Top 5     US has destroyed Iranian ‘drone carrier,’ CENTCOM commander says (Military Times) Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Thursday that Iran’s navy has been decimated and its drone capabilities damaged, as the United States and Israel continues military strikes against Iran.       House narrowly rejects Iran war powers resolution (The Associated Press) The House narrowly rejected a war powers resolution Thursday to halt President Donald Trump’s attacks on Iran, an early sign of unease in Congress over the rapidly widening conflict that is reordering U.S. priorities at home and abroad.       NORAD intercepts 2 Russian maritime patrol aircraft near Alaska, Canada (Defense News) The North American Aerospace Defense Command detected and tracked two Russian Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft operating within the Alaskan and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones.       Senate Republicans vote down legislation to halt Iran war (The Associated Press) Senate Republicans voted down an effort Wednesday to halt President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, demonstrating early support for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East with no clear U.S. exit strategy.       Largest US military hospital abroad halts labor, delivery services amid Iran war (Military Times) The largest U.S. Department of Defense hospital abroad is pausing its labor and delivery services until further notice to focus on the needs of the conflict across the Middle East.   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 says it is labeling Anthropic a supply chain risk ‘effective immediately’ (The Associated Press) The Trump administration is following through with its threat to designate artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a supply chain risk in an unprecedented move that could force other government contractors to stop using the AI chatbot Claude.   Congress & Politics     Democrats slam Hegseth for comments on first US deaths in Iran war (Military Times) Democrats are condemning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he derided media coverage of the six American service members killed in the war with Iran, accusing the press of focusing on the fallen soldiers to make President Donald Trump “look bad.”       US and Venezuela agree to reestablish diplomatic relations in major shift after Maduro’s ouster (The Associated Press) The United States and Venezuela agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations in a major shift in a historically adversarial relationship, the State Department said on Thursday.       Noem out, Republican senator in as new Homeland Security secretary (Military Times) President Donald Trump demoted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday, naming Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to fill the post, which is responsible for overseeing the U.S. Coast Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration and dozens of other federal agencies.   Army     Army expands its new dining halls to 6 bases, but pauses its pilot test for food delivery (Task & Purpose) The Army has announced six more bases will get new dining halls designed to look more like cafeterias at college campuses.       US Coast Guard plans to convert shuttered Alabama college into training center (Stars and Stripes) The Department of Homeland Security announced that it planned to purchase the 1926-acre campus of the former Birmingham-Southern College to use as a Coast Guard new training center.   Navy     USS Cincinnati returns to San Diego after 8-month deployment to Indo-Pacific (Stars and Stripes) The USS Cincinnati returned to its homeport in San Diego following an eight month deployment conducting sustained operations throughout the Indo-Pacific.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard recovers 1 person after boat overturns near Cape Cod, 1 still missing (Stars and Stripes) The U.S. Coast Guard has “recovered” one of two people who went missing on Thursday after a boat overturned off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass.       Coast Guard selects Alabama as site of second recruit training center (Military Times) The Coast Guard chose the site of a former college in Birmingham, Alabama, as the location for its new recruit training center.   Veterans     Paralyzed veterans group warns that VA cuts impact ‘lifelong’ care for vulnerable patients (Stars and Stripes) Underfunding, staffing cuts and aging equipment are “dismantling” the services that paralyzed veterans receive at two dozen specialty treatment centers that the Department of Veterans Affairs runs across the nation, an advocacy group warned lawmakers.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Air Force cybersecurity chief tapped to lead Pentagon's information-security efforts (Defense One) The Department of Defense has a new acting leader for its cybersecurity enterprise, with the agency tapping former Air Force Chief Information Security Officer James “Aaron” Bishop to serve as the department-wide CISO and deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity.   Defense Industry     France, Germany create panel to advance shared nuclear deterrence plans (Defense News) France and Germany this week created a high-level nuclear steering group, marking another step toward European nuclear deterrence, as questions hang here over the long-term reliability of the United States as a security guarantor.   