Top 5     US bombers sent home from RAF Fairford base after suspected terror plot (The Guardian) The U.S. Air Force has pulled its bombers from RAF Fairford following an investigation into an alleged planned terror attack at the base.       Air, Space forces hit recruitment goals, set higher 2027 targets (Military Times) The Department of the Air Force met its fiscal 2026 recruitment goals, with 31,950 airmen and 730 guardians enlisted.       Marine Corps meets 2026 goal with over 31,000 new recruits (Military Times) The Marine Corps met its fiscal year 2026 recruitment goal with over 31,000 enlisted Marines, thanks to a high volume of interested applicants and strong retention.       Yemeni government launches offensive to seize all areas from Iran-backed Houthis (Reuters) Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government said on Sunday it was launching a major military campaign to recapture all areas of the country controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis.       Veterans face SNAP barriers as USDA guidance delays policy changes, GAO finds (Military Times) Veterans seeking information about federal food assistance may encounter outdated eligibility guidelines from the Agriculture Department, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.   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     Hegseth orders 1-day stand-down for troops to vote (Stars and Stripes) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a one-day stand-down for service members to mail in ballots or vote in person in the upcoming elections.       New fitness standards will be checked in Inspector General reviews (Task & Purpose) A new Pentagon policy on stricter fitness tests includes instructions that unit leaders be “held accountable” for their troops’ performances. To monitor the new standards, three military services said Inspector General offices are assessing or will soon assess how the new standards are put into practice as part of regular readiness reviews.       Musk to help lead Pentagon team studying the future of war (Stars and Stripes) Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk will co-lead a new Pentagon initiative called “Project Meridian,” a 120-day study that will examine the future of warfare and recommend weapons and capabilities the military should develop.       Pentagon wants states to bid on the ‘next great American base’ (Federal News Network) The base would become the first newly built domestic military installation since the 1980s.       Hegseth issues new directive to hasten US military’s counter-drone pursuits (DefenseScoop) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum that was publicly released on Friday with updated policies to expedite counter-drone technology deployments across U.S. military bases, critical infrastructure, and other domestic assets, as unmanned systems continue to disrupt national security and transform global warfare.   Your Military     Airmen, guardians must update their religious affiliation under narrowed list (Stars and Stripes) Airmen and guardians must choose from a new, sharply condensed list of religious affiliations this fall after the Pentagon reduced roughly 180 faith and belief codes to 31.   Army     Army looks to space for 600 new soldier jobs (Stars and Stripes) The Army has shifted more than 600 soldiers into a new space operations career field as the service builds a force focused on helping ground troops fight in a domain increasingly contested by U.S. adversaries.   Navy     Can you hear me now? 90% of Navy unaccompanied housing now has free Wi-Fi (Military Times) The U.S. Navy is close to bridging the connectivity gap between its sailors and their families and support networks, bringing new meaning to “Can you hear me now? Good.”       Navy ships deploy as Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran (Stars and Stripes) A San Diego-based Navy amphibious ready group deployed this week, a day after a West Coast aircraft carrier set sail, as President Donald Trump considers renewed strikes against Iran in November.       Naval Special Warfare Command failed to identify, treat TBI in service members: Watchdog (Military Times) The Navy failed to identify and treat special warfare personnel who exhibited symptoms of a traumatic brain injury, a government watchdog found.   Marine Corps     Marine Corps plans new warfighter test for future generals (Military Times) The Marine Corps said Thursday that it has begun developing plans to add a “demonstrated warfighter ability” test to the screening process for colonels eligible for promotion to brigadier general.   AIr Force     Air Force raises lodging rates worldwide, with steep increases at some bases (Stars and Stripes) The cost of staying at this airlift hub’s Kanto Lodge nearly doubled this week as new Air Force lodging rates took effect worldwide.       Air Force authorizes new berets for explosive ordnance techs (Task & Purpose) Airman who train to defuse bombs and other explosives will soon wear a rust-colored beret with their uniforms.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard personnel exchange gunfire along US-Mexico border (Stars and Stripes) Coast Guard personnel intercepting migrants crossing the Rio Grande River in Texas exchanged gunfire with people on the Mexican side of the border last week while working with other federal agencies, the service confirmed.   