Top 5     Marine declared lost at sea after falling overboard from the USS Iwo Jima (Military Times) A Marine who fell overboard from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima on Feb. 7 has been declared dead after exhaustive search-and-rescue efforts were unsuccessful, the service announced.       Pentagon let CBP use anti-drone laser before FAA closed El Paso airspace: Report (The Associated Press) The Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser earlier this week, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to suddenly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.       Two US Navy ships collide in Caribbean, leaving 2 sailors injured (Defense News) Two Navy ships deployed as part of the Trump administration’s massive military buildup in the Caribbean Sea have collided, leaving two troops with minor injuries, U.S. Southern Command said Thursday.       Syria says its forces have taken over al-Tanf base after handover from US (The Associated Press) Syrian government forces have taken control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by U.S. troops as part of the war against the Islamic State group, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.       Health care access a top complaint among troops, top enlisted leaders tell lawmakers (Military Times) Top senior enlisted leaders for the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force told lawmakers that access to health care is the most substantive complaint they’re hearing lately from their troops.   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.   Congress & Politics     Hegseth skips NATO meeting; Pentagon No. 3 urges ‘partnership rather than dependency’ (The Hill) Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby on Thursday called for NATO to be based on “partnership rather than dependency” ahead of talks with the military alliance’s defense ministers in Brussels.       Judge temporarily blocks Pentagon from punishing Kelly over unlawful orders video (Military Times) A federal judge agreed Thursday to block the Pentagon from punishing Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot, for participating in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.       Trump turns to military leaders for high-stakes diplomacy (The Hill) President Trump is increasingly turning to military leaders for some of his toughest diplomatic assignments, sending top brass to help negotiate the end of the Russia-Ukraine war, a potential new nuclear deal with Iran and forge closer ties with countries in the Western Hemisphere.       Senator grills senior enlisted leaders about privatized housing NDAs (Task & Purpose) As private contractors have taken over the management of military housing on many bases, military families have long reported being asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs, about problems in their homes or as conditions for needed repairs.       No evidence women in combat roles lower standards, top enlisted leaders say (Military Times) Top enlisted leaders from each service told lawmakers Wednesday that they support women serving in any role in the military, including combat arms, if they meet the established standards.   Your Military     ‘Everything costs what it costs’: Navy, Marine, Coast Guard chiefs call for historic funding (Military Times) Service chiefs from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard speaking at the WEST Conference in San Diego on Wednesday defended the necessity for continued investment in their respective services while laying out the goals they will set to achieve with present and future infusions of cash.   Army     The military really wants people to stop trespassing on its test range in the desert (Task & Purpose) You would think it’s easy to keep people from wandering across barren stretches of wasteland littered with unexploded ordnance, but apparently that’s not the case for a military test range in the Arizona desert, especially during peak tourist season.       Army marks elevation of Futures and Concepts to full command (Military Times) The Army held an activation ceremony for its Futures and Concepts Command on Thursday at Fort Eustis, Virginia, marking the headquarters’ transition to full command status.       Former Army colonel sentenced to 2 years for sharing classified war plans with woman he met online (The Hill) A retired United States Army colonel has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for sending a woman he met online classified information about U.S. war plans, federal authorities announced Wednesday.       Former leader of Army battalion in Alabama sentenced to 4 years for secretly recording house guests (Stars and Stripes) A noncommissioned officer in the Army who used a hidden camera in the bathroom to film guests at his Alabama home will serve prison time, a military judge ruled.   Navy     2027 defense budget could double 2026 ship requests, US Navy secretary says (Military Times) The fiscal 2027 defense budget could double the number of ships the Navy is set to procure under the fiscal 2026 defense budget, Navy Secretary John Phelan said during a keynote address at the WEST Conference in San Diego, California, on Thursday.   Marine Corps     Virginia Supreme Court rules US Marine’s adoption of Afghan war orphan will stand (The Associated Press) The Virginia Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a U.S. Marine and his wife will keep an Afghan orphan they brought home in defiance of a U.S. government decision to reunite her with her Afghan family. The decision likely ends a bitter, yearslong legal battle over the girl’s fate.   AIr Force     US Air Force’s CCA program advances with auto-flying software integration (Defense News) The U.S. Air Force said Thursday that government-owned autonomous software programs have been successfully integrated into both of its prototype collaborative combat aircraft, in a major milestone.       