Top 5     Second aircraft carrier on the way to join fight against Houthis (Military Times) The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and its strike group dropped anchor in Guam on March 24 for a scheduled port visit before joining the escalating U.S. campaign to combat the Houthi rebels in Yemen.       Senators request inquiry into military secrets shared on Signal app (Military Times) Top Senate lawmakers on Thursday formally requested the Defense Inspector General’s office investigate whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated national security laws and protocols by sharing sensitive military information in a non-government chat group ahead of airstrikes in Yemen earlier this month.       Senate confirms former VA benefits chief as new deputy secretary (Military Times) Senate lawmakers confirmed Paul Lawrence as the next Veterans Affairs deputy secretary Thursday, putting in place another key leader at the department as administration officials plan massive reforms for the bureaucracy.       FAA must do better after fatal DC Black Hawk crash, agency leader says (The Associated Press) The head of the Federal Aviation Administration told Congress during a hearing Thursday about a midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people that the agency must do more to ensure flying remains safe.       Waiver, payment deadlines extended for Tricare West Region (Military Times) Defense Health Agency officials have extended three key deadlines for beneficiaries in the Tricare West Region by another month, giving military families some flexibility to get the care they need as the transition to TriWest Healthcare Alliance continues.   Overseas Operations     New US airstrike campaign targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels more intense than last, AP review finds (The Associated Press) A new American airstrike campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels appears more intense and more extensive, as the U.S. moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in city neighborhoods, an Associated Press review of the operation shows.       US airstrikes kill ISIS operatives in Somalia, AFRICOM says (Stars & Stripes) A series of airstrikes this week killed multiple Islamic militants in Somalia, U.S. Africa Command said Wednesday.   Ukraine     North Korea sent 3,000 more troops to Russia, according to South’s assessment (The Associated Press) North Korea sent around 3,000 additional troops to Russia in January and February in continued support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, South Korea’s military said Thursday in its latest assessment.       Russia may be ‘dragging feet’ on achieving peace in Ukraine, Trump says (CNN) US President Donald Trump said he believes Russia wants to end its war with Ukraine, but suggested Moscow could be “dragging their feet” after the Kremlin disputed accounts of agreements made with the US.       Drones, mines and snipers: Ukraine’s front line Is a world away from peace talks (New York Times) For soldiers and commanders on the edge of battle, any talk about a lasting cease-fire still feels like a dangerous fantasy.   Pentagon     Experts warn Pentagon to embrace software-defined warfare to counter China’s military advantage (Breaking Defense) If the US wants to win a war against its adversaries, namely China, the Pentagon must get serious about implementing software-defined warfare, experts from the Atlantic Council said Wednesday.       Trump’s Pentagon acquisition chief nominee vows to review controversial CMMC program (DefenseScoop) Michael Duffey, nominated by President Trump to be undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, testified at his confirmation hearing Thursday.       Democrats demand Hegseth resign as top Trump officials still deny classified information was revealed in Houthi attack chat (Stars & Stripes) House Democrats on Wednesday called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s resignation for including specific weapons and the timing of using them in a commercial group chat with other top U.S. officials ahead of a surprise attack on Houthi militants.       Who’s Who in Defense: Donald Norcross, Ranking Member, HASC’s Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee (TAL) (Breaking Defense) Congressman Norcross is the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee (TAL), with legislative jurisdiction over specific accounts and programs within the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, National Guard and Reserve.       Trump to get Golden Dome options next week: defense source (Defense One) President Trump next week will consider three options for his Golden Dome missile-defense project, said a defense official who added that DOD might create an office to build the ambitious, futuristic missile shield.       Judge orders preservation of Signal group chat on Houthi strike (The Hill) A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to preserve all Signal communications over the span of several days as a lawsuit proceeds following revelations that officials discussed a military strike in a group chat on the encrypted messaging app — and unintentionally included a journalist.       Pentagon IDs 100th US service member from remains returned by North Korea (Stars & Stripes) An American soldier killed during the Korean War has become the 100th service member identified from remains turned over by North Korea seven years ago, the Defense Department announced Wednesday.   