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Fauci’s Own Words Come Back to Haunt Him After Pleading the Fifth Over a Hundred Times [WATCH]
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Fauci’s Own Words Come Back to Haunt Him After Pleading the Fifth Over a Hundred Times [WATCH]

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Dr. Anthony Fauci is discovering that old television clips have a nasty habit of surviving, especially when they collide with new testimony on Capitol Hill.

His 2022 promise that he had nothing to hide is now looking like one of Washington’s more spectacular about faces.

Back then, Fauci sounded eager, almost cheerful, about the prospect of congressional scrutiny.

“I am very happy to testify before any congressional oversight committee,” he told CNN in 2022.

He did not stop there. “I have nothing to hide. I can explain and validate everything that I’ve done… I’m going to do what I need to do, and that is cooperate fully, because we have nothing to hide at all,” he added.

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Fast forward to Wednesday, and the former face of the federal Covid response had a very different message for the Senate.

Rather than explain and validate everything, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times.

Under the guidance of his attorneys, Fauci declined to answer questions from Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and others on the committee.

The subjects included his role in the pandemic response and questions surrounding gain of function research.

The contrast was impossible to miss. In 2022, Fauci sounded like a man eager to clear the air, but in the hearing room, he sounded like a man whose lawyers had replaced the old media script with a much shorter one.

Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Fauci for comment about his earlier statement.

The silence around that request only added more fuel to a story already loaded with political dynamite.

Fauci argued during the hearing that Paul has an “obvious obsession” with trying to see him prosecuted.

That is a familiar Washington move, when pressed on substance, question the motives of the person asking the questions.

He also claimed Paul’s release of more than 1,000 pages from his personal diaries was designed to “get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, behind bars, unquote.”

Fauci told the committee that he respected the legislative branch and had a long record of cooperating with Congress.

Then, following his attorneys’ advice, he invoked his constitutional right not to answer the committee’s questions.

Paul, who has led the push to scrutinize Fauci’s conduct, is not treating the Fifth Amendment pleas as the end of the matter.

He is now raising a sharp legal question tied to Fauci’s reported presidential pardon.

“The legal question is, if you’re pardoned, can you really claim the Fifth?” Paul asked during an appearance on “The Will Cain Show.”

That question matters because the Fifth Amendment is designed to protect witnesses from incriminating themselves.

Paul’s point is that if a pardon already removes criminal exposure, then the legal ground beneath Fauci’s refusal may not be as solid as his attorneys would like.

For years, Fauci enjoyed a level of media protection usually reserved for liberal icons and endangered Democratic talking points.

He was presented as the voice of science, while Americans who questioned school closures, mandates, origins theories, or federal guidance were treated like troublemakers.

Now the same man who repeatedly assured the public that he could explain everything has chosen not to answer anything.

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That is a remarkable development for someone who became one of the most powerful unelected officials in America during the pandemic.

The newly released diary materials have also intensified scrutiny of Fauci’s mindset during the crisis.

Critics say they reveal a public health official deeply aware of his celebrity status while the country was still reeling from deaths, lockdowns, and economic chaos.

Paul is seeking a vote to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after the former public health official refused to answer questions 111 times.

That effort sets up another major fight over accountability for the decisions made during the pandemic years.

Millions of Americans remember the closed classrooms, ruined businesses, forced masking, shifting guidance, and smug lectures from the expert class.

They were told to stop asking questions and trust the science, and now the man most associated with that command is leaning on the Fifth.

Fauci may have had plenty to say on CNN when friendly cameras were rolling.

But under oath, before a Senate committee, his famous confidence suddenly gave way to silence, and that silence is now the story.

Mamdani’s Judiciary Panel Sparks Fury After Stunning Jewish Lawyer Omission [WATCH]
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Mamdani’s Judiciary Panel Sparks Fury After Stunning Jewish Lawyer Omission [WATCH]

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New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has managed to find yet another controversy, which at this point is starting to look less like bad luck and more like a governing style.

The latest uproar centers on his newly announced advisory committee for judicial nominations, and critics say the panel is missing a rather obvious part of the city it is supposed to represent.

Mamdani has already drawn heavy criticism for a parade of radical statements and policy ideas.

He wrongly suggested he might have some power to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, floated a messy pied à terre tax plan, and pushed his government grocery scheme that would use taxpayer money to open stores, then use more taxpayer money to sell staples below market prices.

Now the mayor is facing questions over his 18-member Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.

The group is supposed to help advise him on judicial nominations, a task that carries real weight in a city where the courts touch everything from crime to housing to business disputes.

The problem, according to several Jewish legal organizations, is that the committee appears to include no Jewish members.

In New York City, where Jews make up roughly 10 percent of the population and are deeply represented in the legal profession, that omission did not exactly pass unnoticed.

Some estimates place Jewish lawyers at between 35 and 50 percent of the New York City legal community.

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In other words, assembling a judiciary advisory panel in New York without a single Jewish attorney, former judge, or legal professional is not just an oversight critics are willing to shrug off.

“Your recent announcement of appointees to the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary has left us deeply disappointed,” read a joint letter from the leaders of the Queens Brandeis Association, Jewish Lawyers Guild, the Brooklyn Brandeis Society and the Bronx County Jewish Bar Association.

