Defense Archives

The first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) transits the Atlantic Ocean, March 19, 2023. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean executing its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), an intense, multi-week exercise designed to fully integrate a carrier strike group as a cohesive, multi-mission fighting force and to test their ability to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

America’s Secret Plan To Sink China’s Aircraft Carriers Come Down to 2 Words

Key Points and Summary – While China’s “carrier-killer” missiles dominate headlines, the U.S. Navy is fielding its own formidable array of offensive weapons to...

Kris OsbornOctober 20, 2025

Alfa-Class Submarine Creative Commons Image

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Russia’s Titanium Alfa-Class Submarine Has a Message for the U.S. Navy

Key Points and Summary – The Soviet Alfa-class submarine was a Cold War marvel, a “Golden Fish” designed for breathtaking speed. -Forged from a...

Harry J. KazianisOctober 20, 2025

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Russia’s Victor III-Class Submarine Has a Message for the U.S. Navy

Key Points and Summary – The Soviet Victor III-class submarine was a strategic shock to the U.S. Navy in the late 1970s. -While previous...

Harry J. KazianisOctober 20, 2025

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Russia’s ‘Black Hole’ Kilo-Class Submarine Has a Message for the U.S. Navy

Key Points and Summary – Nicknamed the “Black Hole” by the U.S. Navy for its extreme quietness, Russia’s Kilo-class submarine is one of history’s...

Harry J. KazianisOctober 20, 2025

Pacific Ocean (November 3, 2003) -- During Tiger Cruise aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Nimitz and Carrier Air Wing Eleven personnel participate in a flag unfurling rehearsal with the help of fellow tigers on the flight deck. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Force and Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) are in route to Nimitz homeport of San Diego, California after an eight-month deployment to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer Mate 3rd Class Elizabeth Thompson

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

$6 Billion ‘Nuclear’ Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier Was ‘Sunk’ by $100 Million Diesel AIP Submarine

Key Points and Summary – In a 2005 war game, a $100 million Swedish Gotland-class submarine repeatedly “sank” the $6 billion USS Ronald Reagan...

Harry J. KazianisOctober 20, 2025

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The F-16 Fighting Falcon Fighter Has a Message For Any Air Force on Earth

Key Points and Summary – The F-16 Fighting Falcon—“Viper” to its crews—started as a nimble, low-cost day fighter and became the backbone of Western...

Harry J. KazianisOctober 19, 2025