Daily Digest — May 26, 2026
Defense News
Rubio ratchets up pressure on NATO at key summit
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is casting new doubt on NATO’s relevance after key allies recoiled from backing Washington’s “Operation Epic Fury.”
US Marine Corps tests using helicopter as mobile drone command center
During the test, troops launched a Neros Archer FPV drone from the ground before transferring control to operators aboard a helicopter orbiting miles away.
Congressional report tallies 42 US aircraft lost or damaged in Operation Epic Fury
Drones took the heaviest hit, accounting for 25 of the 42 aircraft losses listed in the report.
Libya and Syria join Turkey’s flagship military exercise in historic firsts
Ankara framed both nations’ attendance as part of its broader military-restructuring and advisory programs in each country.
Taiwan says it has not been told by US of arms sales delays
U.S. President Donald Trump said following a summit with China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing last week that he was undecided on whether to approve it.
Breaking Defense
Loitering munitions, launched effects had strong presence at SOF Week 2026
“The [Rogue 1] Block 2 upgrade leverages user feedback to greatly enhance performance, resilience, and operational capability, all while maintaining existing form-factor,” a Teledyne FLIR statement read.
IAI’s new Diamond naval offering envisions flexible drones, missiles for small vessels
The plan involves different defensive systems dispersed across small satellite ships, which can be connected to a mother ship in a disaggregated model.
Helos need upgrades to perform special ops ‘quieter, with fewer aircraft’: PEO Rotary Wing
Special Operations Command’s fleet of MH-60Ms and MH-47Gs — operated by the 160th Nightstalkers Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) — could benefit from technology injections coming from the MV-75 Cheyenne, said PEO Rotary Wing Steve Smith.
Lockheed breaks ground on new THAAD interceptor plant
“These aren’t just ideas or papers going back and forth,” Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet said of the Pentagon’s munitions ramp. “We know it’s going to be good, and we know it’s going to happen.”
Inside Sen. Ted Budd’s plan to boost airpower, pilot retention
North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd explains why he recently introduced three bills intended to boost US fighter inventory and improve pilot retention.
DefenseScoop
Pentagon selects Shield AI to plug swarm software into LUCAS drone, company says
Shield AI said its Hivemind software will “serve as the AI pilot for the LUCAS program, enabling groups of drones to coordinate, maneuver, and adapt together to changing conditions in real time, based on warfighter input."
The post Pentagon selects S…
Pentagon awards $500 million contract to Perennial Autonomy for counter-drone systems
Joint Interagency Task Force 401 noted in its press release that these systems “are currently being employed by forces operating in U.S. Central Command.”
The post Pentagon awards $500 million contract to Perennial Autonomy for counter-drone systems …
Sandhoo named Space Development Agency director, PAE for missile warning and tracking
Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo’s new dual-hatted roles come as the Space Force shakes up its acquisition structure in line with broader Pentagon efforts.
The post Sandhoo named Space Development Agency director, PAE for missile warning and tracking appeared …
Navy comes ‘full circle’ on nuclear power for next-generation battleship
“I’m thrilled that we finally landed on the fact it’s going to be nuclear," Adm. Daryl Caudle said.
The post Navy comes ‘full circle’ on nuclear power for next-generation battleship appeared first on DefenseScoop.
‘Collaborative autonomy’ development not moving fast enough for SOCOM
“The ability to quickly integrate autonomous behaviors on multiple different platforms in multiple different domains, without it having to be specifically built for that platform, is something that I’d like to see move faster than we are right now,” …
War on the Rocks
The Pentagon Still Cannot Manage Cyber Talent at Scale. Here’s the Fix.
The Department of Defense does not primarily have a cyber recruiting problem — it has a cyber talent management problem. The military already possesses serious qualification frameworks, scholarship programs, credentialing systems, and selection…
The Kid Rock Flyby Controversy and the Erosion of Military Professionalism
During Congressional testimony from Department of Defense leadership last week, Representative George Whitesides asked Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, “How does canceling a command-initiated review support a culture of accountability?”…
China’s AI Governance Offensive Threatens U.S. Tech Leadership
China’s diplomats are on an “AI governance” offensive. At a May 5 United Nations meeting, China’s vice minister of science and technology championed China’s role in shaping U.N.-led frameworks that determine how the tech…
The Operational Case Against Israel’s Gaza Campaign
Gaza did not have to look the way it looks. That is not a moral claim. It is an operational one.Claims of necessity are invoked to explain the scale of civilian harm, but they founder in the face of operational logic. Supporters of Israeli methods ar…
Europe’s Dangerous Hunger Games for American Troops
Every time reports emerge about a potential reduction of U.S. forces or capabilities in Europe, the old continent falls into the same cycle of anxiety and panic. The same applies to announcements about delayed or suspended deployments, planned rotati…
The War Zone
Bunker Talk: Memorial Day Weekend Edition
This weekend, we remember those who gave their lives so we could live our’s.
The post Bunker Talk: Memorial Day Weekend Edition appeared first on The War Zone.
Iran Now Trying To Cement Long-Term Control Over Strait Via Fees
Iran’s move to impose service fees on ships transiting the Strait comes as Pakistani and Qatari negotiators are in Tehran trying to get a deal to officially end the war.
The post Iran Now Trying To Cement Long-Term Control Over Strait Via Fees appear…
We Finally See The Mysterious Object Shot Down By F-16s Over Lake Huron
This is one of a trio of objects fighters shot down over the U.S. and Canada in a three-day period following the Chinese spy balloon flap.
The post We Finally See The Mysterious Object Shot Down By F-16s Over Lake Huron appeared first on The War Zone…
A-10 Warthog’s New Aerial Refueling Probe Is Now Operational In The Middle East
In just six weeks, the probe went from its first flight to being deployed to a place where fighting could erupt again at any moment.
The post A-10 Warthog’s New Aerial Refueling Probe Is Now Operational In The Middle East appeared first on The…
Inside SOCOM’s Search For New Machine Guns, Rifles And Ammo
Lt. Col. Alan Wood, SOCOM’s Program Manager for Lethality, offers some exclusive insights into the future of SOCOM small arms.
The post Inside SOCOM’s Search For New Machine Guns, Rifles And Ammo appeared first on The War Zone.
C4ISRNET
Germany touts pan-German space command amid European push to supplant US tech
Austria’s Defense Minister Claudia Tanner reaffirmed that Austria plans to put three operationally designated military satellites into orbit next year.
NATO eastern deterrence strategy takes shape around ‘autonomous zone’
“What we see in Ukraine, no vehicle movements are in the gray zone at all,” one Latvian commander said. “Any movement is destroyed.”
War in pieces: Air Force wants special ops plane that can be built on the fly
The Skyraider II, a militarized version of the AT-802 crop duster, is built to give isolated special ops teams eyes overhead and firepower on call.
Pentagon inks $500 million deal with Perennial Autonomy for counter-drone tech
The Pentagon awarded Perennial Autonomy a $500 million contract to accelerate procurement of counter-drone technology.
No sound of silence: US soldiers train eyes — and ears — for drone swarms
The U.S. Army is moving beyond battling individual drone threats as it experiments with tactics to combat throngs of unmanned aircraft in saturated skies.
30 new articles across 6 sources