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Airmen and the local community gathered as Davis-Monthan hosted the final public A-10 Range Day at the Barry M. Goldwater Range.

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base hosted at the Barry M. Goldwater Range near Gila Bend, Arizona, the last public Range Day with the A-10C Thunderbolt II on Jun. 24, 2026 held its last Range Day. The announcement comes as the type inches towards its imminent retirement, despite Congressional approval to save the iconic aircraft.

“As the A-10C Thunderbolt II made one of its final passes over the Barry M. Goldwater Range near Gila Bend, Arizona, Airmen assigned to the 355th Wing, community members, and civic leaders gathered to witness the familiar roar that had echoed across Tucson’s skies for nearly five decades, marking one of the aircraft’s final range days,” said the press release.

For the sake of clarity, it should be noted, that while the press release mentioned “one of the aircraft’s final range days,” the title and the caption explicitly mentioned it “was the final A-10 Range Day.”

The Range Days are a traditional U.S. Air Force event held almost every other month at the Barry M. Goldwater Range by the 355th Wing. These events see the A-10C execute a live-fire demonstration of its combat mission, enthralling both public, Airmen, serving members and their families alike. 

A U.S. Airman photographs two A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft as they release flares on Jun. 25, 2026 at the Barry M. Goldwater range. | Source: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Najzee Kuzu Imminent retirement

The A-10C, better known as Warthog, was earmarked for retirement by the end of 2026, however it will now remain in service at least until the 2030s. The U.S. Congress is in fact resisting attempts to fully retire the attack aircraft without a replacement.

The jets have seen considerable action against Iran during Operation Epic Fury, carrying a new refueling probe on the nose and electronic warfare pods, and returning with kill markings depicting bombs and Iranian naval vessels. The run up to the type’s eventual sundown has also seen the Air Force deactivate other associated units and activities.

This includes the shuttering of the 40th Test Flight Test Squadron’s Detachment 1 in December 2025, a geographically separate unit at Davis-Monthan AFB that executed A-10 developmental test operations. On Apr. 3, 2026, the U.S. Air Force also ended the training of the A-10C when the 357th Fighter Squadron graduated the last batch of student pilots at Davis-Monthan AFB. 

Final Range Day

Describing the final Range Day as “powerful and precise,” the service said this was “a living, breathing demonstration of everything the A-10 mission represented; discipline, dedication and an unwavering commitment to those on the ground watching.”

Among the spectators was also retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Glen “Wally” Moorhead, who has witnessed the A-10 over 38 years of service. Moorhead delivered the first A-10 to Davis-Monthan nearly five decades ago, and was also one of the first pilots of the A-10C variant.

U.S. Air Force Col. Jose Cabrera, 355th Wing Commander, watches an A-10C Thunderbolt II perform. | Source: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Najzee Kuzu

“The culture of attack is a special culture inside the United States Air Force,” reflected Moorhead. “The people flying the airplanes, the people working on them, loading them, making them work, that culture of mission is just strong, it’s extremely strong. And it’s always been a pride of mine.”

Tucson natives meanwhile have come to view the Range Days as more than just aerobatic and live-fire demonstrations. “The growl of the gatling gun, and the sight of a warthog in the clouds above have become a message from the base to the city that supports it; a message that says, without words, that the people inside that fence are mission ready constantly,” said the release.

Retired Air Force Col. Bill Pitts, who flew the A-10 for more than 14 years in his 26-year career, reflected on the community ties the event: “The attitude, the atmosphere around the A-10 is special. The pilots grow to love each other, and the attack community is a unique bunch.”

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the 357th Fighter Generation Squadron demonstrates live fire at the Barry M. Goldwater Range near Gila Bend, Arizona, June 11, 2026. | Source: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Ornelas Jr. Other recent Range Days

The recent Range Days before the final one at Gila Bend were held from the beginning of the year on Mar. 27, 2026, May 1, May 28 and Jun. 11. Hosted by the 357th Fighter Generation Squadron (357th FGS), Range Days are attended by Airmen, civic leaders, Civil Air Patrol cadets and Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Cadets where they witness the “installation’s rescue and attack mission.”

