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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.

Former Army Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Sell U.S. Military Secrets to China
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.”

WATCH:

Ford, GM Defense and BC Customs Battle for Army’s New Infantry Squad Vehicle
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Ford, GM Defense and BC Customs Battle for Army’s New Infantry Squad Vehicle

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The U.S. Army has officially set up a three way industrial showdown for its next Infantry Squad Vehicle, putting Ford, GM Defense and BC Customs in direct competition to build prototype versions of the future platform.

The service confirmed Tuesday that on June 30 it awarded firm fixed price Other Transaction Agreements to all three manufacturers.

Each company is expected to deliver three Infantry Squad Vehicle Heavy models, known as ISV H, with the first prototypes due by March 30, 2027.

Those six seat vehicles will then head into testing with Army Test and Evaluation Command, where the Army will see which company can actually deliver a tough, mobile, power producing battlefield workhorse instead of another glossy briefing slide.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the awards Monday.

Military Times asked the Army for the dollar amounts attached to the agreements, but the service did not provide the costs. That part, as usual in Pentagon land, remains tucked away from the taxpayers who are footing the bill.

The Army laid out what it wants in an April Commercial Solutions Opening, and the requirements are not modest.

The service is looking for a vehicle that can carry a 4,000 pound payload, tow a 6,500 pound trailer and handle large power demands in the field.

US Military Prepares to Unleash Fleet of Battlefield Laser Trucks
A U.S. Army M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle equipped with a BlueHalo LOCUST Laser Weapon System, April 2025. (U.S. Army)

The most striking requirement is electrical power. The Army wants the new ISV H to export 60 kW of continuous high voltage DC power, enough to support counter drone systems, electronic warfare tools, directed energy weapons and other modern battlefield equipment.

That kind of power demand says plenty about where ground combat is heading. Infantry units are no longer just asking for transport, because drones, jammers, sensors and lasers are becoming just as central to survival as armor and ammunition.

The Army also wants the vehicle to recharge to 90 percent within six hours. It must do that in miserable operating conditions ranging from 25 degrees below zero to brutal heat reaching 130 degrees, because America’s soldiers do not get to pick comfortable terrain.

The service is also preparing for more autonomous operations. Desired features include architecture already in place for “drive-by-wire,” along with rotating rear seats and “ergonomic mobile workstations,” which is Army speak for troops needing to work, fight and communicate while moving.

The Army also wants rear seating that can be quickly reconfigured without tools to carry a litter for evacuations. That matters, because a vehicle that can move a squad but cannot adapt when troops are wounded is not much help when the shooting starts.

Army Plans ‘Heavy’ Infantry Vehicle To Power The Battlefield Of The Future

The current Infantry Squad Vehicle is built by GM Defense and was designed to rapidly move nine soldiers through terrain where larger military vehicles are risky, slow or simply impractical.

The new heavy version appears aimed at adding more battlefield utility, more power and more flexibility to that basic mobility concept.

The Army’s fiscal 2027 budget request, released in April, calls for buying an initial 34 ISV H vehicles at an estimated cost of $463,000 per truck. The long range goal is to purchase 606 vehicles, which would make this competition a major prize for whichever manufacturer proves it can meet the Army’s requirements.

During a June Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Jess Tolleson, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, pointed directly to the power problem the Army is trying to solve.

“One of the things that we do have a critical capability gap on right now is power generation at that mobile brigade combat team level,” he said.

GM Defense had not responded to a Military Times inquiry at the time of publication. The company previously said on social media that it was optimizing a Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD truck for the effort.

Ford said Tuesday that its Super Duty trucks are well suited for military applications, though the company did not provide much detail on its proposed specifications. Breaking Defense reported Monday that Ford would be using its F Series pickup truck.

Marines Bolster Indo-Pacific Might With New Anti-Ship and Air Defense Platforms in Okinawa

BC Customs is pitching itself as the more specialized builder in the contest. In a Tuesday call, chief operating officer Dave Baringer said the company was uniquely positioned to create an endlessly modify able, “purpose-driven, ground-up vehicle.”

