Top 5     Tehran threatens to halt all Middle East energy exports after US reimposes its blockade on Iran (The Associated Press) The U.S. military early Wednesday reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports over Tehran’s attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, sparking new strikes on nations hosting American forces as an interim deal to end the war further unraveled.       Manufacturing woes hamper US 155-mm ammo production (Military Times) Manufacturing problems are dashing the U.S. Army’s plans to boost production of urgently needed 155-mm howitzer shells, a Pentagon watchdog warned.       VA, HHS to increase psychedelic therapy research for PTSD, military-related mental health issues (Military Times) The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services signed an agreement Monday to increase coordination on research into psychedelic drugs for treating veterans’ mental health disorders.       Senate Democrats block $1 trillion defense bill in protest over Iran war (The Associated Press) Senate Democrats blocked a $1 trillion annual defense bill Tuesday, refusing to advance the bipartisan package that would substantially increase Pentagon spending, including a pay raise for the troops, in protest of President Donald Trump’s war against Iran.       Confidentiality agreements increased more than 300% among military families facing issues in privatized housing (Stars and Stripes) The use of confidentiality agreements in privatized military family housing has increased by more than 300% over the past six years, which advocates say is a response to civil litigation that makes it harder to track chronic issues.   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.   Army     4,000 troops lose air conditioning in Hawaii (Military Times) Mechanical problems with a water treatment plant in Hawaii have left thousands of soldiers without central air conditioning in the barracks, a spokesman for U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii confirmed Tuesday in a statement to Military Times.       Army to move aerial intelligence brigade to Texas for HADES program (Military Times) The U.S. Army is relocating the 116th Military Intelligence Brigade, the service’s only fixed-wing aerial intelligence brigade, to Texas as part of a modernization effort centered on the forthcoming High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System, or HADES, the Army announced.   Navy     Navy ship spills up to 5,000 gallons of diesel into Elliott Bay after fueling mishap (Tribune News Service) A fuel spill on Harbor Island, Wash., allowed as much as 5,000 gallons of diesel into a containment area in Elliott Bay, according to the state Department of Ecology.       The US Navy is eyeing next-gen carrier-based drones. Here’s what they might do. (Military Times) The U.S. Navy is looking for a family of carrier-based drones that can fulfill a variety of missions, according to a July 14 Request for Information.   Marine Corps     Move over, ASVAB? Marines seek better way to predict troop success (Military Times) The Marine Corps is engaged in a multi-year pilot program to determine whether the standardized test the military has used since 1968 might be swapped out for a more holistic way to capture troops’ experiences and abilities.   AIr Force     Air Force UH-1N helicopter makes emergency landing in DC after crew hears vibrations in flight (Military Times) A U.S. Air Force helicopter conducted an emergency landing in Northwest Washington, D.C., late Monday night after its crew heard vibrations while in flight.   Space Force     Space Force offers $25K for 8-year enlistments in new pilot (Military Times) Citing specialized training needs that exceed those of the other services, the Space Force is making its first move toward an eight-year enlistment model by offering a hefty bonus to those who choose a longer commitment.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     How a former Marine is rewriting the future of battlefield AI (Defense One) One stubborn former Marine is changing how the Pentagon moves data to farflung troops—a change intended to enable them to use advanced AI tools, and one that just might reshape how lightweight models are developed.   Defense Industry     Space Force agency awards tech companies $1.75 billion contract for missile warning, tracking satellites (Military Times) The U.S. Space Force’s unit tasked with deploying space technology announced the award of two agreements with a total of roughly $1.75 billion to field missile warning and tracking satellites in support of the Golden Dome initiative.       Navy awards TOTE $2.2 billion to manage Medium Landing Ships project (Defense News) The Navy this week awarded a $2.2 billion Vessel Construction Management contract to the Jacksonville, Florida-based TOTE Services LLC for the service’s new Medium Landing Ships.       Europe’s defense build-up is delivering for NATO — and America (Defense News) When the European Union announced its unprecedented defense investment agenda last year, many in America questioned whether Europe would deliver. Some argued we were too slow to rearm, too fragmented to strengthen our defense industry, or too accustomed to relying on U.S. military power. One year later, Europe’s answer is not a press release or promise. It is budgets approved, production expanding, procurement accelerating, and capabilities being delivered.       Ukraine agrees on plan to acquire 16 Rafale jets, France’s Macron says (Defense News) Ukraine has agreed on a plan to acquire 16 Rafale fighter jets from France together with the accompanying weapon systems, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference here late Monday following a meeting of the group of countries that have pledged support to Ukraine.   