The groups did not dance around the issue. “Not a single Jewish attorney, former judge or legal professional was appointed to a committee your administration described as one that would be ‘truly reflective of New York City,’” the letter continued.

That line cuts directly at Mamdani’s preferred branding.

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The mayor and his allies love to talk about representation and inclusion, right up until the people asking to be included are inconvenient for the left wing narrative.

One rejected candidate, attorney Arthur Leventhal, reportedly said a Mamdani spokesperson claimed he was passed over because his firm had represented Ghislaine Maxwell on an appeal issue.

Leventhal noted that this is what defense attorneys do and said he hoped the lack of Jewish members was “not intentional.”

The letter from Jewish legal leaders also placed the committee dispute in a broader context.

They said the decision “follows a troubling pattern that has left many Jewish New Yorkers feeling increasingly marginalized” after Mamdani rejected the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and omitted Jewish neighborhoods from a map of immigrant enclaves in the city.

That is not a small complaint in a city already dealing with rising antisemitic incidents and growing hostility from the radical left toward Israel.

Mamdani’s own rhetoric has only added fuel to the fire, especially with his attacks on Netanyahu and his posture toward Israel.

Mamdani previously released a video calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” and saying “we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people.”

Two days later, two men were stabbed, including a Jewish man wearing a yarmulke, and the suspect allegedly yelled, “Allahu akbar.”

No responsible person should claim one political video caused one criminal attack without evidence.

Still, in a city where public rhetoric matters, leaders do not get to pretend their words float harmlessly into the air while tensions are already boiling.

The ADL also called out the situation, adding to the pressure on Mamdani.

For a mayor who promised a government reflecting New York City, leaving Jewish legal professionals off a judiciary advisory panel has become a glaring political problem.

The mayor’s defenders may try to explain it away as coincidence, process, or some bureaucratic mishap.

But many New Yorkers are looking at the full picture and seeing the same pattern again, radical politics first, everyone else later.

Mamdani’s socialist agenda was already alarming enough for taxpayers, business owners, and anyone who prefers grocery stores run by grocers instead of City Hall dreamers.

Now his judicial advisory controversy has added another question for New Yorkers, who exactly counts in this administration’s version of representation.

NYC Shops Busted for Allegedly Letting EBT Cards Buy Drugs Outside SNAP Rules [WATCH]
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NYC Shops Busted for Allegedly Letting EBT Cards Buy Drugs Outside SNAP Rules [WATCH]

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New York City store clerks are now under scrutiny after an O’Keefe Media Group investigation accused multiple shops of allowing customers to use Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to buy Kratom, a drug like herbal product that is not covered under the federal food stamp program.

According to the report, James O’Keefe and his team recorded store workers allegedly processing purchases of Kratom with cards tied to government benefits.

If accurate, it is another ugly peek inside a welfare system that taxpayers are constantly told is tightly managed.

Kratom is commonly sold in powders, capsules, and liquid extracts.

Supporters often market it as an energy booster or pain relief option, while the Mayo Clinic has warned that people who use it can place themselves at greater risk of addiction.

Federal rules are not exactly mysterious here. SNAP and EBT benefits are supposed to be limited to eligible food items, not drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or whatever questionable product a corner shop wants to slide across the counter.

OMG reported that its undercover journalists went into several stores and watched clerks allegedly attempt to process Kratom purchases by selecting “EBT Food” or “EBT cash.”

That is not a clerical typo. That is exactly the kind of loophole hunting that makes working Americans wonder who is minding the store.

The outlet also said it called the number on the back of a New York EBT card for clarification.

“A call to the number on the back of a NY EBT card produced further clarification. A representative stated that EBT cards cannot be used to purchase any drugs. However, the same representative acknowledged that once cash is withdrawn from an EBT account via an ATM or terminal, the funds can be spent without restriction,” the report stated.

That admission is the kind of bureaucratic fine print that turns reform talk into a necessity.

The card cannot be used for drugs, but once the money is pulled out as cash, the government apparently throws up its hands and wishes everyone the best.

O’Keefe confronted one clerk over the alleged transaction, and she reportedly asked him for proof.

He then produced a receipt showing the purchase had been run as “Benefit: Food.”

The report said employees denied wrongdoing when confronted.

“When confronted, store employees denied processing the transactions. One location closed its door on our undercover journalists. Our investigation notes that even the attempt to accept SNAP benefits for ineligible items constitutes a crime under New York Penal Law,” OMG stated.

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The accusations land at a time when national attention on EBT and SNAP abuse is already growing.

Americans keep hearing that fraud is rare, yet the stories keep arriving like clockwork from one state after another.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has said SNAP is full of “fraud and abuse and corruption” and needs serious reform.

She reviewed data from 29 states and reportedly found EBT cards carrying balances of more than 10,000 dollars, cards left unused for years, and benefits issued to people who did not exist.

That is not a rounding error.

That is a flashing red light for a program spending massive sums of taxpayer money every single day while politicians lecture voters about compassion and pretend accountability is somehow cruel.

