Top 5     US forces shoot down Iranian drones near Strait of Hormuz (France 24) US forces shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones as Tehran appeared to attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, hours after US President Donald Trump announced a "great settlement" to end the war.       Senate committee backs Department of War name change (Military Times) The Senate Armed Services Committee voted this week to advance legislation that would rename the Department of Defense to Department of War, moving the proposal one step closer to law.       Air testing confirms 'no hazard exists' at Pentagon after lockdown incident (BBC News) The building's systems had detected an "air quality issue", a Pentagon spokesperson said, prompting a response from hazmat teams.       Adversaries can exploit app data to track troops, families (Air & Space Forces Magazine) For millions of Americans, downloading smartphone apps and quickly allowing them access to the phone’s location data has become a daily routine. But for service members and their families, every download can offer U.S. adversaries a chance to threaten their personal safety, information security experts warn.       More than 50 Iranian military bases damaged in US strikes since start of war, satellite images show (BBC News) Bases across Iran have been hit by U.S. strikes, with experts identifying damage to jets and warships.   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     Trump to nominate Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence (Politico) President Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate Jay Clayton, the Manhattan U.S attorney, to be the next director of national intelligence.       US sees $13.7 billion bill to boost F-35 readiness, GAO says (Bloomberg) The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps need to spend an additional $13.7 billion through 2031 to boost declining readiness rates of the F-35 jet, the world’s biggest weapons program, the Pentagon told congressional auditors.       Senators want a new robot warfare-focused combatant command (Defense One) Senators want the Pentagon to create a new autonomous warfare-focused combatant command led by a four-star general, according to the latest version of the annual defense policy bill.   Army     Army recruiter pleads guilty to stealing the identities of potential recruits for bank fraud (Military Times) A New Jersey Army recruiter admitted to stealing the identities of seven potential recruits in a scheme to fraudulently take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, announced this week.   AIr Force     In US Air Force first, commandos complete grueling Argentine mountain warfare course (Military Times) Two U.S. Air Force air commandos completed a rigorous mountain warfare school in Argentina, becoming the first to do so in the service’s history.       Air Force cites DEI ban in cancellation of wreath-laying honoring women vets (Military Times) A 28th annual wreath-laying ceremony honoring women troops at a memorial outside Arlington National Cemetery was canceled earlier this month after organizers got word that multiple military services would not participate, with one citing Pentagon and White House guidance prohibiting “events related to cultural awareness months” and DEI programs.   Space Force     Lawmakers pave the way for Space Force to dissolve SDA, Space RCO (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Tucked into the Senate Armed Services Committee’s annual defense policy bill is the legal backing the Space Force needs to dissolve the Space Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office as part of its acquisition reform efforts.   Veterans     Veterans face higher hurdles in military sexual trauma claims, report finds (Military Times) Veterans who apply for disability compensation related to sexual assault in the military face higher standards for proving related injuries, resulting in lower approval ratings and increased risk of retraumatization, according to a new National Academies of Sciences report.       South Korean Purple Heart recipient seeks path back to US after deportation (Stars and Stripes) Nearly a year after leaving the United States to avoid immigration detention, U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Sae Joon Park is struggling to build a life in a country he barely knows.   Defense Industry     German, Spanish FCAS companies rally to preserve breakthrough fighter tech (Defense News) German and Spanish companies involved the now-defunct Future Combat Air System program are appealing to their respective governments to keep funding sixth-generation fighter jet expertise gained under the developmental effort.   International     Trump calls off planned Thursday evening strikes on Iran (Politico) The president said discussions to end the conflict have reached the highest level of Iranian leadership, but the country’s government has not publicly weighed in.       Trump vows to seize Iran’s Kharg Island (Military Times) President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to seize Kharg Island — the linchpin of Iran’s oil industry — as he escalated pressure on Tehran amid a fraying ceasefire.       Delhi issues ‘strong protest’ after US strikes kill three Indian seafarers in Gulf (The Guardian) Washington claims vessel was violating its blockade of Iranian ports and failed to comply with instructions       Iraq’s prime minister prepares US visit amid Iran threats and militia focus (The Long War Journal) Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi is set to visit Washington, DC, as his government seeks investment, security cooperation, and support for efforts to strengthen state authority. A central focus of his agenda is bringing weapons held by Iranian-backed militias under government control, a process Baghdad hopes to advance before the planned end of the US anti-Islamic State mission in September 2026.       UK defense secretary resigns in protest of government spending plan (Defense News) British Defense Secretary John Healey resigned on Thursday, accusing U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer of skimping on defense spending at a time of “rising threats.”   Commentary & Analysis     The US would need at least 1,200 troops to take Kharg Island, experts say (Task & Purpose) If President Donald Trump decides to order the U.S. military to capture Kharg Island from Iran, the operation would require at least 1,200 troops, experts told Task & Purpose. Whether or not that number would be enough to hold the island is less clear.       The Army wants to build a better data center. Can they do it? (Defense One) The Army got more than 200 responses to a March open-ended call for private-industry ideas on how the service could upgrade its infrastructure with new contracting models and public-private partnerships. Among the 120 that were deemed viable were proposals to build data centers on four Army installations—and officials are now studying the idea.       Military strikes on water facilities in Iran may constitute a war crime, experts say (The Guardian) Strikes on Bemani damaged key water reservoir for 20,000 people living in area amid a historic drought in the country       Iran’s attacks on Gulf states underscore their dependence on US (The New York Times) The targeted countries host sprawling American military bases and thousands of personnel at a time when the United States is waging war against Iran.       Venezuela reshuffles foreign relationships as oil production grows (The Long War Journal) As Nicolás Maduro’s foreign minister and vice president, interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez previously helped build Caracas’s ties to Russia, China, and other US adversaries. Despite Washington's desire for Venezuela to now orient toward the West, Rodríguez is also courting middle powers that can give Caracas room to maneuver, an effort aided by Venezuela’s recovering oil economy.       The chain of peace: Do supply chain chokepoints deter war? (War on the Rocks) The next war over Taiwan may be deterred not by aircraft carriers or nuclear arsenals, but by a Dutch lithography machine.       Russia’s Taliban embrace signals a new power shift in Afghanistan (The Cipher Brief) Sometimes the only thing more frightening than Afghanistan’s problems is the Taliban’s solutions and the recently signed Russia-Taliban military-technical agreement may be the most alarming one yet.       Trump and Hegseth broadcast US military strikes before they happen (The New York Times) Commanders do not usually speak publicly about future operations to avoid jeopardizing the mission’s success.       The last light tank the Army had actually wasn’t bad (Task & Purpose) The Army has been on an as-of-yet unending quest for a true light tank or mobile gun capable of landing behind enemy lines alongside airborne troops. Just last year, the service canceled the M10 Booker — a light tank that never was. And that’s hardly the first of its weight class to end up in the Army’s boneyard — there’s the M56 Scorpion and the M50 Ontos, to name two. It hasn’t been since the M551 Sheridan that the service got what it needed out of a light tank, and even then, only kind of.