Top 5     Korean War vet to get Medal of Honor for longest dogfight in US military history (Military Times) Naval aviator Capt. Royce Williams, 100, is set to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his 1952 actions during the Korean War, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., announced on Wednesday.       US strikes another boat in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 (CNN) The U.S. military conducted a strike against another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing two people, according to U.S. Southern Command.       Three Air National Guard pilots awarded top flying combat honor (Military Times) Three U.S. Air National Guard pilots received the military’s highest flying honor this week for their role in an aerial defense against Iranian drones and missiles heading for Israel in April 2024.       US and Russia agree to reestablish military dialogue after Ukraine talks (The Associated Press) The U.S. and Russia agreed Thursday to reestablish high-level military dialogue for the first time in more than four years in another sign of warming relations between the two countries since President Donald Trump returned to office and sought to end the war in Ukraine.       NPS removes Native American signage at Little Bighorn National Monument (Military Times) For more than 150 years, the Battle of the Little Bighorn has been one of the most written about subjects in American history. Was it because Lt. Col. George Custer disobeyed orders, disregarded the warnings of his scouts, violated the principles of warfare by dividing his command and was ambushed? Was he the victim of a conspiracy? Or was he simply outsmarted and outgunned?   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.   Pentagon     Pentagon leaders should have more control over services’ tech budgets, GAO suggests (Defense One) The Pentagon could further accelerate its technology purchasing if the services’ emerging-tech budget requests flowed through the office of the defense undersecretary for research, the Government Accountability Office says in a new report.   Congress & Politics     Pentagon official rejects plea deal in USS Cole bombing case (The New York Times) The decision clears the way for the first death-penalty trial at Guantánamo Bay to start this summer, more than 25 years after the attack.   Army     Army to be more selective with reenlistment bonuses under new guidance (Military Times) The Army is adjusting how it awards reenlistment bonuses, refining how incentive pay is awarded as it tries to keep high-performing soldiers in hard-to-fill roles.       Army fires Fort Sill garrison commander (Military Times) A grey placeholder marked “vacant” has replaced the Fort Sill garrison commander’s name and photo online, following the Army’s decision to relieve the installation head of command last week and place the Oklahoma base under interim leadership.       Hawaii’s 25th Infantry Division gears up for combat ‘rehearsals’ in the Philippines (Stars and Stripes) The Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division heads to the Philippines next month for its part in U.S. Army Pacific’s annual Operation Pathways training engagements with that nation’s armed forces.       Army offering reward in 1987 cold case death of military spouse in Mannheim (Stars and Stripes) Army criminal investigators are offering a $10,000 reward for information in a nearly 40-year-old unsolved killing of a military spouse and her unborn child in Mannheim.   Navy     DOJ charges conspirators involved in Navy marriage fraud cases (Military Times) The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday the unsealing of an indictment of 11 individuals who were allegedly involved in conspiracies to bribe and commit marriage fraud with U.S. service members, according to a DOJ release.       Newest Ford-class carrier USS John F. Kennedy aces sea trials (Military Times) The U.S. Navy’s second nuclear-powered Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier completed testing Wednesday, roughly a week after it powered out to sea.       Navy eyes extended subsea network to link up its arsenal of manned and unmanned assets for DMO (DefenseScoop) The Navy is moving to prototype deepwater networking technologies that can connect its subsea sensors, underwater drones, submarines and other platforms in support of ongoing efforts to fully realize its Distributed Maritime Operations warfighting concept.   Air Force     Proper greetings, professionalism hammered home in Air Force memo (Military Times) Senior U.S. Air Force leaders are laying down the law on standards as the service aims to reinforce professionalism.       A new 3-star general will lead 5th Air Force amid transformation of US Forces Japan (Stars and Stripes) A newly promoted lieutenant general will take command of 5th Air Force in Tokyo, a role that until recently was held by the head of U.S. Forces Japan but has now been split as the command expands into a broader mission.       US airman refuses to pay restitution after Okinawa sexual assault conviction (Stars and Stripes) A U.S. airman convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl on Okinawa is facing a civil trial after objecting to a court order requiring him to pay the victim about $17,500.