Rollins has said nutrition programs at the Department of Agriculture spend about 400 million dollars in taxpayer funds each day.

When that much money is flowing through a government program, the public has every right to demand clean books, strict enforcement, and consequences for abuse.

Vice President JD Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud has also been working on efforts to address systemic SNAP problems.

The question is whether Washington will finally treat welfare fraud like a real issue instead of a public relations inconvenience.

The Kratom angle adds another layer of concern.

Police in Florida recently said two adults were arrested after the death of a toddler was attributed to her consumption of Kratom pills, a grim reminder that this is not just a harmless checkout line controversy.

If the OMG findings hold up, New York officials should not shrug and move on.

Taxpayers did not sign up to bankroll drug purchases through a program sold to the public as food assistance for needy families.

Bernie Moreno Crushes ‘Piece of Sh*t’ Fauci After Stunning Fifth Amendment Dodge [WATCH]
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Bernie Moreno Crushes ‘Piece of Sh*t’ Fauci After Stunning Fifth Amendment Dodge [WATCH]

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Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio is not backing away from his blistering criticism of Dr. Anthony Fauci after the former COVID czar appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

Fauci, the former NIAID director and the public face of America’s chaotic pandemic response, was called to testify under subpoena before a committee chaired by Senator Rand Paul.

For many Americans who lived through mandates, school closures, ruined businesses, and government lectures, the hearing was long overdue.

The session, titled “Testimony of Anthony Fauci,” began Wednesday morning in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

It followed Paul’s release of what has been described as Fauci’s Diary Package, a collection that raised fresh questions about Fauci’s fixation on fame while the country was staggering under the weight of the pandemic.

Moreno used his time to say what millions of Americans have been thinking for years, especially those who watched bureaucrats gain power while ordinary citizens lost livelihoods.

His confrontation with Fauci quickly became one of the most explosive moments of the hearing.

The Ohio Republican hammered Fauci over what he viewed as narcissistic conduct during a national crisis.

While families were burying loved ones and small businesses were being crushed, Fauci was treated by the corporate press like a medical celebrity instead of a government official who owed the public serious answers.

“Here I am sitting in front of you six years later, saying, who the f**k do you think you were for doing that?!” Moreno asked Fauci.

“It is a total disgrace what you did to this country, and if my Democrat colleagues are standing there defending you, I hope the voters, the United States of America, watch the clips of every one of you doting on a guy who is more interested in being a celebrity than saving American people,” he added.

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That moment alone would have been enough to dominate the day, but Moreno was not finished.

After leaving the hearing, he was approached by The Gateway Pundit’s Alicia Powe, who pressed him on one of the most obvious questions hanging over the entire spectacle.

Powe wanted to know why Fauci was now refusing to answer questions after previously testifying multiple times without the same level of silence.

For a man who spent years appearing on television, issuing sweeping guidance, and scolding Americans from the safety of government authority, the sudden caution did not go unnoticed.

“Senator Bernie Moreno, why do you suspect Anthony Fauci is pleading the fifth after testifying (so many times) before?” she asked.

Moreno did not offer a polished Washington answer or hide behind committee jargon. “Because he’s a piece of sh*t,” Moreno quips.

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That blunt response instantly captured the mood of many Americans who believe Fauci has dodged accountability for too long.

The ruling class may clutch its pearls, but plenty of regular voters are far more interested in answers than in polite theater.

Fauci’s decision to rely on the Fifth Amendment during questioning is certain to fuel more scrutiny.

Democrats and their media allies may try to frame it as routine legal caution, but conservatives see something far more revealing from a man who never seemed shy when cameras were rolling and friendly hosts were tossing soft questions.

The hearing also put Democrats in an uncomfortable position, since several of them continued defending Fauci despite years of public frustration over pandemic policy.

That defense will not be easy to explain to parents, workers, churchgoers, and small business owners who remember exactly how heavy the government boot felt.

Moreno’s message was raw, direct, and impossible to miss.

Fauci may still have admirers in the permanent bureaucracy and legacy media, but in the court of public opinion, the patience of the American people has worn painfully thin.

Coast Guard Drops Hammer on .8 Million Marijuana Haul Near Bahamas
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Coast Guard Drops Hammer on $2.8 Million Marijuana Haul Near Bahamas

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The U.S. Coast Guard and Bahamian forces pulled off another serious maritime interdiction Saturday, seizing roughly 2,380 pounds of suspected marijuana near Great Inagua, Bahamas.

The haul, valued at about $2.8 million, was found aboard a suspected trafficking vessel operating about 80 miles southwest of Great Inagua.

For smugglers hoping the open water would give them cover, that plan aged about as well as most criminal genius schemes do.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton worked alongside the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to board the vessel and inspect what was moving through the area. Once aboard, authorities discovered 97 bales of suspected marijuana.

Three people who were on the vessel were taken into custody and transferred to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force for prosecution.

The suspected narcotics were also turned over to Bahamian authorities as part of the case.