Baringer also said BC Customs is working with Raglan, which will handle the electronic infrastructure for the prototypes. He declined to discuss the contract timeline or dollar value.

The Army’s demand for a truck that can generate serious power comes as the service pushes to place more directed energy weapons on lighter tactical vehicles. That is not science fiction anymore, no matter how much the usual bureaucracy might try to bury progress under paperwork.

The service has already operationally tested AeroVironment’s 20 kilowatt LOCUST laser on both the Infantry Squad Vehicle and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle through its Multi Purpose High Energy Laser effort.

Under President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the pressure will be on to make sure these programs produce real combat capability, not just expensive prototypes parked for photo opportunities.

For soldiers at the brigade level, the ISV H competition is about more than a new truck. It is about whether the Army can move fast enough to match the drone saturated, power hungry, electronically contested battlefield that America’s enemies are already studying closely.

Kennedy Torches Dem Socialists: “History Proves They’re Morons!” [WATCH]
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Kennedy Torches Dem Socialists: “History Proves They’re Morons!” [WATCH]

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Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) criticized what he described as the dominant faction within the Democratic Party, arguing that its policies reflect an embrace of socialism and a series of positions he believes are far outside the political mainstream.

During an interview, Kennedy said he believes the party’s progressive wing now holds significant influence, particularly in heavily Democratic areas.

“I guess it’s not a newsflash that the Graham-Platner wing of the Democratic Party is in control,” Kennedy said.

He added that the movement appears to be centered in liberal strongholds across the country.

“They seem to be concentrated in deep blue jurisdictions.”

Kennedy argued that many of the statements made by members of that faction would be viewed as extreme in much of the United States.

“They say things that would get them a psychiatric evaluation in the rest of the country.”

The Louisiana senator said he initially believed the views were the result of misinformation rather than genuine conviction.

“At first, I thought, well, these people are just misinformed, Sandra.”

Kennedy continued, “They’re the product of 50 years of high school civics being taught by football coaches.”

However, he said he later concluded that the lawmakers and activists advancing those ideas genuinely believe in them.

“But then I realize they’re serious.”

He emphasized that point by adding, “They’re serious as an aneurysm.”

Kennedy then listed several policies he associates with the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.

“They want to, I don’t know, kill all the millionaires, open all the prisons, open the borders, defund the cops, defund ICE.”

He also took aim at what he described as the movement’s embrace of socialist ideology.

“Every single one of them knows the words to the Cuban national anthem.”

Kennedy summarized his criticism by stating, “They’re all socialists.”

The senator argued that history demonstrates socialism has consistently failed when put into practice.

“Socialism, I think history has proven, is for morons.”

He encouraged listeners to examine historical examples rather than rely solely on his opinion.

“Don’t take my word for it.”

Kennedy pointed to several countries that he believes illustrate the shortcomings of socialist systems.

“Just look at Cuba and Argentina before changes there. Venezuela, China, the old USSR.”

According to Kennedy, those examples demonstrate why socialism is not an effective model for governing a nation.

He also argued that many Americans who identify as socialists do not seek to live under governments they describe as socialist elsewhere in the world.

“I notice that all of these neo-socialists they don’t they don’t want to go live in a socialist country.”

Instead, Kennedy said, they seek to implement those policies in the United States.

“They want to live here.”

WATCH:

Ted Cruz Demands Fauci Face Jail for Cowardly Fifth Amendment Dodge Over 100 Times [WATCH]
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Ted Cruz Demands Fauci Face Jail for Cowardly Fifth Amendment Dodge Over 100 Times [WATCH]

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Sen. Ted Cruz is not letting Washington’s favorite pandemic bureaucrat slip quietly into retirement sainthood.

After Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Texas Republican said it is time for contempt charges, a perjury prosecution, and jail.

