Top 5     US Air Force to extend service of B-1, B-2 bombers, official says (Defense News) Two of the U.S. Air Force’s bomber aircraft will be extended in an effort to better maintain the fleet’s readiness, a service official said Wednesday.       Lockheed Martin gets first batch of Patriot interceptor parts from General Motors (Reuters) Lockheed Martin said on Thursday it received its first shipment of critical components from General Motors for Patriot interceptors, less than a month after the two companies inked a manufacturing agreement, as the Pentagon pushes for faster weapons production.       Pentagon, Lockheed sign framework deal to boost AIM-260 production (Military Times) The U.S. Defense Department and Lockheed Martin signed a framework agreement on Thursday to expand production of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, or JATM, laying the groundwork for a future multiyear buy of the classified long-range air-to-air weapon.       Foreign Medical Program for veterans overseas is having growing pains (Stars and Stripes) As a 15-year resident of Panama, retired Army Staff Sgt. Esteban Blis said he often pays out of pocket for medical care, because many foreign doctors refuse to bill the U.S. government directly for treatment connected to his military injuries.       Newport News Navy barracks to receive $1.7 billion upgrade (Military Times) The Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of the Navy announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with Hunt Military Communities to construct or renovate 8,098 beds in downtown Newport News, Virginia.   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.   Congress & Politics     Trump says progress made toward establishing US Army base in Poland (Reuters) President Donald Trump said on Thursday that progress is being made ?toward establishing a US Army base in Poland, ?crediting "the bold leadership" of Polish President Karol Nawrocki.   Your Military     Plea deal in works for Navy veteran who had $40M in gold bars at home (Stars and Stripes) A Navy veteran and former CIA employee whose home was found to contain $40 million in gold bars following an FBI raid earlier this year has reached a tentative plea agreement with federal prosecutors.   Army     The US Army is looking for new drones to ferry blood supplies (Military Times) The U.S. Army is looking for drones that can transport blood supplies in the field, according to a new sources sought notice from the service.       Martial arts instructor accuses Army of stealing instructional material (Military Times) An Alabama martial arts instructor alleges that U.S. Army personnel copied his published training materials on self-defense and gunfighting tactics into an instruction manual without giving him credit or compensation.   Navy     US Navy should target Chinese aircraft carriers, report says (Military Times) China is devoting enormous efforts — from submarines to ballistic missiles — to destroy America’s aircraft carriers.       Navy’s vast Virginia base reviewing procedures after sailors at sea had cars towed (Stars and Stripes) The Navy’s largest base is reexamining its parking and other procedures after towing dozens of cars belonging to sailors away at sea, an official said Thursday.   AIr Force     An F-16 crashes during training in Michigan; pilot ejects safely (The Associated Press) An F-16 pilot safely ejected before the fighter jet crashed Thursday in rural Michigan, sending plumes of smoke into the sky and triggering temporary evacuations for nearby residents after police said hazardous chemicals spilled from the wreckage.       US Air Force renews efforts to ensure units have accurate spouse contact information (Military Times) It’s been a problem as long as the existence of modern communications: Despite the need for commands to have accurate contact information for military spouses, some service members, military wives or husbands simply don’t want to be reached.   Space Force     Space Force braces for stalled progress amid lack of full funding (Defense One) Space Force modernization efforts could slow if Congress doesn’t pass a full budget at the end of the year, the service’s leaders said.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard releases action plan to prevent sexual assault, support survivors (Stars and Stripes) The Coast Guard on Thursday released a detailed action plan to prevent and respond to sexual assaults within the ranks following years of scrutiny from veterans and Congress that the service was failing to follow its own policies and support victims.       Coast Guard boards US-bound vessels apparently compromised by hackers, officials say (Reuters) U.S. Coast Guard and FBI personnel boarded two commercial vessels bound for the United States in the Gulf of Mexico last month after indications that hackers had broken into their computer networks, the agencies said on Thursday.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Air Force contemplates unmanned tankers (Defense One) With an eye on the Navy’s progress toward an unmanned aerial tanker, Air Force planners are asking questions about their own future tanker fleet.   Defense Industry     US Navy awards defense startup $200 million for Blackbeard hypersonic missile (Military Times) The U.S. Navy awarded defense startup Castelion $200 million for the production of its Blackbeard hypersonic missile, a low-cost, scalable weapon that can be fielded across carrier strike groups, the service announced.       Germany sending fighter jets to Latvia to protect election from drone incidents (Defense News) Germany will send four Eurofighter jets to defend Latvian airspace during its upcoming elections, as concerns over drone incursions from neighboring Russia and Belarus remain high.       