Top 5     Blasts reported in Iran as US launches new wave of strikes (BBC News) Iran says U.S. strikes hit bridges in the country in an apparent escalation, while the U.S. boards a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.       Disputed veterans benefits bill gets pulled before House vote (Military Times) The House rejected a move to send a controversial veterans benefits bill back to committee for reconsideration and postponed a vote on the legislation Thursday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying that the bill likely won’t be raised again “for weeks.”       Blue Angels flight debrief complete: ‘No problem’ says acting SECNAV (USNI News) No one from the Blue Angels flight demonstration team will be reprimanded or face punishment after Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said there was “no problem” with a low-altitude pass made Wednesday above Pensacola Beach, Fla.       Political crisis and protests in Ukraine as Zelenskyy defends sacking defense minister (The Guardian) The president says he had to choose "one side or the other" after breakdown of relations between ministry and military leaders.       Senators question whether military pharmacy program is the best deal for beneficiaries (Military Times) Senators questioned Wednesday whether the financial details of the military’s Tricare pharmacy program benefit the contractor, Express Scripts, more than military beneficiaries.   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     On the war against Iran, the Pentagon has said little (The New York Times) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has spoken about a range of issues in recent days — from testosterone to leak investigations — but he has said little about the war.   Congress & Politics     A House vote makes it clear: Israel’s support among Democrats is starting to buckle (The Guardian) More than 100 Democrats voted to cut military aid to Israel as U.S. public opinion shifts – Republicans are noticing too.   Your Military     Bad actors use bogus offers to go after payouts to families affected by first atomic bomb test (Military Times) Scam artists have been targeting the $100,000 now available to eligible New Mexico victims of radiation exposure dating back to the world’s first atomic bomb explosion code-named “Trinity” in New Mexico’s Jornada del Muerto desert on July 16, 1945, according to New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez.   Army     Army fields device that detects traumatic brain injuries in just 15 minutes (Military Times) The Army is introducing a handheld blood-testing device that can help detect traumatic brain injuries in just 15 minutes, the service announced Tuesday, in a move it says could reduce unnecessary medical evacuation and give frontline providers a more objective way to assess injuries.       Soldier, partner charged with starving deaths of their child, dog on Fort Benning (Stars and Stripes) A soldier and his partner are accused of starving their child to death and abusing their three dogs while living in Army housing on Fort Benning, Ga., according to a federal indictment.   Navy     US Navy fears ballistic missile subs can be hit by drones, anti-tank rockets (Defense News) When hidden deep in the vastness of the ocean, America’s ballistic missile subs are practically invulnerable.   Marine Corps     Marines working with DoD to build direct-hire path for civilian jobs (Military Times) The Marine Corps is scheming up a way for troops to seamlessly land their first civilian jobs, up to a year before their end of active service date arrives.       Marine accused of sexual assault was ‘out of his mind,’ fellow Marine testifies (Stars and Stripes) A Marine accused by Japanese prosecutors of sexual assault appeared impaired and behaved strangely before the incident in March 2025 in a Marine Corps gym bathroom, two witnesses testified in a Japanese court recently.   Space Force     Space Force can’t figure out what personnel it needs for its missions, GAO says (Defense One) One-quarter of the jobs Space Force leaders say they need went unfilled in fiscal 2025, partly because the young service lacks a solid way to track and use troops, civilian workers, and contractors, the Government Accountability Office found.   Veterans     Veterans in VA care targeted by inmate in elaborate phone scam (Task & Purpose) A Washington inmate used jail phones to call VA medical centers and convince staff members to hand over personal information of seriously ill veterans receiving care at the hospitals.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Space increasingly becoming a warfighting domain, says Space Force chief nominee (Military Times) The ability to fight and maintain superiority in the space domain is becoming increasingly essential to deterrence on Earth as adversaries continue to target space as a first in conflicts globally, say lawmakers and Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, the U.S. Space Force chief candidate.       Space Force chief nominee: China going ‘breathtakingly fast’ with space weapons (Air & Space Forces Magazine) China’s rapidly advancing capabilities in space are a major concern for the presumed next chief of U.S. Space Force, who will likely oversee rapid growth in manpower and equipment to counter the growing threat.       Navy develops strategy to weaponize data, AI (Military Times) The Department of the Navy is officially weaponizing data and artificial intelligence.       