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard seizes 200,000 pounds of cocaine since launch of Operation Pacific Viper (Stars and Stripes) The U.S. Coast Guard has seized more than 200,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since launching Operation Pacific Viper last year.   Veterans     VA’s National Cemetery Administration earns top customer satisfaction scores (Nextgov) The Department of Veterans Affairs agency that provides burial benefits and memorial services for veterans and their dependents has once again earned the highest recorded customer satisfaction score by the American Customer Satisfaction Index in 2025, according to data released on Thursday.   Defense Industry     ST Engineering unveils new loitering munition, assault rifle family (Defense News) ST Engineering exhibited an array of new tech at Singapore Airshow 2026, held Feb. 3-8, including a family of assault rifles and a loitering munition that is nearing full development.       Army seeks payment from Northrop Grumman for late Ukraine ammo (Bloomberg) The U.S. Army is moving to collect penalties from Northrop Grumman Corp. and Global Military Products Inc. over late deliveries of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, an example of the Pentagon’s effort to make defense contractors more accountable.       ‘No strangers to drones’: Singapore eyes unmanned surge with Israeli tech (Defense News) Singapore’s military is implementing new doctrines to counter swarms of low-cost drones and boosting its drone capabilities by relying largely on Israeli-made systems as the baseline of its fleet, the Air Force chief said.       Three firms move ahead in Army’s future-of-flight-training helicopter training takeover (Defense One) The Army has cleared three companies to bid on the service’s plan to outsource initial helicopter pilot training, despite some lawmakers’ reservations about the idea.       Indonesia selects Italian M-346 trainer jet (Defense News) Indonesia has selected the Italian M-346 jet for pilot training and light combat, the platform’s manufacturer Leonardo announced on Tuesday.       Saab floats Gripen production hub in Canada, if Ottawa were willing (Defense News) Swedish aerospace manufacturer Saab has proposed that a hypothetical Gripen production line in Canada would be large enough to also serve export customers besides making planes for the Canadian Air Force.   Ukraine     Ukraine, Russia exchange prisoners of war for first time in months (France 24) Ukraine and Russia have conducted their first prisoner exchange in months, each releasing 157 captured soldiers, Russia's defence ministry said Thursday, amid U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at ending the war.   International     Trump calls for new nuclear pact as US-Russia treaty expires (The Associated Press) The Kremlin said Thursday it regretted the expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States, while U.S. President Donald Trump declared he was against keeping its limits and wants a better deal.       NATO to launch Arctic surveillance mission modeled after operations countering Russia in the Baltic Sea (Stars and Stripes) NATO is poised to step up its military presence in the Arctic region with a new surveillance mission modeled along the lines of a similar effort in the Baltics, an alliance spokesman said this week.   Video     US Marines conduct a night ship to shore movement (Military Times) U.S. Marines conduct a night ship to shore movement with Amphibious Combat Vehicles during Quarterly Underway Amphibious Readiness Training off the coast of California. This routine training forges a more integrated and lethal force, ensuring our Marines and Sailors are prepared to respond to crisis and win in conflict.   Commentary & Analysis     Russia’s domestic drone push is a mixed bag for its war on the West (Defense News) Russia’s drone manufacturers recently got a New Year’s present: the government incentivizing Russian companies to buy their technologies.       Command responsibility at home: Governors, the Guard, and domestic readiness (War on the Rocks) Late last year, the Supreme Court blocked an attempted National Guard deployment into the Chicago area — but months earlier, far from the headlines, a federal memo was already reshaping what Guard “readiness” means at home. The Supreme Court’s order was procedural, not a final merit ruling. But it delivered a rare, immediate check on a Guard deployment that Illinois state officials argued violated the legal limits on federal power over state forces.       Finding solace in chickens: One veteran’s fight to save his flock and mental health (The War Horse) Cats and dogs were out when Iraq war veteran Todd Combs considered pets as a way to cope with the crushing impact of his military service.       A brief history of the US military’s presence in Greenland (Task & Purpose) U.S. troops have long been based in Greenland, a self-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark that is strategically located between North America and Europe.       Beyond the missile: A cost-per-effect blueprint for the future force (War on the Rocks) Should the United States buy more destroyers, or would the money be better spent developing bases, munitions, or software? These are the kinds of questions the Department of Defense confronts every year when building its budget. Yet the Pentagon’s process still lacks a clear way to answer the most fundamental question: Which force structure delivers the greatest strategic effect for every dollar spent?