Top 5     Senators seek to make it easier for VA to exhume ‘disgraced’ veterans (Military Times) A bipartisan group of U.S. senators wants to make it easier to exhume and remove the remains of veterans convicted of serious crimes from national cemeteries.       Marines expand barracks refresh project to more West Coast locations (Military Times) West Coast Marines have expanded their ongoing barracks refresh to more installations to address backlogged maintenance issues in Marine housing.       Lawmakers seek to guarantee troop pay in case of a government shutdown (Stars & Stripes) Lawmakers are scrambling to ensure troops, including members of the Coast Guard, continue to receive paychecks if congressional gridlock leads to a government shutdown on Oct. 1.       Experts debunk DOD claim about autism therapy, demand its availability (Military Times) Defense Health Agency officials should formally authorize Applied Behavior Analysis, a widely recognized intervention to help children with autism, as a basic Tricare benefit, according to a report on the findings of a congressionally mandated independent study.       Why Truman changed the ‘War Department’ to the ‘Department of Defense’ (Military Times) During a White House press event on Aug. 25, President Donald Trump remarked that the Department of Defense name “didn’t sound good” to him.   TechCrunch Disrupt 2025     10k tech leaders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 (TechCrunch) From idea to IPO, Disrupt charts startups on the roadmap to their next breakthrough. Book your pass today and save $600+.   Pentagon     Analysts await forthcoming NDS to clear up defense policy ‘contradictions’ (Breaking Defense) With the release of the National Defense Strategy weeks away, a group of analysts from a leading DC-based think tank said the document should shed light on what, so far, has been an incoherent foreign policy strategy by this second Trump administration.   Congress & Politics     Report to Congress on Special Operations Forces (USNI News) The following is the Sept. 16, 2025, Congressional Research Service report to Congress, U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Considerations for Congress.   Your Military     At least 8 troops punished for social media comments about Charlie Kirk’s death (Task & Purpose) In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, at least eight service members have been suspended from their jobs or investigated over comments made on social media about his killing, service officials confirmed to Task & Purpose.       Watchdog says military can make cyber ops more efficient (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Department of Defense has about 440 organizations, 61,000 uniformed and civilian personnel, and more than 9,500 contractors working in cyberspace operations, but there may be room to pare down that sprawling $14.5 billion enterprise, the congressional watchdog Government Accountability Office said in a Sept. 17 report.       Possible military helicopter crash reported near Joint Base Lewis-McChord (Stars & Stripes) Police have been dispatched following reports of a possible military helicopter crash about 30 miles from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.       USS America enhances joint readiness with Army and Marine Corps rotary-wing operations (Seapower) Amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) concluded joint aviation training with the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps, boosting interoperability and readiness in the Indo-Pacific region. On Sept. 7 and 11, 2025, off the coast of Pearl Harbor, America served as a floating airfield for rotary-wing aircraft from the Army’s 25th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) and Marine Corps’ Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 268.?   Army     Army allowing commanders to approve 3D-printed parts for faster repairs (Breaking Defense) The Army is expanding its use of additive manufacturing in the battlefield as the service is now allowing commanders to repair and send back out pieces of small 3D-printed equipment, instead of waiting for permission from the service’s higher ups, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said today.   Navy     Navy decommissioning last ships before fiscal year’s end (USNI News) The Navy is quietly decommissioning ships from the fleet as Fiscal Year 2025 wraps up in less than two weeks.       Pearl Harbor shipyard plans to use drones for lofty inspections, security (Stars & Stripes) Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is planning to use drones to assist with maintenance and inspections to speed up work and increase worker safety.       UNITAS 2025 Kicks off at Naval Station Mayport (Seapower) UNITAS 2025 officially kicked off at an opening ceremony aboard Naval Station Mayport, Sept. 15. UNITAS, Latin for unity, united, or oneness, is the longest-running annual multinational maritime exercise in the world.   