A-10 Warthog strafing run! I think it was about 107°F up there on the range tower.

I had to keep my phone and camera in the shade between passes so that it wouldn’t overheat and not be able to record! pic.twitter.com/TbJOgVJr1w

— Andrew Kelly (@andrewkphotos) June 30, 2026

Attending Airmen “recognized as top performers had the opportunity to participate in an A-10 range day to see the mission their work supports.” As for the A-10, one image caption said the range day “demonstrated the aircraft’s speed and maneuverability while supporting pilot proficiency in dynamic training environments.”

Due to Government policy, Canada experiencing little needed economic relief, despite having one of the world’s largest oil reserves and high international oil and gas prices in 2026.

The existence of democracies in human civilisations is not something that came about by accident or is naturally occurring in most parts of the globe. On many occasions, Ancient Greek civilisations who established complex and meaningful measures to balance the powers of their societies lost their democratic traditions to despots, warlords, and foreign empires. Democracy can take generations to form, requires much evolution to become fair and just, and can be extinguished in less than one generation.

The Greek democratic idealists are the progenitors of modern Western civilisations, enshrining a heritage that continuously challenges limitations present in establishing a true government for the people. What still exists as part of many Constitutions of Commonwealth nations is the Magna Carta. The existence of this foundational document of British style democracy limited the power of the King/Queen to take the property of a citizen without just cause as far back as the 1200s. Property rights enabled citizens to hold wealth and legal title, a means to defends ones interests as a legal defense could now be funded. These rights were specific to defend a lone citizen’s interests, even against agents of the King or an oppressive state Government. The challenge the Royals had over generations of British history was to maintain and further entrench their power to rule, giving way to government mechanisms and institutions that were designed and effective in keeping absolute power away from the King in the form of representative Parliaments and independent courts. While the King is now more of a formal title and is limited by informal Customary Laws on their power over Government, they still maintain the legal authority to rule as one, while the legal customs and traditions ensure that no despotic rule should come to the realm, be it a King, Queen, Prime Minister or General.

A shameful revelation has recently come upon the legal and customary traditions of rule in the Parliamentary system in Canada. While much scandal has been brought to the Parliament in England, Canada had the unfortunate fate of taking on a seasoned political class that had contributed a great deal to the current state of affairs in the United Kingdom. The recent act by a Minority Government, one that did not earn enough votes to have a Majority claim in Parliament, was to offer political and possibly other tokens to Opposition Members of Parliament in order to claim an unelected Majority Government. While technically an MP is permitted to cross to another party for reasons of Conscious moral objections, using the claim that recent voter support wished the MP to leave to another party is an insult to 800 years of Parliamentary Democracy.

The leader of the Governing party, a seasoned political agent and dual national of the British Government for many years, likely knew or should have known of the traditions of the British Parliamentary Democracy inherited by all Commonwealth nations. Starting with the Magna Carta and evolving into modern Constitutional Law, the British Constitution is a collection of Acts, Human Rights Legislation, and Customary Norms and Practices that establish fairness in society. In this tradition, most Commonwealth countries are formed on the Customary Laws and Traditions of their Parliamentary heritage, with the Customs and Traditions being the Constitutional norms that maintain liberty, freedom and equity among all citizens in the Parliament’s realm. When your vote is simply traded away for personal gains by a sitting MP a year after an election, it is an offense to the Constitutional norms since Magna Carta, norms which were fought over for generations as the Crown tried to re-establish absolutist power. Using a new 1982 Constitution as a means to remove Customary Laws has ill effect, as it has just enshrined discrimination to the gain of political elites, and could serve to open Parliamentarians to outside influences by foreign entities harmful to Canadian society. When those actions give a Government Majority power, without the votes supporting the Prime Minister or their party, its offensive to the traditions of fairness and equity in the realm and sullies Parliament with a Dirty Majority Government that citizens have no confidence will be limited in its reach. While Canada always had a Monarch, there is no appetite for rulers without earned votes, as that is more of a tradition that ended democratic rule in ancient Greece than something formed in a modern Parliamentary system.

