If you’ve ever introduced yourself as an Army or Air Force member at a joint command and tried to address a sailor by rank, you have probably been corrected — politely, or not. The Navy does not use rank for enlisted personnel the way every other branch does. It uses a system of rate and rating that is more specific, more layered and considerably more confusing until someone explains it clearly. The Three Terms and What Each One Means Pay grade is the starting point and the one term that works across all branches. E-1 through E-9 for enlisted, W-1…
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was already having a bad year. In April, President Donald Trump signed H.J. Res. 140, overturning a 20-year rule that protected 225,504 acres of Superior National Forest from mineral and geothermal leasing. The decision reopened the surrounding national forest land to potential mineral development. Now, wildfires have shut down the wilderness entirely. The U.S. Forest Service closed all public access to the Boundary Waters at 12 a.m. Tuesday, July 14, as fires spread amid unusually hot, dry, and windy weather. The closure covers the entire 1-million–acre wilderness and approximately 1,900 campsites. The Forest Service…
Last year, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said you cannot jail your way out of violence. He called incarceration racist, immoral, and unholy. In other words, people shouldn’t go to prison for their misdeeds. This, of course, is the same Brandon Johnson who canceled the city’s contract with ShotSpotter because it was racist, yet still hasn’t bothered to find a replacement, like he said he would.But, hey, I’m sure all of this is working out well. After all, Illinois has a ton of gun control on the books because people in Chicago demanded it. I guess…
A Yellowstone tourist who was launched into the air by a charging bison is finally sharing his side of the story. And says he’s lucky to be alive. According to the TODAY show, 65-year-old Carl McDaniel is recovering after suffering a broken femur in four places when a massive bison attacked him last week in Yellowstone National Park. The frightening encounter, caught on video, quickly went viral. McDaniel told CNN he and his grandson were about 100 yards from the animal, taking a few photos before continuing on their way. Wildlife photographer Mike McLeod, who filmed the incident, said the…
Former Navy Secretary John Phelan is calling on the help of Congress and the Pentagon to help the Navy work better, faster and smarter to keep up with U.S. adversaries. Phelan, in a new op-ed published Tuesday in The Washington Post, “The depleted Navy needs immediate rebuilding as dangers rise,” argues that the United States is at most responsible for the current state of the naval fighting force. His heeded warning comes amid an ongoing war in Iran played on the backdrop of the major international shipping channel, the Strait of Hormuz, which has been strategically used by Iran to…
Iran has warned that during attacks by the United States on Iran and its interests, the Strait of Hormuz will never be reopened. Iranian military spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will fight for control of the vital waterway “until their last breath.” The United States president, Donald Trump, also delusionally claimed that US military forces are “taking over” the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key global energy supply bottleneck. The US would then charge vessels “20% on all cargo shipped” in exchange for protection. Washington would also reinstate its blockade of Iranian…
Among 2026’s most hotly anticipated action games, Beast of Reincarnation might be the most unexpected. Coming from longtime Pokemon developer Game Freak, Beast of Reincarnation feels like a clear line in the sand, an emblem of the company’s ambitions beyond turn-based creature-collecting. After going hands-on with Beast of Reincarnation, GameRant sat down with Game Director Kota Furushima to talk about its goals, influences, gameplay-story connection, and more. The following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity. This interview was conducted via a Japanese-English interpreter. Kota Furushima Talks Koo, Beast of Reincarnation’s Cute Canine Companion GameRant: Beast of Reincarnation has…
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he will respond to Ukraine’s recent strikes. As Ukraine continues to suffer setbacks on the battlefield, it has stepped up drone strikes on civilian targets and infrastructure, to which Putin says retaliation will be “several times” more powerful. Ukraine has recently intensified drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure using Western aid and resources. It has also attacked residential areas in recent months, amid launching several hundred unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) a day on average. First-person view, or FPV, drones, including artificial intelligence-assisted models, have increasingly targeted passenger buses and private vehicles. Putin made the…
Beginning this week, adults in Kentucky who are under the age of 21 can exercise their right to bear arms either openly or concealed, though they still have more hoops to jump through than those 21 and older. Lawmakers in the Bluegrass state approved HB 312 earlier this year, and ultimately overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto, setting up a “provisional” concealed carry permit for adults 18-to-20-years-old. The biggest difference between the provisional carry permit and the concealed carry license available for adults over the age of 21 is that the provisional license is recognized only within…
In the midst of the gun debate, we tend to focus on two time periods. One is, obviously, the time when the Second and the Fourteenth Amendments were ratified. Under the Bruen doctrine, this is important as it gives us an idea of what those who ratified saw as just infringements on our gun rights. Looking there makes sense. But the other time period is here and now. It’s not even really what’s happening, but the perception of what’s happening. Gun control advocates tell us that the Second Amendment is antiquated, that it’s a relic from…
Many people have trouble combining calisthenics and running on a fitness test such as the Air Force Special Warfare Initial Fitness Test (IFT) or the Navy Special Warfare/Special Ops Physical Screening Test (PST). These fitness tests require doing a series of calisthenics then running, with rest or transition periods between events. The calisthenics are pushups, situps and pullups performed to maximum effort. This three-exercise combination fills the upper-body muscles with blood, making the run after these sections of the test more challenging than when running fresh. To decrease the difficulty, we do something called “the PFT transition.” Practicing the PT…
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) plans to reintroduce an amendment removing a provision from the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would substantially expand military technology cooperation between the United States and Israel. The provision, which was renumbered from Section 224, would establish a United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative. It would require the defense secretary to appoint an official responsible for coordinating joint research, testing, weapons development, technology integration and industrial cooperation between the two countries. The initiative would cover areas including missile defense, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, quantum technology, electronic warfare and weapons co-production. Massie…
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. launched strikes on Iran early Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump vowed to reinstate an American blockade of Iranian ports and charge ships for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with attacks on Middle East allies of the U.S. The actions leave in tatters an interim deal meant to pause the fighting, reopen a waterway that is a crucial passage for the world’s energy supplies, and give negotiators time to hammer out a permanent end to the war. Instead, fighting has once again engulfed the region and threatened the…
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The Veterans United Foundation (VUF) has reached a new milestone in its continuing efforts to support veterans, surviving spouses, and the children of fallen service members. The nonprofit organization recently awarded a record $200,000 in scholarships to a group of military-connected individuals to fund degrees in fields ranging from medicine, engineering, social work and public policy. This year’s class of 25 awardees has received the largest scholarship total in the program’s history. “For many of our recipients, this scholarship removes a barrier that has been standing between them and a goal they’ve been working toward for years,” Molly Froidl, a…
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Watch full video on YouTube
Watch full video on YouTube
Watch full video on YouTube
Watch full video on YouTube
