Top 5     US pauses Iran attacks for second night after Trump advised to halt bombing (The Guardian) Top military officials say campaign has reached its limit of effectiveness and warn of dwindling stocks of munitions.       Waltz says pause in strikes against Iran is 'giving diplomacy some space' (CBS News) U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz also said military assets are being moved into the region. GOP Sen. John Kennedy and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders also weighed in on Iran.       With no Iran war end in sight, Germany pulls back two navy ships eyed for Hormuz mission (Defense News) The German government is pulling back two navy ships from the Gulf of Aden sent there weeks ago on stand-by to support an eventual post-war Strait of Hormuz security mission, as hope is fading in Berlin that the conflict in Iran will end anytime soon.       Pentagon lists 4 killed in Iran war under 'Overseas Operations Casualties' (CBS News) Four U.S. service members who were listed in a Pentagon casualties database as having died during the Iran war are now listed as "Overseas Operations Casualties."       Pentagon reports more than 600 Iran war casualties in quiet database update (The Guardian) Figures are source of dispute as U.S. defense department days ago reduced record of troops killed and wounded.   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.   Pentagon     Military families express outrage after Pentagon lowers number of US troop deaths in Iran war (The New York Times) The change in the number to 14 from 18 this week has prompted scrutiny over the Defense Department’s accounting and reporting practices.   Congress & Politics     Judge orders Hegseth to explain US military’s new testosterone policy (The Guardian) Court questions plan to offer male hormone treatment to cisgender troops while denying it to trans service members.   Your Military     Selective Service System wants to wargame the draft (Military Times) Fearing that its new plans for the U.S. military draft pool won’t work, the Selective Service System wants to create a computer simulation to test scenarios for its national mobilization.       Army helicopters, Navy drones sink two retired ships at RIMPAC (Task & Purpose) When the U.S. military partners with other nations for large-scale training exercises, it likes to give everyone a big target to blow up and sink. This month, U.S. forces and partner militaries got to sink not one but two decommissioned Navy ships.       Texas joint base medical barracks to be demolished, forcing the relocation of enlisted students (Military Times) Over 5,000 enlisted medical students at a Texas military base are being relocated due to “foundational defects” with the construction of their current barracks.   Army     Pentagon nominates Lt. Gen. Admiral to command US Army Europe and Africa (Military Times) The Pentagon nominated Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral to serve as the next commander of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa theater.   Navy     Navy redesignates Information Professionals as ‘Communications Systems Warfare Officers’ (Task & Purpose) Sailors serving as Information Professionals have a new title, “effective immediately.”   AIr Force     Air Force: Waist-to-height ratio required by July 31 will not be scored (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Active-Duty Airmen only have a few days left to submit an official waist-to-height ratio into the Air Force’s new online application. But the service clarified July 23 that this first body composition measurement is not meant to be scored as part of the new Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment, or PFRA   Space Force     Meet the 48-year-old Space Force guardian setting Hawaii state powerlifting records (Military Times) U.S. Space Force 1st Lt. Thomas Moriarty, an operations officer assigned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam’s Wahiawa Annex, set six Hawaii state powerlifting records in April while encouraging fellow service members to view fitness as a critical piece of military readiness.       Space Force wants commercial bandwidth for SATCOM experiments (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Space Force is moving forward with a series of experiments to test ideas for broadening its narrowband satellite communication mission to medium-Earth orbit, and a new notice to industry seeks commercial satellites to help demonstrate the viability of a future hybrid architecture.   Coast Guard     US Coast Guard seeking technology to hunt and kill uncrewed underwater vehicles (The War Zone) From the ongoing conflict with Iran, to the Ukraine war and hotspots around the world, aerial drones have proven to be extremely dangerous and effective weapons and a mad rush is on to counter them.   National Guard     National Guard awards $292 million for 2,000 ‘apartment-style’ units for DC deployments (Military Times) The National Guard Bureau, the District of Columbia National Guard and the U.S. General Services Administration have awarded apartment-hotel rental company Placemakr $292 million to provide up to 2,000 “apartment-style lodging units” for troops assigned to the Joint Task Force-District of Columbia mission, the Guard announced.   