Congress & Politics     Elise Stefanik's nomination to be UN ambassador withdrawn, Trump says (CBS News) Rep. Elise Stefanik's nomination to be U.N. ambassador has been withdrawn, President Trump confirmed Thursday, with the president saying he's asked her to remain in Congress.       Another federal judge blocks Trump policy banning transgender troops in military (Stars & Stripes) A U.S. judge in Washington state has blocked enforcement of President Donald Trump’s order banning transgender people from serving in the military, the second nationwide injunction against the policy in as many weeks.       Senator pushes for new rules letting academy athletes play pro sports (Military Times) Former college football coach Sen. Tommy Tuberville said this week he plans to push for new rules in this year’s defense authorization bill debate allowing elite military academy athletes to pursue professional sports careers after graduation, calling it an invaluable recruiting tool for the services.       Rubio vows stern response if Venezuela attacks Guyana (The Associated Press) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed Thursday that the United States will respond forcefully if Venezuela attacks Guyana, amid an ongoing territorial dispute that includes massive oil and gas reserves. Rubio said it would be a “very bad day” for Venezuela should that happen.       Trump administration moves to end union rights for many federal workers (The Hill) The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said Thursday that President Trump signed an executive order limiting numerous agency employees from unionizing and instructing the government to stop engaging in any collective bargaining.       Marco Rubio says 300 student visas have been revoked, including detentions at Tufts, Columbia and more (CBS News) Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that 300 student visas have been revoked, asserting "we have a right" to rescind the visas of students who participate in campus protests, despite questions about due process and First Amendment objections.   Army     US Army ships its newest air-defense tech to units in Asia, Europe (Defense News) The U.S. Army plans to send major elements of its most modernized air and missile defense capabilities to the Pacific and European theaters, according to Maj. Gen. Frank Lozano, program executive officer for missiles and space.       Boggy terrain complicates search for 4 missing US soldiers in Lithuania (Stars & Stripes) A mission to find four missing U.S. soldiers in Lithuania has been hampered by wet and muddy terrain, complicating an effort involving hundreds of personnel, U.S. Army officials said Thursday.       Ranger School’s new fitness test is tougher than ever, but nixes sit-ups (Task & Purpose) Earning a Ranger Tab will now include a sandbag lift, a buddy carry, crawls and other 'functional fitness' events — but no sit-ups.       US Army plans Australia test of missile launcher that has irked China (Defense News) The U.S. Army plans to conduct a live shot with its Typhon missile system in Australia this summer during the Talisman Sabre exercise, marking the first firing of the long-range strike weapon on foreign soil, according to Maj. Gen. Frank Lozano, program executive officer for missiles and space.       Fort Bliss soldier arrested, charged in shooting death of fellow soldier (Stars & Stripes) A Fort Bliss soldier was arrested and charged with shooting and killing another soldier last month at a party in El Paso, according to local police.       US Army to work with Rafael on ‘Americanization’ of Spike missile family (Task & Purpose) “This collaboration is expected to accelerate the development of advanced missile technologies, enhance the capabilities of the SPIKE missile system, and ensure its compatibility with the [US] Army’s requirement," Rafael said.   Navy     Report to Congress on Navy Large Unmanned Surface and Undersea Vehicles (USNI News) The following is the March 25, 2025, Congressional Research Service report, Navy Large Unmanned Surface and Undersea Vehicles: Background and Issues for Congress.       Roadrunner and Coyote: Navy set to deploy land-based anti-drone systems at sea (Military.com) The Navy says it is working to reduce the growing costs of fighting Houthi drones launched from Yemen by placing two new experimental systems on destroyers that are slated to deploy later this summer.       Bollinger awarded $951.6m for modification for first Polar Security Cutter (USNI News) A Mississippi shipyard has been awarded a $951.6 million contract to adjust for cost increases for the first Polar Security Cutter, USNI News has learned.   Marine Corps     Marine Corps eyes future stability of Indo-Pacific with Balikatan 2025 (Military Times) The U.S. and Philippine militaries will launch the 2025 Balikatan military exercise in April, marking 40 years of joint drills aimed at strengthening the countries’ defense capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.       Saab receives $37m for US Marines training equipment (UK Defence Journal) Saab has secured a contract modification from the U.S. Marine Corps for the delivery of additional Marine Corps Training Instrumentation Systems (MCTIS) equipment.   Air Force     Air Force secretary nominee pledges to focus on nuclear modernization (Military Times) The nominee to be the Department of the Air Force’s next secretary pledged on Thursday to focus on its nuclear modernization efforts and continue work to get its troubled intercontinental ballistic missile program back on track.       