Army to Disband Experimental Drone Battalion in Europe After Less Than a Year

The unit will return to its airborne infantry mission after Saber Junction, but Army leaders say the experiment’s lessons will inform a broader push to embed drones across combat formations.

WASHINGTON | The U.S. Army is ending its experiment with a dedicated drone battalion in Europe less than a year after assigning an infantry unit to test how a specialized unmanned formation could operate on a modern battlefield.

The battalion will return to its airborne infantry mission following the conclusion of Exercise Saber Junction 2026, an Army official said Thursday. The multinational training event is scheduled across August and September at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany.

The official, who spoke on background, did not identify the battalion or disclose how many soldiers participated in the experiment. The decision was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The Army’s move does not signal an end to its drone modernization campaign. Instead, it could indicate that service leaders increasingly favor distributing unmanned aircraft, electronic warfare systems and counter-drone capabilities across existing combat formations rather than maintaining a stand-alone drone battalion.

That distinction will be closely watched across the Pentagon as the U.S. military races to absorb lessons from Ukraine, where small unmanned aircraft have transformed reconnaissance, targeting, logistics and direct attack operations.

Iran War Exposes U.S. Navy’s Operational-Tempo Crisis

Extended carrier deployments, strained logistics, maintenance backlogs and exhausted crews reveal the mounting cost of asking an undersized fleet to sustain worldwide commitments.

WASHINGTON | The U.S. Navy entered the war with Iran carrying years of accumulated operational debt. Months of combat operations, blockade enforcement and crisis deployments have now brought that debt into sharper focus.

The strain can be seen aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, whose deployment was extended as the Navy sustained operations in the Middle East. It can also be measured in delayed maintenance, overworked crews, disrupted supply networks and increasingly difficult decisions about where the service can maintain a credible carrier presence.

U.S. Central Command says more than 200 aircraft and warships supported the maritime blockade against Iran in the spring, including the Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike groups. The operation redirected more than 100 commercial vessels by late May, according to an official CENTCOM release.

That operational achievement came at a significant cost.

The Navy has spent decades trying to meet expanding global missions with a fleet whose ships, shipyards and crews have repeatedly struggled to keep pace. The Iran conflict did not create those problems. It exposed how little margin remains when a regional crisis becomes a sustained military campaign.

Pentagon Says 757 U.S. Troops Wounded in Iran War as Casualty Toll and Costs Rise

Updated Defense Department figures put U.S. losses at 18 service members killed and 757 wounded as the nearly six-month conflict strains personnel, readiness and Pentagon resources.

WASHINGTON | More than 750 American service members have been wounded in the war with Iran, according to newly reported Pentagon casualty data, providing a clearer picture of the human cost of a conflict that has also consumed tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military resources.

The latest figures show 757 U.S. service members wounded and 18 killed since the conflict began on Feb. 28. Associated Press reporting based on Pentagon data says more than 580 of those wounded are Army soldiers, while the Defense Department and U.S. Central Command have released relatively few details about how individual troops were injured. Some of the reported injuries have involved traumatic brain injuries.

The casualty update represents a significant increase from earlier stages of the campaign and comes as U.S. forces remain engaged across a volatile Middle East security environment.

The growing personnel toll is unfolding alongside an increasingly expensive military campaign. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee in July that the direct costs associated with the war in Iran had reached approximately $37.5 billion. At that hearing, Pentagon leaders sought another $67.1 billion in supplemental defense funding, including money for the conflict, munitions, drones, and other military requirements.

Kayla Briggs Delivers Late Winner as No. 5/6 Michigan State Escapes Loyola, 1-0

Briggs breaks through in the 83rd minute, while Noelle Henning records her second straight shutout ahead of a top-10 showdown at North Carolina

EAST LANSING, Mich. | Michigan State controlled the pressure, dominated the shot count and spent much of Wednesday night searching for one decisive finish.

Senior Kayla Briggs finally delivered it.

