In a field in southern Ukraine, soldiers scrawled sardonic messages on a sleek grey attack drone that would soon be hunting Russian ships on the Black Sea — part of a widening Ukrainian campaign to isolate Crimea and weaken Moscow’s war effort.Operating far behind the front line on Ukraine’s sweeping steppe, such units have hit more than 180 vessel...

COLOGNE, Germany — The German government is pulling back two navy ships from the Gulf of Aden sent there weeks ago on stand-by to support an eventual post-war Strait of Hormuz security mission, as hope is fading in Berlin that the conflict in Iran will end anytime soon.Defense leaders ordered the mine hunter Fulda and the support vessel Mosel to re...

The Pentagon on Thursday nominated Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral to serve as the next commander of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa theater. Admiral, who currently serves as the commander of III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas, could take over the top job from Gen. Christopher Donahue, who unexpectedly relinquished command earlier this month after only 18 mo...

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The Indonesian Air Force will soon add yet another aircraft type to its eclectic fleet, after a deal with Leonardo for a dozen M-346F Block 20 light fighters was announced this week.Lorenzo Mariani, Leonardo’s CEO and General Manager, said: “The introduction of the M-346F in Indonesia provides clear evidence not only of ...

KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter jet for the first time since the American-designed planes arrived on the battlefield in 2024, the top-ranking U.S. general told Congress on Tuesday, emphasizing the impressive progress of Kyiv’s air defense forces in shielding the country’s skies.Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chie...