Fauci served as a former White House Covid adviser and longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

To millions of Americans, he became the face of lockdowns, school closures, mandates, and smug lectures from a federal class that rarely pays for its own mistakes.

“Years from now, they’ll look back and say, ‘What collective madness overtook this country?’” Cruz told Fox News Digital.

Cruz accused Fauci of treating Congress and ordinary Americans with contempt while presenting himself for years as the final authority on the virus.

“I think Anthony Fauci has had contempt for Congress and contempt for the American people for decades,” he said.

“His diary shows that he deliberately lied to the American people over and over and over again.”

The explosive hearing came after Committee Chairman Rand Paul announced he would seek contempt charges against Fauci.

The former pandemic adviser refused to answer questions throughout the session, leaning repeatedly on the Fifth Amendment to avoid self incrimination.

The spectacle was not exactly the confident victory lap Fauci’s defenders in corporate media spent years preparing.

Instead, the man they once treated like a secular pope sat under subpoena and went silent.

“Dr. Fauci ought to think about what it says about the end of his career, that what he will be remembered for the most is pleading the Fifth more than 100 times,” Cruz said.

Then Cruz delivered the line that cut straight through the usual Washington fog.

“He’s been the most damaging bureaucrat in the history of America.”

The fight between Fauci and Senate Republicans is not new.

Cruz, Paul, and other lawmakers have pressed him for years over Covid origins, federal funding, shifting public statements, and whether the American people were fed a tidy official story while inconvenient facts were shoved under the rug.

At the center of Cruz’s argument are Fauci’s private diary entries, which Republicans say expose serious contradictions between what Fauci considered behind closed doors and what he told the public.

“In his diary, he wrote early on that it was clear that the COVID virus did not come from the wet market in Wuhan, and then he turned around and said exactly the opposite thing on national television,” Cruz said.

The released diary material reportedly showed Fauci weighing possibilities that he later downplayed in public.

One entry indicated that scientists considered a deliberately inserted laboratory origin worthy of expert review, even as public messaging nudged Americans away from that possibility.

That matters because Washington used its preferred narrative to silence debate.

If Americans questioned the wet market line or suspected a laboratory connection, the expert class told them to sit down, stop reading, and trust the people with the credentials.

Cruz also pointed to the school shutdowns, one of the most damaging chapters of the pandemic response.

He said Fauci privately claimed credit for persuading officials in New York and California to close schools, while publicly distancing himself from that disaster.

“In his diary, he brags about convincing Democrats in New York and California to shut schools down, and yet he goes on TV and says, ‘Oh, I wasn’t for shutdowns,’” Cruz said.

Fauci had repeatedly claimed in public interviews and testimony that he “did not close the schools.”

That contradiction is exactly why Senate Republicans are demanding accountability instead of another round of soft interviews, glossy profiles, and applause from the same people who cheered every restriction.

“The school shutdowns, which Fauci bragged that he was responsible for, may well be the single most destructive public policy step we’ve seen in decades. That learning loss will stick with those kids the rest of their lives when they’re 90 years old.”

“They will still be suffering the consequences of Anthony Fauci’s corrupt and dishonest shutdowns.”

WATCH:

Those shutdowns left children behind academically, socially, and emotionally while teachers unions and Democratic governors treated classrooms like bargaining chips.

Parents saw the damage in real time, even as cable news experts insisted the grownups in Washington had everything under control.

A man who demanded trust from the nation for years cannot now expect the public to shrug when he refuses to answer basic questions under oath.

Paul’s contempt push now puts the Senate on the record.

Cruz is making clear that the era of polite grumbling over pandemic abuses should be replaced by real consequences for the officials who misled the country.

For conservatives, this hearing was never simply about one doctor.

It was about whether unelected bureaucrats can mislead Congress, manipulate public fear, wreck livelihoods, damage children, and then skate away because the credentialed class calls it science.