Marine Corps     Marines showcase new missile systems near Taiwan during island-defense drills (Stars & Stripes) The Marine Corps is rehearsing island defense with its two newest missile systems alongside Japanese soldiers on Ishigaki Island, sending “a clear message to any attempt to undermine regional security,” the Marines’ top general on Okinawa said Wednesday.   Air Force     Air Force gets ambitious with yearlong test of autonomous cargo craft (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Fresh off its biggest test yet of an autonomous cargo plane, the Air Force is going bolder: deploying and operating another such aircraft for an entire year.       Colorado College welcomes speaker turned away at Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs Gazette) Author Paisley Rekdal will appear at Colorado College on Wednesday after the Air Force Academy canceled her scheduled talk because she criticized President Donald Trump.       Planning an Air Show is hard. At Andrews, it’s even harder. (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.   Space Force     Space Force cell explores reorg to push commercial data to military (Breaking Defense) The Space Force’s Joint Commercial Operations (JCO) cell is in the midst of a reorganization designed to enable routine integration of space domain awareness (SDA) data and analysis from commercial operators into day-to-day military operations — not just at US Space Command, but across all the Combatant Commands.       Space Force chief: Current satellite tracking ‘too slow’ for modern threats (SpaceNews) The top Space Force general delivered a stark warning: America's ability to track threats in space is dangerously outdated for an era where adversaries can launch surprise attacks on U.S. satellites.       Space Force activates ‘system delta’ unit for modernized test, training infrastructure program (DefenseScoop ) The Space Force’s acquisition arm recently stood up another unit under its novel “system delta” (SYD) structure, with the newest focused on development of the service’s complex test and training environment.       Space Force accelerates reorganization of acquisition units (SpaceNews) The U.S. Space Force is standing up several new mission-focused acquisition units as it pushes to speed delivery of satellites, launch services and other space systems needed to counter China and Russia.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard awards $68M contract for new HC-130J hangars at Air Station Barbers Point (Seapower) The U.S. Coast Guard awarded a contract to the Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. for the design and construction of two new membrane tension hangars and associated facilities at Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii. The award totaling $68.857 million, will support HC-130J Super Hercules aircraft operations and enhance mission readiness in the Oceania District.   National Guard     National Guard seeks vendors to feed troops in DC through January (Task & Purpose) The National Guard has put out feelers for a vendor to feed troops in Washington D.C. until the end of January, according to federal contracting documents.   Veterans     Veteran who burned US flag in DC pleads not guilty to federal charges (The Associated Press) An Army veteran who set fire to an American flag near the White House to protest President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on flag burning pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal criminal charges.       House bill would require veterans to sign a consent form to get prescriptions for drugs with risk of addiction, bad side effects (Stars & Stripes) Veterans would have to provide formal, signed consent before doctors could write them prescriptions for narcotics, stimulants and anti-anxiety medicine under House legislation drawing early support from a major veterans’ group.   Pay & Benefits     Sept. 30 deadline nears for Tricare West specialty care referrals (Military Times) Tricare Prime beneficiaries in the West Region should take note of a looming deadline for specialty care referrals to avoid paying out-of-pocket costs.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Space is the new frontier of war, officials say in change of tone (Defense News) Space has become a war-fighting domain, an assessment that calls for doctrinal changes and the ability to intervene there more quickly, space-force leaders from several NATO countries said at the Space Defense and Security Summit here on Tuesday.       DOD to look at potential consolidations across cyber enterprise (DefenseScoop ) Pentagon officials plan to assess the department’s sprawling cyber enterprise for potential consolidations that could yield efficiencies and cost savings, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.       State Department CIO hopes agentic AI can help employees (Defense One) The State Department wants to have artificial intelligence agents that can take action for employees, the department's chief information officer Kelly Fletcher said Wednesday.       