San Marino, a tiny micro-state, is causing concern for its much larger neighbor, Italy, due to its friendly relations with Russia. According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), social and political trends in the world’s fifth-smallest country closely mirror those of Italy. However, Italy is a founding member of NATO and supports Ukraine against Russia.…

The dominance of drones in Ukraine is giving rise to another trend: Franken-systems. Whether it is decades-old, American-made HAWK air defense missiles mounted to Soviet-era launchers or World War I and II era machine guns mounted together, the drive to down drones created innovative solutions on the battlefield. But Rheinmetall, one of the largest defense…

In the wake of the Ukraine war, Europe has expelled hundreds of Russian diplomats. NATO member Germany believes this has hampered Russia’s espionage activities, forcing them to resort to blackmail and cyberattacks. Recently, NATO General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the alliance will take tougher action against Russian spies in response to Putin’s “hostile activities.” Watch…

Ukraine is set to receive at least 60 F-16 fighter jets from allies in Belgium, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. Ukrainian forces have already begun employing the ATACMS artillery systems against Russian air defense batteries, with several recent successful strikes against the elite Russian Belbek S-400 air defense systems. Watch the above video as Straight…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 14 rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conditions for peace talks, comparing them to Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938-1939. Putin said earlier on June 14 that, as a condition for peace negotiations, Ukrainian troops must leave Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. He added that Ukraine must recognize…

The head of the Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick Garland, held in contempt of Congress. And “life-threatening” flooding in south Florida as more torrential rain is expected Thursday. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, June 13, 2024. Attorney General Merrick Garland held in contempt of Congress In an effort led…

Three Russian warships and a nuclear-powered submarine performed drills in the Atlantic Ocean en route to Cuba on Tuesday, June 11. The drills are part of what is believed to be a Moscow military flex amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and Kazan nuclear-powered submarine simulated…

This week Weapons and Warfare is all about drones. Host Ryan Robertson talks with some former Air Force leaders and defense and security experts on what U.S. national defense is doing right, and where it needs to improve when it comes to drones in the hands of today’s operators. Also featured in this episode: You…

In the modern military sense of the word, drones have been around for over a century. In 1907, three French inventors developed the first quadcopter. It took four men to fly it and could only get two feet off the ground, but it marked the launching point for the drones in use today. The first…

Ukraine may be seizing the momentum on the battlefield, or at least making sure Russia loses it. Before the arrival of more Western weapons to Ukraine, Russia spent the last few months making small but extremely costly gains, stretching Ukrainian forces almost to the brink. Now, Ukrainian forces stabilized the northern frontlines. Russia is trying…