Florida vs. Fauci: AG Opens Probe After COVID ‘Expert’ Suddenly Loses His Voice Under Oath [WATCH]
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Florida vs. Fauci: AG Opens Probe After COVID ‘Expert’ Suddenly Loses His Voice Under Oath [WATCH]

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Dr. Anthony Fauci may have walked into Congress with a presidential pardon in his pocket, but that apparently did not buy him a clean getaway.

Florida is now stepping into the fight, and the Sunshine State does not seem interested in pretending the COVID years were just one big bureaucratic oops.

After Fauci appeared before Congress on Wednesday and declined to answer questions by invoking the Fifth Amendment, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that his office is launching an investigation. For a man long treated by the corporate press as untouchable, the moment had a very different feel.

“Fauci’s lack of candor to Congress is unbelievable,” Uthmeier wrote on social media.

“My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It’s past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID.”

That statement came after Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, faced another round of scrutiny from lawmakers.

Instead of clearing the air, he leaned on constitutional protection, which tends to raise eyebrows when the public was told for years to trust every word from the public health throne.

Former President Joe Biden gave Fauci a full and unconditional pardon on the final day of his term.

The pardon covered any offenses Fauci may have “committed or taken part in” connected to his government roles from Jan. 1, 2014, through Jan. 19, 2025.

That pardon may protect Fauci from federal prosecution, but it does not block state prosecutors from asking their own questions.

That distinction matters, especially in a state like Florida, where leaders pushed back harder than most against the lockdown regime.

The legal path may not be simple.

Fauci was a federal employee shaping national policy, which means any state criminal case would face serious hurdles before it ever reached a courtroom.

Still, Florida could explore whether pandemic restrictions created grounds for civil claims tied to damaged businesses, closed classrooms, and government decisions that crushed ordinary Americans.

WATCH:

Millions of families remember very clearly who paid the price while elites issued lectures from comfortable offices.

Governor Ron DeSantis became one of the most visible opponents of lockdown policies, and Florida moved faster than many states to restore normal life.

That history gives Uthmeier’s investigation a sharper edge, because Florida was not exactly eager to bow before the public health bureaucracy.

The latest pressure on Fauci follows the release of more than 1,000 pages from his pandemic diary by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

WATCH:

Paul has argued that those writings show a gap between Fauci’s private thinking and the public health decisions he promoted.

That is not a small accusation.

If Fauci privately understood one thing while publicly pushing another, Americans have every right to demand answers, especially after livelihoods, childhoods, churches, and community life were disrupted on a massive scale.

Congress has questioned Fauci before, but the diary added fresh fuel to the fire.

Lawmakers are now looking at his personal written thoughts, not just his polished testimony and media friendly sound bites.

There is also the possibility that the Senate could move to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.

WATCH:

Such a finding can carry the possibility of jail time, although whether Washington has the appetite to pursue that is another question entirely.

For years, conservatives were mocked for asking basic questions about mandates, school closures, lab origins, and the power handed to public health officials.

Now the same establishment that demanded blind trust seems a little less eager to talk under oath.

Biden’s pardon looked like an attempt to slam the federal door shut before anyone could dig too deeply.

But Florida’s move shows that a presidential pardon is not the same thing as public vindication.

Fauci may not face state criminal charges in the end, and any civil route would take time.

But the larger point is already clear, the questions are not going away just because Biden tried to wrap his favorite pandemic official in legal bubble wrap.

For the Americans who lost businesses, watched their children fall behind, and were treated like villains for questioning the narrative, this investigation is long overdue.

Fauci is not out of the woods, and Florida just made sure everyone knows it.

101st Airborne Border Troops to Move Into New 3D Printed Barracks at Fort Bliss
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101st Airborne Border Troops to Move Into New 3D Printed Barracks at Fort Bliss

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Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division heading to the southern border are set to become some of the first troops to live in a new generation of 3D printed barracks at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The Army opened the first two buildings this week, giving transient troops a permanent housing option closer to their mission area instead of forcing them into long drives after exhausting border shifts.

