US Media: US Navy Not Escorting Vessels Through Strait of Hormuz During Blockade Period

¬ Pentagon Aims to Increase Drone Production Funding by 242 Times

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CNN, citing a US official, reported that during the ongoing blockade, US warships have not directly escorted vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, but have maintained contact with commercial ships that have not yet entered Iranian ports.

According to CNN: "The US Navy is not escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but is maintaining communication with commercial vessels that have neither entered nor exited Iranian ports, informing them of safe passage and urging them to continue sailing."

Earlier Tuesday, US Central Command announced that over 10,000 personnel, along with dozens of aircraft and naval vessels, were involved in the blockade of Iranian ports.

Since April 13, the US Navy has been implementing a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports. The Strait of Hormuz accounts for approximately 20% of global oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas supplies. Washington insists that vessels unrelated to Iran may freely pass through the strait as long as they do not pay tolls to Tehran. Iranian authorities have not yet announced any toll fees, though they have mentioned related plans.

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After reviewing budget documents, Sputnik News found that a new military division within the Pentagon responsible for developing and producing combat drones has applied for a 2027 fiscal year budget of $54.6 billion—242 times higher than the current budget.

The Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG), established in August 2025 under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," is tasked with accelerating the production of low-operator-intervention, disposable attack drones.

Sputnik News discovered that this group received $225 million in funding this year, which will increase to $54.6 billion by 2027. Of this, $53.6 billion will be mandatory appropriations, bypassing standard budget procedures, significantly speeding up the deployment of autonomous systems.

Spending by the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group will become the primary driver behind the Pentagon’s overall R&D budget growth: total R&D and testing costs are projected to rise by 63%, from $210.4 billion to $343.7 billion. This group will account for approximately 41% of the total increase in spending.

Source: sputniknews

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862496711068672/

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