The Marine Corps will shift to a new AI-enabled reporting platform next month, replacing its manual process for Situational Reports, or SITREPs, and after-action reviews with a system designed to provide commanders with near real-time operational updates.Beginning July 7, all Marine units must use the Operational Data Integration Nexus, or ODIN, to report operations, activities and investments, according to a Marine administrative message.ODIN operates within the Maven Smart System, or MSS, the Pentagon’s flagship artificial intelligence and data platform designed to aggregate, analyze and visualize operational information. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Maven assists officials with…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThe path to 2026 isn’t a distant road—we’re already on it. The flashpoints discussed in this article aren’t future hypotheticals; they’re present-day realities gaining momentum. As we head into a critical election year, the rhetoric will intensify, and efforts to control the narrative will accelerate, feeding directly into these emerging risks. Understanding how these seven risks are developing from current events allows you to get ahead of them. This is about us preppers taking the initiative. It’s about practical awareness of the challenges we face right now and some steps to consider for your…

The Space Force’s top-ranked uniformed officer sported the service’s new mess dress uniform ahead of its formal wear testing this fall.Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman donned the first wear-test asset of the mess dress at the Air Force Weapons School graduation on June 13, a Department of the Air Force spokesperson told Military Times.The uniform, as worn by Saltzman during the ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada, can be worn for black-tie events. The mess dress is all black with silver buttons along the front of the uniform and contains a silver outline that swirls into a diamond shape…

Sign up for the Outdoor Life Newsletter Get the hottest outdoor news—plus a free month of onX Hunt Elite. Officials with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department notified sportsmen Friday of a “cybersecurity incident” that has potentially affected millions of license-holding hunters and anglers. They are now warning customers that some of their personal information may have been exposed as a result of the hack, which was first detected by Texas Cyber Command. TPWD said the breach involved the vendor that handles the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. In its press release before the weekend, TPWD said that according…

Many preppers keep ready-to-eat foods, such as canned goods, protein bars, and dried fruits, for emergencies. But at some point, you will want a hot meal, especially if the emergency lasts more than a day or two. Without an electric stove or microwave, your options may feel limited to eating the same instant foods day after day. But there are ways to safely cook food without electricity, even in a small space. The key is knowing what you can cook, either indoors or outdoors. During several hurricanes in Houston, many families opted to use their barbecue grills outside, particularly to…

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An estimated 4.8 million U.S. veterans have used psychedelic drugs, but many are hesitant about discussing that use with their Department of Veterans Affairs providers for fear of jeopardizing their VA benefits, according to a new RAND study.The research, released by the the Washington think tank Tuesday, examined veterans’ use of psilocybin mushrooms, LSD and MDMA, along with their levels of support for legal use of the drugs and their understanding of the VA’s policies on them. The study comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has funneled funds into studying psychedelics as a form of mental health therapy, often promoting…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics Bass fishermen are bombarded with new baits and techniques every season. The term “game changer” gets thrown around at such a rate that I’m no longer sure what the original game even is. The big ticket for 2026 has been urchin-style baits, but that wasn’t always the case. If we rewind back to March, the talk of the town was some new soft plastic from Berkley. Although it wasn’t released yet, a young angler, Dylan Nutt, who came up through the BASS Nation Series came out…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis weekend’s winter storm is going to be a doozy for many areas. We are looking at a convergence of atmospheric conditions that threatens to disrupt infrastructure across a massive swath of the United States. For those who track weather patterns as part of their ongoing prepping assessment, the data indicate a multi-hazard scenario involving Arctic temperatures, heavy snow accumulation, and, most critically, a significant ice storm. The Preparedness Drill: Anxiety and panic are what happen when preparation hasn’t been made. As a prepper, or at a minimum, a preparedness-minded person, you’re ready for…

This article was originally published by Joseph Solis-Mullen at The Mises Institute.  Recently, Ryan McMaken posed a provocative question: if the French are willing to number their republics, why not Americans? The French, after all, openly acknowledge that their political order has undergone multiple transformations. The current French regime is known as the Fifth Republic, reflecting a succession of constitutional and political systems stretching back to the Revolution of 1789. No French historian would claim that the republic governed by Charles de Gaulle was identical to that governed by Adolphe Thiers simply because both called themselves republics. Americans, however, tend to insist…

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Just one in four Americans believes President Donald Trump’s war with Iran was worth its costs and a majority worry that a truce with Tehran is unlikely to last, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.The five-day poll, which closed on Monday, also showed the war weighing heavily on Trump’s popularity, with his approval rating dropping to 34%, a return to the lowest level of the Republican’s second term that was last touched in an April survey.Only 23% of Americans — including just half of Republicans — think the U.S. is now in a stronger position with Iran compared with its position before…

Scott Einsmann is Outdoor Life’s gear editor. He oversees the gear team’s editors and writers who are subject matter experts in bows, knives, hunting, fishing, backpacking, and more. He lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and two bird dogs. Read the full article here