Briggs scored in the 83rd minute to lift the No. 5/6 Spartans to a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Loyola at DeMartin Stadium, breaking through a compact defensive scheme that frustrated Michigan State for most of the match.

The goal was Briggs’ second of the season—and her second game-winner—as Michigan State remained patient despite generating 21 shots and 14 corner kicks. Loyola consistently crowded the penalty area, blocked shooting lanes and forced the Spartans to work for every opportunity.

Michigan State’s persistence eventually proved decisive.

Kennedy Bell started the winning sequence with a pass to Ava Lutke on the left side. Lutke moved the ball to Bella Najera, whose attempt near the left post was blocked by a Loyola defender. Briggs collected the rebound, faked a shot to evade the defender, shifted the ball to her right and then fired across her body into the bottom-left corner.

After more than 82 minutes of resistance, Loyola’s defensive wall had finally cracked.

UC San Diego Women’s Soccer Hits the Road for Tests Against UNLV, Northern Arizona

Tritons look to build on four-goal breakout as they visit Las Vegas and Flagstaff for their first road matches of the season

LA JOLLA, Calif. | UC San Diego women’s soccer will take its early-season momentum on the road this week when the Tritons face UNLV in Las Vegas before traveling to Flagstaff for a matchup against Northern Arizona.

UC San Diego enters the two-game road swing with a 1-1-0 record after producing an impressive four-goal performance against Utah Tech last Saturday. The offensive breakthrough gave the Tritons their first victory of the season and provided a confidence boost ahead of their first matches away from home.

The road trip begins Thursday against UNLV, with kickoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Las Vegas. UC San Diego will then head to Arizona to face Northern Arizona at 1 p.m. Sunday in Flagstaff.

The back-to-back contests should provide an early measure of the Tritons’ ability to translate their home-field success into road results. Playing in two different environments within a matter of days will test UC San Diego’s depth, defensive organization and ability to maintain its attacking rhythm.

National Aviation Day 2026: America Celebrates the Legacy—and Future—of Flight

From the Wright Brothers to a New Generation of Aviation Technology, National Aviation Day Highlights an Industry That Connects Communities, Drives Commerce and Keeps America Moving

WASHINGTON | More than a century after two bicycle mechanics helped usher in the age of powered flight, aviation remains one of the most consequential forces shaping American commerce, transportation, national security and technological innovation.

On Wednesday, August 19, the United States marks National Aviation Day, an annual observance honoring the achievements of American aviation and highlighting the pilots, air traffic controllers, airport professionals, mechanics, engineers, airline employees, manufacturers, and countless others responsible for keeping the nation's aviation system moving.

The observance is held each year on the birthday of Orville Wright, who was born Aug. 19, 1871. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Aug. 19 as National Aviation Day in 1939, establishing a national commemoration of the country's rapidly developing aviation industry.

The symbolism remains powerful in 2026.

What began with the Wright brothers' historic 12-second powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on Dec. 17, 1903, has evolved into an aviation network connecting communities and economies on a scale almost unimaginable to the pioneers of flight.

Congressman Shomari Figures Announces $8.5 Million for Montgomery Regional Airport Runway Rehabilitation

Federal investment targets critical runway infrastructure at MGM as Montgomery positions its airport for safer operations, passenger growth and expanded regional economic development

MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Montgomery Regional Airport is set to receive more than $8.5 million in federal funding for runway rehabilitation, a major infrastructure investment aimed at strengthening the airport's operational safety and reliability while positioning MGM for continued passenger and economic growth.

U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures joined Montgomery Regional Airport officials and community leaders at MGM at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, to announce the funding for rehabilitation of the airport's existing runway. Contemporary reporting on the event confirms the $8.5 million announcement and its purpose: runway rehabilitation.

The investment comes as airports across the country compete for federal dollars to modernize aging aviation infrastructure and improve the safety and efficiency of the national transportation network.

For Montgomery, however, the announcement carries implications that extend well beyond the pavement.

