News
Russia takes losses in failed river crossing, officials say
Russia lost significant numbers of troops and important equipment when Ukrainian forces thwarted their attempt to cross a river in the east, British officials said May 13, another sign of Moscow’s struggle to win decisive victories and salvage a war gone awry.
Growing evidence of a military disaster on the Donets pierces a pro-Russian bubble
The destruction wreaked on a Russian battalion as it tried to cross a river in northeastern Ukraine last week is emerging as among the deadliest engagements of the war, with estimates based on publicly available evidence now suggesting that well over 400 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded.
Troops defending Kharkiv reached Russian border, Ukraine says
If confirmed, it would suggest a Ukrainian counter-offensive is having increasing success in pushing back Russian forces in the northeast after Western military agencies said Moscow’s offensive in the Donbas region had stalled.
Ukraine is now the top recipient of US military aid. Here’s how it surpassed even Israel and Egypt
The United States has already committed nearly four billion dollars in military aid to Ukraine since the war began.
Business
Turkish drones arouse desire, dispute in Central Asia
Turkic republics of Central Asia are queuing up to buy increasingly combat-proven Turkish drones.
US poised to bite into Russia’s global defense market share
A senior U.S. State Department official said May 12 that a massive Ukraine aid package that contains $4 billion in grants for allies to buy American-made military hardware is partly aimed at eroding Russia’s share of the global defense market.
Neptune anti-ship missile: The weapon that may have sunk the Russian flagship Moskva
The sinking of the Moskva is arguably Russia’s lowest point in its invasion of Ukraine — so far. Here’s the weapon that may have killed it.
Javelin missile: Made by the US, wielded by Ukraine, feared by Russia
The American-made FGM-148 Javelin has been making mincemeat of T-72s and T-90s in Ukraine, according to reports.
Defense
Pentagon chief talks to Russian counterpart for first time since Ukraine war began
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu on May 13 after months of radio silence between the two countriesí military leaders, which the Pentagon has sought to end.
Troops sent to bolster NATO begin turnover as US mulls larger footprint in Europe
The Pentagon is deploying 10,500 troops in the coming months to replace military units that were rapidly deployed to Europe to bolster NATO’s eastern edge after Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
Ukraine war has the Marine Corps revamping IED training
It’s criminal to not train Marines on counter-IEDs before they deploy, this two-star general said.
Navy doesn’t want nukes on ships, despite interest from some combatant commanders
The U.S. Navy remains opposed to buying ship-launched nuclear weapons, even though some in the Pentagon have pushed back.
Lawmakers worry Army doesn’t have basing agreements for long-range fires
“I don’t think it would be wise for us to wait to develop the kinds of weapons systems, we need for a future conflict until we had the diplomatic agreements signed,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said.
Navy effort to cancel LCS mission package triggers new cost breach
As the U.S. Navy moves to cancel its anti-submarine warfare mission package for littoral combat ships, it has triggered another cost breach for the LCS mission modules program.
Air Force ‘starving’ A-10 fleet of needed upgrades, documents show
The Air Force has for now dropped plans to retire most of the A-10 ground-attack jets that form a major mission at Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, after the plan was rebuffed by Congress last year.
Veterans
Culture shift needed to combat patient safety failures at VA, watchdog says
The murder of seven veterans at a West Virginia Department of Veterans Affairs hospital and thousands of missed diagnoses by a pathologist who was drunk on the job at a Fayetteville, Ark., facility are signs that the Veterans Health Administration, or VHA, has significant leadership and cultural problems, according to the VA’s top watchdog.
Texas doctor’s new research links onset of Gulf War illness in some veterans to sarin gas exposure
New research from a Texas doctor has linked the onset of Gulf War illness in some veterans to exposure to the deadly nerve gas sarin.