Israel-Gaza-Lebanon-Syria     Lebanon, Israel hold talks in Rome on implementing framework deal (Al Jazeera English) Beirut is hoping for progress towards securing an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.       Israeli strike on police post in north Gaza kills seven, officials say (BBC News) A senior officer in the Hamas-run police force was among those killed in the strike, which Israel's military says targeted "terrorists".   Ukraine     Kyiv claims drone attacks on 11 Russian tankers in Sea of Azov (France 24) Ukrainian drones hit several Russian vessels in the Sea of ?Azov ?overnight on Tuesday, Kyiv's ?drone forces commander said, as the Kremlin denied that repeated Ukrainian attacks on the major export route would impact Russia's export capacity.   International     Iran targets Bahrain and Jordan in retaliation as US strikes continue (The Guardian) U.S. hits targets in port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas while Iran attacks two tankers in strait of Hormuz.   Commentary & Analysis     The US military measures readiness. What about adaptability? (Military Times) The U.S. military can tell commanders how many troops are deployable, how many aircraft are mission-capable and how quickly units can mobilize for combat.       Hegseth ordered a new study of women in combat. Critics say it’s built to reach one conclusion (The War Horse) Two months before Pete Hegseth appeared in front of Congress to testify in his confirmation to be secretary of defense, he sat across from the podcaster Shawn Ryan, talking about the Pentagon’s 2015 decision to open ground combat roles to women.       Inside the $87.6 billion Iran war supplemental (The Cipher Brief) “In addition to supporting OEF costs incurred by DOW, the [$87.6 billion Fiscal Year FY 2026 Supplemental Trump administration] request provides $768 million to the Department of Energy to support nuclear and other energy security requirements, primarily for the National Nuclear Security Administration for OEF-related activities.”       How a promising Navy drone boat program got mired in politics (The New York Times) Navy acquisition reforms upended a $2.1 billion contract competition. When it was over, several companies with ties to the Trump administration had made the cut.       Washington’s spy ring and Paine’s democracy (The Cipher Brief) Agent 711 was one of the most effective and least known spies in our nation's history. He used dead drops to communicate about enemy plans. He used secret chemical processes to create new forms of invisible ink. He spread disinformation to disguise his own troops' movements and confuse the enemy. The year was 1778. Agent 711 was George Washington. He was our nation's first spymaster, and his network of informants was the Culper spy ring. It was one of several that he ran through the war and also during his time as president. Washington's army was undermanned, underfunded, frequently on the run. He knew he needed an edge, and he found it with intelligence. A British intelligence officer later said Washington did not really outfight the British — he simply outspied us.       Defending Europe if Russia steps out of the gray zone' (Small Wars Journal) In 2026, Liana Fix, a senior fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Benjamin Harris, a research associate for European foreign policy, wrote an article titled “Defending Europe if Russia Steps Out of the Gray Zone ” that describes a possible shift from traditional Russian gray-zone tactics to low-level conventional attacks.       NATO’s unity on paper and fractures beneath the surface (War on the Rocks) On July 7-8, NATO held its 36th official summit in Ankara, Turkey. There were several consequential topics to discuss at this year’s meeting, chief among them the wars in Ukraine and Iran and the uncertain future of European defense and security. We asked five experts to assess the outcomes of the summit for the various parties involved.Liviu HorovitzAssociate Researcher at German Institute for Security and International AffairsThe key takeaway from Ankara is that even President Donald Trump is struggling to escape NATO’s strategic logic. He arrived attacking allies and questioning the alliance’s value, yet left reaffirming Article 5 and praising       How Lindsey Graham’s keen ability to read the moment propelled him to political relevance for 3 decades (The Conversation) Since South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death on June 11, 2026, much of the commentary has focused on his evolution from Donald Trump critic to Trump ally.       A return to mass: Russian force expansion in the war with Ukraine (War on the Rocks) Joseph Stalin famously said that quantity has a quality of its own. Yet the course of the Russo-Ukrainian War shows both the benefits and the eventual limitations of that approach.       Why Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz after decades of holding back (The Conversation) U.S. forces have struck hundreds of Iranian targets – including in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas – over three consecutive nights in a bid by the US president, Donald Trump, to regain some modicum of control over the Strait of Hormuz.       Outgunned, but not outplayed: Iran’s theory of victory (War on the Rocks) Nineteen weeks ago, Iran faced the combined might of the most powerful country in the world and the most advanced military in the Middle East. Today, it is dictating the terms of the peace.