Top 5     Soldier who died shielding Polish ally to receive Medal of Honor (Military Times) The last act of Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, 24, was to step between an Afghan suicide bomber and a Polish army officer — taking the force of the blast and sacrificing his own life to save another. Now, 13 years later, he’ll receive the military’s highest award for his valor, according to his parents.       Iran, US to hold nuclear talks Friday as tensions remain high (The Associated Press) Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will take place Friday in Oman, the Iranian foreign minister said, as tensions between the countries remain high following Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month.       Troops, veterans get free streaming of extended Olympics coverage (Military Times) Service members, veterans and their families will have free access to more than 2,500 hours of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics through a partnership with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and NBCUniversal, AAFES officials announced.       US military conducts strikes on Islamic State members in Syria (The Associated Press) The U.S. military has unleashed a new round of strikes against Islamic State members in Syria following the deadly December ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter.       Destroyer USS Truxtun deploys amid military buildup near Iran (Military Times) The destroyer USS Truxtun left its homeport Tuesday for a regularly scheduled deployment, the service announced.   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.   Congress & Politics     F-35s caught in trade crossfire between US and Canada (The Hill) Canada is reevaluating its planned purchase of U.S. F-35 fighter jets over the escalating trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa in what has become a flash point in bilateral relations between the two allies.   Army     Army sergeant, a bobsled pilot, to carry US flag at opening ceremony for 2026 Winter Olympics (Stars and Stripes) Army Sgt. Frank Del Duca has been selected as one of Team USA’s flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy on Friday.       Army will now tie retention bonuses to PT scores, job performance (Task & Purpose) The Army is revamping how it hands out reenlistment bonuses, adding extra dollars for those with top scores in PT tests and job performance.       Fort Leonard Wood soldier found guilty in death of fellow soldier (Stars and Stripes) A jury at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., on Wednesday found a soldier guilty in the 2024 death of another soldier whose body was found in a dumpster on post.       Army to deploy 10th Mountain Division brigade to CENTCOM (Military Times) A brigade from the 10th Mountain Division will deploy to U.S. Central Command, an area that oversees military operations across the Middle East and parts of Central and South Asia, the Army announced earlier this week.       Former Fort Hood OB-GYN accused of sexual misconduct to represent self in civil lawsuit (Stars and Stripes) A former Fort Hood doctor facing multiple legal battles over allegations he secretly video-recorded his patients filed 13 handwritten pages to a Bell County, Texas, court from jail asking that a civil lawsuit against him be dismissed because it is a federal matter.   Navy     Navy’s T-45 replacement will not be capable of making carrier landing touch and goes (The War Zone) The U.S. Navy has shown no signs of reversing course on major changes to its pipeline for new Naval Aviators in its latest draft requirements for a replacement for its T-45 Goshawk jet trainers.   Marine Corps     Russian women in ICE custody after being detained at Camp Pendleton (Military Times) Two Russian women that were arrested at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton last month are currently detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending removal and immigration proceedings.       Marine awarded for designing the Corps’ first fully NDAA-compliant 3D-printed drone at $700 a pop (DefenseScoop) At roughly $700 per base model, the HANX platform is the Marine Corps’ first 3D-printed drone that complies with laws prohibiting the U.S. military from acquiring and using unmanned aerial systems with parts from certain foreign entities, according to the service.       US Marine attack helicopters to field long-range missiles by 2027 (Defense News) Long-range precision-guided missiles will become a new attack capability for U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper helicopters by 2027, the U.S. Navy announced.   Air Force     Refurbishment causes Air Force base residents to seek off-base housing (Military Times) A planned full refurbishment of bungalows starting in May at an U.S. Air Force base in England is set to leave some military family housing residents without on-base housing.       USAF to security forces Airmen: Sharpen up your greetings (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Senior Air Force leaders have a message for security forces Airmen: Set a better example.       US Air Force tests new, rapidly developed cruise missile (Defense News) On Jan. 21, the Air Force conducted a live warhead test of a new standoff cruise missile that was developed in less than a year and a half.   