Thursday, May 28, 2026, this edition leads with the 1964 Radfan campaign in South Arabia, where 3 PARA withdrew back to Aden on May 28 after hard fighting in mountain terrain. The campaign was a sharp example of late-imperial counterinsurgency, air-mobile support, and the challenge of securing key roads against guerrilla forces.

Today’s current-conflict brief looks at President Zelensky’s letter to the U.S., tentative agreement reached in Iran negotiations, Israeli security buffer zones, and the security-humanitarian overlap in eastern Congo.

On May 28, 1964, the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment withdrew back to Aden after intense operations in the Radfan mountains of South Arabia. The campaign had been launched to suppress attacks on the Dhala road, a strategically important route linking Aden with the interior, and involved British airborne troops, Royal Marines, Federal forces, RAF aircraft, helicopters, and supporting arms.

The fighting in Radfan was small compared with the major wars of the 20th century, but it was militarily demanding. British and Federal forces had to operate in extreme heat, broken mountain terrain, and villages and ridgelines well suited to guerrilla defense. By late May, 3 PARA’s role in the main phase had ended, though British operations and security duties in the region continued into June.

Radfan showed the difficulty of late-imperial counterinsurgency in terrain where local fighters held the advantage of geography, mobility, and political ties. It also foreshadowed the wider Aden Emergency, where military action in the hinterland could not by itself resolve the political challenge to British rule in South Arabia. For modern readers, Radfan remains a case study in mountain warfare, air-mobile support, and the limits of tactical success when the strategic environment is shifting.

Read More on WarHistory.org:
- Radfan 1964

On May 28, 1940, the Belgian Army ceased resistance during Germany’s campaign in Western Europe. The surrender worsened the Allied position as British and French forces were already being pushed toward Dunkirk.

Militarily, the event mattered because it deepened the Allied flank crisis at one of the most dangerous moments of the Battle of France. Politically, it also created lasting controversy between King Leopold III, who remained in Belgium, and the Belgian government, which continued the war from exile.

Read More on WarHistory.org:
- The SS Verfügungs [‘V’] Division in the West 1940 - Part I
- The SS Verfügungs [‘V’] Division in the West 1940 - Part II
- Dunkirk Evacuation

On May 28, 1754, Virginia officer George Washington and Mingo leader Tanacharison, also known as Half King, led a force against a French party at Jumonville Glen in what is now southwestern Pennsylvania. The brief skirmish left French officer Joseph Coulon de Jumonville dead and pushed a tense border dispute into open violence.

The fight was small, but its consequences were large. It became one of the opening incidents of the French and Indian War in North America, which grew into the Seven Years’ War, a global conflict involving European empires, colonial forces, and Native nations.

Read More on WarHistory.org:
- Action at Jumonville’s Glen

About a day ago, President Zelensky sent a letter to President Trump and to Congress asking for urgent supply of Patriot interceptors.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv responded to circulating rumors: “The U.S. Embassy is open. There are no changes to our operations and reports otherwise are false. The State Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans and regularly reviews the security posture of Embassy Kyiv. We reiterate our message that Americans should not travel to Ukraine for any reason due to the armed conflict.”

On May 28, 2026, sources said the United States and Iran had reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire and ease shipping restrictions through the strait, though final approval had not yet been confirmed.

WH pool: “Per U.S. sources: your pooler has confirmed reporting (by Axios) that a tentative agreement has been reached in the Iran negotiations, but is pending President Trump's approval.”

Israel said it targeted Mohammad Odeh, described by Israeli officials as a senior Hamas armed-wing figure, in a strike in Gaza. On May 28, 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed forces to expand Israeli control in Gaza, describing seized areas as security buffer zones.

About a day ago, Uganda has closed its border with Congo with immediate effect, following a decision by the National Task Force on Epidemics.

About 20 hours ago, The U.S. Department of Defense has been directed by the Trump Administration to erect a 50 to 250-bed quarantine facility and military field hospital in Kenya within the next week, which will be used to house Americans exposed to the deadly Ebola virus in the growing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Era: Early 20th century
Country: United Kingdom
Role: Battleship

HMS Dreadnought entered service in 1906 and gave its name to an entire generation of battleships. Its “all-big-gun” main battery and steam-turbine propulsion made older battleship designs seem outdated almost immediately.

Why it mattered:
Dreadnought reset naval competition before World War I. By making previous capital ships look obsolete, it intensified the naval arms race and forced major powers to think in terms of fleet modernization, industrial capacity, and technological leapfrogging.

Read More on WarHistory.org:
- I christen you Dreadnought!
- Dreadnoughts’ three
- Late-Nineteenth Century Naval Gunnery
- British Naval Power
- The Dreadnought Club
- WWI Cruiser Warfare

Sherman wrote this during the 1864 Atlanta campaign. The line is stark, but useful for a military-history audience because it reflects the hard-war logic behind Sherman’s operations and the broader Civil War debate over military necessity, civilian suffering, and the limits of restraint.

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