Ukraine     Novel interceptor drones bend air-defense economics in Ukraine’s favor (Defense News) One in every three Russian aerial targets destroyed over Ukraine is now brought down not by a missile or a gun — but by interceptor drones that each cost less than a used car, Ukraine’s air force says.       US and Mideast countries seek Kyiv’s drone expertise as Russia-Ukraine talks put on ice (The Associated Press) The United States and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.   International     Italy, allies send warships to protect Europe’s southeastern edge from Iran strikes (Defense News) Italy will send a naval vessel or vessels to protect Cyprus from further Iranian attacks “in the next few days,” Italy’s defense minister said on Thursday.       Intense Israeli strikes target Iran and Lebanon as US warns bombardment to ‘surge dramatically’ (The Associated Press) Intense Israeli airstrikes pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon early Friday as the U.S. apparently struck an Iranian drone carrier at sea in its unrelenting campaign against the Islamic Republic’s fleet of warships.       Ecuador sinks "narco sub" as nation works with US to fight organized crime (CBS News) Ecuador and the U.S. began joint military operations on Tuesday, the U.S. Southern Command said on social media.       Canada and Australia leaders urge war de-escalation, but agree Iran can’t get nuclear weapons (The Associated Press) The Canadian and Australian prime ministers on Thursday called for a de-escalation of the Iran war but added the Iranians must never gain a nuclear weapon.   Video     New military-inspired firearms make debuts | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 3.3.26 (Military Times) Showcasing a range of civilian firearms with a military inspiration, vendors at SHOT Show 2026 display their latest. Plus, Navy and military health care updates.       Hegseth says US, IDF on verge of “complete control” of Iranian airspace (Military Times) Defense Secretary says military campaign is “just getting started.”       Heckler and Koch highlight firearms offerings based on military models (Military Times) A “micro-compact” pistol, an updated handgun option with new optics and a rifle made the show floor at SHOT Show for gunmaker H&K — check out their latest.       Sig Sauer previews a machine-gun-toting drone and FN updates the SCAR (Military Times) Looking to deliver a range of civilian and military capabilities, Sig Sauer shows off its Spear line and a machine gun, and FN updates the popular SCAR rifle.       U.S. Forces Conduct Precision Strikes in Iran (Military Times) March 5, 2026 - U.S. forces conduct precision strikes in Iran, targeting Iranian command and control facilities, air defense capabilities, missile + drone launch sites, and military airfields.       CENTCOM commander says Iran ballistic missile and drone attacks have dropped dramatically (Military Times) U.S. commander adds 30 ships have now been destroyed or sunk.       Hegseth: "The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically." (Military Times) Defense Secretary said joint forces are increasing operations tempo.   Commentary & Analysis     Mental health issues plague new moms in the military. The Pentagon is supposed to help (The War Horse) Shawna Bush had been blissfully ignorant during her pregnancy: happy, excited, and expecting the best out of motherhood. It took just two days for the wrecking ball of postpartum depression to demolish her joy and leave her sobbing on the couch.       The US says it destroyed Iran’s space command. Experts say it wasn’t much of a threat. (Defense One) U.S. forces destroyed Iran’s military space command, Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, announced Thursday, saying the move degraded the regime’s ability to coordinate retaliatory strikes. But experts told Defense One that the country’s nascent space capabilities never posed a significant threat.       What the conflict in Iran means for Putin and Ukraine (The Conversation) As the war in the Middle East spreads and intensifies, the one in Ukraine continues. While geographically some 1,600 miles apart, the consequences of US president Donald Trump’s latest military adventure for the Russian war against Ukraine will be acutely felt across several areas. In the short term, the Kremlin will probably feel emboldened to double down on its aggression, but this is unlikely to shift the dial significantly towards Russian victory in the long term.       Fighting an economic war without fused intelligence (War on the Rocks) In a corporate boardroom reviewing a high-stakes multinational deal, every financial risk was dissected ­— but no one in the room could see the classified intelligence that might have changed the decision entirely. Right now, the United States is fighting an economic war without organizing itself for one. While adversaries deliberately weaponize supply chains, capital flows, technology access, and industrial dependencies, the United States continues to operate its economic and national security systems along largely separate lines — managed through distinct authorities, processes, and intelligence channels.       Iran’s regime has shut down the internet in the middle of war – placing civilians in the crosshairs (The Conversation) On February 28, hours after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, the Iranian regime imposed a nationwide internet shutdown.