Top 5     Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Malik Hasan to die by US Army firing squad (Military Times) Nidal Malik Hasan, a former Army officer and psychiatrist who killed 13 people and injured 32 others during a mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, will be executed by a U.S. Army firing squad, the Pentagon announced Monday.       US Marine arrested, suspected of robbing, murdering woman in Okinawa (Military Times) A U.S. Marine lance corporal is in custody of local authorities after being arrested for allegedly robbing and murdering a Japanese woman in Okinawa, Japan, reawakening concerns over the large American troop presence on the island.       Aboard the USS George Washington, young sailors adjust to war with Iran (Reuters) An emergency alert blares from a loudspeaker, and Damon Dennard and other sailors on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington are scrambling. Dennard, 23, is readying bombs for loading onto aircraft as his crewmates race to their positions.       Veteran suicides declined in 2024 for second straight year (Military Times) Fewer veterans died by suicide in 2024 than the previous year, and the rate — the number of deaths per members of the veteran population — also declined slightly, according to a new report from the Department of Veterans Affairs.       US removes B-1 bombers from UK base amid security concerns (Reuters) The United States removed its B-1 bombers from a U.K. air base one week after several men were arrested there on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, a Pentagon official said on Sunday.   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     Has the Pentagon given up on AI polygraph analysis of trustworthiness? (Military Times) As of July, the Pentagon had been prepping artificial intelligence tools that analyze text, voices and faces to estimate trustworthiness, according to declassified presentation slides and prior Defense Department statements.       Pentagon stops using Anthropic AI tools months after blacklisting company, BBC told (BBC News) It labelled Anthropic a "supply chain risk" in February after the firm refused to remove safety guardrails from its tools.   Congress & Politics     Kelly: Hegseth's firings of top generals, admirals damage 'our readiness' (The Hill) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s ouster of top generals and admirals from the U.S. military are “damaging our readiness,” according to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a retired astronaut and Navy captain. A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kelly said Hegseth’s intended 20 percent reduction of the top of the ranks — announced last week...       Trump says he will 'certainly look at' establishing US military base in Lithuania (The Hill) President Trump said Monday he will “certainly look at” establishing a U.S. military base in Lithuania a week after the country’s prime minister said he would welcome U.S. service members into the Baltic state.  “They’re friends of mine; they're great people, so we'll certainly look at it. They are great people,” the president said when...   Your Military     Soldier awarded Purple Heart from drone attack in first days of war (Task & Purpose) An Army reservist injured in an Iranian drone attack on U.S. forces in Kuwait was awarded a Purple Heart. The March 1 attack was the first and deadliest strike on Americans in the war so far, and marked Iran’s first retaliation in the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, launched on Feb. 28.   Army     Hundreds of soldiers transfer to newly created jobs in robotics and space (Task & Purpose) Hundreds of soldiers officially switched jobs into two new career fields in the Army last week, a major shift as the force works to adapt to new technologies. About 600 soldiers transferred into a job created specifically for space operations, while warrant officers became the first to graduate from a new robotics and autonomous weapons course.       US Army tests counter-drone tech at Mexican border as cartel drone use rises (Military Times) The U.S. Army is testing counter-drone technology in the U.S.-Mexico border area, seeking to sharpen its defenses against the growing threat of drone use by cartels and emulate the rapid battlefield innovation happening in Ukraine’s war with Russia.   Marine Corps     US Marine Corps anti-ship weaponry to see exercise action on remote Japan island near Taiwan (Military Times) The U.S. Marine Corps will deploy its ground-based anti-ship and air-defense systems to Japan’s southwesternmost island for exercise Keen Sword, placing new U.S.-Japan capabilities on an island sitting just 110 kilometers from Taiwan.   AIr Force     Air Force explosive ordnance technicians to sport new rust-colored beret (Military Times) Air Force explosive ordnance disposal technicians will soon sport a new addition to their uniform: a rust-colored beret.   Veterans     Supreme Court hears incarcerated veteran’s case challenging process for VA claims appeals (Military Times) The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in the case of an incarcerated veteran who, in challenging federal rules that reduce benefits for imprisoned vets, has questioned the judicial review of claims decisions.   