Top 5     Europeans to fill almost all gaps left by US in NATO defense plans, source says (Military Times) European NATO allies have largely filled the gaps left by the United States in the alliance’s defense plans, NATO’s top commander said on Thursday, adding the bloc was looking at workarounds to address the remaining shortfalls in a few areas.       US military suspends search for sailor who went missing in Arabian Sea (CBS News) The U.S. military said it has suspended the search for a missing sailor who was aboard a helicopter that went down in the Arabian Sea last week.       Iran seeks to tighten control over Strait of Hormuz alongside Khamenei funeral (The Guardian) IRGC warnings force ships to turn back as Tehran uses passages from Qur’an to send messages to Gulf delegations.       Unemployment for post-9/11 veterans climbs in June as nation’s job market slides (Military Times) The closely watched jobless rate for the post-9/11 generation of veterans bumped up from 4.1% in May to 4.8% in June as the nation’s ability to create new jobs took a nosedive, according to a monthly jobs report released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.       The battle over Stars and Stripes (CBS News) The newspaper for the American military has long taken pride in its editorial independence. But under the Trump administration, restrictions have been imposed, and the Pentagon's chief spokesman has vowed to rid the paper of "woke distractions."   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 works with US rare earths company to counter China's dominance (CBS News) The Trump administration is working with a U.S. company to challenge China's dominance over rare earth elements. The metals are essential for components in smartphones, robotics, fighter jets, and drones.       Alibaba gets reprieve on lobbying ban tied to DoD blacklist (Bloomberg) A federal judge ordered the Pentagon to give Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. a reprieve from a law that caused all of its lobbyists to drop it as a client while she considers the constitutionality of the measure, in a case set to test the US’s ability to curtail Chinese companies’ activities.   Congress & Politics     Trump to meet with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and Syria’s al-Sharaa during the NATO summit (The Associated Press) President Donald Trump plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday while attending the NATO summit in Turkey, the White House said. Those discussions will come as Kyiv tries to refocus Trump’s attention on the conflict with Moscow and as Trump has publicly mused about Syria’s role in the Middle East.   Space Force     GAO flags satellite costs, launch risks in Space Force portfolio (Space News) Watchdog cites growing costs for missile-warning satellites, digital engineering gaps and workforce reductions that could slow national security launches   National Guard     National Guard soldiers shoot and kill man in Memphis overnight (Task & Purpose) Two members of the Tennessee National Guard shot and killed an armed man early Sunday in Memphis, law enforcement said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said today that Memphis police and National Guard soldiers who are in the city as part of a federal task force responded to reports of gunfire just before 4 a.m.   Defense Industry     Multibillion-dollar contract secures ‘major step forward’ for GCAP fighter jet (Defense News) Japan, Italy and the U.K. have handed a £4.6 billion ($6.1 billion) development contract to their national champions building the GCAP jet, days after the U.K. freed up crucial cash to make it happen following a months long hold-up.       Poland teams up with Spain to double tanker aircraft purchase (Defense News) As the Polish government is advancing plans to purchase multi-role tanker transport aircraft for the country’s Air Force, aiming to buy Airbus A330 MRTT planes, the nation has teamed up with Spain to implement the acquisition.       Taiwan needs a ‘hornet’s nest’ of drones to deter conflict, US diplomat says (Defense News) Taiwan needs a “hornet’s nest” of drones to help deter conflict and provide security, the top U.S. diplomat to the democratically governed island said on Thursday.   Ukraine     Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital kills at least 3 (The Associated Press) Rescuers work the scene of a building damaged by Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) 2026-07-06T02:02:28Z       Russia’s staggering losses push Ukraine war casualties past 2 million (Stars and Stripes) Russia has suffered as many as 450,000 deaths and 1.4 million total casualties since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the highest battlefield death toll suffered by any major power since World War II, according to a new analysis.       Far From Kyiv and Moscow, soldiers stalk ruins and evade drones on the front (The New York Times) Ukraine’s military has denied a Kremlin claim to have taken a city in the eastern Donetsk region, saying its troops are holding out against infiltrating Russians.   International     Iran nuclear and military damage revealed after restricted satellite images released (BBC News) Targets hit include ballistic missile infrastructure, nuclear sites, and naval bases.       Putin visits military installation, vowing to take more of Ukraine (Washington Post) The Russian president donned military fatigues as he tried to counter a narrative that Moscow is stumbling in its war after Ukrainian drone strikes set off an acute fuel shortage.       "Putin's yacht" is headed for the Arctic, out of Ukraine's reach (The Maritime Executive) Prompted by heavy Ukrainian attacks on the Kronstadt naval base and nearby oil facilities in the St Petersburg area in the last week, President Putin is moving one of his luxurious private yachts to safety.       US withdrew forces from Nigeria after operation against ISIS, AFRICOM chief says (Military Times) The United States has withdrawn most of the forces it deployed for a recent operation against Islamic State militants in Nigeria and is now providing intelligence support at Abuja’s request, the head of U.S. Africa Command said.       Taiwan military resumes 'anti-communist' classes for graduates, citing Chinese threat (Reuters) Taiwan's military has resumed "anti-communist" patriotic classes for its graduates after a quarter-century gap.   Military Culture & History     Washington’s orders to troops after July 4: You’re fighting for a new nation (Military Times) The Fourth of July and the signing of the Declaration of Independence severed ties with Great Britain and thus receives its due attention.   Commentary & Analysis     How do you memorialize a war whose legacy is still being written? (Task & Purpose) The initial reaction to Kengo Kuma’s design for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial has not been kind. Criticism seems to fall into three buckets: its abstract design, the absence of a clear heroic tribute, and a lack of a “roll call” or list of names of the fallen.       Russia threatens. Are NATO’s new borders ready? (Politico) Bears, wolves and moose still cross the frontier freely, but for the border guards patrolling this stretch of fields and forest, this is where NATO ends.       Why Iran's unseen leader remains in the shadows (France 24) The images emerging from Tehran are striking. Tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black have gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla for the funeral and lying in state of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following his assassination on the opening day of a war between Iran and the United States on February 28.       The integrated circuit and the future of AI leadership (War on the Rocks) The history of the semiconductor is an origin story for modern computing but also reveals a recurring pattern in American innovation: government helps underwrite technological breakthroughs, and commercial markets transform them into general-purpose technologies. And yet, paradoxically, the American innovation model can become a victim of its own success.       Strength without partners is not a strategy: Why Washington cannot afford to go it alone (Small Wars Journal) The United States has spent the better part of eighty years building a security architecture designed to prevent exactly the kind of fragmentation now beginning to emerge across the Western alliance system. Yet recent American rhetoric surrounding burden-sharing, allied hesitation, and strategic autonomy risks accelerating that fragmentation at the precise moment when Washington requires coalition cohesion most.       Could existing ships operate without crew in high-risk zones like Hormuz? (The Maritime Executive) Reportedly, approximately 20,000 seafarers on board some 2,000 ships, including tankers, bulk carriers, cargo ships, and cruise ships, were stranded in the Persian Gulf due to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.       A former spy reflects on the impact of Normandy (The Cipher Brief) I recently returned from commemorating the 82nd Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy—a much anticipated trip since I participated in the 80th Anniversary. I left with a sense of humility and gratitude for having walked the hallowed grounds of Normandy, and with admiration for the Greatest Generation and their sacrifices and actions that changed human history.       European naval coalition for Hormuz disappears without a trace (The Maritime Executive) Without formal notice, the European-led naval force - which was intended to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz once it was safe to do so - appears to have foundered without any formal announcement of its demise. Up to 40 nations had expressed an interest in supporting the plan.