A unique feature of the British Parliamentary tradition and the English Courts that are designed to limit despotic power is the use of Laws of Equity in the legal system, a prized value system from their heritage. While Customary Laws can be abused, and look to have been in this recent case, a legal precedent of applying hard laws with fairness and justice in mind is often applied in the Courts. Taking the Government to court and applying the Law of Equity over the manner in which a Government Majority was manipulated away from voters is an important case that needs to be brought to justice, not just in the case of Canada, but in similar political examples throughout the English Courts as well.

Despite 800 years of challenges to despotic powers against Kings and Queens being the British tradition, a Prime Minister with a Majority Government has more official power than any President in Republican systems in the Americas and Europe. It is the duty of every Parliamentarian and every Commonwealth citizen to honour Parliament by fighting for its democratic traditions, even when a party and Minister has dishonoured the Customary Laws of the country. That is the tradition of the British in Europe, of Canada, and of all rulers since the Magna Carta in 1215. If they can take your vote, knowingly take away Equity established since 1215, they will surely go as far as taking your other rights as well, even your Property. This Tyranny of a Political Majority is all that can come from Canada’s Dirty Parliamentary Majority Government. As it has always been, a community can only thrive when their votes matter.

The rupture between Afghanistan’s Taliban and their erstwhile allies in Pakistan continues to cause suffering on both sides of the border.

Czechia’s new government has changed its tone on Taiwan, but left most of the substance of the relationship intact.

Un fossile d'apparence banale, resté oublié dans un tiroir pendant 40 ans, s'est avéré être le premier os de dinosaure jamais découvert en Antarctique.

Comment résumer un livre qui semble avoir été écrit dans le but même d'en rendre impossible tout résumé ou de rendre caduc tout point de vue surplombant sur la vie ? Nos vies ne sont-elles pas faites d'une tout autre matière — vertige et mémoire ? « Pittsburgh, 1939-1942… Descendant dans la rue (…) / Roumanie, Littérature, Autobiographie, Fiction

Collective care should not be reduced to practices that merely keep us strong enough to survive hostile conditions. Collective care should also make us question, resist, and transform the very systems of power that generate harm. Credit: Humanis

By Nisrina Nadhifah Rahman
Jul 2 2026 (IPS)

“To respect strength, never power” is one of my favorite quotes from the acclaimed writer and activist, Arundhati Roy. For years, this quote has stayed with me. It encourages a way of life grounded in compassion rather than dominance.

It was particularly on my mind as I returned from the June 2026 Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly (DRAPAC26) in Manila, an annual forum organized by EngageMedia. Co-hosted by local partners, the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) and DAKILA, it brought together more than 800 digital rights practitioners, researchers, funders, journalists, technologists, and activists from across the Asia-Pacific region.

But my participation in DRAPAC started long before I arrived in Manila. Throughout the first half of 2026, through the Connect, Defend, Act! program, I had been engaging with civil society actors at workshops held across different regions.

Moving in harmony with one another

During a session on collective care at one of them, we asked if abstract principles like human rights, solidarity, resilience, and collective care could be translated into concrete care practices. If so, what would that look like?

One group responded with a local expression: “Na Pada Ajong Ta.” It means to move in harmony with one another, walking side by side and sharing a common rhythm.

I was instantly struck by the phrase.

AI outputs are shaped not only by data, but also by the social, political, and economic structures that determine whose knowledge is collected, whose views and experiences are prioritized, and whose realities are ignored

We are constantly being told to “unite” by both figures of authority and agents of change. But what they want is us to move in the same direction, at the same pace, and with the same voice. Yet perhaps what we need is something closer to “Na Pada Ajong Ta,” walking side by side without marching in lockstep.

