All articles tagged with #military
An AI stress-test by The Jerusalem Post asked four major AI platforms to predict a date for a US strike on Iran. Claude, Gemini, Grok, and ChatGPT varied from refusals to increasingly specific date windows (late Feb to early March 2026), illustrating how models can generate operational timing from public data under pressure, even as diplomats say the real timing remains uncertain and no action is predicted.
In his State of the Union, Trump says he prefers a diplomatic solution to the Iran crisis but lays out the case for military action, citing Tehran's alleged support for terrorism, missile development, and a possible nuclear program, as U.S. forces build up in the region and Geneva talks approach.
A Defense Department inspector general report finds four military working dogs died between 2021 and 2023 due to aging, unsatisfactory kennel conditions and a caretaker shortage, with mold and extreme weather cited at several bases. Autopsies attributed the deaths to pneumonia, not neglect, per an Air Force official. The IG also found about 200+ dogs at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland were in non-training status and receiving far less daily physical/social activity than required due to staffing gaps. The Air Force agreed to hire more caretakers and to reduce the number of dogs in non-training status while developing a plan to upgrade kennels to meet standards; DoD operates over 2,200 working dog teams across 182 locations.
Cmdr. James Koffi, the commander of the destroyer USS Truxtun, was relieved due to loss of confidence after Truxtun collided with the oiler USNS Supply during a replenishment at sea in SOUTHCOM’s area. Koffi was reassigned to Naval Surface Group Middle Atlantic, and Cmdr Taylor Auclair was named acting commanding officer. Truxtun is in port in Puerto Rico supporting SOUTHCOM, while two sailors reported minor injuries and the cause of the collision remains under investigation.
An Iranian military helicopter crashed into a fruit-and-vegetable market in Dorcheh, Isfahan province, during a training flight, killing four people including the pilot and co-pilot, with two civilians among the ground casualties; the incident follows recent crashes and highlights Iran's aging aircraft fleet amid sanctions.
The Navy removed Cmdr. James Koffi as commander of the USS Truxtun after a replenishment-at-sea collision with the USNS Supply; Cmdr. Taylor Auclair was named interim commander, Koffi was reassigned, and the incident is under investigation as the Truxtun continues its Caribbean deployment as part of Operation Southern Spear.
France's Carrier Strike Group led by the nuclear-powered FS Charles De Gaulle departs Toulon to operate in the North Atlantic and Baltic after ORION 26, with enhanced escorts and the new FDI-class frigate Amiral Ronarc'h, a submarine, and support ships; the carrier's air group plus allied vessels will take part in NATO missions Baltic Sentry, Neptune Strike, and Cold Response/Dynamic Mariner 2026, and will visit Malmo, Sweden.
President Trump, frustrated by the limits of U.S. military leverage against Iran, seeks a punishing strike to push Tehran back to negotiation, but military planners warn that limited actions could trigger a wider, protracted conflict even as carrier groups and defenses are bolstered for deterrence.
Russia has intensified battlefield air interdiction (BAI) across Ukraine, expanding drone and glide-bomb strikes into the operational rear using Starlink-enabled networks and mesh communications to disrupt roads, rail, and bridges. SpaceX's February 2026 Starlink block degraded but did not halt these attacks, prompting Russia to seek alternatives (Barrage-1, Rassvet) and mothership drones. Ukraine and its partners must bolster kinetic air defense, electronic warfare, and mid-range strike capabilities to protect logistics and deter a spring-summer offensive, focusing on the Fortress Belt and major corridors like the E-50.
Slovakia is receiving BAE Systems’ CV9035 MkIV infantry fighting vehicles, featuring a 1,000-horsepower engine, 35mm Bushmaster III cannon, advanced fire control and protection systems, and anti-tank missiles; the program emphasizes upgradability and strong domestic industry participation (about 40% of contract value from roughly 30 Slovak suppliers).
Overnight Feb 21–22, Russia carried a large, combined drone-and-missile attack against Ukraine, shifting targets from energy to water and railway infrastructure. Ukraine’s air force downed about 274 drones and 33 missiles (including Iskander, Zircon, and Kh-101 types), with strikes hitting Kyiv, Odesa, and other oblasts. Casualties included at least 19 civilians injured and one killed, and power outages affected thousands in Mykolaiv. Ukrainian officials warn Russia will continue to degrade Ukraine’s infrastructure while Kyiv and its allies monitor further escalation.
Ukraine is outmatched by Russia and Western analysts say Kyiv would need a massive manpower and weapons boost—about 250,000 more troops—to have a viable chance of winning as Moscow presses its offensive.
Two Pakistani soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed when an explosive-laden motorcycle rammed a security convoy during a military operation in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; the army said at least five militants, including a suicide bomber, were killed and credited stopping the bomber to avert a major catastrophe, while vowing to continue operations against the TTP.
After a two-month standoff, the United States has mounted a major military build-up but still has not ordered an attack on Iran, leaving Trump to choose between striking Iran or retreating, with wide implications for regional security and diplomacy.
A Russian lieutenant colonel known as Executioner, once celebrated in propaganda, faces trial on accusations that he and another commander in the elite 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade ran a scheme in which soldiers and medics shot themselves to secure battlefield-injury payouts, defrauding the army of about 200 million rubles; he denies the specifics but acknowledges a payouts scheme.