Top 5     Pentagon confirms elements from the 82nd Airborne Division to deploy to the Middle East (Military Times) Elements from the 82nd Airborne Division headquarters and a brigade combat team will deploy to the Middle East, the Pentagon confirmed in a statement Wednesday.       Hegseth removes rank insignia from military chaplains (Military Times) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. military chaplains will no longer wear rank insignia, instead displaying symbols of their faith.       Iranian military mocks Trump’s claim of US-Iran negotiations (The Associated Press) Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including strikes that hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire.       Pentagon inks deal with BAE, Lockheed to quadruple THAAD seeker production (Military Times) The Pentagon has reached an agreement with BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin to quadruple production of infrared seekers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor, officials announced Wednesday.       Senate blocks third attempt to stop Iran war (Stars and Stripes) The Senate defeated legislation that would have blocked President Donald Trump from continuing to wage war against Iran without congressional authorization, the third unsuccessful attempt to limit his military power since the conflict began.   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.   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     Pentagon announces major surge in missile production (Defense News) The Pentagon announced three framework agreements today with prime defense manufacturers to surge production and delivery of missile systems and components.       DOD civilian satisfaction scores drop sharply in independent 2025 survey (Military Times) Defense Department civilian employee satisfaction and engagement scores declined markedly in 2025, according to an independent survey released last week by the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.   Congress & Politics     Trump will travel to Beijing for rescheduled China trip May 14-15, after delay due to Iran war (The Associated Press) President Donald Trump will travel to Beijing for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15, the White House announced on Wednesday.       Trump says he doesn't call Iran conflict a "war" due to need for approval from Congress (CBS News) President Trump suggested late Wednesday he's avoiding describing the military conflict with Iran as a "war" because of concerns around the fact that Congress hasn't authorized military force.   Army     Army raises maximum enlistment age to 42 (Military Times) In a sweeping change to its enlistment regulations, the Army has raised the maximum age for eligible recruits to 42, the service announced.       US Army Special Operations Command takes home top prize in sniper competition (Military Times) Seventeen elite sniper teams put their skills to the test this month in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command International Sniper Competition at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.   Navy     USS Mason leaves homeport ahead of upcoming Bush Carrier Strike Group deployment (Stars and Stripes) A Navy destroyer assigned to the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group has left its homeport in Florida to begin operations in support of an upcoming deployment, the Navy announced this week.   AIr Force     34th ‘Rude Rams’ named top 2025 Air Force fighter squadron (Military Times) A U.S. Air Force fighter squadron that played a large role in the Trump administration’s 2025 operations targeting Houthi militants in Yemen was recognized as the top fighter squadron in the whole force.       Air Force upgrades COVID discharges, extends deadline to rejoin the service (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Air Force has upgraded the discharges of nearly 600 Airmen separated from service for refusing the COVID-19 vaccination and extended the deadline for those separated to rejoin the service.       Air Force officials say they’re beating cost goal for CCA drones (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Air Force’s nascent Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is beating former Secretary Frank Kendall’s goal of producing drone wingmen at about one-third the cost of an F-35, an official leading the effort said March 25.   Space Force     Space Force exercise aims to solidify responsive space processes (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Space Systems Command just conducted its second Tactically Responsive Space mission, Victus Diem—but this time, instead of preparing and launching a live rocket and satellite on rapid timelines, the exercise was a simulation designed to refine its processes for repeatable rapid launch missions.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard operates with unpaid bills and ‘grim uncertainty’ in ongoing government shutdown (Stars and Stripes) The 40-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has led to several missed paychecks for the Coast Guard’s civilian employees and a “grim uncertainty” of potential missed pay for its military members.   Veterans     VA: Court order requires we reinstate union contract, not honor its terms (GovExec) The Veterans Affairs Department told a federal judge that while a court order earlier this month required the department to restore its union contract with the American Federation of Government Employees, the ruling does not require them to actually follow any of its terms.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     US military tests ‘Curtain Call’ drone swarm to protect troops in Africa (Stars and Stripes) The U.S. military is testing a new way to shield troops deployed to Africa from unmanned aerial attacks, relying on commercial technology to produce swarms of counter-drones and sensors that serve as a protective wall.   