Marines used anti-drone netting during recent logistics exercise (The War Zone) Faced with the ubiquitous threat from small attack drones, military forces around the world are resorting to the use of large amounts of mesh netting for protection.       Army’s heavy units face counter-drone capability gaps (DefenseScoop) During a recent training rotation to the Mojave Desert, soldiers with 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team reckoned with a problem heavy units across Eastern Europe have become all-too familiar with in recent years: drones.   Defense Industry     2 defense tech companies sue US Navy after losing out on MUSV program (Military Times) Two defense technology companies filed lawsuits in federal court Tuesday after being excluded from the U.S. Navy’s newest unmanned surface vessel acquisition program.       Saab to supply sensors and combat systems for new German warships after F126 scrapped (Defense News) Swedish defense firm Saab has secured an 8.7 billion kronor ($900 million) contract to supply combat systems and sensors for the German Navy’s new MEKO A-200 DEU frigates, the company announced Thursday.       Franco-German defense cooperation under strain as Macron, Merz meet (Reuters) France and Germany will discuss deepening cooperation on nuclear deterrence, missile defense, long-range strike capabilities and space at a joint ministerial retreat, the Elysee said, seeking to show that the EU’s two largest defense powers can still work together despite differences over major armament programs.   Ukraine     Ukraine’s outgoing defense minister delivers rare challenge to Zelenskyy (The Wall Street Journal) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's choice of Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister this January elevated a 35-year-old digital enthusiast who promised to use technology to halt Russian advances.       Russian troops survive just 20-30 minutes on Ukraine’s front lines, CIA director says (Military Times) Russian recruits arriving on the front lines in Ukraine survive an estimated 20 to 30 minutes before they are killed or wounded, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe said Wednesday, marking the first time a senior American intelligence official has confirmed how deadly the war has become for Moscow.   International     South Korea, US stage allies’ largest-ever joint training in combat supply (Stars and Stripes) South Korea’s Combined Forces Command conducted its largest-ever combined sustainment training this week, bringing together over 4,400 South Korean and U.S. troops to test the allies’ ability to keep their forces supplied during combat.   Video     Manufacturing woes hamper US 155mm ammo production (Defense News) A new report says artillery shell producers are far short of a goal to manufacture 100,000 Howitzer shells per month.       Massive troop formations hit the streets of Paris for France’s Bastille Day Parade (Defense News) Troop, armor and air units all filled the streets for the annual display.   Commentary & Analysis     The US military is not organized for cyber war (Defense News) The United States is preparing for cyber conflict with a military structure that still treats cyberspace as a secondary supporting function.       Iraq sanctions individuals and entities tied to Lebanese Hezbollah (The Long War Journal) Iraq’s Ministry of Finance issued an order imposing sanctions on Hezbollah-linked individuals and entities that mirrors U.S. designations from March and June. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi is currently visiting the United States, where he hopes to garner support for an expanded economic partnership and prove his government’s commitment to countering Iranian influence.       Ukraine was on a roll. Then a clash over war strategy exploded into view. (The New York Times) From an underground parking garage, Ukraine’s newly dismissed defense minister aired the most dramatic, public critique of the military command to emerge during the war.       The Pentagon built a faster engine, nobody built the steering (The Cipher Brief) The Department of War has just executed the most ambitious acquisition reform in six decades. It scrapped JCIDS — the requirements process that ossified innovation for a generation; replaced program offices with portfolio executives, and built a Warfighting Acquisition System designed for speed.       Syria intercepts advanced weapons bound for Hezbollah from Iraq (The Long War Journal) On July 16, Syrian authorities intercepted a weapons shipment concealed in an Iraqi oil tanker and bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The tanker contained a wide range of sophisticated weapons and components, including first-person-view drones, fiber-optic spools, drone warheads, anti-tank missiles, and cruise-missile components.       The West must tell Russians the truth about the war (The Cipher Brief) Tell the Russian people about the carnage in Russia’s war with Ukraine. Tell them about the Russian lives lost and the crushing financial cost of a five-year invasion of a sovereign nation. Former President Ronald Reagan ensured that he got information into the former Soviet Union to truthfully speak to the people about their government’s lies about the cost – in lives and money – of their war in Afghanistan. After ten years, in 1989, the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, the final chapter in the Cold War.       Can the Pentagon’s contracting system keep pace with the demands of today’s battlefield? (Federal News Network) "I encourage policy folks to start talking speed and to drop the term reform," said Stephanie Halcrow.