India says China has scaled back troop numbers along their border (Defense News) India’s Defense Ministry said that China significantly reduced troop deployment along the border with India in 2025 as increased political, diplomatic and military engagement helped ease tensions between the two Asian powers.       Japanese Global Hawk drone splashes down in crash (Defense News) A Japanese Global Hawk drone nosedived into the Sea of Japan on Sept. 15, instantly slashing the country’s fleet of these large-wingspan, unmanned surveillance aircraft by a third.   International     Iran school bombing: Grounds to believe US was behind atrocity, UN finds (The Guardian) Fact-finding mission says military strikes on school and sports facility in ?February constitute war ?crimes.       UK must focus on the Atlantic, ‘foundation’ of Britain’s security: Navy chief (Defense News) The United Kingdom must strengthen naval readiness to keep the Atlantic open and protect the sea lanes, undersea cables and energy infrastructure vital to the country, the chief of the Royal Navy said.       US sanctions Cuban nickel reserves, military enterprises (Reuters) The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on 11 ?Cuban entities related to ?nickel reserves and military enterprises that ?it said were part of ?a system that enriched the ?elite, hurting ordinary Cubans.       Paris hosts military leaders to weigh post-UN mission in Lebanon (Reuters) European and Arab military chiefs will ?meet in Paris on Thursday to assess the Lebanese Armed Forces' needs and discuss the looming end of a United Nations peacekeeping mission, amid fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon.   Video     Does the US need a culture shift to create a workforce for the defense industrial base? (Defense News) House Appropriations Committee members search for ways to get more young people into trades that lead to greater defense production. Can they move the needle?   Commentary & Analysis     What to know after a week of Houthi attacks that threaten Saudi oil and have rattled world markets (The Associated Press) It’s been a week since Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed down the Red Sea coast, extending their reach to a key maritime chokepoint and threatening Saudi Arabia’s oil exports.       I still have hundreds of texts from the fall of Kabul. They remind me of the promises we broke (The War Horse) The message came from an Afghan man who had worked closely with the U.S. State Department: “I have also moved to another place today because of fear. I’m very tired of my life because cannot handle anymore running and keeping safe, my kids and wife.”       How to understand the new age of war (Foreign Affairs Magazine) By some measures, there is more war in the world today than at any point since World War II. Today’s wars have brought a level of destruction, disruption, and global risk that would have been hard to imagine not long ago, often in places where such combat seemed a thing of the past. Policymakers once again worry about nuclear use, and military planners once again contemplate war between great powers, including the United States and China, and NATO and Russia. And all of this comes as the Trump administration dismantles key pieces of the international system and technology scrambles expectations about how wars start, unfold, and end.       The Houthis’ coastal gambit (The Cipher Brief) For the first time in years, large swaths of Yemeni territory are changing hands. The Houthis’ recent losses in the east of the country were quickly followed by a string of victories along the Red Sea coast that brought the group closer to the Bab al-Mandeb strait. Early readings that the eastern losses marked the beginning of the regime’s collapse have since proved premature. Yet the regime’s latest expansion does not resolve its core problems either, at best it mitigates them.       Houthi advance boosts Iran’s leverage over the US and Saudi Arabia – but may cost rebel group its legitimacy back in Yemen (The Conversation) Yemen's Houthi armed forces patrol the capital Sanaa on Sept. 12, 2026. Mohammed Huwaish/AFP via Getty Images It took just a few days for Houthi forces to seize most of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the shores of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial Red Sea maritime choke point.       Latin America’s balancing act: Washington, Beijing, and the post-Maduro environment (War on the Rocks) The year 2026 has brought sweeping change to Latin America’s relationship with the United States. Following a major military buildup in the Caribbean and strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking, U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3 — unilaterally deposing the country’s leader and making new oil deals with the post-Maduro government.       Dark transits are a stopgap not a solution (The Cipher Brief) Washington has accomplished an important feat by stealthily moving oil through the Persian Gulf despite Iran’s proclaimed closure. But the means it has relied on can’t become normal maritime behavior.       The Real US-Saudi nuclear deal is better than we thought (War on the Rocks) On Aug. 24, 2026, the Trump administration transmitted the text of the U.S.-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement to Congress. By doing so, the administration triggered the 90-day congressional review process described in the Atomic Energy Act and relaunched a debate about the right approach to international nuclear commerce.