After Chase, US Navy and Coast Guard Intercept 1,296 lbs of Cocaine
U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 105 seized 12 bales of cocaine from a drug smuggling vessel on Aug 11, 2025, in the Eastern Pacific. (MCS2 Sheryssa DoWard/Navy)

“This interdiction highlights the strength of our partnership and our shared commitment to combating transnational organized crime in the region,” Lt. Peter Fager, commanding officer of the Charles Sexton, said in a statement.

“Working together, we continue to disrupt illicit trafficking and protect the security and stability of our maritime borders.”

That partnership matters because the waters around the Bahamas remain a prime route for smugglers trying to move drugs through the region and closer to American communities.

The Caribbean may look calm on a postcard, but for Coast Guard crews, it is a constant operational environment where bad actors test the seams every day.

The operation was carried out in coordination with the Bahamian government and the U.S. Coast Guard Homeland Security Cutter Ocean effort.

That initiative is built around using commercially operated vessels to support Coast Guard cutters while they remain deployed at sea.

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The idea is straightforward and practical, which is probably why it makes so much sense.

Instead of pulling cutters off station and sending them back to port for supplies, the program helps deliver personnel, fuel and other support directly to crews while they continue the mission.

That kind of sustainment can make a major difference for maritime security, especially as Coast Guard crews are asked to cover enormous operating areas with limited time and resources. When a cutter can stay out longer, smugglers have fewer openings to exploit.

“As demands on the Coast Guard continue to grow, we must find innovative ways to sustain our fleet and keep our crews focused on the mission,” Vice Adm. Nate Moore, deputy commandant for operations, said in a statement.

“Homeland Security Cutter-Ocean will help us deliver critical supplies and personnel more efficiently while increasing the endurance and effectiveness of our operational forces.”

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A U.S. Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk out of USCG Air Station Sitka conducts flight operations in support of exercises during SAREX 2026, April 16, 2026. (Alejandro Peña/Alaska National Guard)

Moore’s point is hard to miss. Readiness is not some Pentagon talking point cooked up for a slideshow, it is what decides whether a crew is in the right place at the right time when a drug boat tries to slip through.

The Charles Sexton seizure is also a reminder that counter narcotics work is not abstract policy theater.

Every bale taken off the water is money denied to criminal networks, and every interdiction forces traffickers to absorb another costly failure.

Transnational organized crime groups rely on maritime routes because they believe distance, weather, and jurisdictional boundaries can work in their favor.

But coordinated operations between the Coast Guard and partner nations continue to make that math more painful for them.

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The partial government shutdown is affecting civilian employees, recruiting, maintenance and non-emergency operations. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Thieme/U.S. Coast Guard)

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force plays a critical role in these missions because regional cooperation closes the gaps that smugglers love to exploit.

When American and Bahamian forces operate together, the message is simple enough for even traffickers to understand: the water is being watched.

For the Coast Guard, missions like this sit at the intersection of homeland security, border protection, and national security.

The same crews that handle rescues, patrols, and maritime law enforcement are also standing between criminal networks and the routes they use to push drugs north.

The seizure near Great Inagua will not end the drug trade by itself, of course.

But it does show that aggressive maritime enforcement, backed by smart logistics and strong partnerships, can keep pressure on the networks that profit from chaos.

And for the crew of the Charles Sexton, the result was clear: 97 bales of suspected marijuana removed from the pipeline, three suspects handed over for prosecution, and another reminder that America’s maritime front line is very real.

War Department Launches Sweeping Review of U.S. Force Posture in Europe
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War Department Launches Sweeping Review of U.S. Force Posture in Europe

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The War Department has formally opened its review of America’s military footprint in Europe, launching a process that could shape the future of U.S. troop presence, basing, and force posture across the continent.

The review was first announced last month by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during the NATO ministerial in Brussels, where he described the effort as “a real review” of how America stations and supports forces in Europe.

Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby said Tuesday on X that the War Department had “kicked off” the review, confirming that the effort is now underway inside the department.

At this stage, the War Department has not announced any troop cuts, unit relocations, or base closures as part of the process.

That matters, because the usual Washington rumor mill tends to sprint straight from review to panic before anyone has read a single recommendation.

The department has also not provided a date for when the review’s findings will be released, though Hegseth has said the work is expected to take up to six months, while adding it “could be less.”

The review comes as President Trump’s administration continues pressing European allies to shoulder more of the conventional military burden inside NATO.

That message has been clear for years, even if some European capitals preferred to pretend American taxpayers would keep writing blank checks forever.

Hegseth has framed the review as part of a serious reassessment of U.S. posture worldwide, not simply a Europe only exercise.

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The Pentagon nominated Lt. Gen. Kevin Admiral to replace Gen. Christopher Donahue as the top Army officer for Europe and Africa. Admiral is currently the commanding general of III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, Texas. Army photo by Sgt. Tanner Dibble.

The process will include input from U.S. European Command, consultations with Congress, and discussions with allies, according to the department.

Colby said the review is meant to ensure NATO is “moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe taking primary responsibility for its conventional defense.”

That phrase is doing a lot of work, because it signals that Washington expects Europe to become the lead actor in protecting Europe, while the United States focuses on broader strategic realities.

Colby also said the expected outcome is meant to accelerate NATO’s transition into “a stronger, more equitable, and sustainable alliance.”

