Top 5     White House proposes all federal employees sign nondisclosure agreements (Military Times) The Trump administration may require all federal employees to sign nondisclosure agreements in an effort to restrict leaks that are considered to be a “widespread” issue across the federal government, according to a recent proposal.       US troops are reportedly being targeted using location data, Pentagon says (Reuters) U.S. forces deployed to war zones have been targeted using commercially available location data, according to reports fielded by military officials, an illustration of how the global surveillance economy is shaping the battlefield.       Iran war needs an inspector general, senator notes (Defense One) A Democratic senator on Thursday requested that an inspector general oversight body designate one of the agency watchdogs to spearhead reviews of the ongoing war in Iran, citing a requirement in federal statute.       22nd MEU, Iwo Jima ARG head home after 10-month deployment (Military Times) After nearly 10 months, Marines assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit are finally heading home.       NATO member Romania says Russian drone hit block of flats, injuring two (Reuters) NATO member Romania said on Friday that a drone injured two people in a southeastern city during an overnight Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine, the first time in the war that a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries.   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     Pentagon’s Asia commander seeks funds to deter China on Taiwan (Bloomberg) The U.S. military is quietly seeking to bolster its ability to deter or battle China over Taiwan, including with new warship-killing bombs and advanced sea mines, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a report to Congress.   Space Force     Space Force plans nationwide network of ‘resilient operations centers’ (Space News) These facilities are intended to ensure military space missions can continue during wartime when installations could come under attack   National Guard     45-year-old National Guard recruit arrested as ‘international fugitive’ at basic training (Task & Purpose) A National Guard soldier wanted as an “international fugitive” for multi-million dollar financial crimes was arrested while in basic training at a Missouri Army base, officials said.   Veterans     Double amputee paratrooper to jump into Normandy for 82nd anniversary of D-Day (Military Times) On June 7, 2012, Jon Harmon was a 19?year?old private first class on his first deployment in Afghanistan when an explosion took both of his legs — and nearly his life.       ‘We worked in secrecy’: Cold War-era veterans exposed to radiation demand easier access to VA benefits (Stars and Stripes) Incomplete, lost and destroyed military records hinder efforts by some Cold War-era veterans exposed to radiation at the Nevada Test and Training Range and other nuclear weapons sites to collect benefits after a diagnosis of cancer or other serious disease years later, a Nevada lawmaker said.       US, South Korea launch nationwide search for Korean War remains (Stars and Stripes) Seoul and Washington are planning a joint, nationwide search for the remains of U.S. service members missing from the Korean War, according to South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Army turns resupply drone into rocket launcher in new test (Defense News) Though the drone was designed to haul supplies across the battlefield, the Army recently tried adding a new capability to its body to see if it could do something else entirely: fire rockets.   Defense Industry     Ukraine to buy 20 new Gripen jets, Sweden to donate older jets sooner (Reuters) Ukraine will buy 20 new Gripen fighter jets, and Sweden will donate 16 of an older model next year, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a joint press conference on Thursday.       Lithuania to buy Patria armored vehicles, eyes local industry share (Defense News) Lithuania’s State Defense Council, the country’s top defense decision-making body, has authorized the Ministry of National Defence to purchase Patria six-wheel-drive armored personnel carriers for the Lithuanian Army.       Germany’s defense minister makes rare personal pitch for submarine deal in Ottawa (Defense News) German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius came to Canada’s CANSEC defense exhibition on Wednesday with a message that was as much political as commercial: Buy our submarines, and Germany will have your back.       Canada wants Saab early-warning aircraft under push to retool defense suppliers (Defense News) Canada will purchase six GlobalEye early warning and control aircraft from Saab as part of deal to not only boost Canadian military capabilities but energize domestic defense production.   Israel-Gaza-Lebanon-Syria     Israeli strikes kill at least 8 in Lebanon’s fourth largest city ahead of Washington talks (The Associated Press) Israel’s air force carried out an airstrike on a southern suburb of Lebanon’s capital on Thursday afternoon, the Israeli military said, further straining a fragile ceasefire a day before crucial negotiations in Washington.       Netanyahu orders Israeli army to seize ‘70% of Gaza Strip’, violating ceasefire deal (The Guardian) Speaking in West Bank settlement, Israeli PM, who is fighting for political survival before elections, says ‘we are squeezing Hamas’   International     Cuba sees higher risk of US military aggression as talks stall (Reuters) Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal sees the risk of U.S. military aggression against the island ?growing as negotiations between the nations stagnate, she said ?on Thursday.       Guatemala requests US military cooperation against drug trafficking (The Guardian) Central American country says its president spoke with Pete Hegseth to confirm terms of cooperation       US military strikes another alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 (The Associated Press) The U.S. military on Wednesday struck another vessel suspected of transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two men.       US designates Brazilian crime groups as terrorist organisations (France 24) The United States on Thursday designated two of Brazil’s most powerful criminal organisations, the Red Command and First Capital Command, as terrorist organisations, escalating tensions with Brasilia, which strongly opposes the move. U.S. officials said the groups operate transnational criminal networks and pose a security threat.       Nearly 500,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine war, Britain says (CBS News) It is the highest on-the-record estimate of Russian military deaths to come from any government since the war in Ukraine began.   Commentary & Analysis     The Strait of Hormuz: The supply chain loop that broke the world (The Conversation) It took only five days after the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel in late February for Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital energy and maritime chokepoints.       How the Pentagon plans to spend $50 billion on drone warfare (Defense One) A countdown began as a gaggle of defense officials, soldiers, drone makers, and reporters watched screens in a windowless operations center. Suddenly, a LUCAS drone appeared, moving at rocket speed and showing off a new low-level capability before it crashed through a cement structure on the test range. It was a vivid demonstration of just how quickly the FLM-136 drone is evolving —and of how swiftly Pentagon leaders want to spend the $50 billion they have requested this year for drone development and production.       Our military is built for the wrong century (The New York Times) Ukraine and Iran have shown us that war as we’ve known it is over.       US attacks Bandar Abbas again: Why is the port so important for Iran? (Al Jazeera English) Bandar Abbas, which the US has targeted multiple times, occupies a strategically sensitive position in Strait of Hormuz.       What everyone is missing about North Korea’s reunification strategy (War on the Rocks) When news broke that North Korea had revised its constitution, analysts in the West and across the Korean Peninsula rushed to declare it the formal death of Korean reunification as a policy objective. The changes were hard to ignore.