Top 5     Pentagon’s NATO review preparing troop options for Hegseth by November 6 (Defense News) A Pentagon review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe will create at least four sets of options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by Nov. 6, well ahead of a December deadline for the review’s completion, according to a document seen by Reuters.       15,000 operational days lost due to US submarine maintenance delays, GAO finds (Defense News) Maintenance delays for U.S. Navy attack subs have resulted in boats that are frequently idle in port when they should be at sea.       Marine One crew failed to reach air traffic control before safety incident, NTSB says (Military Times) The National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday the crew of a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump that came too close to a passenger jet on Aug. 4 failed to reach air traffic controllers before departing.       Three journalists sue Pentagon after being fired from military news outlet (The Guardian) Three employees of Stars and Stripes, a government-funded news service, allege they were fired after reporting on USS Abraham Lincoln       Pentagon awards contract in race to field cheaper interceptors, missiles (Defense News) The Department of Defense has awarded a contract worth almost $11 million to X-Bow Systems, a New Mexico-based rocket manufacturer, under a program aimed at developing a new anti-ballistic weapon for less than $750,000 a shot — roughly a fifth the cost of its top-tier equivalent, the Patriot missile.   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     Judge rules Trump administration’s Anthropic blacklisting is illegal (Politico) A federal judge in California Thursday found that Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth broke the law when he designated Anthropic a supply chain risk to national security.       Trump plans to mark 9/11 at the Pentagon, not Ground Zero (The New York Times) President Trump originally intended to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 with remarks at ground zero, but the memorial’s organizers do not allow speeches. Mr. Trump changed his plans.   Your Military     Joint Base Andrews airmen reflect on Huey’s legacy ahead of switch to HH-60Ws (Military Times) Residents and airmen in the Washington, D.C., area will soon miss the familiar “whomp whomp” sound of UH-1N “Hueys” flying overhead as the aging aircraft depart Joint Base Andrews in the coming years.   Navy     Navy’s billet-based advancement shift leaves nuclear sailors on separate path (Military Times) The Navy is changing how enlisted advancement works. Eligible sailors in participating ratings are increasingly being connected to higher-paygrade billets, while nuclear sailors remain on a different advancement track.       Navy offers select special warfare officers up to six-figure bonuses to stay in uniform (Military Times) The Navy announced financial incentives to keep specialized senior officers in the service that can pay up to $100,000.       Jonny Kim’s resume already lists Navy SEAL, astronaut, doctor. He’s now returning to active duty. (Military Times) A former Navy SEAL who completed an illustrious career as a NASA astronaut and engineer over the last decade is returning to active-duty military service, according to NASA.   Marine Corps     Pentagon upgrades awards for 3 Marines at Abbey Gate attack (Military Times) Five years after a suicide bombing killed 13 U.S. service members and around 170 civilians at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Pentagon upgraded the awards of three Marines who survived the blast and then worked to save others in its immediate aftermath.       Marines fielding new laser sights at School of Infantry (Military Times) The Marine Corps started fielding a new laser aiming system for squad weapons earlier this summer, introducing the technology to students at the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard stops suspected drug boat carrying $54.5 million in cocaine off Puerto Rico (Seapower) Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon’s crew interdicted a suspected drug smuggling vessel approximately 50 miles south of Puerto Rico, Friday, with about 7,250 pounds of cocaine on board worth approximately $54.5 million.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     OpenAI, Anthropic join global call to strengthen cyber defenses (France 24) More than 100 organisations, including OpenAI and Anthropic, called Thursday for governments and technology companies to strengthen cyber defenses against increasingly sophisticated AI-powered attacks. The open letter warned that these could become far more widespread in the coming months as artificial intelligence models grow more capable.       FBI disables China-linked hacking tools used against US agencies (Defense One) A hacking group used the tools to target networks belonging to NASA, the Federal Reserve, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Senate and the departments of Energy, Justice and Health and Human Services.   