Top 5     USS Abraham Lincoln to return home after 320 days (Military Times) The USS Abraham Lincoln will return to its California homeport after a 320-day deployment that raised concerns over degrading sailor morale and mental health.       It’s official: US Army’s improved M8 rifle to begin fielding in December (Defense News) On the factory floor at gun maker Sig Sauer’s headquarters, giant shipping pallets of the brand-new M8 Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle sit shrink-wrapped on shelves, ready for dispatch to soldiers.       US military orders 2-day pause on Okinawa following Marine’s arrest for alleged murder (Military Times) U.S. officials directed all military personnel on Okinawa, Japan, to cease operations for 48 hours to allow leaders to conduct standards training after a Marine lance corporal was arrested for allegedly murdering and robbing a local woman.       Firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan scheduled for December (The Associated Press) The acting secretary of the U.S. Army said Tuesday that the man convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, will be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3.       Anduril, US Navy invest $6.6 billion to boost submarine parts production (Military Times) Defense tech firm Anduril said on Tuesday it will invest $3.7 billion to develop a new shipyard in Maryland to build critical components for the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class submarines, as Washington seeks to bolster its maritime defense capabilities.   Operation Timeline     The human impact of policy changes at the DOD and VA (The War Horse) An ongoing timeline of the Trump administration’s actions focusing on the military and veterans.   Congress & Politics     US Senator Murphy says Pentagon denied him access to US base in Qatar (Reuters) Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said on Tuesday that the Department of Defense denied him access to ?a key military base in Qatar during a visit to the Middle East, describing ?it as part of a U.S. government effort to conceal the impact of the Iran war.       Families of some US troops killed in the Iran war’s deadliest strike absent from White House event (The Associated Press) Relatives of some soldiers killed in the Iran war joined dozens of Gold Star families from prior U.S. conflicts Tuesday at the White House, where President Donald Trump offered words of comfort and candles were lit for the fallen service members, according to one of the widows who attended.       Report to Congress on US aircraft combat losses in Operation Epic Fury (USNI News) The following is the Oct. 5, 2026, Congressional Research Service report, U.S. Aircraft Combat Losses in Operation Epic Fury: Considerations for Congress.   Army     US event keeps cavalry traditions going as war horses show staying power (Stars and Stripes) Looking like they stepped out of a Western movie, soldiers at a recent annual event in Oklahoma aimed at keeping cavalry traditions alive gathered to test their skills at horsemanship while firing pistols, slashing sabers and navigating obstacles.   Navy     USS Dwight D. Eisenhower returns to port after aircraft mishap (Military Times) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower returned home Monday after an aviation accident left eight sailors injured.   Marine Corps     Marines at Camp Pendleton get a new dining hall drive-thru for quick meals (Task & Purpose) Marines looking for a meal on the go can now pay a visit to the dining hall by car with a new drive-thru at a chow hall on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.   Veterans     Inside the push for Agent Orange victims memorial in small-town Utah (Military Times) Former Air Force Sgt. Larry Kerr has been lobbying for years to come up with a plan to honor the Vietnam veterans who developed cancers and other related diseases from exposure to the Agent Orange defoliant that their leaders, and what was then the Veterans Administration, claimed was safe.   Defense Industry     Pentagon names 4 directed-energy weapons for counter-drone program at US bases (Defense News) The Pentagon on Monday named four directed-energy weapons for a homeland counter-drone pilot, the first systems the military will field and test at U.S. bases under a program ordered by Congress.       France fires upgraded nuclear-capable missile from submarine for first time (Defense News) France test-fired an upgraded version of its M51 strategic ballistic missile from a submarine for the first time on Tuesday, a capability demonstration that President Emmanuel Macron called “very important” for the country’s strategic credibility and which he said would be monitored by allies and adversaries alike.       Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A CCA completes first fully autonomous flight (Military Times) Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue Collaborative Combat Aircraft recently completed its first fully autonomous flight.       Air Force certifies group to operate, teach Skydio X10D ahead of its fielding (Military Times) The U.S. Air Force certified a team of special agents to operate small autonomous systems, or sUAS, in an effort to improve the drone’s system operations across the service.       Lithuania says it would pay the cost if US establishes military base (Reuters) Lithuania is ready to pay the cost to set up a permanent U.S. military base if Washington should agree to establish one there, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said on Tuesday.   International     NATO Theory of Victory war plan aims to cripple invading Russian forces at border (Stars and Stripes) NATO is poised to unveil a new battle plan for defeating a Russian attack on its eastern flank, featuring front-line troops blunting an incursion while unleashing high-tech systems to destroy Moscow’s ability to command its forces.       US, Japanese forces to rehearse defense of Japan’s southwest islands (USNI News) U.S. and Japanese forces will amass in Japan’s southwest region to rehearse island defense as part of the annual Keen Sword exercise later this month.   Video     Air Force explosive ordinance technicians to get new, rust-colored beret (Defense News) Leaders said the uniform addition represents the career field and further drives recognition for the EOD community.   Commentary & Analysis     They served in Asia and came home. Decades later, the kids they left behind are searching for them. (The War Horse) Bernardino Mijares has spent most of his life searching for his father.       What to know as the fighting in Yemen escalates while US-Iran tensions remain high (The Associated Press) Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s government have launched a military campaign to drive Iran-backed Houthi rebels from the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical trade route for oil and other goods.       Kindling, catalyst, and containment: Will the West Bank ignite? (War on the Rocks) As violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has escalated, often with the acquiescence or support of Israel’s military, and the Israeli government has increasingly constricted Palestinian daily life, the potential for a new intifada — or uprising — has intensified.       When military marriages end overseas, some spouses find there’s no easy way home (Stars and Stripes) The pictures in Jamie Lenio’s house have been taken off the walls. Other belongings, packed in boxes, are already on their way to the United States. Later this week, Lenio and her family will leave Germany. And she’s relieved.       Hegseth’s vsion for a new American military (The Cipher Brief) “It's worth saying again so that the fake news understands it. We are no longer the woke department or the weak department. Simple translation of that: No fanny, no fatties, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals, just warriors — just tough, ready, committed troops. The War Department, as you know, is colorblind, gender neutral, and merit-based. Or, as the President likes to say to me: ‘Pete, central casting. I want central casting.’”       The battle for Hormuz is not the war (The Atlantic) Proponents of the war with Iran have taken recent increases in crude-oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz as proof that the U.S. strategy is finally working. President Trump is so confident in this that he recently rejected a seven-day plan, set forward by Iran’s foreign ministry, to end the war and open the strait. The United States is “winning tremendously,” Trump boasted.       Military AI dominance: Breaking ossified logic and re-writing institutional dogma (Federal News Network) By fully committing to governed data and tactical AI at the edge, we will forge an agile, AI-first warfighting force capable of enduring military AI dominance.       Iran faces severe challenges to rebuild missile and drone production (War on the Rocks) With the significant Israeli and U.S. military attacks against Iran in 2025 and early 2026, analysts have discussed and debated Iran’s ability to replenish its missile and drone arsenal.       Unique risks of AI adoption in developing economies (The Cipher Brief) The U.S. must set dominance of global AI sector as a strategic economic and national security priority. If the PRC becomes the dominant provider of AI infrastructure and LLM model development, this will have dire consequences for the U.S. and allow the PRC to embed itself in many foreign countries, especially across developing economies.       The Pentagon’s autonomy command should draw on lessons old and new (Defense One) As Pentagon leaders launch their latest effort to accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous and robotic systems, they can draw on key lessons from past attempts and recent breakthroughs.