The U.S. Navy has publicly denied claims of feminine hygiene product shortages aboard the USS Boxer, a military vessel deployed in the Persian Gulf. The denial came after reports from Meidas Touch News alleged that sailors on the ship were begging family members to send tampons and sanitary pads due to prolonged deployment and limited supplies. The Navy's Central Command responded by asserting that the crew has been at sea for less than two months since their last port call and is adequately stocked with feminine products, available in both the ship store and medical offices. However, Meidas Touch stood by its reporting, citing similar denials from the Navy regarding conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, where doctors have warned of severe mental health risks among sailors. The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between military authorities and media outlets over transparency in naval operations, with families of service members alleging that care packages are not being delivered despite requests for essential supplies. This incident underscores broader concerns about resource management and communication in extended deployments, raising questions about the adequacy of support systems for female sailors in combat zones.

via NBC News Top Stories — U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz tells Meet the Press that the Trump administration “inherited” a depleted supply of munitions after an NBC News report revealed that military commanders have been selectively intercepting Iranian attacks to preserve diminishing weapons supplies.

The US is running out of munitions for the Iran campaign, reports the Wall Street Journal. The bottleneck isn't the lack of missiles. It's a lack of explosives.

North Korea has significantly reduced its shipments of artillery shells to Russia in 2025, as domestic stockpiles show signs of exhaustion, and the quality of munitions deteriorates.

Senior defense officials have talked with General Motors, Ford and others about shifting some capacity to make arms and military supplies.

Investing.com -- Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway have signed a new ammunition agreement with Norwegian defense equipment firm Nammo, according to Norway’s defense ministry on Monday. The agreement aims to ensure the Nordic countries have sufficient ammunition supplies. It will help these nations produce and procure ammunition more quickly and efficiently through Nammo. Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik emphasized the importance of the deal, stating, "The Nordic region needs enough ammunition, both to deter those who do not wish us well and to defend ourselves if we have to." The four Nordic nations will work with Nammo under this new framework to strengthen their defense capabilities and ammunition reserves. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

By Anna Hirtenstein and Alexander Marrow LONDON (Reuters) - Plans are afoot for an American-owned company seized by the Kremlin and placed under state control to be used to supply food to the Russian army, a document seen by Reuters showed, potentially threatening Moscow’s warming relations with the U.S. As the U.S. and the Kremlin negotiate to stop the war in Ukraine, the canned food maker Glavprodukt which was seized in October and is the only American-owned firm to be taken under state control, has been caught in the crosshairs. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said its treatment will be part of the conversation about resetting U.S.-Russia relations. The seizure was necessary to ensure stable production, including for future supplies to the national guard and defence ministry, according to a letter, reviewed by Reuters, addressed to Russia’s prosecutor general from Glavprodukt’s new management. Glavprodukt is now under the control of Russia’s federal property management agency Rosimushchestvo having been seized from Los Angeles-based Leonid Smirnov. Russia’s industry and trade ministry and Rosimushchestvo did not respond to requests for comment on the state’s plans for Glavprodukt and questions about its new management. Russian prosecutors have accused Smirnov and companies controlled by him of moving about 1.38 billion roubles ($17 million) out of Russia from 2022 to 2024, the RBC daily reported in March. On March 12, Glavprodukt’s assets were seized by the Moscow Arbitration Court at the request of the prosecutor general’s office. A hearing is scheduled for April 18. Smirnov denies wrongdoing and says the lawsuit is a "Russian-style corporate raid" to steal his company. The prosecutor general did not immediately respond to a request for comment. About a dozen European companies have had their Russian subsidiaries expropriated by presidential decree, including Danish brewer Carlsberg (CSE:CARLb) and Finnish utility Fortum (HE:FORTUM) and the Kremlin has warned of more asset seizures. The Ukraine invasion was expected to be a quick operation, but the war has now stretched to more than three years, seeing Russia hike defence spending and secure tighter control of strategic assets. In 2022, Russia was scrambling for military supplies, including food. WHO STANDS TO GAIN FROM SEIZURE? The letter reviewed by Reuters shines a light on the people standing to gain from the expropriation. It said that Rosimushchestvo appointed Glavprodukt’s new director general at the request of food producer Druzhba Narodov. Druzhba Narodov was the sole supplier to Russia’s national guard for 2019-20, according to a 2018 press release. A person familiar with the matter said that Glavprodukt never previously supplied Russia’s army. A 2018 investigation by late opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Fund revealed that then President Dmitry Medvedev had in 2017 signed off on Druzhba Narodov becoming the national guard’s sole supplier. Ownership information for Druzhba Narodov is classified, but Russian newspaper Kommersant reported in 2022, citing then publicly available information on Russia’s EGRUL corporate registry, that entities connected to agriculture holding ’Agrocomplex named after N. I. Tkachev’ had acquired Druzhba Narodov. Reuters could not independently verify that as the information is now classified, but the Agrocomplex holding referred to, and Druzhba Narodov, share the same agrocomplex.ru domain name for some email addresses, according to their websites and filings from Russia’s Spark corporate registry. Druzhba Narodov and Agrocomplex did not respond to requests for comment. The holding’s ultimate owner is Alexander Tkachev, according to the company’s 2025 independent audit filings, reviewed by Reuters. Tkachev, sanctioned by the European Union in 2014 for his support of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, was appointed Russia’s agriculture minister the following year, and is the holding company’s board chairman, the filings show.