Does Europe need a spaceplane? (SpaceNews) Europe should be investing in disruptive capabilities like spaceplanes, said Maj. Gen. Philippe Koffi, French armament agency DGA strategic lead for air, land and naval combat.       US, Saudi forces hunt drones in 10-day exercise CENTCOM says identifies ‘best in breed’ tech (Stars & Stripes) U.S. and Saudi forces recently led the Middle East’s largest live-fire military exercise aimed at thwarting deadly aerial drone attacks by adversaries such as Iran and its proxies.       UK's Royal Navy clears Malloy T-150 drone for front-line use (UK Defence Journal) The Royal Navy has declared the Malloy T-150 uncrewed air system ready for front-line operations, following two years of trials and development with Royal Marines and 700X Naval Air Squadron, the service announced.   Defense Industry     Swiss panel audits 2022 contract, as F-35 cost surprise may shrink buy (Defense News) Switzerland’s order of F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin will be significantly more expensive than originally expected, prompting introspection in Bern about possibly altering the procurement.       An insider look at Britain’s biggest arms show, DSEI (UK Defence Journal) When Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) opened at London’s ExCeL on 9 September, the first impression was the sheer size of the place.       All you need to know about Spain’s new F110 frigate (The War Zone) Spain recently launched the first of its new F110 class frigates, also known as the Bonifaz class. This warship is notable for its combination of high-end anti-submarine warfare functions paired with anti-air warfare abilities and its distinctive tall mast, mounting elements of a sophisticated radar system.       Lasers in the field: Iron Beam clears last test before operational use (Breaking Defense) Israel has completed a series of key tests on its Iron Beam laser air defense system, a “final milestone” before full deployment later this year, the Ministry of Defense and contractor Rafael announced today.       Taiwan just unveiled its own high-altitude anti-ballistic missile system (The War Zone) Taiwan has officially rolled out a new anti-ballistic missile system called Chiang Kung, or Strong Bow, which it says is now in production. The system features a two-stage interceptor and includes the first active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar domestically produced on the island.       Lithuania’s Granta unveils X-WING loitering munition (UK Defence Journal) Lithuanian drone company Granta Autonomy has revealed its new X-WING loitering munition system, designed to combine vertical take-off with fixed-wing endurance, the company stated.   Israel-Gaza-Iran     Arab leaders deliver tough talk but not much action on Israel during Qatar summit (CNN) They gathered in Doha – the leaders of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation – to show support for Qatar in the wake of Israel’s strike last week on a meeting of Hamas leaders in the city.       Israeli strikes kill 19 Palestinians near Gaza’s last functioning hospitals (Al Jazeera) Israeli forces have unleashed a new wave of attacks on Gaza, striking areas near some of the few hospitals still functioning, while their ground assault on Gaza City leaves a mounting civilian toll.       Starmer to recognise Palestinian state ‘after Trump state visit’ (The Guardian) Keir Starmer will reportedly recognise a Palestinian state over the weekend after Donald Trump concludes his state visit to the UK.   Ukraine     Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,302 (Al Jazeera) Here are the key events on day 1,302 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.       Ukraine expects $3.5B fund for US weapons, Zelenskyy says (The Associated Press) Ukraine expects there will be around $3.5 billion by next month in a fund to buy weapons from the United States and help sustain its more than three-year fight against Russia’s all-out invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.       North Korea getting a raw deal on support for Russia’s war: Report (Al Jazeera) Russia and North Korea have a lopsided deal, with Moscow reaping far greater support for its war in Ukraine than the benefits received by Pyongyang, according to a study.       A foreign company's guide to field-testing in Ukraine (Counteroffensive Pro) Several platforms in Ukraine offer foreign companies the chance to test out their defense products, including Test in Ukraine, IRON Global, and Iron Range, which provide trials in real battlefield conditions.   International     Poland investigating whether its F-16’s AIM-120 missile destroyed a home (The War Zone) Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki demanded to know whether an air-to-air missile fired by one of its F-16 fighters during last week’s Russian drone incursion destroyed a house. The calls for an investigation follow a Polish media report that an AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) fired at a drone, went off course and caused the damage.       