The project is part of a $62.8 million contract with the construction firm ICON to build 10 barracks capable of housing 560 troops.

For soldiers rotating through Fort Bliss rather than being permanently assigned there, the new buildings are designed to provide practical, durable housing that is actually built around the realities of field duty.

Army officials said troops from the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Mobile Brigade “Bastogne” unit out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will be among the first to use the new facilities.

Their deployment to the southern border was announced in June, as the military continues supporting border security operations after years of Washington pretending the problem would solve itself.

“In the coming weeks, when the next unit finishes a demanding shift on the border, they won’t have to drive an hour into the desert,” Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of Fort Bliss, said in the Army release.

“Instead, they will return here, to permanent, energy-resilient, world-class housing just steps away from gyms, dining facilities and recreation areas.”

That may sound basic to civilians, but anyone who has spent time around the military knows quality of life details can make a serious difference for troops doing long, hot, repetitive security missions.

Army Announces Unit Rotations in Europe and the Middle East, Including Return of Soldiers from Lithuania
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and U.S. Army Fort Campbell re-enlists 124 soldiers to continue to serve our country. Stay tuned for more event coverage this week! (Photos by SPC Harris, 101st Division Public Affairs Office)

The new barracks are not luxury condos, of course, but they appear to be a meaningful step up from temporary arrangements that leave soldiers stretched thin after demanding days in the Texas heat.

Fort Bliss Garrison Commander Col. Michael Soyka showed off the new buildings in a video posted to the base’s social media channels.

Inside, the barracks feature two rows of bunk beds in an open bay layout, similar to what many service members remember from basic training, though with several upgrades that matter when soldiers are living there between shifts.

Each top and bottom bunk has its own power outlet, a small but welcome improvement over the old routine of troops having to share one plug with a bunkmate.

Lockers also separate the beds, adding a bit more privacy in an environment where personal space is usually treated like a rumor.

Soyka said the Army also increased the number of washers and dryers after earlier troop rotations made it clear that the older setup did not meet demand.

From Old Abe to the Screaming Eagle: How the 101st Airborne Became a Symbol of Courage
The 101st Airborne Division “screaming eagle” patch is highly recognizable within the U.S. Army. (DVIDS)

That is the kind of soldier feedback that should be acted on quickly, especially when troops are coming back from hot border duty with uniforms and gear that need constant cleaning.

The barracks include standard showers, but they also feature a smaller stall designed for washing off gear.

It is roughly the size of a dog washing station, but for troops working in heat, dust, sweat and field conditions, it is a practical addition rather than a gimmick.

“When you’re out there, you just get hot, you get sweaty,” Soyka said. “We actually added this so that soldiers can be able to wash their gear and be able to get ready for the next day.”

The first two buildings officially opened Tuesday, while Army officials said the printing phase for all 10 structures took just 58 days.

The full project is expected to be finished in the fall, giving Fort Bliss a larger footprint of permanent barracks for rotating units moving through the installation.

101st Airborne Division Tests New Capabilities in Division-Level Air Assault Exercise

This is not Fort Bliss’s first run with 3D printed construction.

In 2025, the base opened three other 3D printed buildings, also built by ICON, to house troops before and after mobilization.

ICON, based in Austin, uses a massive Vulcan printer that weighs five tons and measures 16 feet by 47 feet wide.

The company builds with a concrete based material called lavacrete, which it says is designed to hold up against Texas humidity and temperature swings.

For the Army, the appeal is obvious because the service needs housing that can be built quickly, withstand harsh conditions and support troops without years of construction delays.

For the soldiers, the appeal is even simpler because a shorter commute, reliable laundry, personal outlets and places to clean gear beat the usual government afterthoughts.

The 101st Airborne soldiers heading into these barracks will still be doing hard work on a serious mission.

But at least when they come off shift, they will have a place built for the job instead of another reminder that the people making border policy too often never have to live with the consequences.

