Top 5     US military says US, Saudi forces struck sites of Iran-backed groups in Iraq (Reuters) The U.S. military said on Tuesday it conducted strikes with Saudi Arabia's armed forces in Iraq against militant groups aligned with Iran.       Shrapnel, broken bones and head trauma: New records show how US troops were wounded in Iran war (The War Horse) The United States recorded at least 17 life-threatening casualties during the first phase of the war with Iran, according to newly obtained Defense Department records that provide the most detailed accounting yet of troops wounded in the conflict.       US Central Command, UAE to launch artificial intelligence task force (Military Times) U.S. Central Command and the United Arab Emirates will establish the first bilateral task force aimed at boosting the development of military artificial intelligence applications.       South Carolina military base to be renamed after Lindsey Graham (Military Times) The Pentagon is moving to rename a joint military base in South Carolina after Lindsey Graham, a Republican U.S. senator from the state who died July 11.       Netanyahu praises first meeting with Trump since launching the Iran war (The Associated Press) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had an “excellent” meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, their first sit-down since launching a joint war against Iran and it offered Netanyahu a chance to smooth out strains in their relationship.   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     VA secretary’s role in failed vets bill stokes new round of White House, GOP frustration (Politico) White House officials and House GOP leaders are increasingly frustrated with Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, after they say he undermined a major veterans measure championed by Republicans, according to five people with direct knowledge of the matter.   Army     Army sunsets legendary Buffalo Soldiers unit (Military Times) From the Western Plains of the U.S., the beaches of Europe to the Pusan Perimeter, Buffalo Soldiers have played an integral part of U.S. military history.       Army tightens job performance rules for civilian employees (Stars and Stripes) A workforce policy directive that the Army implemented this month will make it easier to terminate underperforming civilian employees, attorneys that reviewed the memo said.   Navy     Navy changes title for sailors working in cybersecurity to reflect ‘warfighting’ ethos (Military Times) U.S. sailors tasked with protecting global communication networks and the flow of data will be given a new moniker for their career field, the Navy announced Sunday.       USS Nimitz’s beloved working dog dies, leaves behind legacy of comfort and companionship (Stars and Stripes) A four-legged shipmate who lifted spirits aboard the USS Nimitz leaves behind a legacy that touched the hearts and minds of crew members across the Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier.       Resendiz murder prompts Navy to update policy for sexual assault suspects (Military Times) The U.S. Navy announced updates to its policy regarding the temporary transfer of sailors under investigation for sexual assault after a high-profile murder in 2025 at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.       Navy seeks innovative solutions for base housing crunch (Stars and Stripes) The Navy is exploring an array of creative solutions to combat a housing shortage at training bases: sailors in extended-stay hotels, in converted retail buildings, in group housing, in recreational vehicles; even sailors in houseboats “where locally feasible.”   Marine Corps     After 20 years of deployment, Marine Corps receives final Osprey amid upgrades and some flight-hour restrictions (DefenseScoop) The Marine Corps received its 359th MV-22B Osprey on Tuesday, marking the completion of the tiltrotor’s program of record nearly 20 years after it was first deployed by the service.   AIr Force     White phosphorus leaks at US air base in South Korea, Seoul says (Military Times) South Korean authorities ordered brief neighborhood evacuations on Tuesday after a leak of white phosphorus inside the U.S. Osan Air Base south of Seoul, the Safety Ministry said.       US airman accused of ‘spree’ of rapes on sleeping women avoided UK courts (The Guardian) Suffolk police ceded investigation into James Loubeau to the US military, leading to court martial acquittal.       Civilian dies after sustaining injuries at Joint Base Andrews, Air Force says (Tribune News Service) A civilian died at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday from injuries sustained during an incident on the base campground, an Air Force news release said.   Veterans     Job search ‘coaches’ gear up to help transitioning troops meet AI challenge (Military Times) For starters, Dr. Thomas Easterly, known as the Army’s “AI Guy,” has recommended that soldiers transitioning out of the military and looking for a job might want to try turning artificial intelligence loose on the information in their DD-214s.   Defense Industry     First Anduril YFQ-44A rolls off production line for US CCA program (Military Times) Anduril’s first Ohio-made unmanned, semi-autonomous aircraft rolled off the production line Monday, just four months after its beginning.       French wildfires threaten nuclear deterrence industry, Rafale assembly (Defense News) Wildfires raging west of the French city of Bordeaux are threatening a number of France’s key defense-industrial sites, including an ArianeGroup facility that produces propulsion components for the M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile, Dassault Aviation’s final assembly line for the Rafale fighter jet, and one of Roxel’s main manufacturing sites for solid rocket motors used in MBDA missiles.       