Top 5     Hegseth orders review of physical standards for military combat roles (Military Times) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday ordered a 60-day review of military combat arms standards to ensure that exceptions are not being made for female troops to assume the physically demanding roles.       3 soldiers confirmed dead after vehicle pulled from Lithuanian swamp (Military Times) Three of the four U.S. soldiers who were reported missing at a Lithuanian training site last week were found deceased, Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll said Monday.       Trump pardons Navy veteran convicted in Capitol riot (The Associated Press) President Donald Trump has pardoned a Virginia man whose sentence already was commuted for his convictions stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.       Pentagon ruling eases one employment barrier for military spouses overseas (Military.com) Rules that had prevented some military spouses from holding jobs while stationed overseas have been relaxed, a parting gift from the Biden administration that should alleviate some concerns for those trying to continue careers while their military member serves.       'In no way incompatible': Service Academy alums sign letter supporting transgender cadets, Midshipmen (Military.com) Nearly 300 alumni from across the military service academies are offering their support to transgender cadets and Midshipmen amid the Trump administration's attempts to ban transgender people from the military -- efforts that have gotten tied up in an increasingly complicated legal battle.   Ukraine     A Kremlin official says Russia sees efforts to end Ukraine war as a drawn-out process (The Associated Press) Russia views efforts to end its three-year war with Ukraine as “a drawn-out process,” a Kremlin spokesman said Monday, after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration with the two countries’ leaders as he tries to bring about a truce.       Sweden pledges $1.6 billion in new Ukraine aid, including air defense (Military Times) Sweden announced additional military aid for Ukraine to the tune of 16 billion Swedish kronor ($1.6 billion), in response to a Ukrainian request for capabilities in air defense, artillery, satellite communications and the maritime domain.       The MiG-35 has been on life support. Now Moscow wants to revive it for the Ukraine war. (Breaking Defense) In the world of fighter production an aircraft which has been written off as having little to no future can occasionally re-emerge as a live program again. From all appearances, the MiG-35 may be achieving that near-impossible task of coming back to life.       American veterans fighting in Ukraine struggle with the politics of abandonment (Military.com) Skunk" found himself pinned down in a trench, outnumbered and under relentless close-range fire. It was Christmas Eve 2024, and the 38-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran was serving with a unit in Eastern Ukraine as that country goes into its fourth year of repelling Russia's full-scale invasion. He didn't speak Ukrainian or Russian, and it had been 15 years since he'd served in the U.S. military, but he felt compelled to try to help defend an ally.   Pentagon     Pentagon to offer new round of voluntary resignations, retirements (The Associated Press) The Defense Department is going to offer a new round of voluntary resignations and retirements to the civilian workforce, but details are slim.       New Defense Department experimentation series targets data integration (Defense News) The Pentagon’s Chief Data and AI Office has launched a new series of experiments focused on improving data integration to allow operators to take better advantage of new command-and-control capabilities.       Signalgate spurs DOD interest in chat-archiving services (Defense One) Federal law requiring agencies to preserve electronic messages—and a lawsuit in the wake of the infamous group chat about strikes in Yemen—have officials with Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security reaching out to at least one company about its chat-archiving services.   Congress & Politics     UAP disclosure advocates call for transparency on drone incursions (DefenseScoop) Two former defense officials who helped spur major efforts during previous congressional sessions to drive government transparency on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) returned to the Hill last week for closed-door discussions with several lawmakers about that issue and emerging challenges associated with drones.       Sen. Cory Booker gives marathon speech on Senate floor to protest Trump administration’s actions (The Hill) Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Monday evening took to the Senate floor to speak as long as he is “physically able” in protest of actions taken by President Trump’s administration.       Some Republicans ask for tariff exemptions and express concern over Trump trade war (NBC News) A number of congressional Republicans are publicly voicing concern over the potential for a prolonged trade war and its effect on American farmers as President Donald Trump prepares to announce a new wave of tariffs.       