Top 5     Hegseth announces new four-star command for autonomous warfare (Military Times) The Pentagon is creating a new four-star command to oversee the military’s push into autonomous warfare, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the technology is advancing faster than the military’s acquisition system can keep up.       Iran indicates it’s received an official US response to its latest offer on ending the war (The Associated Press) Iranian officials indicated Wednesday they have received an official U.S. response to Tehran’s latest proposal to end the seven-month war, which U.S. President Donald Trump had publicly rejected just days earlier.       8 sailors died by suicide at Oklahoma base in one year, Navy confirms (Military Times) The news of eight attempted suicides across the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group generated fresh heartache and outrage for U.S. Navy families of sailors assigned to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, including Alicia Kelsey.       First elements of USS Abraham Lincoln strike group return home (Military Times) The first ship in Carrier Strike Group 3 returned to Hawaii on Monday after a 301-day deployment marred by mental health concerns and declining morale aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, the strike group’s flagship.       US Air Force awards $2.38B contract to Boeing for 22 F-15EX (Defense News) The U.S. Air Force tapped Boeing for a $2.38 billion contract to produce 22 F-15EX Eagle II aircraft, using previously available funds from the congressionally provided reconciliation to maintain procurement before the fiscal year deadline.   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     Hegseth announces 5 new non-Ivy League partnerships (The Hill) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced new Pentagon partnerships with five non-Ivy League colleges and universities Wednesday amid his ongoing efforts to distance the military from America's most prestigious higher education institutions.   Congress & Politics     White House nominates next general to helm US Space Command (Military Times) The White House on Tuesday nominated Lt. Gen. David N. Miller Jr. to lead the U.S. Space Command as its general, according to a congressional notice.       US removes Syria from arms export ban as Trump administration draws closer to new Syrian government (The Associated Press) The Trump administration is removing Syria from a list of countries that are not allowed to purchase or import U.S. weaponry, a step that is part of a monthslong process of easing sanctions on the new government in Damascus and its leaders.       Rubio orders visiting Iranian UN delegation to leave NYC ahead of schedule (The Associated Press) Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iran’s foreign minister and his delegation to the U.N. General Assembly to leave New York earlier than they had planned, two U.S. officials said Wednesday.   Your Military     Many awards for combat flying, few details in Iran war (Task & Purpose) At a recent ceremony at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, six F-22 Raptor pilots were awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses, or DFCs, the military’s top award for valor in flight.   Army     82nd Airborne major sentenced to 17 months after holding wife at gunpoint (Stars and Stripes) An Army major was sentenced to 17 months in prison after pleading guilty to domestic violence and threatening to kill his wife at their home on Fort Bragg, N.C.       Fort Bragg opens its first campus-style dining facility (Stars and Stripes) The traditional chow line gave way to a new dining experience at Fort Bragg, N.C.   Navy     US Navy signs off on ‘preliminary acceptance’ of aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (Military Times) The U.S. Navy’s next aircraft carrier is now approximately 99% complete, with the sea service taking “preliminary acceptance” of the future USS John F. Kennedy.   Marine Corps     Operation Atlantic City ushers Marines on rare trip to ... remote Arctic island (Military Times) U.S. Marines participated in a “first-of-its-kind mission” in the remote Arctic this summer, meant to test their ability to work with Norwegian and British troops in harsh conditions.   National Guard     Hawaii National Guard rescues 19 people from flooding during Hurricane Nolo (Stars and Stripes) Hawaii National Guard crews rescued 19 people during five missions on the Big Island as flooding from Hurricane Nolo swept across parts of the state over the weekend.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Ukraine’s former defense minister launches ‘Manhattan Project’ for killer robots (Defense News) Ukraine needs a “new Manhattan Project,” former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told a standing-room-only crowd of self-proclaimed tech nerds on Saturday at IT Arena here, the country’s biggest annual technology conference.   Defense Industry     Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman to undergo $5.1B mid-life overhaul (Military Times) The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is slated to undergo a massive overhaul designed to prepare the hulking vessel for the second half of its service life.       US Army selects five companies for PrSM development (Defense News) The U.S. Army on Tuesday signed agreements with Anduril, Castelion, Lockheed Martin, Mach Industries and RTX to create advanced long-range missile prototypes, Redstone Arsenal announced this week.   International     Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan kill 9 civilians, Kabul says; Pakistan says only militants hit (The Associated Press) Pakistan carried out airstrikes in two Afghan provinces overnight, both countries said Thursday, with Afghanistan saying 9 women and children were killed and another 11 were wounded in the bombings.       Russia says European arms factories supplying Ukraine are potential military targets for Moscow (Reuters ) Factories in Europe producing arms for Ukraine are legitimate and ?potential military targets for Russia, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman ?Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.       UK says there are strong indications Iran played a part in a security incident at a US-run air base (The Associated Press) The U.K. has “strong indications” that Iran played a part in the incident that saw five men arrested near a U.S.-run military air base in England late at night, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday.       Chinese research-vessel activity more than triples around Japan’s southwestern islands (Stars and Stripes) Chinese research-vessel activity around Japan’s southwestern islands has more than tripled this year, with the Japan coast guard reporting 14 cases of ships conducting surveys in the country’s exclusive economic zone around Okinawa and its remote islands.   Video     Troops develop AI-driven drone defense weapons | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 9.29.26 (Defense News) Looking to empower junior troops to design drone defense, the Air Force Research Laboratory fosters new systems. Plus, new lifesaving battlefield tech.       US clears way for $24.3 billion fighter jet sale to Saudi Arabia (Defense News) The State Department has approved the potential sale of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to Saudi Arabia - but Congress still gets a say.   Commentary & Analysis     UAE turns to Russian shadow airline for missions in Africa: Investigation (Defense News) The United Arab Emirates, a Western darling for security cooperation in the region, appears to have regularly used Aviacon Zitotrans, a sanctioned Russian airline linked to the Kremlin’s military and paramilitary operations, over the course of the past year, a Defense News investigation shows.       Rated Ready is not ready: What America’s Korea exercises actually measure (War on the Rocks) The battery I served in at Camp Casey, South Korea, the 333rd Field Artillery Target Acquisition Battery, existed to do one thing if North Korea attacked: find the enemy’s guns so our guns could fire back. That was the whole of our unit’s job.       The Houthis took the Red Sea coast. How did Washington miss it? (The Cipher Brief) The recent military moves taken by Yemens Houthis resulted in stunning victories and significant strategic gains, virtually unopposed. By taking the Red Sea port of Mocha (Al-Makha), occupying Perim Island in the middle of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and seizing portions of the Red Sea coast, the Iranian proxy group now threatens a key commercial waterway. Reports indicate that, unsurprisingly – or at least it should not be a surprise – Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisors were present, guiding the tactics of Houthi forces. We missed all of this.       Russia’s plan to break Ukraine (Foreign Affairs Magazine) Since the beginning of July, Russian drones and missiles have been terrorizing Kyiv with exceptional intensity. Air raid sirens blare day and night, warning residents of oncoming fire and sending people running underground. Many of the drones have been shot down, but not all, and the ballistic missiles have largely gotten through, destroying buildings and killing civilians; so far, roughly 100 have died. The bombardments have become so intense that, in recent weeks, Ukrainians have been posting a grim joke on Instagram and TikTok: “Thank God I live in Kyiv, so I do not have to plan for the future.”       Ukraine’s F-16 fleet is in a readiness crisis (The War Zone) Ukraine’s F-16 fleet is facing growing pressure from the demands of the air war, with a shortage of air-to-air missiles now compounded by what appears to be a serious bottleneck in the critical maintenance system supporting the aging aircraft.