Defense Industry     Japan approves mass production of 3D-printed interceptor drones (Defense News) Japan’s defense-procurement agency has signed a mass production procurement agreement for interceptor drones made using 3D printers, the latest move to rapidly deploy a large unmanned fleet by 2027.       Russia says UK ‘playing with fire’ amid reports CIA chief has warned Kremlin not to attack Nato (The Guardian) Moscow threatens retaliation after Andy Burnham says UK will help Ukraine start producing long-range missiles.       Rolls-Royce, Safran vie for India’s next-generation fighter engine (Defense News) India’s ambitious plan to co-develop an engine with a foreign company for its fifth-generation fighter has set the stage for a contest between British and French aerospace companies seeking to participate in the program.   International     US military faces ‘beyond critical’ shortage of Patriot missiles in Europe (France 24) The U.S. military is running critically low on Patriot missile interceptors in Europe as the war with Iran drains stocks, according to U.S. and NATO officials. The shortfall is raising concerns about NATO’s ability to counter a potential Russian ballistic missile attack, though officials said no such assault is imminent.       US military uses laser to shoot down 3 cartel drones at southern border, Pentagon says (CBS News) The U.S. military this week used a laser to shoot down three drones along the U.S.-Mexico border that were allegedly operated by drug cartels, the Pentagon said.       US, South Korea and Japan to hold drill as North Korea ramps up pressure on US (NPR) The announcement that the three countries will go ahead with a trilateral military drill comes a day after North Korea vowed to retaliate against what it called U.S. hostilities.   Video     China used US military designs to build robot quadrupeds — and now they're taking over (Defense News) Experts and robotics makers say China used Pentagon-funded work to design robot dogs and then proliferated them beyond U.S. capabilities to keep up.       Ride the skies over DC in a Huey with airmen from Joint Base Andrews (Defense News) Check out the view of the capital seen by Huey pilots and crews who operate over the city daily.   Commentary & Analysis     They survived an Iran war drone attack. Six months later, they’re struggling to get care. (The War Horse) He showers, shaves and puts on his uniform by 7 a.m., even as his head pounds from a traumatic brain injury. Sometimes, while walking to a mandatory daily roll call, the piece of shrapnel still lodged in his back catches on his shirt.       Trump’s war on Iran is rapidly draining US navy budget, documents and interviews reveal (The Guardian) Experts and former officials say accounts are running dry, and funding a war with no clear endgame is the main challenge.       How Ukraine is bringing the war home to Russia (The Conversation) In recent weeks, Ukrainian drones have targeted large warehouses across Russia, destroying millions of dollars of merchandise stored inside them.       How a failed PT test inspired an airman to create a fiitness app for troops everywhere (Air & Space Forces Magazine) An Air Force captain has created a mobile app any service member can use to get “actionable guidance” on improving or maintaining their physical fitness.       Six months into the US-Iran war, will there be any accountability for potential war crimes? (The Conversation) The Trump administration has consistently viewed itself as being above international law. Not only does it claim international law doesn’t apply to the United States, it has imposed sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC).       Beneath the surface: Overlooked cyber security threats (War on the Rocks) The FBI seized three internet domains Wednesday that prosecutors say Chinese government-backed hackers used to target U.S. agencies, critical infrastructure and other networks.       Why the US Navy is moving to investigate Yemen’s deadly malaria surge (DefenseScoop) In response to a deadly resurgence of malaria that’s afflicting populations across sub-Saharan Africa, the Navy is searching for a contractor to supply data collection and medical surveillance services in Yemen to inform its investigations before the disease potentially spreads elsewhere, or infects U.S. forces.       What Europe needs next in beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles (The War Zone) Europe is entering an interesting, and potentially highly consequential, period in the development of beyond-visual-range air-to-air weapons. While the public emergence of new U.S. weapons in this class has unsurprisingly grabbed the headlines in recent months, Europe is meanwhile working on several projects that ultimately seek to field its next generation of far-reaching air-to-air missiles.