Top 5     US to seek back payment from Europe for Ukraine aid, Trump says (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would ask European nations to pay back the United States for military aid and munitions previously sent to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia and appeared to signal a halt in sales to allied nations.       Adam Telle, former Senate staffer, now acting Army secretary (Military Times) President Donald Trump tapped the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ top official to be the service’s senior civilian leader, bypassing the Army’s No. 2 civilian to promote a former congressional staffer.       USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group departs Thailand after port call (Stars and Stripes) USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group set sail from Thailand on Sunday after five days in port.       US military says it hit 3 Iranian tankers after Navy ships targeted (Washington Post) U.S. Central Command said it struck an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Kharg Island, as well as off Jask and the Gulf of Oman.       White House reviews candidates to replace Hegseth deputy, sources say (Reuters) The White House has reviewed candidates to potentially replace Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg, three people familiar with the discussions told Reuters, a sign that more leadership change could come for a Pentagon already facing unusually high staff turnover.   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     Vance pledges to help airman’s widow after online backlash exposed benefit gaps (Military Times) Vice President JD Vance said the administration would work toward giving the widow of a deceased airman killed during the war in Iran the additional military benefits allotted to families of service members killed during combat.       Trump to travel aboard Qatari-donated Air Force One to Ireland (Defense News) U.S. President Donald Trump plans to fly to Ireland next week aboard the Boeing 747 Qatari-donated jet for the first time since security concerns caused the president to leave Turkey on a different aircraft, The Washington Post first reported.   Your Military     US military disables ad trackers amid concerns over troops’ safety (Task & Purpose) The U.S. military has disabled advertising tracking tools in government-issued phones, computers and other devices, officials recently told Congress.   Navy     Navy works with 80 female sailors to evaluate future uniforms (Military Times) The U.S. Navy collaborated with 80 female service members to collect feedback as it develops future uniforms apt for the size and fit of the modern sailor.   Marine Corps     Marines offer up to $15,000 enlistment bonuses for cyber, electronics jobs (Military Times) The Marine Corps will offer people entering the service up to $15,000 to enter cyber, crypto and electronics-maintenance jobs as it prepares for FY27, continuing a targeted program to put new Marines into occupational fields important to its future force.   Veterans     Unexpected hiring surge drives down unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans (Military Times) The unexpected surge of 162,000 jobs added to payrolls last month drove the unemployment rate for the post-9/11 generation of veterans down more than a full percentage point from 4.7% in July to 3.5% in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Pentagon wants to use AI-generated ‘personalities’ for decoy cellphones (Military Times) Using fake radio signals to spoof the enemy is a common stratagem.   Defense Industry     US Air Force speeds Reaper successor timeline after Iran losses (Defense News) The U.S. Air Force is accelerating its timeline for a cheaper, more expendable successor to the MQ-9A Reaper, officials said Sept. 3, after combat losses left the service unwilling to wait out the rest of the drone’s life.       Croatia buys South Korean rocket artillery after HIMARS purchase from the US (Defense News) The Croatian government has approved the acquisition of 18 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace. Croatia is joining other European countries that have also ordered the weapon which is considered an alternative to Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS.       Ukraine asks EU to fund first Patriot missiles buy (Defense News) The European Union is reviewing Kyiv’s request to spend billions of euros on PAC-3 interceptor missiles for its Patriot batteries — the first time Ukraine has formally asked to tap a €90 billion support loan approved earlier this year to buy the U.S.-made systems, European officials announced this week.       Space industry lacks workers needed to rebuild satellites lost in war, report says (Defense News) The United States does not have enough engineers, technicians and assemblers to rebuild military space assets destroyed in a war with China or Russia, according to a RAND report published Aug. 31.       