Top 5     Bill from vets in Congress would keep military roles open to women (Military Times) As the Pentagon pursues a review of the effectiveness of women in ground combat roles, a group of lawmakers is promoting legislation that would enshrine in policy the ability for women to serve in those roles.       US blockade halts ship traffic to Iranian ports, CENTCOM says (Military Times) No ship entered or exited Iranian ports during the first 24 hours of a sweeping U.S. maritime blockade, in an operation involving more than 10,000 troops and over a dozen warships, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.       Lebanon and Israel hold first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington (The Associated Press) Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington following more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it a “historic opportunity” but making clear that no breakthrough agreement would happen right away.       Amid focus on Strait of Hormuz, experts sound warning on Yemen’s Houthis and Red Sea (Military Times) The world’s attention is fixed on the Strait of Hormuz now that the U.S. Navy is blockading the crucial shipping channel at President Donald Trump’s behest. But some foreign policy experts warn that the strait is not the only potential choke point that Iran and its proxies could leverage.       Navy MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone crash in the Middle East finally confirmed (The War Zone) The U.S. Navy has finally confirmed that an MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone crashed back on April 9. The circumstances that led to the loss of the uncrewed aircraft remain unknown, but the incident has now been described as a mishap. The uncrewed aircraft had vanished unexpectedly from online flight tracking sites while flying over the Persian Gulf, but where exactly where it went down is unclear.   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 contract will give military pilots access to more AI (Bloomberg) U.S. Special Operations Command awarded a $50 million contract to aviation technology firm Beacon AI as part of a push to give military pilots more access to artificial intelligence features.   Congress & Politics     US-Iran peace talks could resume in next two days, Trump says (The Guardian) U.S. president says negotiations could restart in Islamabad under ‘fantastic’ Pakistani army chief Asim Munir       House passes aviation safety bill on second try (The Hill) After a similar bill narrowly failed in February, the House on Tuesday passed aviation safety legislation meant to prevent a replay of last year’s deadly crash between an Army helicopter and a commercial plane over Washington, D.C.   Army     Army cadets recall how fallen officer defended them in Old Dominion shooting (Task & Purpose) The Army ROTC cadets who fought back against a classroom gunman at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, say they owe their lives to the mentorship and training they received from Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, the senior instructor killed in the attack       Soldiers with the XVIII Airborne Corps are training with anti-drone rounds (Task & Purpose) Soldiers from the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps got a chance to shoot down several First Person View drones with ammunition specifically made to deal with the small unmanned aircraft systems.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     US must adjust to Iran’s use of commercial satellite photos, Space Command says (Defense One) Iran’s use of commercial space imagery to strike U.S. and allied targets will force the Pentagon to adjust, the head of U.S. Space Command said.       A prospective Russian space nuke was focus of US wargame, Space Command says (Defense One) Russia’s hypothetical use of its alleged nuclear anti-satellite capability was the focus of U.S. Space Command’s latest tabletop wargame, which pushed the U.S. government, allies, and dozens of defense companies to speculate on the fallout from the weapon’s launch.   Defense Industry     Italy suspends defense agreement with Israel (Defense News) Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has announced the suspension of Italy’s defense treaty with Israel on the same day she was harshly criticized by President Donald Trump for not assisting the U.S. in its military campaign against Iran.       Air Force strikes $270 million deal for lightweight drones using software with data from Ukraine-Russia war (Stars and Stripes) The U.S. Air Force will purchase up to $270 million worth of lightweight, solar-powered drones that can be launched by a two-person crew and fly extended-loitering scout missions, according to the manufacturer.       Ukraine strikes drone production, military support deal with Germany (Al Jazeera English) Germany will get access to Ukraine's cutting-edge drone expertise in return for extra help in war against Russia.       