US President Donald Trump reportedly called SpaceX chief Elon Musk on Wednesday, October 21, urging him to remove restrictions on Ukraine's military-grade satellite internet service. The request followed disruptions to battlefield communications that affected Ukrainian drone operations. Connectivity improved after the conversation, although officials disagreed over whether full service had returned. Trump Musk Starlink Phone Call The rep

Mecca defence pact locks members in for 10 years after the agreement enters into force, while requiring Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to assist one another if a member faces an external armed attack. The newly disclosed pact also details military cooperation, intelligence sharing, logistics and withdrawal procedures. 10-year withdrawal clause The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement will remain in force indefinitely, but a member cannot wit

Hidden camera found aboard Australian Navy ship HMAS Leeuwin has triggered an official investigation after a video recording device was discovered in a cabin. The ADF confirmed the incident as Jacqui Lambie raised sailor privacy concerns and called for answers over possible recordings. HMAS Leeuwin investigation The Australian Defence Force has launched an investigation after a video recording device was found aboard HMAS Leeuwin while t

The USS Lincoln 321-day deployment ended in San Diego on October 8, 2026, after months of US military operations against Iran. The homecoming brought relief to families but also renewed concerns over eight reported suicide attempts, food supplies and sailors' mental health. USS Lincoln Homecoming Ends Record Deployment The USS Abraham Lincoln returned

Pakistan denies PAF strikes against Yemen’s Houthis, rejecting reports that its fighter jets joined combat operations. The controversy comes as the Makkah pact deepens Saudi defence cooperation with Pakistan and Turkiye amid escalating missile and drone attacks. Pakistan denies PAF strikes against Yemen’s Houthis Pakistan has rejected reports that its air force is carrying out strikes against Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, calli

President Donald Trump has approved the Nidal Hasan execution by a US Army firing squad, the Pentagon announced, moving the Fort Hood gunman closer to becoming the first person executed by the US military since 1961. The Army secretary will determine when and where the sentence is carried out. Fort Hood Trump approved the firing-squad execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the met

Turkey Pakistan Saudi troop deployment plans have moved forward after an emergency Riyadh meeting activated practical steps under the Makkah defence pact. The three countries agreed to ensure rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities as Houthi attacks intensify pressure on Saudi security. Rapid Deployment Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye agreed on October 5 to move immediately toward implementing their collective-defence co

Elon Musk is returning to a formal Pentagon advisory role as part of Project Meridian, a new 120-day initiative designed to study how warfare could change over the coming decades. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the effort alongside a broader push to expand autonomous and robotic systems across the US military.  Future war Project Meridian will examine emerging battlefields, technologies and military capabilities rather tha

At least 14 people were reported killed after an aircraft carrying a Congolese military delegation crashed in Kenge on Friday, September 25. Two senior military justice officials were among the victims, while the FARDC has launched an investigation to establish the circumstances and exact cause of the accident. Kenge crash The aircraft went down in Kenge, the capital of Kwango province, while the delegation was returning from an official

The latest Iran casualty update shows the Pentagon’s public wounded count rising by 37 service members, taking the recorded total to 861. The additions include Navy and Marine personnel, while the DCAS data does not publicly explain when or how the newly listed injuries occurred. Navy toll rises with 29 sailors added The latest change includes 29 Navy sailors. A Navy official said the sailors

The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group recorded eight suicide attempts during its prolonged deployment, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao has told Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The disclosure has renewed scrutiny of Navy mental health support, crew welfare and the pressures created by an unusually long deployment that included combat operations connected to the Iran war. Cao said the eight cases involved personnel from across the strike group, including the

China has expelled senior generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the Communist Party and military after investigations found alleged disloyalty, corruption and serious disciplinary violations, marking another major change at the top of the People’s Liberation Army. Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli expelled from party and military

Ukraine plans record defence and security spending of 4.885 trillion hryvnias, about $110 billion, in its draft 2027 budget. The allocation equals 43.8% of projected GDP, while Kyiv says it will need $52.6 billion in international support to keep its wartime finances stable. Ukraine defence budget reaches wartime record Ukraine’s government has proposed 4.885 trillion hryvnias for defence and security in 2027, an increase of 517.9 bill

The Pentagon’s GenAI.mil platform has expanded access to commercial artificial intelligence across the US defence workforce, adding OpenAI’s ChatGPT Mil and Grok for Government alongside Google Gemini. More than 1.7 million users have already accessed the system, while Anthropic’s Claude remains absent following a high-profile dispute over military AI safeguards.

