Top 5     The US military is taking formal control of more Texas borderland (Defense One) Nearly 200 more miles of the U.S. border with Mexico have been placed under Air Force supervision, enabling wider use of military force and heftier charges against people crossing illegally into the country. But experts wonder why the step is being taken as crossings plummet and heightened charges are thrown out by judges.       F-35A stealth fighters moving closer to Middle East as US military buildup continues (The War Zone) F-35A stealth fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard are edging nearer to potential deployments to the Middle East. The movement of these aircraft comes as the U.S. is building up a large force in the U.S. Central Command region ahead of a possible conflict with Iran.       ICE, Border Patrol chiefs refuse to comment on VA nurse’s killing (Military Times) The heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol on Tuesday declined to comment on the January killings of Minneapolis protestors Renée Good and Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti, citing ongoing investigations into their deaths.       Military warns EOD techs against uploading ‘highly sensitive’ bomb disposal data into generative AI systems (DefenseScoop) The military’s top EOD technology authority recently warned bomb technicians against uploading restricted technical material into generative artificial intelligence systems — including Pentagon-approved platforms and commercial offerings.       Experts argue Marine pullback in Okinawa should be halted as China threat rises (Military Times) As the Chinese People’s Liberation Army edges toward its goal of invading Taiwan by 2027, experts argue that Washington must reexamine a long-standing U.S.-Japan blueprint that aims to shift nearly 10,000 Marines away from Okinawa.   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.   Congress & Politics     ‘Hangar queens’: Congressional hearing reveals Osprey readiness rates declining as mishaps increase (USNI News ) While Navy and Marine Corps officials touted progress in overcoming a fatal V-22 Osprey gearbox issue that has limited operations since 2023, lawmakers lamented falling readiness rates and increasing mishaps Tuesday during a hearing on Capitol Hill.   Your Military     Beer and wine at chow halls of the future? Commanders will decide. (Military Times) Soldiers may have the option of ordering beer and wine at some chow halls of the future, but it will be up to their installations’ senior commanders.   Army     Where the military stands in mandate for free Wi-Fi in enlisted housing (Stars and Stripes) The Army’s first effort to deliver free wireless internet to soldiers living in barracks — part of a military-wide mandate — has exceeded expectations among troops at Fort Riley, Kan.       Army opens new Fort Benning class to help leaders use drones, robots in combat (Stars and Stripes) An instructor moved a tiny drone upside down then rapidly back and forth by hand as Army Sgt. 1st Class William Benz peered through his goggles to see what the drone could see.       The Army is writing the book on using small drones in a tank formation (Defense One) As the Army’s Transformation-in-Contact brigades test and help develop new technology, they’re also shaping how soldiers will be trained to use it.       Buzz building in Army’s arsenal on heels of $5.2 million deal for drone-bashing Bumblebee (Stars and Stripes) American soldiers facing the ever-present threat of drone barrage on future battlefields will soon be able to call on a real stinger of a knockout force.       Army in Hawaii curtails some operations as storm stalls over state (Stars and Stripes) Army Garrison Hawaii canceled nonessential activities on installations for Monday as a stalled cold front over the state brought damaging winds and flooding over the weekend.   Navy     Navy names surface warfare officers of the year (Military Times) The Navy presented two recipients with an esteemed award that recognizes the best surface warfare officer from each coast, according to a Navy release.       Female sailors can now purchase new dress overblouse, Navy announces (Military Times) The Navy announced that the second phase of their female sailor uniform update is available for purchase at select in-person Navy Exchange Service Command locations, as well as online.       Navy CNO is ‘all ahead flank’ on AI (DefenseScoop) The Navy’s ambitious vision to enable a Golden Fleet of heavily armed, high-tech manned warships accompanied by a vast network of nimble unmanned and autonomous platforms hinges on artificial intelligence.       Navy rethinking how to command robotic forces, CNO Caudle says (USNI News) Buoyed by billions in investments into robotic systems, the Navy is considering how it will manage the swarms of unmanned surface, subsurface and aerial drones throughout the fleet.       Spain stopover gives Navy’s top officer window into what’s on sailors’ minds (Stars and Stripes) The show of hands by sailors in answer to a question about their well-being was not what the Navy’s highest-ranking active-duty officer was hoping to see during a recent visit to this Atlantic Ocean base.   Marine Corps     The Marine Corps passed its third audit and is testing how AI, automation can make the process easier (DefenseScoop) The Marine Corps announced Monday that it passed its third clean financial audit, the only service to do so thus far. In a media roundtable last week, officials told reporters the Corps was participating in multiple AI and automation pilots intended to make the process easier.   National Guard     National Guardsman who left M4 at New Orleans hotel to undergo ‘retraining’ (Task & Purpose) There’s a particular kind of panic — a heart-stopping, cold-sweat-inducing fear followed by an endless barrage of expletives — that occurs when someone realizes they’ve misplaced their rifle. Unfortunately for one Louisiana Guardsman, it’s a sensation he now knows all too well after leaving their M4 inside the bathroom of a New Orleans hotel on Sunday.   