Veterans     Transportation Department wants veterans to become truck drivers (Task & Purpose) The federal government is hoping that veterans who drove heavy military vehicles will drive large freight trucks. On Friday, the Department of Transportation announced a new interagency effort to encourage veterans to step in to fill commercial trucking jobs around the country.   Defense Industry     Anduril in talks to raise funding at about $100 billion valuation (Defense News) Defense tech firm Anduril is in discussions with investors for a new funding round that could see it valued at roughly $100 billion, rivaling companies such as Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.       Indonesia orders Leonardo light fighters, eyes naval helicopters (Defense News) The Indonesian Air Force will soon add yet another aircraft type to its eclectic fleet, after a deal with Leonardo for a dozen M-346F Block 20 light fighters was announced this week.       As drones take over, ejection-seat makers prepare for a pilotless battlefield (Defense One) In the eight decades since Martin-Baker conducted its first in-flight test, its ejection seats have saved the lives of more than 7,800 aviators. But more recently, advancements in robotic and autonomous aircraft have Martin-Baker and fellow ejection-seat makers looking for ways to keep themselves alive and well.   Ukraine     2 dead in Ukraine from Russian attacks, 4 more in Russian-held area hit by Ukrainian drones (The Associated Press) Russian ballistic missiles struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early on Sunday, setting off fires and wounding at least three civilians, while attacks on other parts of the country later killed at least two people, local officials said.       Evidence of Ukraine using Dutch Ruta Block 1 cruise missiles emerges (The War Zone) Russian military bloggers have published what appears to be the first imagery showing the remains of a Ukrainian-operated Ruta Block 1 low-cost cruise missile following an operational strike. The weapon is another addition to an increasingly diverse arsenal that can hold targets even deep inside Russia at risk.       From steppe to sea, a Ukrainian drone unit hunts Russian ships (Defense News) In a field in southern Ukraine, soldiers scrawled sardonic messages on a sleek grey attack drone that would soon be hunting Russian ships on the Black Sea — part of a widening Ukrainian campaign to isolate Crimea and weaken Moscow’s war effort.   International     Iran-backed Houthis claim missile attack on Saudi Arabia (BBC News) U.S. military says it disabled a tanker that was attempting to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports.       Iran says Ukrainian attack on vessel in Caspian Sea killed sailor (Defense News) Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying it resulted in an explosion that killed one sailor and injured another.       China holds air, navy patrol in South China Sea (Reuters) China said on Sunday it organised a routine ?patrol by its naval and ?air forces in the South China Sea, accusing the Philippines of holding patrols ?with foreign countries in the ?disputed waterway that undermined regional ?peace and stability.       Romania summons Russia’s ambassador after downing third drone since Friday (The Guardian) F-16 fighter jet intercepted drone in Romanian airspace over Black Sea, defence minister says   Commentary & Analysis     Iran escalation wears at Gulf alliance (Politico) As the U.S. continues daily strikes on Iran, the Arab states battered by Tehran’s retaliatory attacks are trying to unite to chart a path toward peace. Longstanding tensions are getting in the way.       Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say Iran war has been harder than Trump administration expected (The Hill) As the U.S. war with Iran approaches the five-month mark, a new survey indicates that more than three-fourths of 2,193 respondents believe the Trump administration has had more difficulty navigating the conflict than it expected. Twenty percent of respondents to the CBS News/YouGov poll said the conflict has gone about as smoothly as the administration...       The US and Iran are stuck in a cycle of military escalation (The Wall Street Journal) Trump is threatening to intensify bombing of Iran while Tehran’s militia allies widen the war ISTANBUL—The conflict between the U.S. and Iran is escalating just as the two warring parties are running up against the limits of what they can achieve through military force. The conflict widened this week …       No war for old men (The Atlantic) Drone warfare took a while to catch on in Ukraine. Like any revolution, it required a struggle.       There’s more to peak military performance than testosterone. I’ve seen it. (The Wall Street Journal) There is no question that some ground combat requires almost superhuman strength in American soldiers. I was embedded from 2007 to 2008 with an airborne infantry platoon in Afghanistan’s infamous Korengal Valley and watched young men carry spine-crushing loads of gear, ammunition and weapons at …       Before a Cyber Force, fix cyber governance (War on the Rocks) Let’s not start picking out uniforms just yet. The chorus calling for a Cyber Force continues to grow by the day, but the debate has its priorities backward.       After Trump’s order, West Point curbed faculty speech. One professor said no. (Washington Post) Tim Bakken argues that the Pentagon's attempt to stifle what teachers can say and write makes the military more susceptible to bad decisions.