Resilience is important, but so is interrogating power

The DRAPAC Assembly took me back to these questions about power, accountability, humanity, and collective care, especially in the discussions on how we frame activists and human rights defenders.

An important discussion revolved around the growing glorification of the “resilience” of activists and human rights defenders. Stories of sacrifice, adaptation, and perseverance are often presented as inspiring accounts of brave individuals fighting for justice in increasingly challenging environments.

Yet I found myself wondering: What happens when resilience becomes an unquestioned virtue? What if our admiration for people’s endurance blinds us to the systems that oppress them? Or traps us in a worldview that celebrates those strong enough to endure, while those who struggle or fall behind are quietly left to fend for themselves?

So, interrogating power in conversations about resilience also means challenging a narrow understanding of collective care. It should not be reduced to practices that merely keep us strong enough to survive hostile conditions. Collective care should also make us question, resist, and transform the very systems of power that generate harm.

AI (just like any other technology) is never neutral

Throughout DRAPAC, countless sessions explored different dimensions of Artificial Intelligence (AI). For me, the most interesting ones treated AI as a political development.

One recurring insight was that AI outputs are shaped by far more than users’ prompts. They are also influenced by invisible system prompts, training datasets, institutional priorities, commercial interests, and political decisions embedded within the technology itself.

In other words, AI reflects the values, assumptions, and most importantly, the power relations built into it.

One of the most well-known principles in computer programming is the phrase “Garbage In, Garbage Out” (GIGO). At its simplest, the principle suggests that the quality of an output depends on the quality of the input.

But after the discussions at DRAPAC, I have come to see GIGO as more than a technical principle. It is also a political one. “Garbage In, Garbage Out” is ultimately a question of power. AI outputs are shaped not only by data, but also by the social, political, and economic structures that determine whose knowledge is collected, whose views and experiences are prioritized, and whose realities are ignored.

The power of the attention economy

Writer and scholar Alfie Bown’s 2022 book, Dream Lovers: The Gamification of Relationships, explores how human desires are increasingly shaped to suit certain economic and political agendas, creating a profound dependency on algorithm-driven technology.

At DRAPAC’s “Algorithm Anonymous” session, we also explored how digital platforms are actually systems of control designed to both capture attention and influence habits, desires, and emotional attachments.

We started off by acknowledging that our choices, behaviors, and things we pay attention to online are often shaped by algorithms. And we examined the deceptive design tricks used by websites and apps that get users to do things they hadn’t planned to, like buying something, sharing more data, or signing up for services.

Then we reflected on how social media, fitness applications, and health platforms create validation loops that encourage continuous engagement, often treating privacy and user agency as an afterthought.

The many forms power takes

As I left DRAPAC, I couldn’t help but think that Arundhati Roy’s reminder to “respect strength, never power,” is perhaps not enough. Because strength, much like power, also has layers that need to be scrutinized and questioned. And while doing so, we also need to re-examine our own roles and individual social and political identities.

We must be clear on where we stand in relation to the systems and structures around us. That doesn’t mean to stop questioning power, but to remain curious about the many forms it takes, including those we may have internalized without realizing it.

Nisrina Nadhifah Rahman is the Indonesia country-level Lead for the Connect, Defend, Act! program at Humanis.

It’s not “whole of society” – and calling it that risks discrimination against ethnic Chinese.

Voici l'histoire d'un retour. Un retour au Kosovo, à deux moments très différents. Le narrateur, tout jeune, y retourne avec ses parents en 1996 — deux ans avant le conflit armé. Adulte, c'est dans le Kosovo d'après-guerre qu'il revient, en compagnie de sa mère. Petit, il n'avait pas de souvenir (…) / Kosovo, Littérature, Migrations, Violence

The UN’s ongoing liquidity crisis has forced peacekeeping operations to implement contingency measures that have significantly reduced personnel, patrols, mission footprints, and programmatic activities. As missions adapt to these constraints, they face difficult trade-offs in maintaining mandate delivery while responding to increasingly complex security environments.