In plain English, that means allies who have long enjoyed the American security umbrella are being told to bring more than speeches, conferences, and boutique capabilities to the table.

Trump Reviews Troop Levels in Europe as Germany Footprint Remains a Cornerstone
U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment (1/2CR) exchange patches with German soldiers during a Schuetzenschnur (German weapons proficiency test) event with the German partner unit of 1/2CR, the Panzergrenadierbataillon 112, at Regen, Germany, Sept. 29, 2022. 1/2CR provided an opportunity for exemplary Soldiers to earn a foreign award and to build camaraderie with German Army counterparts in order to strengthen NATO and multinational partnerships. (U.S. Army photo by Markus Rauchenberger)

The War Department said the review will examine whether current U.S. posture in Europe aligns with the 2025 National Security Strategy and the administration’s 2026 military planning priorities.

Colby said the department will build a range of options using “strategic rigor, a strong empirical baseline, and a clear sense of the geopolitical and military realities.”

That approach suggests the administration wants data, force requirements, basing realities, and threat assessments driving the decision, not sentimental attachment to Cold War arrangements.

For troops and families stationed in Europe, the review does not immediately mean orders are changing or installations are being reshuffled.

Still, a formal force posture review is not meaningless paperwork, because these studies often inform major decisions about where America puts combat power, logistics support, headquarters staff, air assets, and rotational units.

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U.S. Patriot missile batteries stand ready in Poland, April 2022. (Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Smith/U.S. Army)

The review also lands at a time when NATO is still wrestling with Russia’s war in Ukraine, persistent instability along Europe’s eastern flank, and the challenge of keeping alliance deterrence credible.

At the same time, the United States is balancing growing concerns in the Indo Pacific, threats from Iran and its proxies, border security demands, and the need to rebuild readiness after years of political distractions.

Colby said he looks forward to working closely with Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, as the review moves forward.

He also said the War Department will conduct “extensive consultations” with European allies, Congress, and other parts of the U.S. government throughout the process.

That consultation piece is important, because any shift in U.S. posture in Europe will draw intense attention from lawmakers, host nations, military families, and commanders responsible for readiness.

U.S. Army Warns Future European Battle Could Demand 1,500 Targets a Day
U.S. soldiers load an M119A3 Howitzer during a live-fire exercise as part of Dynamic Front 26 at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Feb. 9, 2026. (Kevin Sterling Payne/U.S. Army)

But consultation is not the same thing as surrendering the decision to Brussels, Berlin, or the permanent bureaucracy that always finds a reason to preserve the status quo.

The Trump administration’s broader argument is simple: NATO can remain strong only if it becomes fairer, more balanced, and less dependent on the United States carrying the conventional load.

For Hegseth and Colby, the review appears designed to translate that argument into actual posture options, not just another communique full of polished diplomatic fog.

No final recommendations have been announced, and no immediate changes have been ordered.

But the War Department’s Europe review is now officially in motion, and allies across the Atlantic should understand the message: the era of automatic American overextension is getting a hard, serious look.

Ukraine’s F-16s are Being Ground Down by Russia’s Relentless Drone Swarms
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Ukraine’s F-16s are Being Ground Down by Russia’s Relentless Drone Swarms

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Ukraine’s small fleet of F-16 fighters has become one of the most important shields against Russia’s relentless drone attacks, but that success is coming at a serious cost.

The jets are killing drones by the thousands, while also burning through flying hours, maintenance life, and precious missiles that Kyiv cannot easily replace.

Airpower analyst Justin Bronk, writing for the Royal United Services Institute in Britain, said Ukrainian F 16s have destroyed more than 2,500 Geran and Gerbera one way attack drones.

That is an impressive tally, but it also shows the math problem Ukraine now faces because Russia is feeding the fight with industrial scale drone production.

“[The] use of fighters against such drones has consumed an unsustainable number of airframe flying hours and air-to-air missiles … since mid-2024, when the Ukrainian Air Force received its first Western aircraft and trained crews,” the analysis reads.

Bronk added, “Russian industry produces more than 6,000 [one-way attack] drones per month, and fighter aircraft have only a finite number of airframe hours available before they need time consuming deep maintenance cycles to be performed at a factory by expert technicians.”

That is the brutal reality of modern air warfare. A high end fighter can shoot down cheap drones all day, but if the enemy can build thousands more every month, the expensive aircraft eventually starts losing the endurance race.

Ukraine reportedly has about 39 F-16s in service out of roughly 79 pledged by Western European countries.

It also operates a small number of Mirage 2000 5 fighters promised by France, along with older Soviet era Su-27 and MiG-29 aircraft.

The F-16 has still changed the air war in important ways.

It allows Ukraine to launch stand off strikes with American JDAM bombs and French AASM Hammer glide bombs, and an F-16 reportedly shot down a Russian Su-35 over eastern Ukraine earlier this month.

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But the same aircraft that gave Ukraine new reach is now being pulled into the drone grind.

“The F-16 fleet has been over-tasked, mostly by C-UAS [counter-drone] interception duties, for which there is almost unlimited demand over time,” Bronk said.