Air Force now denies receiving F-35s without radars (The War Zone) The U.S. Air Force has now denied taking delivery of any F-35A Joint Strike Fighters from the latest Lot 17 production batch without radars installed. This comes a day after TWZ published a detailed piece examining a recent unconfirmed report that the U.S. military has been receiving radar-less F-35s since last June due to issues tied to the new AN/APG-85 radar.   National Guard     Louisiana National Guardsman leaves M4 carbine in Bourbon Street bathroom (Military Times) Beside a urinal and bin of used paper towels, an assault rifle was photographed leaning against a tiled bathroom wall in an image that spread quickly across the internet.   Veterans     Air Force veteran is gifted Super Bowl tickets; he gives his Purple Heart in return (Stars and Stripes) When retired Air Force veteran and Purple Heart recipient Chris Ferrell was given Super Bowl tickets by Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, he knew he wanted to respond with something deeply meaningful.   Defense Industry     CNO: ‘I need my stuff on time’ (Defense One) Deliver what we ask for on time. That’s the terse message two maritime service chiefs are sending to industry.       China’s new maritime combat drone poised for global success: Analysts (Defense News) Beyond China’s ostentatious display of its J-35A fighter jet at the Singapore Airshow was a lower-profile piece of equipment, the new Wing-Loong X combat drone, which experts say is far more likely to find international success.   Ukraine     Ukrainian athlete out of Winter Olympics because of banned helmet honoring war dead (The Associated Press) Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, a likely medal contender at the Milan Cortina Games, was barred from racing Thursday after refusing a last-minute plea from the International Olympic Committee to not use a helmet that honors more than 20 athletes and coaches killed since Russia invaded his country four years ago.   International     Russia will uphold nuclear weapons limits of expired treaty, foreign minister says (Defense News) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the country’s parliament that Moscow will continue adhering to the numerical limits of the expired New START nuclear weapons limitation treaty, provided Washington does the same.       North Korea warns of ‘terrible response’ over South Korean drone flights (France 24) North Korea on Friday warned of a “terrible response” if more drones cross its border from the South, escalating tensions despite Seoul’s efforts to improve ties. Pyongyang said it shot down a surveillance drone last month. Kim Yo Jong cautioned that further incursions would trigger severe consequences.       CIA video appeals to potential spies in China’s military (The New York Times) The agency is seeking Chinese officials who are frustrated with corruption in the People’s Liberation Army.       Japan seizure of Chinese vessel, arrest of captain, could heighten tensions (Al Jazeera English) Japan's Fisheries Agency says Chinese captain arrested for allegedly defying orders to stop for inspection at sea.       US-NATO exercise rehearses taking out 1,500 targets a day to ‘overwhelm’ an enemy (Defense One) The U.S. Army and its NATO allies in Europe are honing their ability to to fight back against an incursion by throwing enough artillery at an enemy so stop them in their tracks for good, most recently during the annual Dynamic Front exercise with the Germany-based 56th Multi-Domain Command earlier this month.   Military Culture & History     A Medal of Honor recipient rescued a downed pilot in WWI. The airman’s identity remained a mystery — until now. (Military Times) War has a way of changing the lives of its participants. Sometimes, it puts the main actor through a moment of decision that leads to an extraordinary feat. In the case of Ralyn Hill, it involved rushing where the average soldier would fear to tread, simply to retrieve a complete stranger from the jaws of death.   Video     Space Force’s top leader on troop quality of life (Military Times) Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna delivers opening remarks, Feb. 11, 2026, during a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel hearing regarding service member and family quality of life.       A-10 Thunderbolts land on a desert air strip (Military Times) Air Force A-10C Thunderbolts from the 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron land at a base in the Middle East at the end of January.   Commentary & Analysis     ‘I felt like a factory worker.’ Why VA psychologists are burning out (The War Horse) The number of veterans seeking mental health treatment continues to rise, but the number of psychologists at VA dropped last year for the first time in a decade.       Will these four defense innovation reforms improve industry’s lot? (War On The Rocks) When everyone is accountable, who is actually responsible?       Why forcing Ukraine into an election could misfire for Trump (The Conversation) This article was first published in The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email. Sign up to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox.       Men lie, strategies lie—numbers don’t (Defense One) Measuring the frequency of words and themes in a document can offer insights, reveal underlying messages, and even illuminate what’s on the minds of its writers. The 2026 National Defense Strategy is meant to help align ends, ways, and means, and to signal goals and values. But to find the truth, sometimes you just have to count.       Gilded capability: Overinvestment and the survivability paradox (War On The Rocks) Infernos raged aboard Japanese aircraft carriers after U.S. Navy dive-bombers found their marks during the Battle of Midway. Many Japanese pilots were incinerated in ready rooms and in the cockpits of their aircraft while they sat idling on flight decks. Those who were airborne returned to find their carriers aflame. They circled until fuel exhaustion and ditched into the sea, and many were never recovered. For Japan, the loss of its carriers was damaging, but the loss of its naval aviators was catastrophic. Her navy never recovered.