Top 5     US Navy eyes port stops in Africa, India after USS Abraham Lincoln’s marathon deployment (Military Times) The Navy’s top admiral says the service is changing how it does pre-deployment stocking and resupply and looking at different places to make port calls, including on the African continent, after the carrier Lincoln’s punishing 270-day deployment.       Marine Corps brings back flu shot mandate for some troops (Military Times) Under this year’s influenza vaccination guidelines, the Marine Corps will continue to follow Defense Department policy, which requires flu shots for some military personnel while making them optional for most others.       American flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Dolly Parton (Military Times) American flags at home and abroad will be lowered to half-staff for a week in honor of Dolly Parton, the legendary country singer who died Tuesday at 80 years old.       Lawmakers demand VA bring back LGBTQ+ care coordinators (Military Times) Two House lawmakers are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to restore dedicated LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator positions and specialized support networks after the agency changed the structure of the program earlier this summer.       Qatar PM to visit Tehran to pursue mediation efforts (Reuters) Qatar's prime minister wll visit Tehran on Thursday in a bid to relaunch diplomacy after the U.S. and Iran traded recriminations over Washington's promise to increase economic pressure on Tehran by targeting its trade partners for sanctions.   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 upgrades awards of 3 Marines for actions after Abbey Gate attack (CBS News) Five years after the attack in Afghanistan that killed 13 service members, the Pentagon upgraded the awards of three Marines who provided care in the wake of the blast.       Hegseth considering Pentagon chief spokesperson to replace Army secretary (The Hill) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is considering his chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, to succeed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who is eyeing an exit from the Pentagon in the coming months, two sources familiar with the matter said.   Congress & Politics     Trump to declare Palestine Action a global terror group (Politico) The Trump administration intends to declare Palestine Action, a U.K.-based protest group, as a global terrorist organization.       CIA chief used Moscow visit to warn Russia against attacks on NATO allies, helping Iran (Politico) CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Russian officials in Moscow this week not to escalate conflict with America’s NATO allies, in particular Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, in response to Moscow’s stalemated invasion of Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter.       A judge suspends charges against an ex-Marine arrested on Trump’s golf course with ammunition (The Associated Press) A judge on Wednesday suspended criminal charges against a former U.S. Marine arrested at President Donald Trump’s Los Angeles-area golf course with ammunition and a gun in his vehicle. He is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.   Marine Corps     Marines overhaul infantry, stress stealth in new ground combat strategy (Military Times) While the U.S. Marine Corps’ new Pacific-based littoral regiments have received outsized attention as they add new weapons specialized for long-range fires and drone warfare to formations, the ground forces continue to remain at the heart of the fight, according to a new strategy document published Wednesday. And they are transforming to prepare for the next war.   AIr Force     Air Force Academy to sport B-21 Raider-inspired uniform in game against Navy (Military Times) The U.S. Air Force football team will give a nod to the B-21 Raider by sporting special uniforms in its game against the U.S. Navy this October.   National Guard     Montana National Guard returns home after fighting Washington wildfires (Stars and Stripes) A Chinook crew from the Montana Army National Guard returned Monday after assisting in wildfire fighting in Washington state, an Army press release announced.   Veterans     Veterans push for Gulf War Illness designation as a VA disability (Stars and Stripes) Some veterans groups are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to formally add Gulf War Illness to its disability rating schedule for determining compensation and medical coverage for sick and injured veterans.   Defense Industry     US Army taps 5 firms to build on-base microreactors in nuclear energy push (Defense News) The Army is investing billions of dollars to bring nuclear power to military bases, selecting five companies to build nuclear microreactors at installations across the U.S., the service announced Wednesday in collaboration with the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit.       US Army seeks 8,000 new short-range missiles per year (Defense News) The Army is looking for a weapon that is similar to the existing Hellfire and Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, according to the Army’s Sources Sought notice. The deadline is Sept. 15.       