Top 5     US to begin enforcing maritime blockade on Iran on Tuesday (Reuters) The U.S. military will begin enforcing a maritime blockade on Iran on Tuesday, the U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center said on Monday.       Sea drones strike Iranian port in combat first for US (Defense News) U.S. Central Command utilized three Corsair unmanned surface vessels to strike a submarine and ship maintenance facility at the Bandar Abbas naval base in Iran, marking the “first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations,” CENTCOM confirmed on X on Monday.       Nearly 12,000 military Tricare beneficiaries warned of data breach (Military Times) TriWest Healthcare Alliance officials notified 11,844 beneficiaries of a data breach that may have affected their protected health information.       DOD halts cybersecurity requirements for CMMC Phase 2: ‘The math just simply doesn’t math’ (DefenseScoop) The Pentagon placed an immediate freeze on forthcoming cybersecurity requirements after government research suggested the policy would drive many businesses out of the defense industrial base at a time when the U.S. military urgently needs their innovations.       US creates task force to prosecute leaks to news media, Hegseth says (Reuters) The U.S. Department of Justice and the Pentagon have created a joint task force to identify and prosecute what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information to news media.   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 spending on Mexican border operations top $2.6 billion (Bloomberg) The Pentagon has spent at least $2.64 billion on operations at the southwest border with Mexico, according to Congress’s audit agency in the most comprehensive cost accounting yet of the military’s expanded role in immigration enforcement.   Congress & Politics     Lindsey Graham, senator and retired Air Force Reserve colonel, remembered for relishing challenges of public life (Military Times) In conjunction with his time in Congress and before he was a presidential candidate, Lindsey Graham spent 33 years in the U.S. Air Force across three components — as an active-duty staff judge advocate, a South Carolina Air National Guard officer and a senior lawyer in the Air Force Reserve.       Lawmakers demand Pentagon release findings from probe of Iran school strike (Reuters) Democratic senators led by Kirsten Gillibrand called on Monday for President Donald Trump’s administration to disclose within the next week the findings from a U.S. military investigation into a Feb. 28 strike at a girls’ school in Iran.   Your Military     Defense funding to research troops’ brain injuries shrank since 2025 (Roll Call) Funding for Defense Department medical research into traumatic brain injuries has dropped by more than three-quarters in the last three fiscal years, even as the problem continues to plague U.S. servicemembers.   Army     Pentagon seemingly lifts suspension of low-flying South Carolina Apache pilots (Military Times) The Pentagon said the suspension of Apache pilots involved in a beach flyover last week has been lifted after videos of the helicopters flying low over a beach packed with onlookers circulated online and local news reported that the soldiers were subject to an investigation.   Navy     Navy christens Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer after Korean War hero (Military Times) The U.S. Navy on Saturday christened the future USS George M. Neal (DDG 131), the fourth Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.   AIr Force     Active-duty airmen have 18 days to submit current waist-to-height ratio, Wilsbach says (Military Times) Air Force officials continue to reinforce the necessity of focusing on fitness, dress and appearance standards to airmen in a Monday letter sent to the force.       F-16 pilot awarded Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in Saudi Arabia deployment (Military Times) The U.S. Air Force awarded its highest honor for aerial achievement to an F-16 pilot for his actions during a Saudi Arabia deployment last year.   Defense Industry     9 nations back Ukraine’s Patriot alternative, Freyja — and want it flying in a year (Defense News) Nine nations have joined Ukraine in a nascent anti-ballistic coalition to speed up production of Ukraine’s Freyja interceptor system and get it operational within a year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced at a meeting of defense allies in France on Monday.       US industrial base is becoming stronger for wartime production, study finds (Military Times) As recent conflicts consume weapons at a ferocious rate, America’s defense industrial base is becoming more prepared to sustain a major war, according to a new report.       Canada to plug surveillance gaps with Aussie over-the-horizon radar (Defense News) The North American Aerospace Defense Command, operated by Canada and the United States, has gaping holes in its airspace radar coverage. Ottawa went some way to filling those gaps when it signed four related agreements in June for a new radar system sourced from Australia.       