Top 5     US blockade of Iran will be major military endeavor, experts say (Defense News) A U.S. naval blockade of Iran is a major, open-ended military endeavor that could trigger fresh retaliation from Tehran and put tremendous strain on an already fragile ceasefire, experts say.       Pentagon’s women-in-combat review reassigned; deadline extended (Military Times) A Pentagon-ordered review on the effectiveness of women in combat is now under new management, Military Times has learned.       US military eyes high-energy ‘laser dome’ for domestic air defense (Laser Wars) The U.S. military is paving the way for the regular deployment of high-energy laser weapons on American soil for air defense amid the expanding threat of low-cost weaponized drones.       GOP lawmaker urges ‘permanent fix’ to end VA restrictions on the gun rights of veterans requiring fiduciaries (Stars and Stripes) The chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee said he will push for passage of legislation to permanently stop the Department of Veterans Affairs from denying gun ownership to tens of thousands of former service members incapable of managing their financial benefits.       Flurry of Navy minesweepers appear to be heading toward the Middle East (The War Zone) A pair of Avenger class mine-hunters homeported in Japan have been tracked sailing westward out of the Pacific Ocean in recent days. This comes as President Trump and other officials say an operation is taking shape to clear Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, which will be essential to fully reopening that critical waterway.   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.   Army     75th Ranger Regiment soldiers win sixth straight Best Ranger Competition (Military Times) A two-man team of Army Rangers from 75th Ranger Regiment won this year’s Best Ranger Competition, marking the sixth consecutive year the unit has placed first in the grueling three-day event.       Army to begin improving pay, benefits for child care providers to increase staffing levels (Stars and Stripes) The Army this month launched a new pay model for its child care workers to try to get staffing at all service-run child development centers above 90% to reduce wait times for families.   Navy     US Navy should rely on allies to boost maritime industrial base, report says (Military Times) As the U.S. Navy continues to increase its presence and block passage in the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war, experts have published a report calling into question the country’s current shipbuilding strategy and recommending ways to improve its maritime industrial base.   Marine Corps     Marines win top sniper competition (Military Times) Two Marine snipers brought home the top prize at this year’s International Sniper Competition in a rare win for the Corps.   Coast Guard     Coast Guard’s most powerful icebreaker arrives home after more than 4-month deployment to Antarctica (Stars and Stripes) The U.S. Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker returned to its homeport Monday following a 23,000-mile mission to clear channels for scientific stations around Antarctica.   National Guard     Guard Leaders tell Congress the Air Force needs 100 new fighters a year (Air & Space Forces Magazine) National Guard adjutants general from nearly two dozen states have signed a letter to Congress seeking multiyear funding for the Air Force to purchase between 72 and 100 new fighter jets per year to modernize the total force.   Veterans     Vietnam veteran’s gravestone somber reminder of war’s toll (Military Times) “Unless he is caught up in murderous ecstasy,” Glenn Gray wrote in reflection of his time as a draftee in the U.S. Army during the Second World War, “destroying is easier when done from a little remove.”       Wounded 24 times in WWII and Korea, Tennessee Ranger veteran dies at 106 (Stars and Stripes) The Nazis couldn’t kill Thomas E. Gwynn, and the communists failed, too — though he earned a dozen Purple Hearts fighting them.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     US push to counter hackers draws industry deeper into offensive cyber debate (Defense One) The U.S. government has an offensive cyber wish list, and the private sector is already bidding. Many federal contractors back the effort, though they still have deeper questions about semantics and where offense ends and defense begins.       World needs to ‘get ready’ for more powerful AI, Anthropic co-founder says (Nextgov) Anthropic’s groundbreaking new large language model, Mythos, won’t be the last advanced — and extremely powerful — AI model to be created, Anthropic’s co-founder said.   Israel-Gaza-Lebanon-Syria     Israel and Hezbollah clash in strategic Lebanese village ahead of official talks (The Associated Press) The leader of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group urged Lebanon on Monday to pull out of direct talks with Israel set to take place in Washington the following day, the first such talks in decades.   