Hero Teen Lifeguard Reveals Fierce Vow During Terrifying Ocean Rescue [WATCH]
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Hero Teen Lifeguard Reveals Fierce Vow During Terrifying Ocean Rescue [WATCH]

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A rookie California lifeguard is getting national attention for the kind of raw courage that cannot be taught in a committee hearing or polished up by a public relations consultant.

Ryder Williams, a 16-year-old lifeguard in his first season with California State Parks, is being hailed after charging into dangerous surf at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz to save 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai.

The rescue unfolded Saturday as heavy crowds packed the beach and treacherous waves pounded the shoreline.

Officials said Williams had already been busy making safety contacts from Tower 2 because the water was volatile and the beach was crowded.

Then Nathaniel lost his footing in ankle deep water.

In seconds, the boy was swept into deeper surf, where powerful waves turned an ordinary beach day into a life threatening emergency.

Williams did not hesitate.

He later told his father, retired firefighter Shane Williams, exactly what was going through his mind as the ocean hammered him and the child.

“I wasn’t going to let go of that kid.”

That is not the language of a kid looking for applause.

That is the language of responsibility, duty, and courage, three words that still mean something outside the bubble of elite politics and excuse making.

“He was going to drown, and I wasn’t going to let that happen,” Williams told his father after the rescue, according to the account now drawing praise across the country.

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In his first public statement since the incident, Williams described the split second actions he took after spotting Nathaniel in trouble.

His account was calm, direct, and frankly more composed than what Americans hear from plenty of adults in positions of power.

“I radioed it in, threw my radio and sunglasses at the base of my tower as I ran toward the kid. I put my fins on my wrist, popped my buoy and entered the water to get ahold of the child,” Williams said.

Once in the water, the situation only grew more dangerous.

The waves were not simply pushing against them, they were crashing over them again and again as Williams fought to keep the child alive.

“Due to the volatility of the water, I was unable to tube up the victim,” Williams said, explaining that the boy had gone limp while the surf battered them.

Fellow lifeguard Aaron Bohnen eventually reached Williams and Nathaniel after several more waves slammed into the pair.

While bystanders tried to help, Williams yelled for them to get back to shore, a decision that likely prevented the emergency from spiraling into an even larger rescue.

That detail matters.

Real leadership is not just rushing toward danger, it is keeping everyone else from making a deadly situation worse.

After Williams and Bohnen brought Nathaniel safely back onto the beach, the young lifeguard retrieved medical equipment so the boy could be assessed.

The child was returned safely to his family, which is the only outcome that mattered to Williams.

Then came the part that says everything about this teenager. After saving a child from violent surf, Williams climbed back into his tower and finished the rest of his shift.

President Trump has praised Williams and plans to invite him to the White House to receive a high civilian honor.

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The story has struck a nerve because it is simple and powerful.

A boy was in danger, a young lifeguard saw it, and he acted without waiting for permission, applause, or a camera crew.

“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely,” Williams said.

“This is my job and I love what I do.”

That humility is part of why the rescue has captured so much attention.

Williams is not presenting himself as a celebrity or chasing some dramatic speech, he is treating heroism as part of the job.

America could use more of that mindset. Less whining, fewer excuses, and more people willing to run toward the problem when others are frozen in place.

For Nathaniel Rai and his family, the stakes were not political or abstract.

They were personal, terrifying, and real, and a 16 year old lifeguard met the moment.

Williams may be young, but his actions showed a level of grit and responsibility that deserves every bit of the praise coming his way.

On a dangerous California beach, he made one decision, held on, and brought a child home alive.

Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy Towed to Washington After Major Engine Failure
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Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy Towed to Washington After Major Engine Failure

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The Coast Guard’s medium icebreaker Healy was towed into Port Angeles, Washington, earlier this month after suffering what the service described as a “significant engineering casualty” during sea trials off the coast.