Helsing raises $1.8 billion in Europe’s biggest defense-startup round (Defense News) Germany’s Helsing raised US $1.8 billion in Europe’s biggest-ever funding round for a defense-technology startup, valuing the company at $18 billion and continuing a flurry of mega rounds for the continent’s defense industry.       Europe’s Hydis project settles on concept for hypersonic interceptor (Defense News) The Hydis project to develop a European interceptor against hypersonic threats settled on a concept based on a solid-propellant rocket motor, according to MBDA, Europe’s biggest missile maker, with the program’s steering committee validating the final concept review milestone on Friday.   Ukraine     Ukraine lands armed robot ashore in Russian-held territory via drone boat (The War Zone) A robotic boat glides through the darkness, reaches an occupied shoreline, and releases an armed ground robot that rolls inland to fight without a single soldier setting foot on the beach. While this sounds like a scene from a future war, it recently played out in southern Ukraine, reflecting Kyiv’s rapid embrace of uncrewed systems as it seeks to counter Russia’s invasion.   Military Culture & History     US recovery teams begin new search in China for remains of MIAs amid looming budget cuts (Military Times) Recovery teams from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency traveled over the weekend to China to renew searches for the remains of missing service members ahead of projected budget cuts that would severely curtail future missions.       German-American veteran of the Battle of the Bulge dies at 100 (Military Times) Col. Frank Cohn, a veteran of the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam, died on July 4 at the age of 100, the Friends of the National WWII Memorial confirmed. He was one month shy of turning 101.   Video     Recruiting and retention at the forefront: a conversation with top enlisted leaders (Defense News) The Military Officers Association of America gathered senior enlisted leaders from across the services for conversation on topics ranging from recruitment to AI.       Spot the Signs of Imposter Scams — Money Minute (Defense News) Don't let imposter scams catch you off guard. Jeanette Mack from Navy Federal Credit Union returns with tips on how to safeguard your savings.       US uses unmanned one-way surface drones to attack Iranian port (Defense News) Video released by the Department of Defense shows three Corsair attack drones hitting an Iranian naval base, in what the Pentagon called a first.   Commentary & Analysis     A veterans organization has millions in the bank. Why did it seize a small chapter’s donation? (The War Horse) The Disabled American Veterans post in Sacramento, California, needed work. The small white building with blue trim and an American flag out front was built decades ago. Its heating and cooling system was ancient. The parking lot was riddled with potholes.       Graham death leaves Israel with a DC void (Politico) Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death is a major blow to Israel’s efforts to persuade the U.S. to keep up its military campaign against Iran, as well as to other Israeli goals in Washington, according to those familiar with U.S. strategy in the region.       America’s export controls are becoming a strategic liability (The Cipher Brief) A little over a year ago I watched a good company die.       Russia and America are rediscovering the limits of nuclear weapons (The Atlantic) Henry kissinger often said that nuclear arms are “weapons in search of a doctrine.” After the Cold War, some strategists have tried to figure out what, exactly, these weapons could buy them beyond deterrence. The answer, as it turns out, is: nothing.       America’s military plans depend on infrastructure it doesn’t secure (The Cipher Brief) Military power is meaningless if it cannot move.       An unlearned lesson: The sorry record of regime change operations in the Middle East (War on the Rocks) On Feb. 28, 2026, President Donald Trump announced the commencement of Operation Epic Fury, a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran. Among the mission’s goals was the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. “When we are finished,” Trump told the Iranian people, “take over your government. It will be yours to take."       Trump’s dangerous bet on Pakistan’s army chief (The Cipher Brief) In the dusty streets of Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir this June, security forces opened fire on demonstrators demanding basic rights and an end to elite privileges. At least 11 people were killed in the clashes, with eyewitnesses and local leaders describing heavy, indiscriminate firing on what began as a largely peaceful protest.