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Admiral Daryl Caudle, the U.S. Navy's top officer, described a vision for equipping ships across the fleet with directed-energy weapons. He said the lasers could supplement missile defenses, reduce the cost of shooting down incoming threats, and eventually scale up to megawatt-class power levels.
Justin Fanelli, the Department of Navy's chief technology officer, spoke with reporters even as he was rushed onto an unannounced flight, underscoring the pace of his current work. He revealed the Navy is preparing an updated list of its longer-term technology priorities, this time reviewed by several venture investors before publication, following investor feedback that last year's list reshaped how they viewed the Navy's purchasing plans.
The U.S. Navy has awarded a $3.8 million contract to America's largest shipbuilder, marking the company's first publicly known foray into naval laser weapon development. The deal comes as the Navy accelerates efforts to move directed-energy weapons from experimental prototypes into systems that can actually be fielded on ships.
Anthropic's September 2026 threat report describes Chinese-based actors using its Claude models across at least five programs, including two tied to military applications. One actor drafted fire-control specifications for an anti-torpedo system and benchmarked it against U.S. Navy systems, while another built roughly 16 software modules for suppressing enemy air defenses, with a default scenario targeting 12 sites in Taiwan such as Patriot batteries and air bases. Metadata reviewed by Anthropic suggested links to Chinese research institutions, including the PLA Academy of Military Sciences.
Ukraine's Navy says its Sargan 3000 unmanned surface vessel destroyed a Russian MBeK drone boat in the Black Sea, using a 12.7mm remote-controlled turret to sink the enemy craft after it was spotted by military intelligence. Footage released on the Navy's Telegram channel shows the exchange of fire and the Russian vessel sinking nose-first.
Anthropic's September 2026 threat report found that an Iran-linked group used its Claude AI model to compile targeting data on U.S. naval vessels in the Middle East, combining satellite imagery, ship transponder data and personnel names scraped from public photos, while also probing known vulnerabilities in shipboard communications gear. Separately, a Houthi-linked cell in Yemen reportedly used Claude Code to help develop guidance, navigation and control software for three weapons programs, including a guided rocket, a long-range ballistic missile, and an R2000 hypersonic glide vehicle variant. Anthropic says it banned the accounts, added detection safeguards, and reported the activity to U.S. authorities.
Anthropic disclosed that it detected and shut down an operation in which actors linked to Iran attempted to use its Claude AI model to gather targeting information on U.S. Navy warships. The incident was disclosed as part of a broader report detailing how state-linked adversaries have tried to misuse Anthropic's AI systems for weapons development and surveillance of dissidents.
The U.S. Navy tested a wind-powered Saildrone Surveyor SD-3001 unmanned surface vessel armed with Lockheed Martin's JAGM missiles during RIMPAC 2026 exercises. Controlled via the Navy's ARES system, the drone fired two JAGMs while operating alongside the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, and also demonstrated electronic warfare capabilities by working with an MH-60S helicopter to identify a mock threat.
Gap Inc. has appointed retail veteran Michael Francis to lead Old Navy, its largest brand by revenue. Francis previously helped shape Target's low-cost, design-forward strategy in the 2000s, and Gap is betting his experience can revive Old Navy at a moment when shoppers are especially price-sensitive.
Gap Inc. announced that customer chief Michael Francis will replace Haio Barbeito as Old Navy's CEO starting in November, part of an ongoing effort to revive the struggling brand. The announcement came alongside Gap's mixed second-quarter results, which beat earnings estimates but missed on revenue, sending shares up more than 16% in after-hours trading.
Monalisa Escobedo, a Navy personnel specialist stationed in Chula Vista, California, started a wash-dry-fold laundry side hustle on the Poplin platform in April 2025. Using two washing machines at home, she has completed roughly 1,200 orders and now earns between $8,000 and $11,000 monthly, putting her on pace for nearly $90,000 this year.
An open-source archive called PURSUE has released its fifth batch of declassified UFO-related records, adding 41 files that include 16 Navy videos, FBI witness interview reports, CIA documents, and State Department cables spanning 1947 to 2026. New material covers a 2021 Gulf of Oman Navy video series, a 2019 Pacific Ocean series, renderings of triangular craft sightings over Afghanistan and Colorado Springs, and older cases from Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Scandinavia's 'Ghost Rocket' scare. The project's catalog now totals 375 records across its five releases, paired with a live 3D satellite tracker.