The Cutter Healy had recently completed drydock repairs at Swan Island shipyard in Portland, Oregon, before losing propulsion on July 13. The Coast Guard said the vessel was brought to port without incident, and no personnel were injured.

That is the good news. The less comforting news is that a key American icebreaker went down just as the Arctic is getting busier, more contested and far less forgiving of bureaucratic delays.

The 420 foot Healy had undergone an $18.3 million overhaul earlier this year. That work included repairs to propulsion related components such as shafts, bearings, seals, rudders and the bow thruster.

Vigor Marine LLC also upgraded the ship’s sonar system and related infrastructure, according to a company release.

Yet after that expensive yard period, the ship still suffered a propulsion failure during sea trials, which is exactly the kind of development that gets attention in a hurry.

The Coast Guard said an investigation into the incident is underway. The service also said Healy is expected to require “major repairs,” though officials have not yet provided the extent of the damage or a timeline for getting the ship back into service.

“[The Coast Guard] will provide additional information regarding the casualty aboard CGC Healy as it becomes available,” the service told Military Times on Wednesday.

Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy Towed to Washington After Major Engine Failure

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday credited the crew for its response, saying the sailors acted “with speed and skill in responding to this casualty.” That professionalism matters, especially when a mechanical failure at sea can turn ugly fast.

Lunday also pointed directly to the larger strategic problem facing the country.

“The nation needs a highly capable icebreaking fleet operated by the Coast Guard to ensure year-round access to the region to protect our northern border in Alaska and maritime approaches in the Arctic,” Lunday said in the release.

He is right about that. The Arctic is not some faraway science project for policy seminar chatter, because it is a real operating environment where Russia, China and other competitors are watching every American gap.

In Healy’s absence, the Coast Guard icebreaker Storis is patrolling the Arctic region. Storis is a commercial vessel the service purchased and converted for Coast Guard use last year, a practical move that reflects the urgency of the mission.

The national security Cutter Munro is also operating in the region. Earlier this month, Munro began tracking two Chinese vessels as they moved through the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and the extended U.S. continental shelf in the Bering Sea, according to service officials.

“Munro’s efforts advanced Operation Frontier Sentinel, which is designed to protect American sovereign rights, ensure consistency with international law, and position the Coast Guard to rapidly respond to any detected malign activity,” a spokesperson said.

The transits marked the first reported incidents in 2026 involving Chinese vessels in the region. That should be enough to remind Washington that the Arctic is not waiting around for acquisition charts, redesign meetings or another round of contractor excuses.

Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy Towed to Washington After Major Engine Failure
Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) observes the Northern Lights streaking across the sky while operating above the Arctic Circle in Baffin Bay, Oct. 3, 2021. Homeported in Seattle, Washington, the Healy’s crew annually deploys to the Arctic to conduct high latitude Coast Guard missions including icebreaking operations and supporting oceanographic research with members embarked from the international science community. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.

The Coast Guard has been increasing icebreaker acquisitions in response to rising foreign interest in the Arctic. That push also follows an Oct. 8, 2025, executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing the Department of Homeland Security to increase the number of icebreakers available for Arctic patrols.

That order recognized a plain reality that too many in Washington ignored for years. If America wants to control its approaches, protect Alaska and maintain presence in icy waters, it needs ships that can actually get there and stay there.

Bollinger Shipyards is building the first of three polar security cutters, but that program has been hit by repeated delays. Contractor changes, engineering problems and design alterations have helped push the first delivery to 2033, according to the Government Accountability Office.

That is nearly a decade later than the original target date. In a world where China is showing up in the Bering Sea and Russia is heavily invested in Arctic operations, that kind of delay is not just frustrating, it is strategically reckless.

To accelerate the process, the Coast Guard awarded a February contract to Davie Defense, Inc., for five additional cutters. That brings the total number of icebreakers under contract to 11, a number that sounds encouraging until one remembers how long these ships can take to build, test and field.