Trump says he’s considering ways to serve a third term as president (The Associated Press) President Donald Trump said Sunday that “I’m not joking” about trying to serve a third term, the clearest indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends at the beginning of 2029.       Trump says he expects Musk to eventually return to running companies (The Hill) President Trump on Monday said he expects Elon Musk will eventually return to running his companies after his work overhauling the federal government.       Tuesday's elections by the numbers: Elon Musk's influence, early voting and more (NBC News) A steady stream of money, advertisements and activity from national political figures has flowed into Wisconsin and Florida ahead of elections Tuesday.       Judge delays Trump administration's move to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans (CBS News) A federal judge in California on Monday agreed to delay the Trump administration's move to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program that currently shields roughly 350,000 Venezuelan migrants from deportation.   Army     Army to deploy integrated data layer for NGC2 at division level before next Project Convergence (Breaking Defense) The integrated data layer is a user interface where sensors from multiple domains can work together to supply information on enemy targets and other data the warfighter needs to make important calls.   Navy     Navy pushing innovation to build next generation of submarines, says admiral (USNI News) The Navy is counting on innovations to help it build and staff submarines and ships more efficiently as demand for the capability grows, the head of the service’s nuclear propulsion program said Monday.       Navy destroyer helps apprehend 13 people for border security mission (Task & Purpose) The destroyer USS Spruance recently helped the Coast Guard and agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, take 13 people into custody as part of the ship’s mission to bolster security on the southern border, according to U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM.       USNI News fleet and marine tracker: March 31, 2025 (USNI News) These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of March 31, 2025, based on Navy and public data. In cases in which a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.       Ford carrier group equipped with new anti-drone weapons for possible Mideast deployment (Stars & Stripes) Two F-18 fighter jets roared above the USS Gerald R. Ford, flying past the aircraft carrier in the direction of a destroyer sitting on the horizon.       USS Spruance, Coast Guard rescue 18 People off of San Diego coastline (USNI News) USS Spruance (DDG-111) and a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter rescued 18 people aboard a disabled vessel approximately 50 miles southwest of San Diego Sunday, the Coast Guard announced.   Marine Corps     Sacked Marine pilot whose F-35B flew without him after ejecting gives his side of the story (The War Zone) The Marines partially blamed Charles “Tre” Del Pizzo for the loss of his F-35B Joint Strike Fighter that flew pilotless for nearly 12 minutes before slamming into the ground following his ejection back in September 2023. Now the 48-year-old retired colonel is giving his side of the story.       Every Marine a drone operator? New team aims to compete, set standards for unmanned aircraft warfare. (Military.com) In mid-December, Col. Scott Cuomo, the commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico's Weapons Training Battalion, walked into a holiday party with senior service officials wearing an ugly Christmas sweater.   Air Force     C-32A ‘Air Force 2’ jet like you've never seen one before (The War Zone) One of the most famous aircraft on earth was caught ‘in the nude’ very recently as it underwent deep maintenance and upgrades at L3Harris’s Mission Integration plant at Majors Field in Greenville, Texas. The facility is a mecca for large special mission aircraft in need of enhancements and TLC.       Aerial porters test new gear to load faster, reduce injuries (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Aerial porters at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., are trying a new technology meant to reduce strain and injury risk for “port dawgs,” the Airmen who balance math, physics, technique, and elbow grease to move heavy cargo and passengers on and off aircraft, often under difficult conditions and tight deadlines.       Former Air Force Secretary didn't include NGAD in his 2026 budget plan (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter—announced as the F-47 by President Donald Trump this month—wasn’t going to be in the last Air Force budget request from President Joe Biden’s administration, former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall revealed in a recent podcast, saying he believed there were higher priorities for the service to address.   Space Force     Space Force to test satellite refueling technologies in orbit (SpaceNews) The U.S. Space Force is preparing a series of experiments to test in-space satellite refueling technologies, positioning commercial competitors at the forefront of an emerging sector of the space industry.   