Japan destroyer Chokai will be Tomahawk missile-capable by March, official says (USNI News) Japan plans to modify one of its destroyers to be Tomahawk cruise missile capable by March 31, 2026, and may conduct operational firing tests the following year in the U.S., Japan’s defense minister said Tuesday.       Latvian suspected of spying for Russia, passing information about NATO troops (Stars & Stripes) A Latvian man is in custody amid accusations that he shared details about military installations and NATO troop presence in his home country with Russia, Latvia’s security service said Wednesday.       Taliban orders ban on internet in northern Afghanistan ‘to prevent immoral activities’ (Reuters) The Taliban administration on Wednesday announced an internet ban across a swathe of northern Afghanistan, “to prevent immoral activities,” provincial government statements said.       US-UK tech partnership likely to be signed Thursday (Defense One) U.S. and U.K. leaders are aiming to formally sign an expansive technology partnership on Thursday as part of President Donald Trump’s state visit with U.K. leadership, according to sources familiar with the planning.       Japanese F-35A diverts to civilian airport after experiencing mechanical trouble (Stars & Stripes) A Japanese F-35A Lightning II made an emergency landing at a commercial airport in northern Japan on Wednesday, delaying two flights, according to a Japanese air force spokesman.       US, Australia naval forces conduct bilateral training in the South China Sea (Seapower) The U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) conducted bilateral training in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific through the South China Sea, Sept. 15-16.       Britain needs to rearm quickly (UK Defence Journal) The government’s Defence Industrial Strategy, published earlier this month, promises to make defence an engine for growth. But it doesn’t address the real issues. Britain’s armed forces are perilously weak.       Venezuela starts days of military and ‘electronic warfare’ drills after US strikes on alleged drug boats (The Guardian) Venezuela says it has begun three days of military exercises on its Caribbean island of La Orchila as tensions soar amid US military activity in the region.       Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign mutual defense pact as Gulf Arab states grow wary of US security guarantees (Reuters) Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a formal mutual defense pact on Wednesday, in a move that significantly strengthens a decades-long security partnership amid heightened regional tensions.   Military Culture & History     Guard troops in DC are facing the wrath of the TikTok generation (Task & Purpose) National Guard troops who were mobilized to Washington, D.C., are cleaning up trash, aiding local law enforcement, and getting trolled online and in person.   Video     POV you're in a KC-135 during aerial refueling (Military Times) POV you're in a KC-135 during aerial refueling.       Get behind the scenes of a replenishment-at-sea (Military Times) Behind the scenes of a replenishment-at-sea.   Commentary & Analysis     The heartbreakingly common story of my military suicide attempt (The War Horse) I’m not unique. Special to no degree whatsoever and adamant that I don’t deserve the success I’ve had in life so far. If life were fair, my stupidity and naivety would have been punished long ago. But it isn’t, and they weren’t. Instead, promotion and pay raises followed me to each duty station. Commendations, awards, and a “career with unlimited potential,” I was told, lay on the path before me. I told them I was happy, and I think they believed me.       Data shows more US extremist violence is right-wing than left-wing (The Conversation) After the Sept. 10, 2025, assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump claimed that radical leftist groups foment political violence in the U.S., and “they should be put in jail.”       Returning the Air Force to its expeditionary roots (Defense One) If the United States goes to war tomorrow, its Air Force will fly and fight as the world’s best. But the service will operate in a world where the assumptions that shaped it for more than 30 years no longer hold.       President Trump’s Golden Dome: Golden dream or black nightmare? (SpaceNews) With great fanfare, the newly installed American President Donald Trump launched the idea of the United States creating an "Iron Dome" to protect America against aerial threats, similar to how the Iron Dome provides security to Israel. However, I find that the Golden Dome will bring the opposite of what the president thinks it will deliver.       Don’t make a submarine-launched cruise missile a priority (War On The Rocks) In recent months, intensifying conflict around the world has called new attention to the possibility of military confrontation between nuclear-armed states. To meet these challenges, the United States is engaged in a substantial modernization of its own nuclear capabilities, including a new nuclear-armed cruise missile for its submarine force, commonly referred to as “SLCM-N,” or sea-launched cruise missile–nuclear.