The six-month US-Iran conflict has unexpectedly strengthened the commercial position of the UAE’s EDGE Group, giving domestically developed defence systems real combat exposure. Company executives say the “battle-proven” status of drones, jammers and other equipment is now helping UAE EDGE defence growth and attracting greater international interest. Battle-Proven EDGE Weapons During the conflict, nearly 3,000 missiles and drones reportedly targeted the UAE, putting the country’s air-defence network under sustained pressure. EDGE executives cited in the source material said the fighting provided something the company previously lacked at scale: direct battlefield validation. Khaled Al Zaabi, president of EDGE’s Platforms and Systems cluster, said only a limited number of products could be described as battle-proven before the war. He said that number has now increased significantly, giving the company a stronger selling point when competing for international defence contracts. That matters in an industry where buyers often place a premium on systems that have already operated under real combat conditions rather than laboratory or demonstration environments. UAE Drone Defence The war also highlighted the economics of air defence. The UAE has invested billions of dollars in advanced American systems including Patriot and THAAD, but officials are increasingly focusing on cheaper ways to counter low-cost drones. EDGE executives said locally produced electronic warfare and counter-drone technologies played an important role during the conflict. Company chairman Faisal Al Bannai said locally developed jammers achieved an interception rate of about 85% against incoming drones, according to the source material. The broader challenge is cost. Using an expensive interceptor missile against every low-cost attack drone can become financially unsustainable during prolonged conflicts. EDGE is therefore positioning lower-cost drones, jammers and short-range systems as complementary layers of defence. SkyKnight Air Defence One of EDGE’s important locally developed systems is SkyKnight, a short-range air-defence platform designed to counter rockets, artillery, mortars, drones, cruise missiles and other aerial threats. EDGE says the system can protect infrastructure, military bases, ports and urban areas, with missile interception ranges reaching up to 10 kilometres against several categories of aerial targets. Developing more air-defence capability domestically would also reduce reliance on foreign suppliers while allowing the UAE to respond faster to evolving regional threats. EDGE Global Expansion EDGE, founded in 2019, has expanded rapidly across missiles, drones, armoured vehicles, naval systems and advanced technologies. The source material says international sales accounted for about 70% of the group’s roughly $5 billion in revenue last year. Europe has become a major target for further growth. EDGE officially launched EDGE Europe in June 2026 and established its European headquarters in Paris, alongside plans for engineering and manufacturing operations in France. The move places the Emirati group closer to NATO and European buyers at a time when defence budgets across the continent are rising. Defence Export Ambitions EDGE is also investing in production capacity at home, including facilities for components used in autonomous systems, while expanding partnerships and acquisitions abroad. Its long-term ambition is to become one of the world’s top 10 defence contractors. The US-Iran conflict may have accelerated that strategy by giving its systems battlefield credibility that marketing campaigns cannot easily replicate. The opportunity is significant, but so is the scrutiny. EDGE has faced allegations concerning the possible appearance of UAE-linked equipment in other conflicts, claims the company and UAE authorities have denied. For now, the clearest commercial outcome is that prolonged regional warfare has turned operational experience into a valuable export advantage. If EDGE can convert that battlefield validation into sustained contracts, the conflict may prove to be a major turning point in the UAE’s push to become a globally competitive defence manufacturing hub.

Washington is preparing to sharply reduce direct security assistance to the Kurdish Peshmerga as a four-year agreement approaches expiration, raising concerns over counterterrorism operations, force reforms and stability in northern Iraq. US–Peshmerga Agreement Nears Its End The US Department of Defense has reportedly informed officials in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region that it does not

Former NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is returning to active-duty military service after nearly a decade with the space agency, closing a remarkable chapter that included work as an astronaut, engineer and International Space Station crew member. Kim will continue serving as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy and is expected to work in naval aviation training after leaving NASA. Reflecting on his time with the agency, Kim said serving NASA and contributing to space explorat

Trump Korea drill cuts have changed the scale of one of Washington’s most important military exercises in Asia. President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to sharply reduce US participation in drills with South Korea, citing their cost and his effort to reopen diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. ROK drills reduced after Trump order

Official Pentagon data for FY2025 shows a further US military assault decline, with estimated unwanted sexual contact falling among active-duty women and men. The 2025 survey also found a higher reporting rate, while total sexual assault reports declined from recent years. Pentagon data The FY2025 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military found that estimated unwanted sexual contact fell

Pakistan has formally expanded Asim Munir powers through new defence legislation that places joint operational command of the Army, Navy and Air Force under the Chief of Defence Forces. The law also gives the CDF broad personnel powers and establishes a new Defence Forces Headquarters. Pakistan defence law reshapes military command Pakista