National Guard     More A-10s deploy to Middle East, this time from Idaho (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Multiple A-10 attack aircraft from the Idaho Air National Guard deployed to the Middle East over the weekend. More than 300 Airmen from the 124th Fighter Wing, along with the attack aircraft, were sent to southwest Asia within U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility on March 29.       No deal: White House says DC's F-16 transfer to Maryland is off the table (Military.com) A deal last year to transfer an F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron from the District of Columbia Air National Guard to Maryland, which emerged amid talks last year to redevelop the city's RFK Stadium is off the table, the White House said.   Pay & Benefits     Military retirees say they were denied extended GI Bill benefits despite Supreme Court ruling (Military.com) Two military retirees have sued the Department of Veterans Affairs for allegedly denying them GI Bill benefits in accordance with a Supreme Court decision last year that extended eligibility for an estimated 1.7 million veterans.   Your Military     32 reasons service members avoid leaving the Military (Military.com) "Some things die and some things have to be killed," Carl, a transitioning senior leader, said in a recent coaching call. No need to call the cops, the guy was reading a quote from a book he had just finished, "Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships that All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward." (A great read for transitioning service members.)   Military Culture & History     In WWII, the ‘Tokyo Express’ was tough to beat. One man changed that. (Military Times) World War II was marked by numerous technical advances and battles in which they played a pivotal role. Relatively overlooked but having an importance of its own was the destroyer as used in the Solomons campaigns of 1942 to 1943.       Richard Chamberlain, TV actor and Korean War veteran, dies at 90 (The Associated Press) Richard Chamberlain, the handsome hero of the 1960s television series "Dr. Kildare" who found a second career as an award-winning "king of the miniseries," has died. He was 90.       This soldier gave his last full measure of devotion on a hill in Korea (Military Times) Since the North Korean invasion of the South on June 25, 1950, United Nations forces had managed to reverse the situation by September, retaking the capital of Seoul and driving a routed Korean People’s Army (KPA) back into its home territory.       Visiting veterans remember WWII Battle of Okinawa on 80th anniversary (Stars & Stripes) Walter LaSota was blown out of a foxhole by a Japanese bomb the first time he was wounded during the World War II Battle of Okinawa.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     Chinese Bluetooth satellite startup raises early funding (SpaceNews) Chinese startup Bluelink Satcom has raised early-stage funding to build a satellite network capable of detecting Bluetooth signals from space.       Civilian cyber vulnerabilities threaten Pacific deployment plans: Report (Air & Space Forces Magazine) The U.S. military’s ability to deploy troops across the vast Indo-Pacific theater relies on critical civilian infrastructure like airlines, railways, and ports that is vulnerable to disruption by enemy cyber attacks, a new report warns.       SpaceX's Fram2 launch sends civilian crew into first flight around Earth's poles (CBS News) A wealthy Chinese-born bitcoin entrepreneur, a Norwegian cinematographer, a German robotics expert and an Australian adventurer blasted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Monday, kicking off the first crewed flight over the North and South poles.   Defense Industry     5 companies, 5 parts: Honeywell pilot seeks to build out AUKUS sub industrial base (Breaking Defense) Transferring defense technology from one country to another is typically a complicated affair. But a new pilot program Honeywell recently secured from the US Navy for one stage of the AUKUS program — the sale of Virginia-class submarines from the US to Australia — aims to smooth out the process to get the submarine industrial base stood up as quickly as possible, according to a company executive.       Embraer ready to step up KC-390 tanker investment for US, pending NGAS decision (Breaking Defense) As it seeks to break into the American market, Brazil’s Embraer is willing to “adjust” investment in its KC-390 agile tanker to fund a purpose built refueling boom for the US Air Force, should the service’s Next Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) reassessment signal a faster paced acquisition approach.   International     Lithuania buys more weapons, beckons their makers to invest locally (Defense News) Amid a surge in defense spending across Eastern Europe, Lithuania is advancing plans to purchase Leopard 2A8 tanks and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles while making efforts to attract investors that will develop its own defense industry.       Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim they shot down another American drone as US strikes pound country (The Associated Press) Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed Tuesday that they shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone, even as the U.S. kept up its campaign of intense airstrikes targeting the group.       