Those ‘Hegseth bodyguards’ are actually there for the Air Force’s ‘Doomsday’ plane (Task & Purpose) Members of the Air Force's National Airborne Operations Center Security Forces team travel with the E-4B Nightwatch aircraft — not as personal guards to the Secretary of Defense, as some speculated.       Reflections of the F-47: Looking back at the X-36 (The War Zone) Since Boeing was announced as the manufacturer of the U.S. Air Force’s new crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet, designated the F-47, last Friday, there has been no shortage of speculation about how the final aircraft might look.       Air Force weighs plan to cancel SDA’s next set of data relay sats in favor of SpaceX: Sources (Breaking Defense) The Department of the Air Force is considering a plan in which the Space Development Agency (SDA) would cancel upcoming competitions for its future Transport Layer satellites in favor of tapping SpaceX to provide the capability to rapidly transmit large amounts of data around the globe, two sources told Breaking Defense.       B-2 bombers arrive on Diego Garcia in unusual show of force (Air & Space Forces Magazine) B-2 Spirit bombers have landed on Diego Garcia, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean that serves as a strategic hub for operations everywhere from the Middle East to Africa to the Indo-Pacific, a spokesperson for Air Force Global Strike Command confirmed to Air & Space Forces Magazine.   Space Force     Space Force adds Rocket Lab, Stoke Space to launch vendor pool (Defense News) The Space Force has added two new launch providers to its list of firms that could compete for future national security space missions.   Your Military     Military stores prepare for tariffs, aiming to keep costs down (Military Times) Military store officials are watching closely to see what effects tariffs may have on their stores and customers, and they’re trying to minimize extra costs.   Veterans     Watchdog blasts VA leaders for exaggerating budget shortfall last year (Military Times) A federal watchdog on Thursday criticized Veterans Affairs leaders for accounting mistakes and procedural errors last year which led to fears of a possible department budget shortfall despite sufficient funding available to cover benefits and medical care.   Military Culture & History     'I'd have never done it without the Marine Corps': Life and business lessons from GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons (Military.com) Most people wouldn't need to fight a war before starting a business, let alone one of the most iconic dot-com brands ever created. But Bob Parsons is not most people.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Booz Allen unveils ‘Brilliant Swarms’ satellite concept for missile defense (SpaceNews) The consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton unveiled a concept for a mega-constellation of satellites designed to fulfill the Trump administration’s “Golden Dome” vision for a comprehensive missile-defense shield to protect the United States.   Defense Industry     F-35, other ‘options’ on table during Portugal’s F-16 replacement analysis: Air Force General (Breaking Defense) A senior Portuguese Air Force official says that the service is looking at “all the options,” including the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet, to decide on a best fit to replace ageing fleet of F-16s.       ME-11B official designation of Army’s new intelligence gathering business jets (The War Zone) The U.S. Army has formally given the designation ME-11B to its forthcoming High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) intelligence-gathering aircraft.       Turkish, Egyptian firms team up on unmanned ground vehicle project (Breaking Defense) Turkish defense firm Havelsan joined forces with Egypt’s Kader Factory for Developed Industries to produce unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) in Egypt, Havelsan said in a statement Wednesday, in what analysts said was a sign of deepening ties between Ankara and Cairo.       Turkish F-16s are using tablets to control locally made weapons (The War Zone) Turkey has begun using tablet computers in the cockpits of its F-16 fighters to help with the rapid integration of new locally developed weapons. This has interesting parallels with Ukraine’s use of such devices to allow its Soviet-era jets to employ Western air-to-ground weapons — something you can read more about here.       Portugal opens talks with Leonardo over AW101 helicopter midlife upgrade (Breaking Defense) “The Danish are looking to [the] possibility” of an upgrade. "Canadians are all in [on] that process already … So the idea is to have a similar approach … in order to bring value to the [Portuguese] Air Force," Maj. Gen. Joao Nogueira, director of weapon systems maintenance directorate at the Portuguese Air Force told Breaking Defense.   International     Poland signs $1.7 billion deal for infantry fighting vehicles (Defense News) The Polish Ministry of National Defence has signed a deal worth some PLN 6.57 billion ($1.7 billion) to acquire 111 Borsuk (Badger) tracked infantry fighting vehicles from the country’s state-run defense group PGZ.       Turkey’s Aselsan receives $616 million investment for Steel Dome-related tech facilities (Breaking Defense) Turkish electronics giant Aselsan has received an infusion of $616 million from the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology to build out new facilities, from which it expects a “substantial portion” of tech necessary for that nation’s Steel Dome air defense system to be produced.       