In theory, ALIS would identify a broken part, order a replacement through the logistics system, and tell the maintenance crews what to fix. Cyber tests are particularly important for the F-35, which is commonly referred to as a “flying computer.” The plane has approximately 30 million lines of software code controlling all of the plane’s functions, from moving flight surfaces to creating images in its infamous $600,000 helmet.

All this is tightly integrated with the ALIS program, which many consider to be the plane’s largest vulnerability. Should an enemy hack the ALIS system successfully, they could disable F-35 systems in combat, cause disastrous crashes, or ground the entire fleet.

The ALIS software and computer has seen its fair share of problems already. Last year, Joint Strike Fighter Program Executive Officer, Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, had to admit that the software was “way behind.” Maintenance crews supporting the Marine Corps’ F-35 demonstration aboard the USS Wasp this summer found themselves going off base to transfer ALIS computer files to their laptops over a commercial Wi-Fi network when the ALIS system proved incapable of handling the massive data files.

Elsewhere, maintenance personnel report that 80 percent of the issues identified by ALIS are “false positives,” reporting parts as broken when they weren’t.

The Salafis began by setting up the Ibn Taymiyyah mosque, named for an Islamic scholar active in the 13th and 14th centuries whose strict interpretation of Islamic doctrine is often cited as a main inspiration for armed Salafist groups, in the conservative city of Rafah in southern Gaza next to the Egyptian Sinai. They hoped to have a space where “they controlled what was preached, without oversight,” according to Yousef.

The man who preached at the Ibn Taymiyyah mosque was Dr. Abdel-Latif Moussa, a Salafist who, Yousef says, had links to al-Qaeda. On August 14, 2009, Moussa declared an Islamic emirate from Rafah, directly challenging Hamas rule.

The next day, Hamas security forces stormed the mosque, and Moussa died in subsequent clashes.

Since then, relations between Hamas and the Salafists in Gaza have been rough.

The armed followers of Moussa, Jund Ansar Allah (Soldiers of the Followers of God), and other Salafi offshoots sporadically attacked Hamas positions. They also murdered Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni in 2011, after attempting to force Hamas to release one of their leaders. Arrigoni’s killing was widely condemned. He was a beloved figure in Gaza.

SOHB, Gaza’s latest incarnation of Salafi radicalism, burst onto the scene on June 3 this year, when it fired its first rockets at Israel.

The rockets were easily dealt with by Israel’s advanced “Iron Dome” missile defense system, and the IAF quickly retaliated by bombing three sites—two belonging to Hamas and another to Islamic Jihad. Israel promises to hold Hamas responsible for any rockets. So, when SOHB bombs, Hamas pays the price.

Since 2008, Turkey’s largest defense firm, Aselsan, has been perfecting its "Active Protection System," also known as AKKOR. The electronics system allows tanks and armored vehicles to defend themselves against incoming fire, detecting rockets and missiles and shooting them out of the sky.

Last month, Aselsan announced it had signed a contract with the Turkish government to begin incorporating those systems into Ankara’s tanks. The improvements will apply to Altay tanks, but can also, in principle, be applied to a number of armored vehicles.

But the company will also be teaming up with Ukraine’s Ukroboronprom, according to Defense News. The joint program will allow both nations to make significant upgrades to its respective tank programs. The negotiations between the two defense giants could also eventually lead to artillery and personnel carrier upgrades.

The deal comes as both countries face increased scrutiny over aggressive militarism.

South Korea plans to build a stealthy unmanned aerial vehicle capable of destroying North Korean weapons systems on the ground. The drone will be used during crises to attack Pyongyang's long range artillery and missile systems.

North Korea has tens of thousands of artillery systems—from 240-millimeter rocket artillery to 170-millimeter long-range howitzers. It also has an arsenal of ballistic missiles, from the short-range Scud to the long-range Nodong and Musudan missiles, which has an operational range of nearly 2,500 miles.

North Korea occasionally uses artillery weapons to bombard South Korean territory, including the 2010 attack on Yeonpyeong Island that killed four people.

In the past South Korea has scrambled F-15K fighters to strike back, but has avoided using them. North Korea is a garrison state, surrounded by surveillance radar stations and equipped with a massive air defense network. As advanced as the F-15K is, flying over North Korea is a dicey proposition; the range of North Korean surface-to-air missiles, including the S-300 (maximum range: 93 miles), makes flying over portions of South Korea or even the waters surrounding the Korean peninsula dangerous.

The drone will also be stealthy, to prevent alerting North Korean air defenses. A North Korean military that knows it is being watched could withdraw its weapons into bombproof bunkers and fortifications, making them difficult to destroy.