Australia touts first GMLRS artillery rocket assembled Down Under (Defense News) The Australian army has test-fired its first-ever locally assembled Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or GMLRS, a key step toward eventually producing long-range strike weapons locally rather than importing them.       Swedish, Polish firms invest in TNT plants to quench Europe’s ammo thirst (Defense News) Swedish company Swebal is building the first trinitrotoluene (TNT) factory to be opened in Sweden since the end of the Cold War, aiming to expand the European-made supply of a key explosive input used to make ammunition.   Ukraine     Zelenskyy hails Magyar’s win over Orbán as ‘the victory of light over darkness’ in Hungary – as it happened (The Guardian) Ukrainian leader hopes for "pragmatic" and "friendly" relations with new government in contrast with hostility of previous pro-Russian regime.   International     US military says strike in eastern Pacific kills four men (Reuters) U.S. military says strike in eastern Pacific kills four men.       Zelenskyy hails Magyar’s win over Orbán as ‘the victory of light over darkness’ in Hungary – as it happened (The Guardian) Ukrainian leader hopes for "pragmatic" and "friendly" relations with new government in contrast with hostility of previous pro-Russian regime.       North Korean leader on hand for test of new destroyer’s missile systems (Stars and Stripes) North Korea launched two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles Sunday in an operational test of its destroyer Choe Hyon, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday.   Military Culture & History     100-year-old B-17 turret gunner knighted by France (Military Times) At 18 years old, Staff Sgt. Phillip “Bruce” Cook flew 35 missions as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress, tasked with fighting for air supremacy over occupied Europe. Now, more than 80 years after his last mission, Cook has received France’s highest military award becoming a Knight of the Legion of Honor.   Commentary & Analysis     51 percent of Americans think Trump’s miitary action in Iran has not been worthwhile (The New York Times) A survey from Ipsos and Reuters, released on Tuesday, found few Americans — 24 percent — think the war in Iran has been worth the costs and benefits.       Orbán’s loss won’t stop Russian influence campaigns, but it shows they’re beatable (Defense One) The electoral defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán dealt a blow to Russia’s foreign-influence operations—and illustrated how the Kremlin’s approach is changing. In the victory of the opposition-party candidate, other Western nations can draw lessons for confronting Russia’s continuing efforts.       Tactical success, strategic failure? Washington walks the path to defeat in Iran (War on the Rocks) Six weeks after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran, what was the political object? Not the military means and objectives — those are the hammer, not the nail. The nail is: What condition in the world, what durable change in Iran’s relationship to the United States and its neighbors, were these strikes meant to produce? That question was never answered, because it was never seriously asked.       Avoiding another 9/11: 3 key reasons to reauthorize Section 702 (The Cipher Brief) The Cipher Brief asked General Paul Nakasone (Ret.), former director of the National Security Agency and former Commander of U.S. Cyber Command for his take on reauthorization and why it matters to future U.S. national security.       Unheeded lessons from the US warship nearly sunk by an Iranian mine (Defense One) Thirty-eight years ago today, an Iranian mine tore a hole in the hull of the USS Samuel B. Roberts, a guided missile frigate that had been helping to escort reflagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. The blast broke the frigate's keel, flooded its engineroom, and lit fires on several decks. Only its well-trained crew saved the Roberts from sinking.       The Navy is changing the way it does business and its still pretty pricey (The Cipher Brief) The USS Boise represents what must be considered an extreme case of military service over-spending.       Strategy without hubris: How China rose by managing America’s reaction (War on the Rocks) Why didn’t China’s rise trigger containment sooner? For three decades, Beijing’s economic weight expanded dramatically, its military modernized at speed, and its diplomatic footprint widened across every region. Structural theories of power transition would lead us to expect sharper and earlier confrontation as capabilities converged. Instead, the U.S.-Chinese rivalry deepened gradually, punctuated by crises but rarely exploding into decisive pushback. The United States remained engaged economically, its alliances held but were not quite mobilized to balance Chinese power, and many countries hedged rather than chose sides.