Top 5     Hezbollah rejects Israel-Lebanon truce as Trump scrambles to end Iran war (The Guardian) Hezbollah has rejected a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan agreed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments, throwing the future of a truce in Lebanon and regional peace negotiations into question.       Pentagon balks at court order allowing HIV-positive persons to serve (Military Times) The Department of Defense has filed a motion to block a June 2 court order that required it to allow recruits with asymptomatic HIV to enlist or commission into the U.S. military.       The US needs drones, not Trump-class battleships, Democrats argue (Military Times) House Democrats expressed frustration with the U.S. military for seeking funding for a $17 billion battleship instead of investing more in cheaper autonomous weapons systems as warfare continues to change rapidly.       Navy eliminates regular performance, fitness reports for select paygrades (Military Times) The Navy is eliminating regular performance reports for a handful of senior paygrades in an effort to “reduce administrative burdens on senior leadership,” the service announced Wednesday.       Hegseth doubles down on Anthropic's security risk designation (Politico) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied Anthropic’s request to reconsider the AI startup ’s designation as a national security risk, the Pentagon told the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday.   US Strikes in Caribbean and Eastern Pacific     A list of US military strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels (Military Times) Since early September 2025, the U.S. military has conducted strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean in support of what the Pentagon has called continued counternarcotics efforts.   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     In second break with Trump in a week, House passes bill to aid Ukraine (The Guardian) Legislation would also sanction key segments of Russian economy, overriding objections from Republican leaders       Democratic division in the shape of Lebanon (Roll Call) As Democrats in Congress pelt Republicans with repeated war power votes — a strategy to test the party’s support for President Donald Trump’s military action abroad — a foreign policy fissure in the shape of Lebanon took form among their own ranks.       Lawmakers push Space Force to seek more commercial integration (Air & Space Forces Magazine) House lawmakers want the Space Force to buy more technology and services from commercial companies, evidenced in a handful of amendments approved as part of the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.       House rejects attempt to get answers about Army flyby of Kid Rock’s mansion (Military Times) Rep. Pat Ryan, D-NY., argued Thursday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outdid his Saturday Night Live caricature when he reversed the punishment of two U.S. Army pilots who hovered Apache helicopters near musician Kid Rock’s Tennessee mansion in March.   Army     Army’s plan for military death row executions is named ‘Operation Resolute Justice’ (Task & Purpose) The Army has a plan in place for the service to carry out executions of military prisoners on death row, if execution orders are approved by President Donald Trump, officials confirmed.       Army MP in Germany sentenced to 20 years for child pornography crimes (Stars and Stripes) A U.S. soldier who used online gaming platforms to entice young boys from around the world to send sexual images and videos to him has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to the Army.   Navy     Navy recognizes USS Carl Vinson with Battle ‘E’ award (Military Times) The USS Carl Vinson has been awarded the 2025 aircraft carrier Battle Effectiveness award, the Navy recently announced Wednesday.       Navy fires leadership trio of ship repair facility in Japan (Military Times) The U.S. Navy fired a trio of top brass at an overseas maintenance center due to a loss of confidence in the leaders’ ability to command, the service announced Wednesday.   AIr Force     Air Force vice chief: Demand for new airplanes ‘outstripping’ production (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Air Force is seeking to buy around 108 new aircraft in fiscal 2027—though really, officials wish they could get more.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard to hold ribbon-cutting ceremony for new Alabama training center (Stars and Stripes) The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that the U.S. Coast Guard will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for the opening of Training Center Birmingham-South, which will house the Enlisted Training Center of Excellence.   National Guard     Minnesota National Guard airmen return home after deployment to Africa (Stars and Stripes) More than 100 airmen from the 133rd Airlift Wing of the Minnesota National Guard returned home after a four-month deployment to Africa.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     New coalition will enter legal debate over industry’s role in government cyber missions (Nextgov) A new Washington initiative seeks to shape policy debates over how the government and private sector collaborate on cyber operations, a conversation that will inevitably raise complex questions about the legal authorities governing industry’s role, participants say   Defense Industry     Microsoft to tighten human rights measures after inquiry into Israel’s use of its tech (The Guardian) Announcement seeks to close a difficult chapter for the company after the Guardian revealed its platform was used in mass surveillance of Palestinians       Dutch plant for combat-zone robots offers fresh supply pipeline for Ukraine (Defense News) Estonia’s Milrem Robotics, maker of the THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle, has opened an assembly line for its multifunction robots in the Netherlands, the company announced on Thursday.       Rheinmetall sells struggling auto division to focus on defense (Defense News) Germany’s Rheinmetall will sell its struggling automotive unit to Munich-based investment firm Aequita for about $406 million, it said on Wednesday, in one of its final steps to focus on defense.   Israel-Gaza-Lebanon-Syria     Hezbollah’s fiber-optic drones expose cracks in Israeli defenses (The New York Times) The Lebanese militant group’s attacks have caught Israelis off guard, forcing its political and military leaders to scramble for solutions.       Hidden chemical weapons sites emerge in Syria amid fragile security transition (Military Times) Over a decade after Syria agreed to dismantle its formidable chemical arsenal, international inspectors have uncovered scores of previously hidden chemical weapons materials as the country enters a fragile new phase marked by a shifting security landscape.   Ukraine     In public letter, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy calls on Putin for direct negotiations in a neutral country (The Associated Press) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin.       Ukraine tests new missile in hopes of leading to low cost Patriot alternative (The War Zone) Tests of Ukraine’s new FP-7.X missile could pave the way to a cheaper and more plentiful, albeit far less capable, alternative to the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system effectors.   International     Somali military and opposition-allied militias trade fire ahead of anti-government protests (Reuters) Government troops and militias allied ?with the opposition exchanged fire overnight and on Thursday morning in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, damaging property and forcing some civilians to flee, residents told Reuters.   Military Culture & History     Five WWI soldiers receive Star of David headstones after century-long error (Stars and Stripes) A handful of Jewish U.S. soldiers killed during World War I whose graves at the largest American military cemetery in Europe had been marked by crosses now have the Star of David as their headstone.   Video     Michigan Guard soldiers train for combat readiness (Defense News) No classroom lessons here. Soldiers from the Michigan National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment took to the field for Operation Iron Bessemer, a high-energy training exercise focused on building tactical proficiency and mission readiness.   Commentary & Analysis     How Trump’s first 500 days has reshaped life for troops and veterans (The War Horse) It’s June 4, which marks the 500th day of President Donald Trump’s second term. Here at The War Horse, we’ve tracked every twist and turn related to the military and veterans since the president returned to office through Operation Timeline, an interactive tool covering everything from the president’s first executive orders to the United States’ ongoing war with Iran.       The Pentagon is rewriting how it buys AI — control of the future of warfare (Federal News Network) Instead of monolithic, all-in-one platforms, the Pentagon is shifting toward a model that looks more like modern cloud architecture.       Why the US cannot afford to lose intelligence partners (The Cipher Brief) Working with partners is a key intelligence tool. While the US has one of the best if not the best intelligence organizations in the world, it still cannot collect and analyze all global trends.