Military

This map shows the battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876, at which the Sioux defeated the US Army under General Custer.

Author: Piotr Tysarczyk (2006)

CC BY-SA 2.5

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49102597

DW News reports that Ukraine’s Defense Ministry admits to approximately 200,000 soldiers currently absent without leave (AWOL), alongside roughly 2 million displaced Ukrainians. Defense Minister Fedorov acknowledged a “€300 billion funding shortfall” and “systemic breakdown in military structures.” Soldiers cite exhaustion, unclear service terms, and forced conscription tactics. Serhii Hnezdilov, a 19-year-old drone operator whose 3-year contract was extended indefinitely after the 2022 invasion, publicly stated: “Every Ukrainian should contribute to defense, but soldiers deserve to know clearly their term of service.” The core issues: units disbanded without warning; troops reassigned to high-casualty brigades with minimal training; commanders neglect soldier welfare; forced street recruitment damages morale. Oleg, an engineer, described his reassignment as “a death sentence,” saying most transferred soldiers lacked basic combat training. Over 1 million Ukrainian soldiers remain active, but the system is unsustainable. DW notes no clear end-date visibility for the conflict, fueling continued desertion. Military leadership acknowledges poor trust among troops but reforms lag behind the crisis.

Beretta is fighting drones with an automated shotgun turret.

Ever since Germany pushed for Patriot for Sky Shield instead of the (then not battle-proofen) SAMP/T I’m roughly following the news.

Though rumored to happen, Raytheon never allowed licenses production of Patriot missiles in Europe. With the now f**ed up stock pile, the tried recall of Polish batteries and the Swiss delay/fraud it is no wonder thar European countries look for alternatives.

SAMP/T earned its reputation in Ukraine and gets more recognized lately. On top of that Ukraine is developing their own domestic and hopefully cheaper alternative with the FP-7x. (Not to mention the other systems for different threats).

Why the heck aren’t the European countries able to ramp up the SAMP/T and Aster 15/30 production and concentrate on one licensed solution? I can imagine the FP-7x will be more cost effective (sub 1 Mio. $ vs 2-4 Mio $), maybe even faster to assemble, but can’t the defense industry streamline their products and production to the same effort?

https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/zelenskyy-urges-uk-france-and-germany-to-build-european-alternative-to-us-patriot-system-19639

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/47218267

From the Ombudsman herself:

https://www.stripes.com/opinion/2026-04-23/stripes-former-ombudsman-pentagon-trying-to-silence-21465037.html

Don’t worry about me. I’ve had a long and satisfying career in journalism. I knew there would be perils for speaking out against Pentagon attempts to control the news, but I expected some communication or questions or warning first. Nothing, just Form 3434.

Ironically, my three-year term would have expired at the end of this year anyway. They couldn’t wait.

I was immensely honored to be chosen as the 13th, and first female, ombudsman for Stars and Stripes. I’ve come to appreciate the many talented and dedicated journalists and staff at Stripes — it’s more than a job for them wherever they are stationed around the world. I’ve been fortunate to meet or hear from innumerable veterans, officers and enlisted personnel and military spouses. I’ve even respected the colonels who I tangled with over the rights of Stripes reporters to cover public gatherings on bases.

What you can worry about is the future of Stars and Stripes. This newspaper has a long history of commitment to the military community and to journalistic values. Please don’t let it be controlled by Pentagon brass.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/28901474