Space Force     As satellites become targets, Space Force plans a broader role (Space News) Gen. Shawn Bratton, the Space Force’s vice chief of space operations, spoke with SpaceNews’ Sandra Erwin as part of an event focused on the Space Force 2040 at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center on Jan. 21. Here are six takeaways from their conversation.   Veterans     Bills seek to improve VA benefits for 9/11 survivors, other exposures (Military Times) Service members sickened by hazardous exposures at the Pentagon on 9/11, as well as some exposed to radiation while serving — without related documentation — would be eligible for broader access to Veterans Affairs benefits under several bills being considered by Congress.       ‘We need to right this wrong’: Bills would ensure support for widowed spouses of veterans (Stars and Stripes) A House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on Wednesday examined several bills that seek to fill gaps for compensation and provide other help for the spouses of service members who died in the line of duty or from diseases connected to military service.   Defense Industry     Raytheon to ramp up missile production in Pentagon deals (Military Times) Raytheon, a division of RTX, announced Wednesday that it would ramp up production of several key missile systems, weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to nix the company’s government contracts unless it invested more in manufacturing.       Singapore inks deal for ST Engineering’s Titan 8x8 vehicle (Defense News) Hot on the heels of a significant contract from the Singapore Army, ST Engineering was highlighting its sophisticated Terrex s5 8x8 armored vehicle at Singapore Airshow 2026, held Feb. 3-8.       Report: US Navy is feeling out ship construction options in Turkey (The Maritime Executive) Momentum appears to be building within some corners of the Trump administration to offshore U.S. Navy warship production to yards in U.S. allied nati...       India and US maintain momentum in defense ties (Defense News) Amid deepening security ties between India and the U.S., New Delhi has significantly increased procurement of military equipment from Washington even as supplies from Russia, for long India’s biggest source of weapons, decline significantly.       Russian arms makers vanish from Asia’s largest airshow (Defense News) Russian defense companies have vanished from major airshows in Asia, which experts say reflects the country’s shrinking and increasingly concentrated arms-export industry.       F-15 progresses in Asia, but without Indonesia (Defense News) Official updates on Indonesia’s adoption of Boeing’s F-15EX fighter jet have been scant, since Jakarta announced a memorandum of understanding for up to 24 aircraft back in August 2023. Boeing officials have now admitted the prospective sale is dead in the water.   Ukraine     Ukraine’s Gripen jets likely to come with long-reach Meteor missiles (Defense News) Ukraine and Sweden are discussing the prospect of arming Kyiv with Europe’s top air-to-air missile, the Meteor, which a Saab official said would be a “natural content” of a weapon package for Gripen users.       Don’t mention ‘Article 5,’ Finland warns US on Ukraine (Politico) Finland has urged U.S. officials not to describe future security pledges to a postwar Ukraine as “Article 5-like,” implying that doing so could undercut the mutual defense clause at the heart of the NATO military alliance, according to a State Department cable.   Military Culture & History     The corpsman who gave all on ‘Bunker Hill’ in Korea (Military Times) Marines, whose primary, universal purpose is to kill, reserve an ungrudging respect for “Doc,” eschewing weapons but ever ready to sacrifice his own life to save those around him.   Video     Coast Guard saves sailor (Military Times) When a sailor’s vessel became disabled 75 miles southeast of Daytona Beach, the U.S. Coast Guard sprang into action. Thanks to a Personal Locator Beacon alert and a precise helicopter hoist, this mariner was safely brought aboard and transported to medical care.       POV: breaking in the ghillie (Military Times) The ghillie wash is designed to test the strength and durability of the suits as well as weather them. Sniper course students use sand, water and mud, all in an effort to perfect one of their most important tools: their camouflage.   Commentary & Analysis     I decided not to go on a patrol in Iraq. An IED killed my friends (The War Horse) On the morning of May 25, 2006, I didn’t go out. Capt. Doug Dicenzo invited me to come along to meet some local Iraqi leaders, and I had previously shown him the safer routes to take. But on the day of the meeting, I had other duties to attend to. Truthfully, I had survived enough near misses and just didn’t want to go.       Here’s what international law says about striking energy facilities in war (The Associated Press) Russian missiles and drones have pounded Ukraine’s energy grid in recent weeks, plunging people into frozen darkness in one of the country’s coldest winters on record.       The Chinese yoke: Russia’s return to vassalship (War On The Rocks) In the 13th century, Muscovy, the medieval antecedent to modern Russia, was a small outpost on the periphery of Kyivan Rus.