Top 5     4 US soldiers killed in Iran war return to American soil (Military Times) Four U.S. service members returned to American soil in flag-draped caskets on Wednesday after being killed in Iranian attacks in the Middle East.       Thousands of Marines, sailors back in Japan after deploying for Iran war (Military Times) The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in Japan on Wednesday after supporting military operations in the Middle East for several months during the Iran war.       House passes $1.15 trillion defense bill in near party-line vote (Military Times) The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed its version of a sweeping defense policy bill Wednesday, approving a historic $1.15 trillion budget for the Pentagon amid uncertainty on the future of the Iran war.       Pentagon to roll out new test to assess troops’ cognitive performance (Military Times) The Defense Department is updating its Cognitive Monitoring Program to include a next-generation capability to meet increased operational demands and reflect matured science.       Who is Mykhailo Drapatyi? ‘The Flying BMP’ who now leads Ukraine’s military (Defense News) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced his top general Tuesday, naming Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces and pushing out Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi after days of nationwide protests demanding Syrskyi’s removal over the rift that cost Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov his job a week earlier.   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.   Pentagon     Too many trucks, too many zeros: Army audit drive exposes flaws as Pentagon nears 2028 goal (Military Times) From too many zeros to too few, and even the letter ‘O’ typed in its place, the new systems at the Pentagon have uncovered a trail of mistakes as the Defense Department pursues its first clean audit.   Congress & Politics     Trump administration announces deal to export nuclear materials to Saudi Arabia (Politico) The Trump administration announced a major civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, after decades of on-and-off conversations between the country and the Obama, Biden and Trump White Houses.       The BRRRRT Act would keep more Warthogs flying and force the Air Force to reverse course (Military Times) A House bill filed this week would force the Air Force to keep at least 126 A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs, far more than were in the service’s plans, and to reverse a year’s work dismantling the aircraft’s maintenance depot, pilot training pipeline and weapons course.       Venezuela’s Maduro in court for pre-trial hearing in US drug-trafficking case (The Guardian) Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been held at Brooklyn jail and both have pleaded not guilty   Your Military     Hazing could soon become a specific charge under military law (Task & Purpose) Hazing could become a specific charge under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, under a provision in the upcoming fiscal year’s defense spending bill.   Navy     US Navy moving forward on West Coast dock for aircraft carriers (Defense News) Concerned by the lack of docks on the West Coast that can service large vessels such as aircraft carriers, the U.S. Navy is moving forward with plans to build a new dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.       Military’s largest supercomputer is now live at Navy base (Military Times) Naval Support Activity Monterey, California, is now home to the Pentagon’s most powerful supercomputer.   Marine Corps     Marines release updated heat, cold injury safety guidance (Military Times) The Marine Corps has issued updated interim guidance for preventing heat- and cold-related injuries by directing commanders to expand training, establish response plans and develop standard operating procedures for operations in extreme weather.   AIr Force     An early look at the Air Force’s new counter-drone units (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Air Force has stood up the first rapidly deployable units of Airmen designed to protect air bases in the Pacific or other potential hotspots from aerial attack.   Space Force     Space Force launch program sees demand surge from 60 missions to 170 (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Space Force is tripling the size of one of its main launch procurement contracts from $5.6 billion to $17 billion to accommodate growing demand from government customers.   National Guard     Two Wyoming Air National Guard commanders relieved of duty (Military Times) Two senior Wyoming Air National Guard commanders were relieved of command late last week due to a loss of confidence.   Veterans     VA reduces improper payments for private health care by 98% since 2020, GAO finds (Military Times) The Department of Veterans Affairs has slashed improper payments to private companies that provide medical care to veterans by 98%, reducing the amount from $7.5 billion to $608 million in five years, according to data provided to government auditors by the VA.       How a $10 billion veterans bill became a $78 billion debate (Military Times) For years, the Major Richard Star Act appeared to have something Congress rarely sees: overwhelming bipartisan support from nearly 80 senators, more than 330 members of the House, major veterans service organizations and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with a price tag that, while significant, was widely viewed as manageable.