Taiwan president pushes $6.6 billion military drone bill ahead of crucial vote (Reuters) Taiwan must demonstrate its resolve to ?defend itself and pass a six-year, T$210 billion ($6.6 billion) special budget to buy military drones, President ?Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday ahead of a crucial vote in the opposition-controlled parliament.       Italy to request EU defense loan after all, but scales back amount (Defense News) Italy has requested €8 billion euros ($9.3 billion) in cheap loans from the European Union’s SAFE defense funding program after delaying a decision for months amid opposition to the plan from within the Italian government.       Canada is bolstering its defense industry as US relations fray. A boom is on for local contractors (The Associated Press) As Canada moves to reduce its dependence on American military suppliers, the push is on display inside a Toronto garment factory.   International     First North Korea-Russia road bridge nearly complete, symbolizing new era of military cooperation (Defense News) The first-ever road bridge linking North Korea and Russia across the Tumen River appears close to completion, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Defense News, though construction on the Russian side lags behind Pyongyang’s finished part. It is a visible manifestation of the two countries’ tightening relationships, driven by Pyongyang’s military support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.       How a Ukrainian commander sped through the ‘kill zone’ to save wounded troops (Reuters) Seeing two wounded fighters stranded on the battlefield — one of them still strapped to a land drone immobilized by a Russian strike — Ukrainian commander Vladyslav Polskyi knew he had to do something.   Video     Witness the destruction an American B-2 Spirit stealth bomber can rain down on a target (Defense News) Video from the Air Force shows the impact of munitions delivered by a B-2 Spirit on a target at the Nevada Test and Training Range.       China copies Pentagon-funded robot dog design in move to own the market | Headlines (Defense News) Leveraging its ability to compel its industrial base and history of emulating U.S. defense tech, China makes a move to mass produce quadruped robots.   Commentary & Analysis     With UK military secrets, Ukraine could now build SCALP missiles at home - but it will take time (Defense News) With the United Kingdom passing classified blueprints for British-made components of the SCALP cruise missile to Ukraine, the country is now in possession of the intellectual property and permissions needed to build the high-tech European weapon domestically.       Ukraine’s most potent weapon: The software orchestrating its drone army (The New York Times) The Delta system pulls together battlefield data to identify targets, creating a miles-wide “kill zone.” The technology is credited with helping to cut Russian advances to a near standstill.       How Marine rifle squads plan to fight future wars dominated by drones (The War Zone) Faced with having to fight as technology rapidly transforms the nature of warfare, the U.S. Marine Corps on Wednesday unveiled its vision for the future of ground combat.       Zelenskyy’s direct plea helped unlock Russia sanctions in the Senate. What’s next is uncertain (The Associated Press) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives to the Capitol building, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert) 2026-08-27T04:04:59Z       From Hormuz to the Caucasus: The new geography of energy security (War on the Rocks) Every crisis in the Middle East returns the world’s attention to the same stretch of water. When tankers are seized, or missiles fly near the Persian Gulf, oil prices move, insurers reprice risk, shipping reroutes, and the United States repositions naval and airpower to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. The reflex is sound, because the Strait carries volumes nothing else can.       Foreign spies don’t need to hack you anymore (The Cipher Brief) Andy Burnham was a few weeks into the job as the new Prime Minister of the UK when he found himself exchanging messages with someone claiming to be Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff. The exchange, first reported by Politico last week, was brief and apparently trivial. Burnham grew suspicious, stopped replying and told the right people; the British embassy in Washington quietly informed the White House, which confirmed that Wiles’s own devices hadn’t been touched. No harm done, officially.       The Marine Corps’ plan for the future of ground combat (War on the Rocks) The Marine Corps just released its plan to fight against adversaries on land, and Ryan had the two architects of the plan, Ground Combat Element 2040, on the show to talk about it. They discuss drones, resilience, long-range fires, logistics, and what marines will need to survive and fight on an increasingly transparent battlefield while still preserving the critical human element.