Top 5     How far is there to go until the US and Iran end the war? (Reuters) The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to extend a ceasefire, allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and lift a U.S. blockade and some sanctions on Iran, but the deal has not been finalized.       ‘Scary and silencing’: Troops, families receive threats from foreign bad actors (Military Times) Some service members and their families have been threatened by foreign adversaries both overseas and in the United States, according to information provided to Military Times.       Pentagon failed to assess impact of cuts to civilian workforce, watchdog finds (Military Times) A new Government Accountability Office probe has found that the Pentagon failed to evaluate the effects of recent civilian personnel reductions, leaving a substantial gap in understanding for key areas such as “readiness, workload, and lethality.”       Veteran homelessness dropped only 1% during 2024 (Task & Purpose) The number of homeless veterans decreased by only 387 people over the course of 2024, a smaller decrease than the change for the overall number of unhoused Americans, according to the newly released national homeless count.       1,200 active-duty troops will be invited to White House UFC event (Military Times) Construction is underway to transform 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue into an Ultimate Fighting Championship arena where President Donald Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday — which also coincides with Flag Day.   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     Cyber Force? Senator pushes to create service branch under the Army (Defense One) A new cyber-focused military service branch would sit under the Army if one senator’s proposal comes to fruition.       Trump-class battleships should not be built until weapons technology is ready, lawmakers say (Military Times) Congressional Republicans and Democrats included a short provision in proposed defense legislation on Tuesday that provides more clarification on what is needed for the construction of Trump-class battleships.   Army     Army develops exoskeleton for lower-limb injuries on the battlefield (Military Times) Some battlefield wounds are inherently deadly. Others, like tibia or ankle fractures, become deadly when a wounded soldier cannot send firepower downrange.   Navy     US Navy to explore powering shore installations with aircraft carriers (Military Times) The U.S. Navy is planning to bring the nuclear power of its largest aircraft carrier from ship to shore at some point this summer, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao revealed during a May 14 U.S. House Armed Services Committee hearing.   Marine Corps     Marine ACV crews to face ‘thinking adversaries’ in new VR simulator (Military Times) The U.S. Marine Corps has inked a $5.1 million contract with the virtual reality company XR Training (XRT) to develop a crew gunnery training prototype for the new amphibious combat vehicle that will simulate an all-out fight with an unpredictable adversary.   AIr Force     Air Force slashes number of fields eligible for fiscal year 2026 reenlistment bonuses (Military Times) The U.S. Air Force cut the number of specialties eligible for reenlistment bonuses offered to active-duty airmen by 73% in fiscal year 2026.       Vance advises Air Force Academy graduates to not concede decision making to AI (Military Times) Vice President JD Vance cautioned U.S. Air Force Academy graduates to not allow artificial intelligence to take over their autonomy in warfare decision making.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard helps rescue 21 people from disabled vessel off Maui (Stars and Stripes) The Coast Guard helped rescue 21 people from a disabled vessel off near Maalaea Harbor off the coast Maui, the service said in a statement.       72-year-old man accused of breaching Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor security perimeter (Stars and Stripes) A 72-year-old man was taken into custody Friday after authorities said he breached the security perimeter at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor, prompting a response from federal and local law enforcement agencies.   National Guard     National Guardsman arrested for $30 million international fraud scheme (Military Times) U.S. Marshals arrested a soldier on a Missouri Army base who was wanted internationally for fraud and money-laundering resulting in over $30 million in losses, the service reported this month.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     US, UK and Australia to develop underwater drone technology (BBC News) The technology, developed under the Aukus military pact, is aimed at protecting undersea cables and boosting naval defense.   Defense Industry     SpaceX awarded $4 billion Space Force contract to track airborne threats (Military Times) The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX an over $4 billion contract for a program designed to track and target airborne threats globally from space.       South Korea, Japan discuss military-logistics support deal, Seoul says (Reuters) South Korea ?and Japan discussed the possibility of a military-logistics ?support agreement on Sunday, Seoul's defense chief said, adding that Seoul remains cautious about the politically sensitive pact.   Israel-Gaza-Lebanon-Syria     Israel seizes strategic castle in deepest incursion into Lebanon in 26 years (The Guardian) Experts say capture is largely symbolic, but it complicates efforts to extend ceasefire between US and Iran   International     Romania says Russian drone hit apartment block, NATO vows to defend alliance territory (Reuters) NATO accused Moscow on Friday of reckless behavior and pledged to “defend every inch of Allied territory” after Romania said a Russian drone had crashed into an apartment block in the alliance member state during an attack on neighboring Ukraine.       US military says it turned away blockade runner trying to reach Iranian port (Reuters) The U.S. military says it fired a missile into the engine ?room of a vessel trying to get ?through the U.S. blockade of Iran on Friday.       US strike on alleged drug boat kills three in eastern Pacific (The Guardian) Attack comes after Friday’s strike that killed three men as well, pushing death toll to more than 200 since last year       Nearly 500,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine, top UK intel chief says (Defense News) Nearly half a million Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since 2022 — a death toll exceeding total American losses in World War II — the head of Britain’s top intelligence agency said Wednesday, relaying one of the highest fatality figures any Western government has put on Russia’s war in Ukraine yet.       US general holds rare meeting with Cuban military officials near Guantanamo Bay (Reuters) The top U.S. general overseeing forces in Latin America held a rare meeting on Friday with senior Cuban military officials at the perimeter of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the U.S. military said.       Germany rearms as ongoing Ukraine war shakes sense of security in Europe (CBS News) Germany is undergoing a significant military rearmament. The change has been driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine and U.S. pressure on Europe to shoulder more of its defense.       Japan defense minister rebuffs claims of ‘new militarism’ levelled by China (The Guardian) Shinjiro Koizumi says Japan valued as a "peace-loving" nation while China expands military capabilities "without sufficient transparency."       China is building launch pads near its nuclear missile silos (Reuters) In a remote Chinese desert, a vast military complex is taking shape that some security scholars say appears built to ensure no American first strike on China’s nuclear arsenal could reliably knock out Beijing’s ability to hit back.   Video     See US attack helicopters rain down fire on the gunnery range. (Defense News) Watch the U.S. attack helicopters in action.       Green Berets execute High Altitude Low Opening jump in glorious slow motion. (Defense News) Watch the Green Berets in motion.   Commentary & Analysis     How Russia is turning Ukraine’s drones against NATO (Defense News) Russia is using GPS spoofing to steer Ukrainian strike drones off course and into NATO airspace, Lithuania said this week, days before one of Moscow’s own drones hit a Romanian apartment block and wounded two civilians — likely the first casualties on NATO soil since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.       How the Military Health System is reimagining health IT from the battlefield to the exam room (Federal News Network) AI is accelerating health IT integration, empowering providers and patients alike to more easily access and utilize data, according to Dr. Stephen Ferrara.       Ukraine would gain advantage over Russian glide bombs with Gripen-Meteor combo (Defense News) Ukraine getting Swedish Gripen fighter jets equipped with Meteor long-range air-to-air missiles would give the country a counter to Russian glide bombs that have been hammering frontline positions, analysts said.       US arms sales pause would push Taiwan toward asymmetric-defense tech: analysts (Defense News) U.S. President Donald Trump’s apparent move to delay a massive weapons sale to Taiwan after a summit with his Chinese counterpart will drive the island’s military further toward self-sufficiency, with sights on asymmetric warfare rather than technological might if ever in a war with China, analysts say.