Dr. Whitman Cobb and Col Hollon reunite after a 43-day government shutdown and discuss how the furlough affected faculty, students, and operations at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. They then examine ongoing U.S. military activity in the Caribbean under Operation Southern Spear, exploring the legal, strategic, and regional political implications of recent strikes on narco-trafficking vessels. The conversation expands to great-power dynamics in the Western Hemisphere, including the roles of Colombia, Mexico, China, and Russia. Finally, they assess new developments in the Russia-Ukraine war, focusing on long-range strikes, hypersonic weapons, drones, and what these trends suggest about airpower, force design, and the evolving challenge of achieving air superiority in modern conflict.