Ukraine is under pressure from several directions at once. Russia is not only launching drones, but also combining them with cruise missiles such as the Kh-101 and ballistic missiles such as the Iskander M and Kinzhal.

Kyiv has responded by building dense belts of short range air defenses along the front and around key cities. Those defenses include short range missiles, anti aircraft guns, machine gun teams, mobile crews, and locally built interceptor drones.

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“What unites all these mobile air defense teams and counter-drone teams is that their equipment and ammunition is relatively cheap and thus their operations are sustainable,” the RUSI analysis noted.

“However, they are relatively personnel intensive to deploy at scale and require both force density and geographical depth to be effective.”

That creates another hard lesson for NATO planners, especially the ones who spent years pretending cheap threats could be handled by PowerPoint doctrine and procurement committees. Ukraine’s model works because it is dense, manpower heavy, and constantly adapted under fire.

“NATO cannot replicate the density of SHORAD defenses that Ukraine deploys for C-UAS coverage, due to the huge personnel requirements of doing so on a sustainable basis,” Bronk said.

The better answer may be layered protection for the most important sites, including airfields, command posts, and logistics hubs.

U.S. Sends Retired F-16s from 'Boneyard' to Ukraine for Spare Parts

Radar guided guns and cheaper aircraft launched drone killers such as APKWS II rockets could help reduce the burden on manned fighters.

Still, short range air defense does not solve the cruise missile and ballistic missile problem.

Ukraine must husband high end interceptors such as Patriot and SAMP T missiles the way Israel and the United States must manage limited interceptor stocks during heavy missile exchanges.

That is why Bronk argues Ukraine should stop using F-16s as much as possible against disposable drones and reserve them for missions that require their speed, sensors, and weapons.

“Other systems need to be used wherever possible for [one-way attack] drones so that F-16 capacity can be used to intercept cruise missiles and deliver strike missions,” he said.

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“Within the Ukrainian Air Force inventory, it is by far the most efficient asset for this.”

Bronk also believes Ukraine’s air force could produce stronger results if commanders closer to the fight had more freedom to plan missions.

“There is potential for the Ukrainian Air Force to have greater effects if squadrons and wings are given more authority to plan strikes themselves rather than being centrally tasked by Army-centric headquarters elements,” he said.

The lesson is plain enough for the Pentagon crowd and every NATO capital still waking up to the drone age.

Expensive aircraft remain indispensable, but using them as the first answer to every cheap drone swarm is a fast way to wear down the very force needed for the hardest missions.

Navy Unleashes GARC Uncrewed Vessel in Historic Live Fire Drill [WATCH]
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Navy Unleashes GARC Uncrewed Vessel in Historic Live Fire Drill [WATCH]

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The U.S. Navy is pushing its unmanned surface fleet out of the PowerPoint stage and into the business end of naval warfare, which is exactly where this technology belongs.

Just over two weeks after U.S. Central Command used three Corsair unmanned surface vessels to strike a submarine and ship maintenance facility at Iran’s Bandar Abbas naval base, the Navy has confirmed another major step forward.

That Iran operation marked the “first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations,” and now the fleet is proving the concept in live fire training.

The latest milestone came during a live sinking exercise off Hawaii, where two former U.S. warships were sent to the bottom during the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise.

The amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu and the cruiser USS Mobile Bay both became targets in a training event designed to sharpen real world combat capability.

On July 24, the Navy released footage showing the sinking, including video of the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft, known as GARC, targeting the hulk of the former USS Peleliu.

For a service trying to move faster on autonomous systems, the image was not subtle.

Sarah Weinstein, a surface warfare officer serving as the first commanding officer of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32, said her unit executed the Navy’s first GARC live fire. Her division, USVDIV 32, was behind the operation.

“It was incredible to watch my team execute with precision and we were thrilled to provide a perspective of the former USS Peleliu that often isn’t often captured in a SINKEX,” Weinstein wrote on LinkedIn.

The sinking took place on July 17, with the GARC playing a central role in the Peleliu SINKEX.

That matters because these exercises are not ceremonial fireworks shows, no matter how badly the soft handed crowd in Washington sometimes treats military innovation like a tech demo.

The GARC is built by BlackSea Technologies, a Baltimore based company that calls the craft the “most proven tactical sUSV on the water.”

The small vessel is designed to give commanders a flexible tool for reconnaissance, targeting, escort missions, and maritime awareness.

The 16 foot craft can carry a payload of up to 1,000 pounds and travel 700 nautical miles at 22 knots, according to the company.

BlackSea says the GARC “combines modular payload flexibility, advanced autonomy, and rugged endurance.”

That combination is why the Navy is taking the platform seriously.

A small, fast, uncrewed surface vessel that can scout, watch, track, and potentially help strike targets gives commanders more options without immediately putting sailors in harm’s way.

Operators can control the vessels one at a time or manage them as a swarm. They can also be driven manually or assigned a target to follow using radar, giving the fleet a scalable tool for contested waters where seconds and signatures matter.

In August 2025, the Navy said it was “experimenting with the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC)” to support naval operations. Last month, USVDIV 32 also used the drone boats during Exercise BALTOPS 2026, one of NATO’s major maritime exercises.

