — both military and civilian — but even a $500 retention bonus could keep many of these providers at risk of leaving, new research has found.Across the board, childcare providers struggle with financial issues, with about one in five reporting food insecurity, and about one-third struggling with debt.Childcare providers across the board are experiencing high levels of stress and depression, researchers with the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska found.In looking at potential solutions to bolster the military childcare provider work force, researchers also noted that…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics Timothy Hicks and his brother Steve are die-hard northern pike fishermen. On June 13 they were having a banner morning catching oversize pike that had just spawned on sprawling Lake Pend Oreille in northwest Idaho. “They spawn late on Pend Oreille because it’s so deep and cold,” Hicks tells Outdoor Life. “The fish had moved out from bays and were holding along deep weed edges in 15 feet of water.” The brothers worked the deep weed edges with large spoons, making long casts and hopping them…

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In 2022, Lt. Cmdr. Alex “Phrog” Vogel flew his 60-year-old C-2A Greyhound carrier onboard delivery aircraft from San Diego to Japan in a memorable mission that at times balanced on a knife’s edge of timing and logistics. The relatively small plane required numerous and specific refueling stops at remote locations. But one leg of the trip — from the tip of Alaska’s Aleutian Island chain to Misawa, Japan — cannot be completed without carrying additional fuel onboard, Vogel said. “It’s a little bit of a nail-biting experience to make sure that your fuel transfers properly and that your engines are…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics A good topwater smash is one of the greatest experiences in fishing. Dozens of surface lures on the market can make them happen, but few are more popular or user-friendly than a popper. They come in all different colors and sizes, but the designs don’t vary too much. A scooped, concave mouth grabs the water when we twitch, spitting it forward and out to the sides. This surface commotion fires up all manner of predatory gamefish. The thing is, anglers lean too heavily into a pop-and-pause…

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently announced a new policy to screen service members over 30 for low testosterone and offer replacement therapy to those who qualify. The intent — a stronger, more capable force — is a good one. Policies built on good intentions, however, can still go wrong, and this one deserves careful scrutiny before it is implemented at scale. The goal of having a more effective military is understandable, but the question remains whether the science supports the strategy. Testosterone replacement therapy is an important treatment for men with true hypogonadism, a carefully diagnosed medical condition. But…

As an actor, Ross McCall is used to being recognized on the street. However, the Scottish film and TV star is amazed at the amount of attention he still receives for a character he portrayed a quarter of a century ago in the acclaimed “Band of Brothers” miniseries on HBO.“I’ve been acting for 39 years and made many movies and TV shows,” he says. “I have a deep connection to all of them, but I certainly don’t have one I talk about 25 years later like this one.” Based on the 1992 bestselling nonfiction book by Stephen Ambrose, the monumental…

Sign up for the Outdoor Life Newsletter Get the hottest outdoor news from Outdoor Life. I hadn’t seen my skeet-shooting pal for some days. “I missed you last Sunday,” he said. “Why weren’t you out for some skeet?” “Oh, I wasn’t in town,” I told him. “I was hunting mountain sheep.” “In February? What kind, for the love of Mike?” “Sardinian mouflon.” “Mouflon? Never heard of them!” Then my pal paused, eyeing me suspiciously. “Isn’t Sardinia an island in the Mediterranean Sea?” “Yes, near Italy.” “And you——” “I got a mouflon. The guy I hunted with got a mouflon and…