🇺🇸⚡🇮🇷 The Navy has placed directed energy systems on nine ships and is working to expand testing and employment in the fleet,” a U.S. Navy official told TWZ.

However, the official declined to discuss current operations when asked if the systems have been employed in the Middle East.

Nine American destroyers stand at the vanguard of the U.S. Navy’s efforts to integrate laser weapons into the battlefield of the future. Lasers and other directed energy (DE) weapon systems went from an elusive dream to reality over the past decade, which TWZ has covered extensively. We’ve now compiled the most complete public accounting of the warships equipped with operational systems today, where they’re deployed, and what they can do.

Two ODIN-enabled destroyers are on combat deployments in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR). USS Spruance (DDG-111), part of the five-ship Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and the independently deployed USS John Finn (DDG-113) are operating in the Indian Ocean supporting ongoing operations against Iran. USS Gridley (DDG-101), the only other ODIN-equipped DDG underway, is in SOUTHCOM AOR escorting aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) to her new homeport at Norfolk. The four other destroyers are at their respective homeports in San Diego and Yokosuka.

The U.S. military is moving aggressively to reduce reliance on expensive single-use munitions, and laser weapons are oft-touted as part of a long-term solution. The recently released FY2027 budget reflects the urgency, with billions appropriated for scaled directed energy research and development (R&D) programs. “DE capabilities offer an inexpensive cost-per-shot alternative to conventional systems, increased magazine depth, and enhanced defense-in-depth,” budget documents state. The volume of high-end munitions expended during Operation Epic Fury, previous engagements with Iran, and the fight in and around the Red Sea against the Houthis, not to mention the near half-decade-long war in Ukraine, has sparked debate around the status and depth of U.S. stockpiles, driving renewed interest and investment in low-cost, reusable alternatives.

Rus askerleri, Ukrayna'ya ait orta menzilli bir İHA'yı Yolka anti-dron sistemi ile düşürdü.

🇷🇺⚡️ — WATCH: Russia’s Defense Ministry released footage showing its nuclear forces carrying out recent exercises.

🇺🇦🇷🇺 Herson bölgesinde Rusya Federal Güvenlik Servisi (FSB) subaylarının karargahına saldırı düzenlendi.

🇱🇹🇺🇦🇷🇺Lithuanian schoolchildren are being told that Ukrainian drones "accidentally" fly into the country's territory, that they "just got lost"

All of this is happening in basements during air raid alerts precisely because of Ukrainian kamikaze UAVs

🇦🇫❗️In Afghanistan, the Taliban have lowered the age for girls to marry from 16 to 9 years old

According to the decision, the minimum age was tied to the onset of puberty. According to the largest and oldest Sunni school of Islamic law, the minimum age of puberty is 9 years old.

The decree came into effect after being approved by the leader of the Islamist movement "Taliban", Haibatullah Akhundzada.

🇸🇩🔥🇸🇩 — The UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces released footage showing a drone strike on a Turkish-made HİSAR-A operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces near the Rahid al-Nuba area in North Kordofan.

🇺🇸🇮🇱🇮🇷⚡️ — The U.S. military has significantly depleted its advanced interceptor missile inventory after expending large numbers defending Israel during the conflict with Iran, while Israeli forces themselves used far fewer munitions, according to the Washington Post, citing Defense Department assessments.

➡️ The U.S. launched more than 200 THAAD interceptors — nearly half the Pentagon's inventory — along with over 100 SM-3 and SM-6 naval interceptors during the war.

➡️ In comparison, Israel fired fewer than 100 Arrow interceptors and about 90 David's Sling interceptors.

➡️ A government official warned this disparity could widen if fighting resumes, as some Israeli missile defense batteries are currently offline for repairs. The Pentagon and Israeli officials defended the cooperation, stating both countries participated in multiple air and missile defense systems throughout the conflict.

🇺🇦🔥🇷🇺 — Ukraine has launched a massive number of drones into western Russia.

🔻Russian monitoring sources indicate that up to 300 drones have been launched.

🇺🇦🇷🇺🇧🇾"If there is a threat from the territory of Belarus or Russian border regions, Ukraine is ready to act preventively,"

- Zelebubus.

🇵🇱🇺🇸⚡️— Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz:
President D. Trump's decision to send 5,000 additional soldiers to Poland confirms that Polish-American relations are very strong, and Poland is a model and ironclad ally.

It's good that we fight together for the fundamental issues of our Homeland's security. It is a duty that turns into effectiveness.

1923, İstanbul Boğazında işgal kuvvetlerine ait gemiler.

🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇦 Rus ordusu tarafından fiber optik kablolu dronlarla Ukrayna ordusuna ait araçların hedef alındığı anlar.

🇮🇷⚡🇺🇸 — Iran has destroyed more than two dozen U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones since the start of the war, representing losses valued at nearly $1 billion and roughly 20% of the Pentagon’s prewar inventory of the system, Bloomberg reports.

Many of the drones were shot down by Iranian fire during operations, while others were destroyed on the ground in missile strikes or lost in accidents.

🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺The US has approved the sale to Ukraine of equipment to support the Hawk missile system, estimated to be worth more than $108 million, according to the US State Department.

⚡️🇯🇵🇸🇦 Japan is set to receive its first crude oil tanker from the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war began.

The large crude carrier Idemitsu Maru, carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi crude, crossed the strait in late April and is expected to arrive at the Aichi refinery on Monday.

A second Japanese‑linked tanker, Eneos Endeavor, also transited the chokepoint earlier in May. The war has almost completely shut the strategic waterway, forcing major Asian importers to tap strategic reserves and seek alternative supplies.

🇹🇷 Following the court decision to oust CHP administration, the Istanbul Stock Exchange began experiencing one of its worst weekly declines since the 2008 global financial crisis.

🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡️ — Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine by the end of the year, but only under conditions that Moscow can portray as a victory, Bloomberg reports.

Russia’s terms include full control over the Donbas and broader security guarantees from Europe that would effectively acknowledge Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine.