Top 5     CENTCOM commander visits USS Abraham Lincoln amid mental health concerns (Military Times) The top leader for U.S. Central Command visited the crew of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday after reports emerged of deteriorating mental health and declining morale aboard the ship.       Trump orders Pentagon to cut back military exercises with South Korea (Reuters) President Donald Trump on Sunday instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with long-term Asian ally South Korea, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to take part in actions against Iran.       Pentagon scrutinizes foreign research ties at 30 US academic institutions (Military Times) The Pentagon ordered 30 U.S. academic institutions to audit their research and financial ties to certain foreign entities or risk losing eligibility for future federal research funding, it announced Monday.       Former Air Force secretary to join others in lawsuit against White House to regain security clearance (Military Times) Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall will sue the Trump administration in an effort to regain his security clearance , alongside others whose clearances have been revoked since President Donald Trump took office for the second time.       Netanyahu, Kushner agree US general to verify Hamas disarmament before Israel withdraws from Gaza (France 24) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. envoy Jared Kushner agreed Monday that an American general would oversee the disarmament of Hamas, an Israeli official said, as Netanyahu insisted Israel would not withdraw from Gaza until the group gives up its weapons.   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 defends his move to cut back US-South Korea military exercises (Washington Post) A day after attributing the decision to a good relationship with North Korea, President Donald Trump also tied the move to South Korea’s refusal to help with the Strait of Hormuz.   Your Military     AAFES boss leaves legacy of benefits for more veterans and stronger perks for all (Military Times) The military retail customer has changed during Tom Shull’s 14-year tenure leading the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic.       After traumatic health ‘crash,’ Austin Tice’s mom renews search for answers (Defense News) As she marked the 14th anniversary of the abduction of her son, Austin Tice, during a 2012 reporting trip to Syria, Debra Tice remained in recovery following her own multi-month health scare.       Military families in Poland navigate school options without a DODEA school (Stars and Stripes) When Eliza Cink learned her family was headed to Camp Kosciuszko, she began searching for something many U.S. military families at established overseas bases take for granted: a school where both her children could learn in English.   Army     Army shifts helicopter training to a contractor-run model (Military Times) The U.S. Army is turning its helicopter pilot training over to civilian instructors and a private company as the military grapples with a rise in severe aviation accidents.       Army will resume Apache helicopter training flights Wednesday (Stars and Stripes) The Army will resume training operations of its Apache fleet Wednesday after a brief pause following an accident that killed two Fort Hood soldiers.   Navy     USS John F. Kennedy completes acceptance sea trials (Military Times) The Navy’s newest Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier completed acceptance sea trials Saturday, inching the ship closer to its scheduled 2027 delivery.       Navy advances attack submarine to readiness, skipping final sea trial (Stars and Stripes) The submarine USS Massachusetts is ready for deployment without a final post-shakedown cruise, the Navy said Monday.   National Guard     2 commanders removed from posts in New Mexico Air National Guard (Military Times) Two top commanders in the New Mexico Air National Guard were removed from their posts recently, a spokesperson confirmed to Military Times.   Defense Industry     ‘Everybody loves a winner’: US-Ukraine intel sharing surges as Kyiv racks up wins (Defense News) U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine has rebounded to full strength as Kyiv’s mid- and deep-range strikes continue to hammer Russia’s oil industry.       US awards Raytheon $22.9 billion deal to boost Tomahawk output (Reuters) The U.S. military, scrambling to rebuild depleted stocks of high-tech weaponry, on Monday said it had awarded RTX unit Raytheon a $22.9 billion contract to dramatically boost the output of Tomahawk missiles.       German drone maker Helsing enlists Rakuten to broker Japan military deal (Reuters) German drone maker Helsing has enlisted Japanese e-commerce and finance firm Rakuten to help finalize a deal to sell its unmanned systems to Japan’s army, a spokesperson for Rakuten said on Monday.       US Air Force looks to acquire target drones that can mimic stealth jets (Military Times) The U.S. Air Force wants target drones that can mimic the performance of a variety of aircraft, from stealth fighters and heavy bombers to large and small drones.       US Space Force, Japan launch sensor to bolster space surveillance above Indo-Pacific (Military Times) A U.S. Space Force Space Domain Awareness payload launched successfully Aug. 10 aboard Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite 7, or QZS-7, completing a bilateral effort that places American sensors on Japanese navigation satellites.   Ukraine     Ukraine and Russia intensify attacks, several killed in Belgorod border region (France 24) A ?Ukrainian ?missile ?strike killed six people ?and ?wounded ?another ?four, including a ?child, in ?Russia's border ?Belgorod region, the ?acting ?governor said on Monday. The assault came as Russia targeted port infrastructure in Ukraine's Izmail district in the southern region of ?Odesa ?overnight.   International     Major exercise in South Korea continues after Trump orders US role curtailed (Task & Purpose) U.S. troops launched a major joint exercise in South Korea on Monday, just hours after a last-minute social media post from President Donald Trump that the annual event would be drastically curtailed.       South Korea hopes for talks between US and North Korea after Trump downsizes military drills (The Associated Press) South Korea on Monday expressed hopes for resumption of diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea to ease animosities on the Korean Peninsula, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s order to cut military exercises with South Korea caused concerns it might hurt the allies’ readiness against North Korean threats.       Russia is expanding its long-range strike drone network (The War Zone) Commercial satellite imagery shows Russia has been expanding the dedicated launch infrastructure for its long-range one-way attack drones , including newly constructed extended rails apparently intended to accommodate larger, newer Geran variants.   Video     Hope you don’t mind heights - Army trainees tackle rappel training (Defense News) Don’t look down - troops navigate the Eagle Confidence Tower on Sand Hill at Fort Benning, Georgia.   Commentary & Analysis     ‘The slowest negotiators ever’: How lagging South Korean investment pledges are hurting its US security relationship (Politico) President Donald Trump is reprising his first-term threats to pull the U.S. back from South Korean military exercises in part because of frustrations over the pace of Seoul’s $350 billion investment pledge, according to three people familiar with the discussions.       NATO’s nightmare (The Atlantic) Western military planners do not seem eager to talk about their nightmare scenario, much less prepare for it. But they tend to agree on how it would begin: a coordinated, near-simultaneous attack on opposite sides of the planet, in which Russia targets a NATO member in Eastern Europe while China makes its move against Taiwan. The U.S. military would need to react on two fronts at once—three if it remains at war in the Middle East.       Open-source intel makes US troops an easier target for Iran (The Cipher Brief) Iran is reading American service members’ social media feeds to deadly effect. The fact is that not all intelligence must be gleaned from secret, closed sources for it to be effective, and Tehran has made use of public and open-source data to target U.S. forces with psychological and kinetic attacks. Until the Pentagon updates and enforces its policies on social media posting and personal device security, American servicemembers will be sitting ducks.       What have we learned from the 9/11 wars? Not nearly enough (War on the Rocks) Over the next month, the United States will pass two major historical milestones: the five-year anniversary of its withdrawal from Afghanistan and the 25-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. While the latter is likely to receive at least a modicum of respectful remembrance from U.S. leaders and the American public, the former is likely to be ignored by the U.S. government and to escape broader notice.       Trump’s rosy Hormuz claims collide with tanker data (Politico) nergy Secretary Chris Wright says about 9 million barrels of oil are moving through the Strait of Hormuz every day.       Iraq’s balancing act is only getting harder as the war between the US and Iran widens (The Associated Press) Strikes launched by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia against Iran-allied fighters in Iraq have put Iraq’s government in a delicate position — and not for the first time.