“We are at the beginning and we don’t even know where we’re going to take it yet,” Weinstein told The Wall Street Journal in June.

“The GARC originally was designed to kind of do a limited skill set, and we’ve turned it into something that can do escort, that can do surveillance, intelligence, maritime domain awareness, and we’ve already with one platform been able to expand what is in the realm of possible.”

That is the key point. The Navy is not merely testing a gadget, it is expanding the menu of what sea control may look like in a future fight.

China is building ships at a pace that should wake up anyone still hitting the snooze button, and Iran has already learned that unmanned systems can reach into places adversaries would rather keep comfortable.

If the Navy can field cheap, rugged, and expendable platforms alongside crewed warships, the math of maritime power begins to change.

The GARC’s role in sinking the former USS Peleliu is another testing milestone on the road toward operational deployment.

The sooner the fleet turns promising systems into combat ready tools, the better positioned America will be when deterrence stops being a slogan and starts being measured in steel, sensors, and firepower.

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U.S. Troops in the Mideast Could Be Forced to Surrender Cell Phones as Iran Hunts for Targeting Clues
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U.S. Troops in the Mideast Could Be Forced to Surrender Cell Phones as Iran Hunts for Targeting Clues

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The top U.S. commander for the Middle East has warned American troops that the videos and images they post online could hand Iran a dangerous battlefield advantage, and some deployed personnel may soon be told to give up their cell phones entirely.

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, issued the warning in a July 28 letter obtained by Reuters, telling forces that careless posts can help Tehran determine whether its strikes are working.

“The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries,” Cooper wrote.

His message was blunt, and frankly long overdue in an age when every bored private with a phone can accidentally become a free intelligence asset for the enemy.

Cooper urged troops to “redouble our focus on operational security,” though his memo did not order a specific region wide phone ban.

Still, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that troops in Jordan, a frequent target of Iranian strikes, have been told their phones will be confiscated in the coming days.

A third source said phone seizures are under consideration elsewhere in the region because of operational security concerns, though that person did not describe the move as certain.

Military Responds with More Suspensions Over Service Members’ Social Media Activity After Charlie Kirk Shooting
A recent Air Forces Central Command and 380th Air Expeditionary Wing policy prohibits all personnel from bringing portable electronic devices (PED) into most work centers on the installation. A PED is any electronic device that would have the capability to record audio, video, save notes or has wireless communication ability. PED’s can pose a threat to cyber security by allowing sensitive or classified information to be transferred illegally and allow adversaries to collect electronic signals emitted by classified systems. Examples of PEDs include, but are not limited to, BlackBerrys, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops, MP3 players, iPods, iPads, digital photo frames, non-government USB devices/external hard drives, computer tablets, and GPS watches. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Christina M. Styer/Released)

U.S. Central Command spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins downplayed the memo as part of a broader push to tighten battlefield discipline.

“The message is a general reminder to our service members on the importance of maintaining operational security. This is one of many opportunities Admiral Cooper has used to convey operational priorities,” Hawkins said.

The issue is not theoretical. In a video posted online this month, a U.S. service member recorded troops running for shelter during a deadly Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17.

Cooper appeared to reference that incident directly, saying the video had been recorded using Meta smart glasses with a built in camera.

“Video captured from a service member’s Meta glasses was posted on Instagram showing where and how the individual had evacuated to a bunker during an Iranian missile and drone attack,” Cooper wrote.

That kind of footage may look like a quick update for friends or followers, but on a modern battlefield it can become a targeting packet.

Iran, Cooper warned, often cannot easily assess whether its missiles and drones hit anything useful because American forces use electronic jamming and other battlefield tactics to deny the enemy clean information.

“Iran knows the weapons were fired; however, their forces do not know if they missed by 50 meters, hit an empty tarmac, or successfully struck a crowded facility,” he wrote.

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Cyber-warfare specialists serving with the 175th Cyberspace Operations Group of the Maryland Air National Guard engage in weekend training at Warfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Md., Jun. 3, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo by J.M. Eddins Jr.)

“Detailed lists, descriptions, and analyses of what was hit, openly published by news outlets are essentially performing Iran’s Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) for them, free of charge,” Cooper said.

That is the ugly reality of war in the smartphone age. Tehran fires, waits, then scrapes the internet while Americans online do the regime’s homework.

The conflict with Iran began on Feb. 28, and Reuters reported that 18 U.S. troops have been killed while more than 600 have been wounded.

Those casualties have fed public concern about the war, with only about one in three Americans supporting it, according to the report.

Democratic lawmakers have demanded more information about the conflict, including damage to U.S. infrastructure at bases, such as radar towers, barracks and aircraft hangars.

They have also called for release of a U.S. military investigation into a likely U.S. strike on a girls’ school in Iran on the opening day of the war, which Reuters first reported.

Phone rules already vary widely across the military. Some troops must lock away devices, and special operations forces can face outright bans during sensitive missions.

But broader confiscation would hit families hard because many deployed service members use their phones to reassure spouses, parents and children that they are still alive.