Defense Industry     Lockheed’s unveils Lamprey undersea drone that can attach to ships (Defense News) Lockheed Martin on Monday unveiled its Lamprey Multi?Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle, an unmanned underwater vehicle that can attach itself to ships, launch torpedoes and deploy airborne drones.       German startup aims to deliver European hypersonic strike by 2029 (Defense News) German startup Hypersonica claimed a “significant” step toward delivering Europe’s first sovereign hypersonic strike capability by 2029, after the company’s first hypersonic test flight in Norway pushed its missile prototype to more than Mach 6 and a range of more than 300 kilometers.       Erdo?an pitches KAAN fighter jet as an alternative to Western warplanes (Defense News) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an visited Saudi Arabia and Egypt earlier this month, marking fresh steps in the normalization of relations with key regional powers and opening the door to new defense deals.   International     US to send 200 troops to help Nigeria fight Islamist insurgents (The Wall Street Journal) The U.S. is sending 200 troops to Nigeria to train the country’s military to fight Islamist militants, weeks after President Trump accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks, an American military official said Tuesday.       Mexican cartel’s seized ammunition is traced to US Army plant (The New York Times) About 137,000 .50-caliber rounds have been seized since 2012, and of those, 47 percent came from a plant in Kansas City, Mo., Mexico’s defense secretary said.       Russian stealth jets have arrived in North Africa, as filmed by Algerian potato farmer (Defense News) A new video snapped by a potato farmer appears to confirm that Algeria is the first country to have received the fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter jet from Russia.       Cobra attack helicopter crash kills 2 South Korean army pilots (Stars and Stripes) Two South Korean army pilots were killed this week when their AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter crashed about 50 miles northeast of Seoul, according to the Ministry of National Defense.       Chinese carrier-based fighter seen equipped with new supersonic anti-ship missile (USNI News) The mainstay of Chinese carrier air wings was seen with a new anti-ship missile potentially capable of striking targets more than 1,000 kilometers away at supersonic speeds, according to recent media reports.   Military Culture & History     In the bloody, urban combat to liberate Manila, this airborne ‘Angel’ sacrificed all (Military Times) Airborne troops are extremely vulnerable when they are descending in their parachutes. To compensate, their intense combat training is designed to take charge from the moment their boots touch the ground... whatever that ground may be. One of the many cases in point is that of PFC. Manuel Pérez Jr.   Video     Air Force leaders chart improvements to comms, readiness | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 2.10.26 (Military Times) Air Force officials want more planes ready for war at any given moment, and are plotting ways to improve readiness rates. Plus, a roundup of optics at SHOT Show.       Check out DARPA's new long-range autonomous unmanned vessel (Military Times) Meet the NOMARS (No Manning Required Ship), named the USX-1 Defiant.       The Golden Dome boom and advances in interceptors | Defense Dollars (Military Times) Companies with space-based tech rush to compete for contracts for Golden Dome missile shield needs while defense firms advance new front-line systems.       Drones and vanishing Russians at Singapore Air Show 2026: Roundup (Military Times) Reporter Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo brings a roundup of what she found at the Singapore Air Show 2026.   Commentary & Analysis     Why Greenland’s takeover by the US is not needed for Golden Dome (Military Times) President Donald Trump’s stated reasons for why he wants the United States to take possession of Greenland have varied over the past year, but one is increasingly gaining traction in political discourse: The U.S. needs to acquire Greenland to protect itself against missile attacks.       Biodefense blind spot: Why Washington confuses pandemics with bioweapons (War on the Rocks) The next great biological threat may not begin in a wet market, a jungle, or a laboratory accident. It may begin on a laptop with a commercially available AI model.       China “just not there yet” on H-20 stealth bomber: Global strike command’s top general (The War Zone) The head of U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command has downplayed the current significance of Chinese efforts to develop new long-range strike aircraft with more global reach. He said that China remains, at best, a regional bomber force, though it continues to “aggressively” pursue new capabilities in this regard, like the long-awaited H-20 stealth bomber.       Syria’s post-Assad pulse check (War on the Rocks) In December 2024, forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham defeated Assad regime forces, leading to the regime’s collapse and raising hopes for an end to Syria’s brutal civil war. Since then, President Ahmed al Sharaa has impressed many Syrians and foreign observers with his pragmatism and ability to stabilize the country. However, the path to peace has not been smooth.       Does guaranteeing Israel’s qualitative military edge still serve US interests? (War on the Rocks) In early January 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dropped a bombshell. In an interview for the Economist, he claimed that he sought to “taper off” the $3.8 billion in military aid that Israel receives from the United States or even end this longstanding military assistance program entirely.