Top 5     US launches new airstrikes on Iran and Tehran fires back at Gulf Arab states (The Associated Press) The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf.       Air Force major restricted to DC base, under investigation after uniformed protest (Military Times) As Air Force Maj. Jason Watson ascended the Capitol steps last week wearing his military uniform and armed with one protest sign, he knew the risks and was prepared for the consequences, no matter how severe.       Ukraine to get ‘license’ for making Patriot interceptors, Trump pledges (Defense News) President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States will give a license to Ukraine for Patriot missiles as he said both Russia and Ukraine want to see the war settled.       The US military is not organized for cyber war (Defense News) The United States is preparing for cyber conflict with a military structure that still treats cyberspace as a secondary supporting function.       Trump warns US could withdraw troops from Europe over Greenland dispute (Stars and Stripes) President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to pull all U.S. troops from Europe if Denmark refuses to relinquish Greenland, adding fresh uncertainty to the NATO-U.S. relationship as leaders gather for an annual alliance summit in Turkey.   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 to explore cheaper replacements for the MQ-9 Reaper (Military Times) The Pentagon is exploring cheap, long-range drone options that may eventually replace the MQ-9 Reaper.   Congress & Politics     Trump switches back to flying on older Air Force One for England trip instead of new Qatari jet (The Guardian) U.S. president unexpectedly changed plans for flight to England after using Qatari-gifted aircraft to travel to Turkey.       Trump turns on Spain and demands Greenland as NATO summit exposes cracks (Defense News) President Donald Trump threw a summit of NATO leaders into disarray on Wednesday as he demanded the United States cut trade ties with Spain and made renewed claims on Greenland, irking another NATO ally Denmark.   Army     Do you meet the Army’s new waist-to-height standard? Find out with our calculator. (Military Times) The Army just adopted a waist-to-height ratio standard, following the Marine Corps’ lead earlier this year. Grab a tape measure and use our calculator to see where you land against the .55 cutoff.       US Army will mothball 10,000 sets of clunky IVAS goggles, report reveals (Military Times) After years of development and nearly $2 billion in investments, the Army is finally calling time of death on its much-hyped Integrated Visual Augmentation System – at least in its current form.       Army medic convicted of desertion after 3 years on the run in the UK (Military Times) A U.S. Army combat medic who fled to the United Kingdom while under investigation in 2022 was convicted by a military jury this month of desertion, larceny and making a false official statement, according to the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.   Navy     Sailors with ‘unmanageable permanent’ razor bumps to face separation, Navy says (Military Times) U.S. Navy service members with shaving waivers who are classified as having a permanent skin condition will face administrative separation, the service announced Tuesday.   AIr Force     ‘Hard for everyone’: Air Force rescinds 135 promotions after admin flub (Military Times) The Air Force just gave 135 security forces airmen some bad news: a previous notification that the personnel were being promoted to E6 was an error.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Pentagon opens application window for paid cyber apprenticeships (DefenseScoop) The Pentagon’s latest push to bolster the civilian cyber workforce is officially underway with the opening of the application window for paid apprenticeships at the Defense Department.   Defense Industry     Salesforce security platform tapped to manage Air Force global vehicle fleet (Military Times) The U.S. Air Force squadron tasked with overseeing the force’s fleet of global vehicles is now using Salesforce’s Missionforce National Security platform to manage their assets.   International     Eight Iranian army members killed in US attacks on southern parts of Iran (Reuters) Eight members ?of the Iranian ?army were killed in ?U.S. attacks ?on southern parts ?of Iran ?early on ?Wednesday, state media reported.       New Zealand aims to join military alliance with Australia, Fiji (Bloomberg) New Zealand will work to join a new military alliance that was signed this week between Australia and Fiji, the latest move in the rapid restructuring of the regional security architecture.       US targets one of Cuba’s last lifelines: Its army of overseas doctors (The Wall Street Journal) The Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Cuba’s Communist government is zeroing in on the island’s most valuable export and one of its few remaining sources of hard currency: the doctors and nurses it deploys abroad.   Military Culture & History     This US soldier tried to cover a retreat — and ended up compelling the enemy to (Military Times) On July 25, 1968, Leonard Louis Alvarado enlisted in the U.S. Army and by August 1969 he was a Specialist 4 and a rifleman in Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).   Video     Army adopts waist-to-height ratio assessment for troops (Defense News) Picking up a Pentagon directive to refocus fitness standards, the Army scrapped its height-and-weight tables for a new metric.       Ukraine will get ‘license’ for making Patriot interceptors, Trump says at NATO meeting (Defense News) President Trump told reporters he would grant Ukraine the ability to make its own Patriot interceptors, but offered few details.       Army tests autonomous mass mine laying (Defense News) Soldiers strapped a mine delivery system to an unmanned truck and let technology do the work to try to get combat engineers out of a dangerous mission.   Commentary & Analysis     My father was a decorated black soldier with a secret: Me (The War Horse) There was no celebration when my mother learned she was pregnant—only a conversation.       The US military is not organized for cyber war (Defense News) The United States is preparing for cyber conflict with a military structure that still treats cyberspace as a secondary supporting function.       Putin’s running out of scare tactics and options (The Cipher Brief) Russian President Vladimir Putin can no longer conceal the cost of his Ukraine war from the Russian public.       The Pentagon wants ‘decision advantage.’ Is that enough? (Military Times) Pentagon leaders increasingly argue that future wars will be won by the force that can sense, decide and act faster than its enemy.       Iran didn’t need to win the war. It needed to outlast it (Small Wars Journal) Strategic success now belongs to international actors who embrace the guerrilla logic of asymmetry, attrition, decentralization, adaptation, and psychological exhaustion.       Cyber fraud, banks, and what America can do about it (The Cipher Brief) Your phone buzzes with a text from your bank: “Did you authorize a $2,400 transfer? Reply NO to stop it.” You reply, and seconds later a calm “fraud agent” calls, knows your name and the last four digits of your card, and walks you through “securing” your money by moving it into an account under the criminal’s control. No password was stolen, no malware installed. You handed over the money yourself, because everything looked and sounded real.       What the US military could lose if Trump cuts off trade with NATO ally Spain (The War Zone) In his latest spat with a fellow NATO member, U.S. President Donald Trump condemned Spain as a “wasted cause” and “terrible partner” in the alliance. Speaking at the NATO Summit in Ankara, as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte looked on, Trump said he wanted to cut off all trade relations with Spain. While Spanish officials have stressed that relations won’t be affected, it does raise questions about the long-term status of the U.S. military presence in Spain, should the situation deteriorate further.       If you can run a spy, you can run AI (The Cipher Brief) Generative AI should be managed like a human source: useful, fast, sometimes brilliant, sometimes wrong, and never a substitute for disciplined questioning and human judgment.