Two sources told Reuters that the possibility has already caused anxiety among family members who have spent months reading Iranian claims about deadly attacks on bases across the Middle East.

For years, U.S. officials have warned that mobile applications, including fitness apps, can expose location data and help hostile powers track American personnel.

Reuters reported in May that commercially available location data harvested from smartphones and other devices has been used to target or surveil U.S. forces.

At the same time, the Pentagon has tightly controlled information about Iranian attack claims and individual incidents involving wounded troops, citing operational security.

Cooper said the reason is simple. Public details about what was damaged and where can help Iran decide whether to fire again.

“Detailed public disclosures can become an immediate green light for Iranian forces to launch a secondary, much more devastating wave of attacks,” he said.

For troops in the region, the message is clear enough. The phone in a pocket may feel like a lifeline home, but in the wrong moment it can become a beacon for the enemy.

Democrats Caught Trying to Sneak Permanent Residency to TPS Invaders [WATCH]
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Democrats Caught Trying to Sneak Permanent Residency to TPS Invaders [WATCH]

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Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) objected on the Senate floor to Democratic immigration legislation that he argued would convert temporary protected status into a pathway to permanent legal residency and citizenship, while also limiting immigration enforcement and expanding eligibility for those previously removed from the United States.

“Reserving the right to object, mr. President, I object to this mass amnesty bill,” Schmitt said as he opened his remarks.

The Missouri senator contrasted the proposal with legislation considered the previous week.

“Last week, Democrats asked the Senate to extend Haitian temporary protected status. Today, they dropped the quotation marks.”

According to Schmitt, the legislation would fundamentally change the purpose of Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

“Instead of extending temporary status, this legislation would convert temporary would convert temporary status into permanent status, green cards, permanent settlement.”

He argued that previous extensions of TPS concealed what he believes was the program’s long-term objective.

“At least the bill last week continued the same old Washington lie.”

Schmitt continued, “Today, Democrats finally admit what this scheme was always designed to be: temporary was always meant to be permanent.”

Calling the legislation “the final stage of the scam,” Schmitt described what he believes is a recurring pattern in Democratic immigration policy.

“That’s how Democrats do mass amnesty.”

He outlined what he characterized as a multi-step process.

“First, they declare an emergency, then they import hundreds of 1000s of people, they then extend the program over and over and over, then they unleash activist lawyers against anyone who tries to enforce the deadline.”

Schmitt argued that when voters elect leaders who seek stricter immigration enforcement, Democrats respond by changing the law.

“And when the American people finally elect the president to end this chaos, to end this abuse, Democrats demand mass amnesty.”

He added, “And when the American people finally elect a president who enforces the law, Democrats change the law and hand out green cards.”

According to Schmitt, the proposal would permanently transform a program originally intended for temporary humanitarian emergencies.

“That’s what this bill does. It turns a program created for temporary emergencies into a pipeline for green cards and citizenship.”

The senator also criticized provisions he said would allow individuals who had previously been removed from the United States to seek permanent residency.

“Not only for people who have temporary status, not only for people who once had TPS.”

He continued, “This bill reaches beyond our borders and allows people who were already removed from this country, to apply for permanent residency from abroad.”

Schmitt argued that such a policy would effectively reverse completed deportation cases.

“Think about how crazy that is. The law was enforced, the alien was removed, the case was closed.”

He added, “Yet Democrats want to erase the removal, reopen the border, and bring that person back with a green card.”

Schmitt also criticized what he described as a broader shift in immigration policy.

“Under the radical new democratic immigration platform deportation isn’t deportation; it’s merely an inconvenience before a green card arrives.”

He argued that the legislation would go beyond granting legal status to current recipients by reopening opportunities for those outside the country.

“This bill does not merely reward those who broke our laws and remained in our country; it reaches around the entire globe to reverse deportations and to restart mass migration.”

Schmitt also objected to provisions governing how information submitted through immigration applications could be used.

“But even that is not enough. This bill also creates an ICE blackout.”

He explained, “Information provided in these applications can’t be used for immigration enforcement.”

According to Schmitt, the proposal would also impose penalties on law enforcement officers who improperly use the information.

“The bill even threatens penalties against law enforcement who improperly properly use the information.”

He argued that the legislation would shield immigration information from enforcement agencies.

“So Democrats want to want the information we have about foreigners to be placed behind a legal shield, so it cannot be used to enforce immigration law.”

Schmitt contrasted Republican and Democratic approaches to law enforcement.

“Republicans want to handcuff illegal criminals. Democrats want to handcuff law enforcement officers, so they can’t do their jobs.”

He added, “They are not hiding the choice anymore. They will punish the officer before they punish the illegal alien.”

The senator questioned the priorities behind the legislation.

“Why are legal aliens more important to them now than protecting American citizens?”

Schmitt concluded by arguing that the proposal would prevent future administrations from ending TPS.

“Oh, but it doesn’t stop there. This bill ensures that any president, any future president can’t end TPS.”

He closed his remarks by saying the legislation overlooks the interests of American citizens.

“So what’s missing from the bill? Americans, American citizens, and the impact mass migration is having on our people.”

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