The drone will carry smaller munitions that can identify and attack targets—likely a Spike N-LOS missile. Spike N-LOS is an Israeli anti-tank missile with a range of up to 15 miles. South Korea bought the missile system after the Yeonpyeong Island attack, and uses it for island defense. 

For larger targets, such as North Korean ballistic missiles, the drone will carry out a kamikaze-style attack, diving on the target and destroying it.

Muslims have played an essential part in guarding the homeland and fighting for its interests in war-torn countries the world over, fighting in all major U.S. wars, including the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War, according to military officials. More recently, Muslims have also served in the Gulf War, Iraq War and the war in Afghanistan.

There are 5,896 self-identified Muslims currently serving in the military, according to the Department of Defense. This is out of a total of 1,313,940 active-duty and 826,106 guard and reserve members, respectively.

The Department of Defense offers service members the opportunity to identify their faith for inclusion in the Dependent Eligibility Enrollment System, and on their identification tags. If you’re wondering why -- it’s for a very practical reason: for burial practices and religious services in the event of death.

It’s important to note that of the 2.2 million in uniform, active or reserve, 400,000 service members have not self-reported their faith. So the total number of Muslims currently serving in the U.S. military is likely higher.

Right now, the counterterrorism units are surrounding the center of Ramadi, waiting for the rest of families to leave in order to storm the area,” he said, referring to civilians still trapped in areas of the city still held by the Islamic State.

Iraqi officials announced Tuesday that counterterrorism forces and soldiers had seized the sprawling Tamim neighborhood of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s largest province, after the city fell to the militant group seven months ago.

The moves reflect new momentum against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria by U.S.-backed forces, which have been aided by airstrikes from an international military coalition led by the United States. Iraqi forces had been engaged in a halting counteroffensive to retake the city.

Speaking on Iraqi television on Tuesday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi predicted Ramadi would fall to pro-government forces “in days.”

“Very soon, we will finish Ramadi,” he said.

The report also suggests that the many civilian infrastructure projects that China has been constructing in Central Asia are "likely" being designed with an eye to their military potential, as well. "Many of China’s highways and rail systems have been designed to military specifications," the report notes. "China’s new highway and rail projects in Xinjiang—a large yet remote region with a smaller and more dispersed military presence relative to China’s eastern regions—likely are being designed with these applications in mind."

And the report suggests that China's military presence is poised to become even greater. "China’s ability to expand its security presence in Central Asia may grow over time, particularly if a new draft counterterrorism law under consideration by China’s National People’s Congress passes," the commissoners write. "

The design of the USS Zumwalt signaled a shift in strategy for the US Navy, and represents a generational jump in operational tech for modern warfare. Inside, the ship features enterprise-grade electronics, with IBM server blades running Red Hat Linux and buried deep within the ship, as our sister site Geek covered. They’re water-cooled, shock- and vibration-resistant, and are designed to withstand electromagnetic pulses that could take out the electronics of existing warships.

In the command center is the ship’s Common Display System, which consists of a cluster of three-screen server workstations with Xeon processors and LynxOS-based virtual machines. The idea is to only grant crew members the necessary levels of access required for their roles in a stacked system of multiple networks running simultaneously.

Eric Wertheim, author and editor of the U.S. Naval Institute’s “Guide to Combat Fleets of the World,” told the AP the integration of so many new systems from the electric propulsion to the tumblehome hull design carries “some level of risk.” Plus, operational concerns, growing costs and fleet makeup led the Navy to shrink the 32-ship program to just three ships, he said in the report, meaning this class of destroyers could become “something of a technology demonstration project.”

A new 36-foot Sealegs craft built in New Zealand using a customized hull designed in concert with a U.S. company could revolutionize the way vessels patrol rivers and coastal waters by providing easier and quicker movement on and between land and sea, the company says.

Sealegs drew upon a dozen years of ground-breaking work to build the IKA-11 Amphibious Interceptor Vessel, a large military-grade craft. The company used its latest-generation amphibious technology, which it said “can be installed onto significantly larger craft that operate in the commercial, professional, military and government sectors.”

Syrian rebel forces have begun evacuating the last district they hold in the central city of Homs under a truce deal that marks a major victory for the Assad regime.

The deal was reached earlier this month and will see some 2,000 rebels and their families leave the besieged Waer district of Homs city, once dubbed 'the capital of the revolution'.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said three buses carrying about 150 civilians had left the district today and about 750 people, including civilians, were still awaiting evacuation.

The international community is making its most serious push yet for a cease-fire and peace talks to end the conflict that began in 2011. Many hope that such local deals can be replicated across Syria to create pockets of peace and a climate conducive to talks leading up to a transitional government.