Niger’s junta withdraws from Lake Chad anti-Islamist force (The Guardian) Niger’s ruling junta has quit a regional force fighting armed Islamist groups in west Africa’s Lake Chad area, cementing an acrimonious split from former allies in the region.       UK to order third aircraft carrier due to Russia threat (UK Defence Journal) In a surprising development ahead of the new financial year, a leaked consultation document circulating within the Ministry of Defence appears to confirm that the Royal Navy is planning to procure a third Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier — a bold response to mounting global tensions and a resurgent Russia.       During Indo-Pacific tour Hegseth rallies Japan and Philippines, pledges ‘shift,’ cooperation (Breaking Defense) The Trump administration would “truly prioritize and shift to this region of the world in a way that is unprecedented. Today, it’s the Philippines. Tomorrow, it’s Japan. It will be Australia and South Korea and other nations in this part of the world,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.       Britain to temporarily rejoin EU to smooth over security pact (UK Defence Journal) London has announced its temporary reintegration into the European Union as part of a groundbreaking security pact aimed at enhancing regional stability and security cooperation.       New images reveal extent of looting at Sudan’s national museum as rooms stripped of treasures (The Guardian) Videos of Sudan’s national museum showing empty rooms, piles of rubble and broken artefacts posted on social media after the Sudanese army recaptured the area from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in recent days show the extent of looting of the country’s antiquities.       US says law applies to 'all parties' in Gaza after Israel kills medics (BBC) The US has said it expects "all parties on the ground" in Gaza to comply with international humanitarian law but declined to confirm whether it was carrying out its own assessment into the killing by the Israeli military of 15 people - paramedics, civil defence workers and a UN official.       China launches military drills from ‘multiple directions’ around Taiwan, testing US resolve (CNN) The Chinese military said Tuesday it had launched joint exercises involving its army, navy, air force and rocket force around Taiwan as a “stern warning,” days after US defense chief Pete Hegseth vowed to counter “China’s aggression” on his first visit to Asia.       US - Africa: AFRICOM makes its case; tariffs for South Africa; women under fire (The Africa Report) US Africa Command is in the hot seat on Capitol Hill as MAGA questions the value of military intervention in Africa.       Shoppers in Denmark boycott American goods over Trump admin’s push to own Greenland (NBC News) Widespread anger over the Trump administration’s push for U.S. ownership of Greenland is prompting shoppers in Denmark to boycott American products and services such as Tesla, Netflix and Coca-Cola.       Trump and Musk back Le Pen as NR’s Bardella says verdict should ‘outrage’ France – Europe live (The Guardian) Overnight, US president Donald Trump joined a growing list of populist and far-right leaders – including Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Italy’s Matteo Salvini, and the Netherlands’ Geert Wilders – offering their support to Le Pen, saying it was “a very big deal.”       ‘I bought their dream': How a US company’s huge land deal in Senegal went bust (The Associated Press) Rusting pipes in a barren field and unpaid workers are what remain after a U.S. company promised to turn a huge piece of land in Senegal — about twice the size of Paris — into an agricultural project and create thousands of jobs.   Commentary & Analysis     The hypersonic threat (RealClear Defense) At the beginning of this year, North Korea claimed to have tested a hypersonic weapon. While doubts remain about the program’s technical maturity, the North Korean test fits a broader trend: hypersonics are no longer emerging technologies, but a key element of modern military arsenals.       How to handle winners (and losers) in the Pentagon’s 8% budget relook (Defense News) In February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the Pentagon to reexamine the 2026 budget request, which has not yet gone to Congress, to ensure that it reflected the Trump administration’s priorities. He tasked organizations with preparing lists of lower-priority activities totaling 8% of their 2026–2030 projected budgets, a target equaling $365 billion over five years. This pool of money will become available for potential reallocation. Additionally, he identified 17 high-priority areas that were to be protected from funding reductions.       Former STRATCOM bosses: US must recommit to nuclear deterrent to combat Russia, China (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Russia’s actions in Ukraine and China’s growing arsenal show that America needs to revamp and revitalize—not retrench—its nuclear deterrent, former U.S. Strategic Command bosses said March 31.       Taiwan’s biggest limitation in defense isn't spending, it's late deliveries from US Defense Companies (War On The Rocks) When it comes to Taiwan, comments from the Trump administration about the island nation increasing its defense budget to up to 10 percent of its annual gross domestic product have been making headlines, but this isn’t the real problem.