Veterans     2 veterans battle in court and online over defamation, for-profit claims processing (Military Times) A county government official and U.S. Navy veteran in Illinois is suing a for-profit company and its founder, a U.S. Army veteran, for alleged defamation of character in connection with issues related to veterans’ disability claims.       Unemployment rate for post-9/11 vets up as job market slumps (Military Times) The unemployment rate for the nation’s post-9/11 generation of veterans rose from 3.5% in August to 4.1% in September as the number of jobs added that month fell by more than 100,000, according to the final monthly jobs report released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics ahead of the November elections.   Defense Industry     Navy selects 3 companies to develop mine countermeasure technology (Military Times) The Navy selected three defense companies as prize winners of a challenge to advance mine countermeasure technology capable of destroying mine threats from a safe distance.       Ukraine war fatigue fuels defense-spending downgrade plan in Italy (Defense News) Italian military planners risk losing out on €8 billion ($9 billion) in funding as government and opposition parties seek to cut both defense spending and support for Ukraine.       US leaders send mixed messages to Indo-Pacific nations (Defense News) Army officials from 25 different Indo-Pacific nations recently met in New Zealand to hammer out cooperative defense strategies. Simultaneously, the top political leaders in the United States were sending conflicting messages about its partnerships in the region.       French Air Force plans loyal wingman flight in 2028 in sovereign AI push (Defense News) France’s Air Force, together with the country’s Directorate General for Armament and the agency for defense artificial intelligence, plans to fly crewed fighter jets in collaboration with combat drones in 2028, part of a project to experiment with AI in combat aviation dubbed Hypairion.       Taiwan’s first two F-16V fighter jets arrive to bolster defenses against China (Defense News) The first two of a batch of 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets ordered in 2019 arrived in Taiwan on Friday after months of delays, helping to strengthen an air force that has to scramble almost daily to shadow China’s military.       Northrop Grumman’s Talon Blue collaborative combat aircraft has flown (The War Zone) We have a significant update on the fast-moving world of Collaborative Combat Aircraft out of Mojave, California, today. Northrop Grumman’s Talon Blue, which now has the official designation YFQ-48A, has taken to the skies for the first time. The existence of Talon Blue was first officially disclosed in December of 2025 at a media event in Mojave that we attended.   International     US military says it struck vessel in Caribbean, killing four (Reuters) The U.S. military said on Sunday four people were killed in a ?strike on a vessel in the Caribbean ?Sea, the latest in a series of attacks that Washington says target "narco-terrorists" but human rights experts condemn as extrajudicial killings.       Saudis plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold (Defense News) Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, with options being considered, including a coastal push to secure the Red Sea shipping route or an assault on multiple fronts, regional and Western officials told Reuters.       North Korea launches ballistic missile after Seoul demands apology over wounded soldiers (The Guardian) Pyongyang fires towards sea a day after Kim Jong-un sister denounces South Korea for claiming North’s mines wounded South’s soldiers in DMZ   Video     A new performance evaluation metric, and long-range delivery drones | Headlines (Defense News) The Pentagon announces a new evaluation metric for one-star generals, and a one-way drone for supply delivery gets an upgrade.       US Navy stands up unmanned combat systems hub (Defense News) To get more drones and autonomous systems into sailors’ hands, the Navy opens up a new development center.       Military Times reporter tackles ‘The Green Mile’ jungle training challenge (Defense News) Mud, rivers, hills, bugs — get a taste of the troops’ culminating event in the new jungle training course in Panama.       See the view aboard a ship getting hit by long-range munitions (Defense News) U.S. and joint forces target a decommissioned guided missile destroyer as part of a SINKEX exercise to practice maritime strikes.       Expanded scholarship options for military spouses | MOAA Headlines (Defense News) The SpouseWorks scholarship expands criteria for who is eligible to includes spouses up officers and others. That and more from MOAA.       Instead of soaking up blood from a wound, new device pumps it back in to a patient (Defense News) Meet the ReVive, an in-development medical tool designed to collect hemorrhaging blood from a wound and pump it back into a person.   Commentary & Analysis     Why Canada is preparing for an unlikely US invasion (BBC News) Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the military is running scenarios in the unlikely case the U.S. invades Canada.