China’s security relations with Middle Eastern countries have improved in recent years, capitalizing on a gap in the domestic defense requirements caused by strict Western export control regimes. And they show no signs of slowing down. Regional defense experts told Breaking Defense that these ties remain limited for now. However, they warned, that could change down the line, especially if Washington does not firm up the close, binding defense partnerships sought by some of the United States’ Gulf Arab allies.
It was near the end of 2023 when the deputy commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, Maj. Vladyslav Sobolevskyi, retired from active duty after fighting in two separate wars with Russia. Looking to still make a contribution to the cause, he decided in January 2024 to establish a U.S.-style think tank, the Snake Island Institute, which would have a primary mission to serve as a facilitator between Ukraine’s armed forces and the U.S. government, its military, defense industry, and the media.
President Donald Trump’s military campaign against drug cartels in Latin America could soon collide with a humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean Sea, as Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica with an unusually large fleet of U.S. military ships deployed nearby.
Defense startup Castelion announced it won “multiple awards” for its hypersonic Blackbeard weapon system to be used on Army and Navy platforms, marking the company’s first awards for platform integration.
If the government shutdown continues, military commissaries should be able to keep their shelves full and “sprint through Thanksgiving,” commissary officials said.
Turkey and the United Kingdom signed a multibillion-dollar deal for the sale of 20 new EF-2000 Eurofighter Typhoon jets during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Ankara on Oct. 27.
President Donald Trump has formally submitted the nomination of Adm. Kevin Lunday for Coast Guard commandant. ... Lunday has been serving as acting commandant since January, in the wake of the firing of Adm. Linda Fagan shortly after Trump took office for his second term. Prior to that, Lunday was vice commandant.
Legislators in the House and Senate are investigating methods to expand the powers of the National Guard in cyber operations and communication resilience as they move on with the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. The proposed clauses would place National Guard units at the forefront of safeguarding crucial infrastructure, enhancing systems for communication, and installing modern technologies for disaster response.
Data The Intercept obtained via the Freedom of Information Act shows that of the 2,278 active-duty Air Force deaths between 2010 and 2023, 926—about 41 percent—were suicides, overdoses, or preventable deaths from high-risk behavior in a decade when combat deaths were minimal.
Service members with shaving waivers are not allowed to attend the event with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which will be held at Camp Humphreys, according to an email from the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea, which was posted on the unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco page. An Air Force official confirmed that the email is authentic and that Hegseth will meet with troops as part of his visit to South Korea.