Healy’s latest casualty also comes with history. The 27 year old cutter was previously sidelined in 2020 after a fire in a propulsion motor ended a planned deployment, and it experienced another fire in August 2024 while underway.

For now, the Coast Guard is relying on the rest of its available fleet to hold the line in the Arctic.

The crew appears to have done its job under pressure, but the broader lesson is obvious enough: America needs more icebreakers, faster repairs and far less tolerance for delays that leave critical missions hanging in dangerous waters.

RFK Jr. Announces Major New NIH Policy, Calls Out Media Malpractice After Fauci Hearing [WATCH]
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RFK Jr. Announces Major New NIH Policy, Calls Out Media Malpractice After Fauci Hearing [WATCH]

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director of misleading the public on multiple issues, funding gain-of-function research, and contributing to the suppression of dissenting medical opinions.

Kennedy also pointed to a new National Institutes of Health policy that he said is intended to prevent federal funding for dangerous gain-of-function research in the future.

According to Kennedy, several physicians who questioned the government’s COVID-19 response faced censorship and professional consequences.

“You know there was, there were doctors like Peter McCullough and Robert Malone and Pierre Kory, who were saying from the beginning they were looking at the data and saying, yeah, this this causes myocarditis, it causes blood clots, it causes myocardial pulmonary infarctions,” Kennedy said.

He argued those doctors were punished rather than heard.

“And they were being censored, they were being vilified, marginalized, demonized, delicenced, publicly scolded by the press.”

Kennedy said the media played a central role in shaping public perception during the pandemic.

“The media malpractice is really what I think we should focus on because they were anybody who questioned Dr. Fauci was put in was like put off on an island. They were pariahs, and they were the media every day was telling us trust the experts.”

Kennedy then turned his criticism directly toward Fauci, arguing that the government’s messaging on COVID-19 repeatedly proved inaccurate.

“Well, he was the expert, and we now know he was lying about everything.”

Kennedy listed several areas where he alleged Fauci misled the public.

“He was lying about mass. He was lying about social distancing. He was lying about lockdowns. He was lying about natural immunity. He was lying about the ability of the vaccine to prevent transmission and and prevent infection.”

Kennedy also referenced Fauci’s own experience with COVID-19 after vaccination.

“He got the vaccine and he immediately got COVID 19 and then he got a pulmonary infarction.”

He further alleged that Fauci concealed information about the origins of the virus.

“He was lying about the origins from day one.”

Kennedy then explained why he believes Fauci misrepresented the issue.

“Why was he lying? Because he funded those studies at the Wuhan lab, and he funded the studies at the University of North Carolina that developed the techniques for weaponizing COVID-19.”

Kennedy said the research was later transferred to scientists in Wuhan.

“And then gave those Ralph Baric, his funded scientist at the University of North Carolina, gave those to Zachley, the scientists, the Bat Lady scientist in the Wuhan lab.”

According to Kennedy, the research involved a technique designed to alter viruses while concealing evidence of laboratory manipulation.

“And he taught her a technique that Anthony Fauci had paid him to develop, called seamless ligation, which is also called nosium.”

Kennedy described the technique as “a way of manipulating the virus to make it deadly to human beings, and then covering up the evidence of human manipulation.”

He questioned why taxpayer-funded research would support such work.

“And why would anybody spend NIH money developing that kind of technology? It’s bio weapons technology. It has nothing to do with public health. It’s the opposite. It’s the inverse of anything you would want to do with public health.”

Kennedy also alleged that the research was transferred to a Chinese military laboratory.

“Well, he’s taking. He took that and he gave it to the Chinese military lab at Wuhan.”

Concluding his remarks, Kennedy pointed to what he described as a policy change at the National Institutes of Health aimed at preventing similar research from receiving federal funding in the future.

“So these are, and as you mentioned at the beginning of this, we today NIH has now issued a policy to make sure these kind of experiments can never happen again.”

He added, “That NIH will never again pay for a dangerous gain-function experiment.”

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