Defense Industry     Boeing locks in 7-year deal to triple PAC-3 MSE seeker output (Defense News) Boeing announced Monday that it formalized a seven-year contract supporting the Pentagon’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy, signing an approximately $14.7 billion “undefinitized” agreement with the Pentagon that allows the firm to triple its Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement.       Germany to set up first drone regiment next year, modeled after Ukraine war lessons (Defense News) Germany plans to stand up its first dedicated drone regiment next year, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced, as Berlin attempts to institutionalize lessons from the war in Ukraine after years of domestic foot-dragging on unmanned warfare.       European defense startups to raise record $10.5 billion in 2026, Dealroom forecasts (Defense News) European defense startups are forecast to raise a record $10.5 billion of funding this year, roughly four times the $2.6 billion raised a year earlier and led by investments in firms developing drone technology, according to Dealroom, which tracks data on venture capital funding.       Missiles, satellites and warplanes — Ukraine, Europe advance key arms projects (Defense News) Ukraine’s drone and missile maker Fire Point is developing an extended-range tactical ballistic missile after its FP-7 weapon was used in combat for the first time on Oct. 1, the company’s CEO Iryna Terekh said during this year’s Helsinki Security Forum.   International     Yemeni government forces advance on Bab el-Mandeb Strait (Reuters) Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces staged a lightning advance on Monday to retake the coast around ?the Bab el-Mandeb Strait up to the city of Mocha, the government said, pushing the Iran-backed Houthis out of most of the areas they seized last month.   Video     Ukraine’s ‘Army of Robots’ idea presents fearsome future | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 10.6.26 (Defense News) Watch now.       Airmen design AI-powered shotgun for last-ditch drone defense (Defense News) Taking up a challenge to defeat cheap drones with a low-cost solution, a team of young airmen designed the Mantis for point defense.       Pentagon announces Joint Warfighter Evaluation program to manage high-level promotions (Defense News) Hegseth says a new process is intended to elevate leaders who show the ability to "fight, adapt and win."       Leonardo DRS Showcases JTT-X Hybrid SATCOM for Tactical Aircraft (Defense News) Learn how JTT-X uses multiple satellite networks to strengthen secure communications and connectivity for military aircraft in contested environments.       Meet Axel, the deaf rescue dog now set to deploy (Defense News) Using sign language cues and other signals for commands, Axel the dog is a “force multiplier by means of mental health and soldier readiness,” his handler says.   Commentary & Analysis     What prompted the US bombers to leave RAF Fairford? (BBC News) The mass evacuation of American bombers from the UK points to concern in the Pentagon, our security correspondent writes.       Soldiers seriously wounded in Iranian drone strike tell AP the military’s medical system failed them (The Associated Press) The shrapnel hit Army Lt. Col. Arturo Lincón’s body like shattered glass.       Palestinians want a two-state solution (Foreign Affairs Magazine) In September 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a peace plan to end the war in Gaza, vowing it would not only rebuild the devastated territory but also usher in “eternal peace in the Middle East.” A year later, the plan has stalled. Hamas has not disarmed.       Soldiers and Gold Star families press Army leadership after deadly Iranian drone strike (The Associated Press) On a sunny, cloudless morning on March 1, the day after President Donald Trump started the war against Iran, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan was coordinating critical Army supplies out of Port Shuaiba in Kuwait.       China is watching us. Is the US. Air Force still watching China? (War on the Rocks) On Oct. 1, 2026, Beijing celebrated the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the beginning of the end for the U.S. Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute.       The Pentagon’s 2027 drone problem (The Cipher Brief) On September 30, at Quantico, the Secretary of War announced a four-star command for autonomous warfare. The memorandum behind it is two pages long. It gives two officials 30 days to produce a plan and sets October 1, 2027, as the day the Autonomous Warfare Command stands up. “We do not have a decade,” it says.       ‘He’s not coming back': Months after deadly Iranian attack, families of soldiers struggle to cope (The Associated Press) For Michelle Tietjens, the pain of loss often hits hardest at the start of each day, when the realization dawns all over again that she’ll be facing it without her husband.