Air Force moves to purchase T-7 engines, not Boeing (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Air Force plans to buy the engines for its new T-7A trainer directly instead of having Boeing, the plane’s maker, provide engines as part of its contract.       Boeing has now eaten $3B in Air Force One cost overruns (The War Zone) Boeing has taken a fresh $280 million loss on work to deliver two newly converted and fully equipped VC-25B Air Force One presidential aircraft to the U.S. Air Force. The company says the new cost growth reflects investments to help it keep on track to finally deliver the first of these planes in 2028. The program remains years behind schedule, as well as over budget, with Boeing now having paid more than $3 billion out of pocket.   International     Finland closes airspace, restricts maritime traffic near Russia over drone risk (Defense News) Finland’s military said on Tuesday it had closed a section of Finnish airspace and restricted maritime traffic off the country’s southern coast near the Russian border due to a risk of stray drones in the area.       Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles as US and Saudi Arabia launch strikes against militias in Iraq (The Associated Press) Jordan’s air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday, the country’s military said, hours after the U.S. military said it had knocked down an Iranian missile barrage launched against American forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting.   Video     Navy Reserve announces retention, recruiting bonuses up to $20,000 (Defense News) The sea service recently boosted programs to find and keep sailors in uniform, offering incentives in the tens of thousands of dollars.       D-Day beaches become UNESCO World Heritage sites (Defense News) Officials said the beaches where Allied troops landed in 1944 to fight Nazi forces was an enduring cultural and historical site.       France deploys military aircraft to fight wildfires (Defense News) France’s military deployed Airbus A400M aircraft to help fight fires tearing across the country in recent days.       Watch special forces troops drive a four-wheeler onto an Osprey (Defense News) Troops from the 352d Special Operations Wing practiced exfil operations with with Swedish K3 Rangers during an exercise in 2025.   Commentary & Analysis     El Nino is a threat indicator. The military should treat it like one. (Military Times) Weather has always mattered to warfighters.       What Congress found inside the Iran war spending bill (The Cipher Brief) “You sir [Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth] are the failure. Not the men and women [in military service] who are on that front line [in the Middle East]. Not the men and women who hold up their honor with distinction. But if there's a lack of a winning strategy [for the Iran War by the Trump administration], they're in harm's way. Their leaders have failed them! And that's what's happening. We have political leadership. You don't have a strategy. You don't have a long-term plan to actually win this war! [voice rising] Win the war! The men and women are going to be able to do it, but they need to have leadership. When will you show leadership?”       Recent fighting with Iran further draws down key US air defense stockpiles, analysis says (The Associated Press) Recent fighting with Iran used up more of the U.S. military’s already diminished stockpiles of advanced missile interceptors, potentially putting American troops at more risk if hostilities resume, a new analysis says.       Military leaders are drawing new lessons from conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and beyond (Federal News Network) "I'll often tell people that our adversaries don't fear PowerPoint. What they fear is our production lines," said Orlando "OJ" Sanchez.       The first waves of amphibious assault will be unmanned (War on the Rocks) In the Pacific War, the U.S. Navy’s underwater demolition teams prepared the way for U.S. and allied amphibious landings on enemy-held islands. Through beach reconnaissance, obstacle breaching, mine clearance, and other missions, these teams paved paths for the first waves of amphibious assaults conducted by naval task forces and subsequent landings by marines and soldiers throughout the island hopping campaign.       The Army didn’t want this striking rotorcraft, but could it be what NATO needs? (Defense One) Two years ago, the Army changed its mind about buying a new attack helicopter. Now, one of the finalists in that canceled effort is pitching its tech to NATO.       How ‘Wild Weasel’ missions became essential in the fight with Iran (Task & Purpose) As fighting with Iran restarted in early July, the U.S. Air Force sent more fighter jets to the Middle East. The F-16s and F-35s based in Germany and the United Kingdom carry out multiple missions, but are also capable of suppressing enemy air defense operations.       New cutter squadron unlikely to shift Western Pacific power balance, experts say (Stars and Stripes) The U.S. Coast Guard’s new Expeditionary Cutter Squadron in the Western Pacific represents a “political signal” and “low-level deterrence” whose precise mission, outside support for the Philippines, is still taking shape, according to defense analysts.       Decide on North Korea (The Cipher Brief) North Korea is strategically closer to Russia and China than any time since the Korean War, while the U.S. does nothing to challenge the growing power of the Axis of Authoritarians (China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea). The irony is that North Korea has, since 1994, wanted a normal relationship with the U.S., yet the U.S. appears incapable of addressing the North Korean nuclear threat.