A U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the “Jolly Rogers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103 launches from the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), currently operating in undisclosed regional waters in support of the U.S. naval blockade of Iran.

VFA-103 is part of Carrier Air Wing 7 aboard the George H.W. Bush, which has been operating in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility amid the ongoing maritime campaign.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says 104 commercial vessels have now been redirected since the blockade was resumed, as U.S. forces continue enforcing restrictions on maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports.

According to a release from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call today with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi. While no commensurate state department release has hit feeds at the time of writing, per the Chinese release, the two spoke about “the next stage of [U.S.-China] high level exchanges,” likely referring to the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, although true to form, the release did not directly refer to the upcoming meeting.

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre, a vessel 75nm east of Aden, Yemen traveling westbound towards the Bab el Mandeb Strait was pursued by a skiff that attempted, presumably unsuccessfully, to intercept the vessel. Likely a piracy incident.

According to U.S. President Donald J. Trump, the U.S. and Poland are working to establish a U.S. Army base in Poland, which would be the third such site, if it is administered similar to other sites at Naval Support Facility Redzikowo (Aegis Ashore) and Camp Kościuszko (U.S. Army Garrison Poland (USAG-P). Per President Trump, the location of the planned base has not yet been determined but will be announced soon if plans move forward.

Early reports just now of an F-16 crash in Blair County, Michigan. More to come.

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has added three Iranians and two Iranian businesses to its sanctions list, while simultaneously designating three Cuban individuals and six Cuban state-owned entities and removing several Belarusian entities from the sanctions list.

The Iranian designations target Seyed Adel Heidari, Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein and Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein, along with Bitbank and Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company. OFAC lists the individuals and entities under its Iran sanctions authorities and says they are subject to secondary sanctions.

The Cuban designations target three individuals and six state owned research, defense, mining and industrial entities. Meanwhile, OFAC removed several Belarusian entities, including Lakokraska and Kontsern Bellesbumprom, from the SDN List.

Source: https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260917

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35A Lightning II fighters to Saudi Arabia, marking a major expansion of the Kingdom’s advanced combat aircraft capabilities.

The proposed package includes 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, along with secure communications and cryptographic equipment, electronic warfare support, training, simulators, spare parts, maintenance and other logistics support.

The notification to Congress says the sale would strengthen Saudi Arabia’s homeland defense, improve interoperability with U.S. and regional forces and enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capabilities. The State Department also states that the sale would not alter the military balance in the region or adversely affect U.S. defense readiness.

State Department approval and congressional notification is one of several steps in the process and does not mean a sale is final.

The Texas Air National Guard has issued a statement confirming that the F-16 "Fighting Falcon" that crashed in Blair Township near Traverse City, Michigan belonged to the 149th Fighter Wing based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas and was conducting routine training in the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, adding that the pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft. The incident is currently under investigation.

The U.S. military is expected to move most of its MQ-9 "Reaper" drones out of Africa and into U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees Latin America, according to six sources who spoke with CNN. The Pentagon declined to comment.

The shift comes as the Trump administration ramps up counternarcotics and counterterrorism plans in South America, including potential operations in Ecuador. One source said discussions are still underway about sending some drones to the Middle East instead, where the US has lost MQ-9s in strikes against Iran. Some sources voiced concern that pulling drones from Africa could hurt ongoing operations against ISIS and al Shabaab there.

The move follows a classified DOJ legal opinion, previously reported by CNN, authorizing lethal strikes against a secret list of cartels. Colombia has separately arranged to borrow three MQ-9A drones from the US, and Panama just received over six million dollars in drone systems for border surveillance.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/politics/us-military-drones-south-america

As a precautionary measure amidst escalation in Yemen involving the Houthis, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced today the EU’s maritime escort mission in the Red Sea, ASPIDES, would be increasing the alert level of vessels participating in the mission. The move comes amidst increased worries that the Houthis may target commercial shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Currently 4 vessels, including an Italian frigate, a French FREMM warship, and a Greek warship, are involved in the rotational mission that saw its mission area overlap with the at the time (late 2024) already ongoing EU naval mission, ATALANTA.