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadA major threat during emergencies that is rarely discussed is the possibility that our own brain can work against us. We’d like to think that we would react quickly if something didn’t feel right, but unfortunately, our brains are wired to discount anything that goes against our routine. This mental tendency is called “normalcy bias.” It can cause us to ignore early warning signs, freeze in our tracks, or, worse, wait until it’s too late to act. For urban dwellers, recognizing danger quickly is one thing we can control if we can train our…

The U.S. Army is expanding a pilot program that gives some high-performing officers the option to spend more years with a unit, the service announced this month, offering junior leaders stability and predictability not typically associated with military career progression.The Army in 2025 launched the Company Grade Retention and Incentive Program, or CGRIP, with a cohort of 35 first lieutenants in combat arms branches who could opt to stabilize at units including the 1st Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 10th Mountain Division, 7th Infantry Division and 82nd Airborne Division.The Army plans to expand the program to include 16 units and…

Scott Einsmann is Outdoor Life’s gear editor. He oversees the gear team’s editors and writers who are subject matter experts in bows, knives, hunting, fishing, backpacking, and more. He lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and two bird dogs. Read the full article here

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn preparedness, your mindset is the foundation for every action you take. It can be the tool that ensures your safety or the trigger that invites disaster. As preppers, we often talk about having the right gear along with tactical and homesteading skills, but what happens when your own thinking becomes the biggest threat? This isn’t about complex survival scenarios. It can happen on any given morning when a simple decision goes wrong. It’s easy to get locked into a false sense of “I’ve got this,” where you override your better judgment. This is…

A new United States screwworm case brings the total in the country to sixteen. Mexico has nearly 30,000 reported cases since November 2024, with 1,800 still active, meaning this could quickly escalate if failures to eliminate the parasite persist. According to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) screwworm dashboard, the U.S. cases thus far involve cattle, sheep, goats, and one dog. The case confirmed on Monday was in Terrell County, Texas. On Sunday, another case was confirmed in Edwards County, Texas. “The case was identified in a castration site wound. NWS only infests open wounds — it does not…

The U.S. Army has successfully tested software designed to help vehicle-mounted weapons shoot down drones while both the target and the vehicle are moving, Picatinny Arsenal announced Tuesday. The capability was demonstrated in April at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, using a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS, equipped with software that has been designed to track and strike small drones while the vehicle is in motion. The effort has been led by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center, according to the release.The project, known as Simultaneous Weapon Autonomy Technology for Fire Control, or SWAT-FC, uses technology…

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More › If you’re new to thermal optics it can be intimidating to get started. The optics are expensive and the specs are different than day optics. To make it simple I’d recommend staying with a 384 to 640 scope and going with one that isn’t overly complex. You can read our full buyer’s guide and intro to night hunting guide for more info. If you’re looking to save a few hundred dollars on your next thermal optic, here are some great deals…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadOn a bitterly cold morning—when the pipes freeze up, and the faucets stop running—the reality of frozen plumbing hits fast. That was my experience last Saturday morning, with wind chills in the negative double digits. First thing in the morning, I noticed the toilet sounded odd. There was no water filling the tank after it was flushed. That’s when it hit me—”Great, my pipes must be frozen.” Up until that moment, I’d never dealt with frozen pipes, so the question popped into my head: “Okay, so my pipes are frozen, now what do I…

On April 9, 1914, amid the chaos of Mexico’s revolutionary conflicts, nine U.S. Navy seamen had been detained by the dictatorship of Gen. Victoriano Huerta. Although they were released on April 21, the United States learned that the steamship Ypiranga had entered the port of Veracruz with a cargo of German weaponry. In response, the U.S. Navy confiscated Ypiranga and landed an occupation force in Vera Cruz. Although the Americans hoped to avoid bloodshed, the city’s commander, Gen. Gustavo Maass had orders to resist foreign occupation. Consequently, the parties that came ashore on April 21 found themselves in an escalating…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics Adventurous offshore angler Matt Ringot had a chaotically epic day on June 19, when he caught what he thinks is “the biggest tuna ever landed from a jet ski in New Zealand.” During his 90-minute battle with the 220-plus-pound bluefin, Ringot dealt with rough waters, fought through muscle cramps, and fended off a mako shark.  “It just took the tail off, which basically took the motor of the fish off,” Ringot told reporters about his encounter with the tax man. “Without the shark, I don’t think…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadUnless you’ve been taking a break from current events, you’re aware that the U.S. and Israel have launched a campaign of attacks against Iran, including the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and Shia Cleric, Ali Hosseini Khamenei, which, as expected, prompted Iran to launch missile attacks at a number of Middle Eastern countries. That is prompting a variety of reactions in return. For many, especially in the in-tune-to-dangerous-times prepping community, there’s an unsettled feeling, maybe a worry-induced knot in our stomach, or something else that warns us this latest conflict could carry dangerous second-…