French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal sentenced to five years in prison (Al Jazeera) Algeria has sentenced French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal to five years in prison on charges of “undermining national unity”.       Germany leads defiance to Trump car tariffs, saying it 'will not give in' (BBC) Germany has said it "will not give in" and that Europe must "respond firmly" as US President Donald Trump targets imported cars and car parts with a 25% tax in his latest tariffs.       Canada tees up military helicopter investment worth almost $13 billion (Defense News) The Canadian military hopes to start working with industry this summer on the acquisition of a new helicopter fleet that will deal with existing rotary aircraft gaps in firepower and mobility.       Putin says US push for Greenland rooted in history, vows to uphold Russian interest in the Arctic (The Associated Press) Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s push for control over Greenland wasn’t surprising given longtime U.S. interest in the mineral-rich territory.       European leaders say now not the time to lift sanctions on Russia in message to Trump (CNN) Ukraine’s European allies say now is not the time for lifting sanctions on Russia, after Moscow said it would only agree to a US-brokered deal on ending fighting in the Black Sea if some sanctions were eased.       Qatar is in line to get US drones, bombs worth $2 billion (Defense News) The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of a hefty weapons package to Qatar, including a handful of long-range maritime surveillance drones and hundreds of missiles and bombs.       US soldiers take over NATO deterrence role at major air base in Romania (Stars & Stripes) The U.S. military on Wednesday welcomed a new brigade in Romania to continue the mission aimed at deterring potential Russian aggression along NATO’s eastern flank.       Iran responds to Trump letter on nuclear talks, state media reports (Al Jazeera) Iran has responded through Oman to a letter from United States President Donald Trump in which he urged Tehran to reach a new nuclear deal, Iranian state media reported.       Africa’s debt time bomb looms large amid US aid freeze (The Africa Report) Rising interest payments and shrinking fiscal space are pushing African nations to the brink, prompting calls for immediate debt relief.       Canada PM Mark Carney says old relationship with US 'is over' (BBC) Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada's old relationship with the United States, "based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation, is over".       ‘Enough war’: Why Gazans are protesting Hamas now (CNN) Belal Abu Zaid, a Palestinian from northern Gaza, took to the streets alongside hundreds of others on Tuesday to protest against Israel’s war and the Palestinian militant group Hamas – both of which he blames for bringing destruction to the enclave.   Video     Vehicle of missing US soldiers in Lithuania found submerged in water (Military Times) Vehicle of missing US soldiers in Lithuania found submerged in water.       “What the F*** is it?!” Navy pilot tracks unidentified object (Military Times) “What the F*** is it!” Navy pilot tracks unidentified object.       Senator pushes for new rules letting academy athletes play pro sports (Military Times) Senator pushes for new rules letting academy athletes play pro sports.       Highlights from the Marine Corps “17.75k” Marathon commemorating 250th anniversary (Military Times) Highlights from the Marine Corps “17.75k” Marathon commemorating 250th anniversary.       Iran Revolutionary Guard cuts epic trailer for its newest missile tunnel (Military Times) Iran Revolutionary Guard cuts epic trailer for its newest missile tunnel.       Some VA employees’ overtime pay will be delayed by software problems (Military Times) Some VA employees’ overtime pay will be delayed by software problems   Commentary & Analysis     Drug trafficking as irregular warfare — and what can be done about it (Military Times) On March 15, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act against drug traffickers — a move that has been met with astonishment, particularly since the act originated in 1798 and has rarely been used since — beyond when the United States has been at war.       Signal chat group affair: unprecedented security breach will seriously damage US international relations (The Conversation) Plans for an attack against an enemy target are classified in America. But the private views of high-ranking officials about allies, communicated within government, must also count as intelligence to be protected.       The Golden Dome is not ready to stop a Chinese attack on the US (Military Times) The current situation with China, in our view, mirrors the situation in Korea in October 1950. The Chinese, prior to a vast human-wave invasion in October and early November that year, conducted a stealthy infiltration, followed by series of probes they called the “First Phase Offensive.”       The US must establish credible deterrence in the West Philippine Sea (The Hill) U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s decision to visit the Philippines on his first official trip to the region this week is commendable and sends a strong signal of commitment and of the enduring strength of the relationship with America’s oldest ally in the Indo-Pacific.