Ukraine     This may be our best look at Ukraine’s secretive new surface-to-air missile (The War Zone) A new Ukrainian surface-to-air missile appears to have made its first public appearance. The weapon has been widely identified as an apparent example of the Koral (also sometimes spelled Coral). The development of the missile has been known about for some time, as part of a broader effort to field homegrown ground-based air defense systems.   International     US details bounds of Hormuz blockade as at least two ships turn around (Reuters) US details bounds of Hormuz blockade as at least two ships turn around.       Israel backs US Hormuz blockade as Netanyahu signals readiness to resume war (Politico) Israel backs the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and is preparing to restart the war if necessary, officials said Monday.       Study suggests Russia could conquer Baltic states in 90 days (Defense News) Drawing on lessons from the Iran war, a study shows how Russia could force Lithuania into capitulation in 90 days with no soldiers crossing the border.       US, Philippines plan record military drills as war threats grow (Bloomberg) More than 17,000 military personnel will participate in the biggest-ever joint drills by the Philippines, the US and other nations as they rehearse warfighting skills amid tensions with China and conflicts in the Middle East.       Turkey pushes for larger role in Europe’s defense as Trump questions NATO (Defense News) As the United States under President Donald Trump rethinks its security guarantees to Europe, Turkey is making the case for closer integration into the continent’s defense architecture.   Video     For some veterans, it’s retirement benefits vs. VA compensation in a head-shaking battle (Military Times) Many medically retired veterans with combat-related injuries lose retirement benefits dollar for dollar versus their VA disability compensation.       The damage from ‘economic weapons’ in global conflict would worsen in a war with China. Here’s how (Military Times) The economic damage from the closing of the Strait of Hormuz is painful, but China has far greater levers to pull in a conflict. An expert explains.       China draws, strategic, diplomatic lessons from US war with Iran (Military Times) What kinds of information is being gleaned by the Chinese military as U.S. forces attack a powerful regional power, and how is it reacting?       Your future paycheck: Retirement savings explained — Money Minute (Defense News) Jeanette Mack from Navy Federal Credit Union is back to help you understand how to save now for the retirement that you dream of.   Commentary & Analysis     What the US blockade of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz might look like (The New York Times) The U.S. military has provided few details on how it might carry out President Trump’s orders as he seeks to pressure Tehran on a peace deal. But history and established practices offer some clues.       A closed Strait of Hormuz risks a global food security crisis (War on the Rocks) The war in Iran has done more than rattle energy markets. It has exposed an ordinary farm input as a strategic commodity.       US naval blockade against Iran is a gamble that could pay off, analyst says (Stars and Stripes) The last-ditch U.S. effort to bring Iran to its knees through a naval blockade in the Persian Gulf is a gamble that will take tremendous resources and come with serious risks, according to analysts and former U.S. military officials.       World War II veterans say NATO is imperfect but necessary (The New York Times) As President Trump renews threats to pull the United States from NATO, veterans reflect on the alliance that has existed more than 75 years.       4 ways the war in Iran has weakened the US in the great power game (Defense One) “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake”—Napoleon Bonaparte’s maxim—may well have been in the minds of policymakers in Moscow and Beijing these past weeks, as the U.S. war in Iran dragged on. And now that a 14-day ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is in effect, with both sides claiming “victory,” Russian and Chinese leaders still have an opportunity to profit from what many see as America’s latest folly in the Middle East.       Is the US lagging when it comes to drone warfare superiority? (The Cipher Brief) When Iranian Shahed drones began tearing through the Gulf in the opening hours of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, killing American service members and overwhelming allied air defenses, Washington faced an uncomfortable revelation. The most powerful military in the world was flying into its first major drone war, having studied the problem primarily from afar, and had recently dismissed an offer from the one country that had been living in it for four years.       Can a new bridge finally save the Pentagon’s best deas? (War on the Rocks) In May 1953, in the desert west of Idaho Falls, a crew powered up the world’s first naval nuclear propulsion system. What made it possible was daringly aggressive innovation: Adm. Hyman Rickover insisted that the Submarine Thermal Reactor Mark I be built to exactly the specifications that would later be required inside a submarine.