The runway is a critical piece of infrastructure supporting commercial passenger service, business and general aviation, military operations, and the broader economic development strategy of Alabama's capital region.

Louisiana Republicans Call for UCMJ Overhaul, Independent Review of Contested Military Convictions

State GOP resolution urges Congress to create a military conviction-integrity board, strengthen due-process protections and consider clemency for service members alleging wrongful convictions

BATON ROUGE, La. | The Republican Party of Louisiana is calling for sweeping changes to the U.S. military justice system, urging Congress to establish an independent body to review contested convictions of American service members and to strengthen due-process protections under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The Louisiana Republican State Central Committee approved the resolution on Aug. 15, 2026, framing the issue as both a defense of American war fighters and a broader challenge to how allegations of wrongful conviction are handled within the military justice system.

The resolution, titled “To Defend the Honor of America’s War Fighters and Secure Justice for the Wrongfully Accused Under the UCMJ,” argues that some veterans of conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other hostile theaters have returned home facing accusations and convictions they contend were unjust. The document alleges that political pressure and institutional incentives can distort military prosecutions, assertions that the resolution itself advances rather than independently establishes.

Louisiana GOP Targets Military Justice System

At the center of the resolution is a proposal for Congress to establish an independent Military Innocence and Conviction Integrity Review Board.

Alaska Senate Candidates Attempt to Link Each Other to Epstein

In Alaska’s toss-up Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola has put out a new ad misleadingly accusing Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of casting “the deciding vote” to keep the Epstein files “hidden.” While Sullivan voted against considering an amendment to an otherwise unrelated bill that would have released the files earlier, he, like the rest of the Senate, supported a bill to make the records public. 

The Peltola ad also seeks to tie Sullivan to the late convicted sex offender through donations from “Epstein associates.” The Peltola campaign points to donations from two people to Sullivan’s campaign who were either listed in Epstein’s contact list or are referenced in Epstein emails that have been publicly released. Neither is alleged to have committed any crimes in connection with Epstein.

The ad also criticizes Sullivan for taking money from a man accused of sex trafficking. Sullivan did accept small campaign donations from a Republican political operative accused in February of sex trafficking. But the donations were made before the charges came to light. And soon after the man’s arrest, the Sullivan campaign donated the contributions to a local charity.

Wright’s Hairsplitting Statements About Canceled Energy Grants in Blue States

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has repeatedly denied that politics were involved in the termination of more than 280 grants last October. A court filing made public in July, however, shows that Energy Department lawyers admitted that the only reason those awards, and not others, were canceled was that the grant recipients were in states that vote for Democrats.

Wright and the department have maintained that political considerations did not factor into the original selection of grants for termination, which included awards in both blue and red states for clean energy or energy efficiency projects. But in terms of which grants were ultimately cut, whether they were located in a state that voted for President Donald Trump mattered.

Trump Uses Deceptive Chart in False Inflation Boast

In a recent interview, President Donald Trump falsely claimed to be the “lowest of the last 10 presidents on inflation,” seemingly based on a chart Trump posted to social media that misleadingly compares price growth over the first 18 months of his second term with total inflation at the end of his predecessors’ full four-year terms. 

For that comparison to hold, of course, you have to assume inflation will be 0% for the next two and a half years — a highly implausible scenario. 

A more telling comparison is to look at where inflation stood 18 months into each of the last 10 presidential terms. By that metric, Trump doesn’t have the lowest inflation at this point in his term, but rather the fourth highest. 

Trump posted the video infographic — which appears to come from an Instagram creator of “viral money charts” — on his Truth Social account Aug. 9. Titled “Inflation by Presidency” and scored to dramatic music, it purports to show cumulative inflation for each of the last 10 presidential terms (not presidents) at months one through 48. The rankings change each month as total inflation grows.

After 18 months, however, the “Trump II” inflation total stops growing — because the rest of his presidency hasn’t happened yet — while the others continue to climb. As a result, Trump’s second term drops in the rankings and is shown to have the lowest cumulative inflation after 48 months.