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Lawmakers get taste of AI-enabled cyberattacks in China-Taiwan war game (Nextgov) Members and staffers from the House Homeland Security Committee and the House China Select Committee were put through a simulated Taiwan crisis Tuesday that tested how U.S. officials might respond to AI-backed cyberattacks targeting transportation and logistics networks needed to deploy American forces.   Defense Industry     Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat makes Farnborough Airshow debut (Defense News) An unusually warm London sun beat down on the grey body of an aircraft. Sleek and gently curved, an average onlooker taking a cursory glance at the airframe may have assumed it to be a small fighter jet.       Backed by France, Macron sees Germany as nuclear-deterrence ‘vanguard’ in Europe (Defense News) Nuclear cooperation between France and Germany has moved from words to first actions, with French nuclear-capable bombers visiting a German airfield this month and joint exercises on the calendar.       UK’s BAE enters uncrewed fighter competition with ‘Brontanax’ (Defense News) BAE Systems revealed a new unmanned fighter jet on Wednesday, boosting Britain’s entry into one of the defense industry’s hottest and most fiercely contested markets.   Ukraine     Ukrainian troops join in outcry, say defense chief’s firing portends return to ‘meat grinder’ (Stars and Stripes) The nature of warfare has changed dramatically since a 23-year-old Ukrainian soldier who goes by the call sign Architect enlisted in 2021.       Ukrainian F-16 scored first air-to-air kill against a Russian fighter: Top US general (The War Zone) A Ukrainian F-16 has shot down a Russian fighter jet for the first time, according to the highest-ranking U.S. military officer. This engagement would represent a significant development in the air war over Ukraine and a notable addition to the air-to-air tally for the Ukrainian F-16s, which already includes “more than a thousand ” drones and cruise missile "kills".   International     Unfazed by Iran’s threats, Bulgaria moves to aid US military operations (Defense News) The Bulgarian parliament’s Defence Committee has voted to approve a draft decision enabling U.S. tanker aircraft to support military operations against Iran from an air base on the Balkan country’s territory. The decision comes despite thinly veiled threats from Iranian officials who warned Sofia against aiding Washington.   Video     Pentagon seeks $67.1B after Iran war cost estimate rises to $37.5B (Defense News) The Pentagon says the Iran war has now cost $37.5 billion and is asking Congress for another $67.1 billion. At a Senate hearing, lawmakers questioned why the emergency request includes funding beyond the conflict.       Iran warns Bulgaria against supporting US military operations (Defense News) Iran is warning Bulgaria not to allow U.S. forces to use its territory for military operations against Tehran, as the country considers hosting American aerial refueling aircraft.   Commentary & Analysis     Military spouse life prepared me for almost anything. Then came retirement (The War Horse) This spring, my family ended up living in two hotel rooms in Helena, Montana. Within weeks, we had lost both our home and my husband’s civilian job. After nearly 30 years of military life, my husband and I had imagined a stable retirement. Instead, we were suddenly living out of suitcases and trying to figure out what came next.       America cannot surge experience (Military Times) When the next conflict comes, we won’t have time to create seasoned fighter pilots. We won’t have years to develop instructor pilots, squadron commanders or tactical leaders. The experience that gives America’s military its decisive edge must be built long before the first shot is fired.       Total war on Taipei: China explores elevating cognitive effects into its vision of warfare (War on the Rocks) In March 2025, China’s military researchers published a concept describing how to rapidly capture and subdue the city of Taipei. Distributed in restricted military channels, this approach argues Beijing can achieve victory “by blocking the city’s ability to receive external assistance, restricting its ability to enable operations, breaking its operational system, collapsing cognitive cohesion, and eliminating its ability to recover.” Its objective is to break the Taiwan people’s will to fight.       What visuals show about recent damage to US military sites in the Middle East (The New York Times) Video footage and satellite images reveal new details about Iranian strikes on U.S. targets during the latest flare-up in fighting.       Trump’s air war in Iran may be reaching its limits (Politico) President Donald Trump’s latest threat to bomb Iranian infrastructure is unlikely to rattle Tehran — and instead underscores the limits of what an air war alone can accomplish.       What to know about Ukraine's military shakeup (NPR) After a week of nationwide protests over the direction of Ukraine's military strategy in the ongoing war with Russia, the Ukrainian military has a new commander, Mykhailo Drapatyi. Here's what to know.       The strategic competition with China: winning the multi-domain race (Space News) History demonstrates military innovation continually rewrites the rules of combat, reshaping warfare and rendering strategies from past conflicts obsolete. The introduction of repeating rifles transformed infantry combat during the 19th […]