In this context, the International Peace Institute (IPI), in partnership with the permanent missions of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Pakistan to the United Nations, convened a workshop to examine how UN peacekeeping operations are adapting to contingency measures. The discussion brought together member-state representatives and UN officials from headquarters and the field to assess the operational implications of the cuts and identify lessons for the future of peacekeeping.

Key themes from the discussion included the growing reliance on mobile operational approaches, the impact of reduced mission presence on the protection of civilians and community engagement, increasing risks to peacekeeper safety and security, the opportunities and limits of digital technologies, the importance of strategic communication with host states and local communities, and the critical role of partnerships in sustaining mandate implementation amid resource constraints.

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The post How UN Peacekeeping Operations Are Adapting to Contingency Measures appeared first on International Peace Institute.

Eleven 48th Fighter Wing Strike Eagles have returned home from the Iran air war sporting interesting nose art and bomb markings.

On Jul. 1, 2026, eleven F-15E Strike Eagles belonging to the 48th Fighter Wing returned home from their latest combat tour in the Middle East. Although some aircraft carried 494th FS markings, according to our sources all the aircrews were from the 492nd Fighter Squadron “Madhatters” (or “Bolars” from the squadron’s callsign). It is not unusual for the two squadrons of the 48th Fighter Wing to pool aircraft and borrow jets from one another when some airframes are unavailable. 

The jets made their way back to RAF Lakenheath from Jordan, where they had been deployed to support Operation Epic Fury, with a stopover at Sigonella Air Base in Italy.

Flying as TREND 11-15 and TREND 21-26, the first eight jets landed before sunset. Despite the poor lighting conditions, our contributor Stewart Jack was there and took some interesting photographs of the F-15Es. The shots reveal nicknames and nose art applied to the jets, as has become a tradition for deployments to the CENTCOM AOR (area of responsibility). In this case, the nicknames appear to follow a monster/cryptid theme, mixing mythological creatures and horror figures.

Overall, the first eight Strike Eagles were nicknamed Nessie, Kraken, Yeti, Chupacabra, Cthulhu, Cerberus, Sirenhead and El Jefe. The final three F-15Es landed at around 21:45 LT, when it was much darker, and for the moment we have been unable to determine their nicknames.

More in details the aircraft arrived in the following order:

00-3001 “Nessie”
91-0329 “Kraken”
97-0221 “Yeti”
01-2001 “Chupacabra”
91-0331 “Cthulhu”
91-0309 “Cerberus”
96-0205 “Sirenhead”
91-0324 “El Jefe”

91-0329 “Kraken” (All images, credit: Stewart Jack) | Source: Stewart Jack 97-0221 “Yeti” | Source: Stewart Jack 01-2001 “Chupacabra” | Source: Stewart Jack 91-0331 “Cthulhu” | Source: Stewart Jack 96-0205 “Sirenhead” | Source: Stewart Jack

All the aircraft sport a significant number of JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) markings, with two of them, “Cerberus” and “El Jefe,” also painted with what appear to be AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) silhouettes. Noteworthy, the first eight aircraft don’t seem to sport any APKWS II markings.

91-0309 “Cerberus” | Source: Stewart Jack 91-0324 “El Jefe” | Source: Stewart Jack

Nose art and nicknames on Strike Eagles deployed to the Middle East first appeared on the 18 F-15E Strike Eagle jets belonging to the 391st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron returning to Mountain Home AFB from OIR (Operation Inherent Resolve) in April 2019. Since then, it has become a standard for all the F-15E squadrons deployed to the CENTCOM AOR.

A big thank you to our contributor Stewart Jack Photography for sending us his photos!

The political momentum for the Northern Sea Route is real. However, the actual data looks a lot less rosy.

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