Opposition by US and Russia raises doubts over autonomous weapons talks outcome, diplomats say (Reuters) Opposition from the United States and Russia has raised doubts that countries meeting in Geneva will on Friday agree on a document that could pave the way to international rules on the use of autonomous weapons, three diplomats said.   Israel-Gaza-Lebanon-Syria     Israeli military says it strikes southern Lebanon after Hezbollah launched drones (Reuters) Israeli strikes killed seven people, including two women, in ?southern Lebanon on Sunday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel retaliated for what it said were Hezbollah drone attacks within areas occupied by its troops.   International     Deadly Iran wedding strike likely due to US bomb missing a nearby target (Washington Post) Six bombs dropped by Navy jets targeted a communications complex in the coastal town of Kuhestak. One missed.       Russia and North Korea open the first road across their shared border (NPR) Relations between Russia and North Korea have been flourishing, with North Korea supplying ammunition and troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine in return for economic and military assistance.       North Korean defense minister criticizes joint military drills by US, Japan and South Korea (Reuters) North Korea's newly appointed defense minister, ?Kim Song-gi, has called ?joint military drills by South Korea, ?Japan and the United ?States a provocation, state media KCNA ?reported on Monday.       Drone activity at border drops 75% after U.S. uses laser weapon, military says (CBS News) In less than two weeks, the high-energy laser weapon system has taken down 11 drones, coinciding with a 75% drop in drones probing the border, military officials told CBS News.       NATO races to guard against Russian nuclear subs without the US (Politico) Donald Trump’s turn away from NATO came to fruition last month in the waters off Iceland.   Video     Practice a ship seizure with a Marine Maritime Raid Force (Defense News) Marines from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct visit, board, search and seizure training off the coast of California recently.       Air Force Academy to sport B-21 Raider-inspired uniforms against Navy (Defense News) The U.S. Air Force football team will give a nod to the B-21 Raider by sporting special uniforms in its game against the U.S. Navy this October.       Barracks Task Force completes first housing at Washington naval base (Defense News) The new housing for sailors includes game rooms, exercise areas and a “Zen Den” for personnel who need a quiet space.       Ride the skies over DC in a UH-1N Huey with airmen from Joint Base Andrews (Defense News) Check out the view of the nation's capital seen by Huey pilots and crews who operate over the city daily.       Digging into the Taking Care of America’s Veterans Act | MOAA Headlines (Defense News) While a complex piece of legislation, the TCAVA bill wraps up a number of priorities for veterans into a comprehensive package. Where does MOAA stand on it?       Army ammo cans get first major overhaul since WWII (Defense News) Force developing lighter, easier to manufacture design called the SixPAC.   Commentary & Analysis     America wants the hero, not the human (Military Times) “We support our troops”: Some call it patriotism. I call it a hollow slogan.       Iran war likely to drag on for another six months, ex-US defense secretary warns (The Guardian) Leon Panetta tells Guardian U.S. is risking ‘forever war’ and says Pentagon ‘turmoil’ sending message of weakness.       Shrinking buffers: Why Turkey and Israel are on a collision course (War on the Rocks) When Israeli warplanes struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria on Aug. 18, 2026, the smoke rose over the demolition of an old geopolitical assumption about the Middle East. This time, Israel directly targeted a strategic sphere of influence where the Turkish military had been working to build local security capacity.       The strategic fiber of America: Kevlar’s impact on warfighters (War on the Rocks) In 1965, a watery substance in a test tube was first viewed as a mistake due to its fluid and cloudy nature. DuPont chemist Stephanie Kwolek cold-spun this watery solution into what we know as Kevlar. Six years later, it gained commercial recognition.       The new economics of warfare: David vs Goliath (The Cipher Brief) The most important lesson emerging from the Iran conflict may not actually be about Iran. It is about the changing economics of warfare and what happens when autonomy, artificial intelligence, commercial technology and inexpensive mass begin eroding advantages once reserved almost exclusively for major powers.       New complications in countering the flow of arms in the Caribbean (War on the Rocks) Arms trafficking in the Caribbean has soared in recent years, with many states now ranking firearms trafficking as the number one public safety and security threat.