Defense Industry     Turkey, UK sign training and support deal for multibillion-dollar Eurofighter order (Defense News) Turkey and the United Kingdom have signed a training and support agreement accompanying Ankara’s multibillion-dollar order of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes in October 2025.       German army eyes AI tools to expedite wartime decision-making (Reuters) The German army is working to accelerate wartime decision-making through artificial intelligence tools capable of analyzing battlefield data more rapidly than humans, drawing lessons from Ukrainian and other forces, its commander told Reuters.       NATO officer says allies must urgently rethink defense, prepare for 'new enemy' (France 24) A top NATO official on Wednesday urged allied countries to rethink how they ensure their defense. Pierre Vandier told a security and defense forum in Paris that many countries have yet to fully grasp the scale of the challenge, particularly when it comes to boosting weapons production, adding that it was not a question of money but of speed.   Ukraine     Russia says it shot down almost 400 Ukrainian drones as Moscow and Kyiv escalate aerial barrages (The Associated Press) Russian air defenses downed 389 incoming Ukrainian drones, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday, in what was the largest reported overnight attack on Russian regions and Crimea since Moscow’s forces invaded Ukraine more than four years ago.       US ties Ukraine security guarantees to Donbas withdrawal, Zelenskyy says (France 24) Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said the US is conditioning post-war security guarantees on Kyiv ceding the Russian-occupied Donbas, as Washington pushes for a swift end to the war. Zelenskyy warned such terms would weaken Ukraine’s defenses and embolden Moscow, amid uncertainty over future US support despite continued military aid.       Ukraine struggles to find more NATO donors to pay for US weapons (Bloomberg) Ukraine is struggling to secure fresh commitments from NATO allies to purchase US weapons for the war-torn country, Kyiv’s envoy to the military alliance said.   International     US forces strike alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, killing 4 (Stars and Stripes) U.S. forces on Wednesday conducted a strike in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people, according to U.S. Southern Command.       British forces preparing to board Russian shadow fleet ships in UK waters (BBC News) The move will "starve Putin's war machine", Starmer says as he arrives in Finland for a military summit.   Military Culture & History     When the US went to war with Guam — and no one told them (Military Times) It was perhaps the politest “battle” in human history.   Commentary & Analysis     Epic Fury already stress testing more agile army acquisition system, general says (The War Zone) The Army’s revamped system for getting gear and weapons to the fight faster has already been put to work in support of the war the U.S. is waging on Iran, a service leader said.       After nearly a month of Epic Fury there’s no off-ramp in clear sight (The War Zone) As Operation Epic Fury slogs on for a 26th day, Iranian officials have publicly dismissed the Trump administration’s efforts to negotiate a way out of the crisis. Both sides have exchanged demands for any settlement of the war as Pakistan has agreed to hold peace talks, but there appears to be no quick off ramp to this conflict. Meanwhile, the missile and drones keep launching and the bombs keep falling.       As Marines head toward Iran, boots on ground still TBD (Federal News Network) "It's not a cakewalk, but if I was the Iranian military, I would be afraid that the Marines are coming," Col. William Dunn said.       Proxy pressure on Iran: The promise and pitfalls of arming the Kurds (War on the Rocks) Early in the ongoing war against Iran, the Trump administration and its ally, Israel, believed they could foment a popular uprising to topple the Iranian regime. Part of that plan involved arming Kurdish fighters to infiltrate Iran from their locations in Iraq.The idea had intuitive logic. Kurdish fighters have built a reputation as capable battlefield partners of the U.S. military in recent years, particularly in the campaign against the Islamic State in Syria. Kurdish groups already maintain networks along the Iran–Iraq border and inside Iran.       Lessons from Ukraine are shaping US Army's drones, training, comms (Defense One) The Army is sprinting to field drones and counter-drone systems throughout its units, but there are a handful of capabilities they’re still seeking to make these new systems viable in combat.       US troops in Nigeria to help fight terrorism could end up making it worse (The Conversation) The recent deployment of US soldiers in Nigeria to assist the west African country in its counterterrorism campaign could worsen Nigeria’s insecurity.       Five wargames every force design process needs (War on the Rocks) In 2019, Gen. David Berger, the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps, issued his Commandant’s Planning Guidance, which announced the service’s force planning initiative to prepare for conflict in the modern era. Berger identified wargaming as critical to the Marine Corps’ efforts and direction was issued to improve games in both quality and quantity. Twenty major wargames and several smaller games were executed in the first two years to support what became Force Design 2030.       Will too much AI weaken troops' judgement? (Defense One) The debate about lethal autonomy—core to the Trump administration’s fight with Anthropic —obscures a deeper danger of the Pentagon’s rapid adoption of commercial AI tools: they might weaken the U.S. military’s ability to tell fact from fiction.