President Donald Trump disclosed Sept. 16 that the U.S. government had “knocked off” what he said was a total of three alleged drug-smuggling boats, all apparently from Venezuela. The president, speaking to reporters outside the White House, offered no other details about the previously undisclosed incident. The White House and the Pentagon declined to address questions about the third vessel, including when it was struck, where it was struck, and how many people were aboard.
Congressional Republican leaders Sept. 16 put forward a stopgap funding bill to keep money flowing to the federal government through Nov. 21, but notably left out the White House’s request for an extra $3.9 billion for Columbia-class submarines.
Denmark is exploring the possibility of buying the U.S.-made Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to bolster its surveillance over the Arctic region, the Danish defense minister has said. Of specific interest is to increase threat awareness surrounding Greenland and the Faroe Islands, which are semi-autonomous Danish territories.
Sales of American-made drones to foreign militaries will be handled going forward in the same way as exports of manned fighter aircraft, part of a broader U.S. push to accelerate a shift to the transformative battlefield technology.
Israel launched a long-anticipated ground offensive into Gaza City early Sept. 16, Israel’s military said, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to end the war against Hamas with military force instead of diplomacy.
Peru has received approval to buy 12 F-16C/D Block 70 jets, which would make it the fourth South American operator of the Lockheed Martin fighter. If the acquisition goes ahead, it will also confirm the Peruvian Air Force’s move away from Russian-made combat aircraft, which currently make up a significant proportion of its fleet.
The House version of the fiscal 2026 Intelligence Act would restore funds cut by the White House for commercial imagery buys by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), according to industry and congressional sources, who described the effort as bipartisan
A 67-year-old South Dakota man has been sent to prison for over 10 years after being convicted of attempting to disclose classified information on U.S. Air Force electronic warfare technology to the Russian government, officials said.
Russian forces bombarded the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia with rockets overnight, wounding 20 people, including four children, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sept. 16 as he urged European leaders to make the continent safe by building an ambitious air defense umbrella.
Officials in Colorado Springs arrived in Washington this week to push for a bigger share of the defense industry pie to offset the loss of U.S. Space Command, which President Trump is relocating to near Huntsville, Ala.
Later this month, more than a dozen living Medal of Honor recipients will take part in the first-ever immersive recreation of a daring, complex Civil War-era train heist that resulted in the first Medals of Honor being awarded.
