Breaking Defense Middle East Bureau Chief Agnes Helou recently returned from Turkey’s EFES 2026 multinational exercise, which for the first time included participants from Syria and Egypt, along with a host of returning partner forces. In this edition of the Middle East Defense Digest, Helou shares footage from the day and nighttime drills and describes…
A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber plane crashed on Monday in Siberia’s Irkutsk region during a training flight, the Russian Defence Ministry said, but the aircraft’s four-person crew had managed to safely eject. The Tu-22, which can carry hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles and is code-named “Backfire” by NATO, is a Soviet-era supersonic bomber that Russia has since…
PARIS — France will test its artificial intelligence-powered battlefield command system with allies during a NATO interoperability exercise this month, as an alternative to the Maven Smart System developed by Palantir Technologies, said Gen. Patrick Justel, deputy chief of the French Army staff. The French have been developing the system with local companies including Mistral…
CLARK, Philippines — “In the big scheme of things, our highest duty is to deter,” Gen. Ronald Clark, commander of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), says. “For those of us that have served in conflict and served in combat, that’s really what it’s about – deterring war. The best way to do that is to be…
Two U.S. service members participating in the African Lion joint military exercises were reported missing near the city of Tan Tan in southern Morocco, U.S. Africa Command and the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces said on Sunday. U.S., Moroccan and other partner forces have launched coordinated search-and-rescue operations — using ground, air and maritime assets —…
The U.S. Army is searching for two service members who went missing while taking part in a joint military exercise in Morocco, according to a statement released by the U.S. Africa Command on Sunday. The service members were reported missing on Saturday near Cap Draa Training Area, in southwestern Morocco, along the Atlantic Ocean. They…
A large study published in The BMJ suggests that aerobic activities such as walking, cycling, and swimming are the most effective exercises for people with knee osteoarthritis. These activities were found to provide the greatest improvements in pain, physical function, walking ability, and overall quality of life. Researchers note that while other types of exercise…
When King Charles’s mother became the first British monarch to address the United States Congress in 1991, she spoke in the aftermath of the US-led response to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, in which more than 50,000 UK troops participated. Queen Elizabeth II used the occasion to celebrate the role of the transatlantic alliance in upholding the rule…
Regularly engaging in a variety of physical activities could be one of the most effective ways to extend lifespan, according to research published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine. The findings suggest the relationship is not simply about doing more exercise. Instead, benefits appear to level off after a certain point, indicating there may…
Whenever I hit the leaderboard at Orangetheory, I post the triumph to Instagram stories with the same caption: “My midlife crisis is going great!” This is the most mortifying collection of words I have ever written, but it is my truth. Midlife crises are not the universal experience that they are often made out to…
