Top 5     Pregnant pilots and aircrew grounded for first trimester under new Air Force flying rules (Task & Purpose) Air Force pilots and aircrew who are pregnant will no longer be allowed to fly during their first trimester under revised flight rules announced by the service Tuesday. The move is one of several updates to rules for pregnant women that both restrict and loosen when they can fly.       Army identifies final soldier found deceased in Lithuania peat bog (The Associated Press & Military Times) The U.S. Army identified Wednesday the fourth and final soldier found deceased in a peat bog at a training site in Lithuania.       Veterans could get service dogs for free under proposed legislation (Stars & Stripes) Army veteran Bob Ouellette and Cooper, a 9-year-old golden retriever, were outside the Capitol on Wednesday to support a bill that would fund $10 million annually for grants to provide service dogs to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.       ‘Utter chaos’: Amid confusing ban rollout, trans troops fight to serve (Military Times) Army Maj. Erica Vandal has spent her entire adult life on active duty. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, she’s served her country proudly for nearly 14 years. Military service is in her blood. Her father also graduated from West Point and served in the Army for 40 years. One of her brothers is a former Marine Corps pilot, and another is an active-duty Navy pilot.       ‘There’s a war on vets’: Dems launch plans to counter Trump’s VA moves (Military Times) Angry over planned cuts at Veterans Affairs facilities and a lack of communication from department leaders about those moves, congressional Democrats are plotting confirmation holds, legislative obstruction and unofficial hearings in an attempt to create public outrage over the administration’s changes to veterans programs and benefits.   Ukraine     New Russian offensive in Ukraine looms (The War Zone) Russia is increasing the pace of attacks in eastern Ukraine ahead of what Ukrainian officials and analysts believe will be a major new offensive designed to give it a better bargaining position in ongoing ceasefire talks. Despite that, Russia has reportedly seen a decrease in the amount of territory it has captured while Ukraine has made incremental gains.       UK says security guarantees key to lasting peace in Ukraine (UK Defence Journal) The UK has called on its international partners to offer “real and credible security assurances” to Ukraine, warning that a durable peace will only be possible if Russia is deterred from continuing its aggression.   Pentagon     In first, Hegseth to skip multinational meeting on Ukraine support (Military Times) Pete Hegseth will not attend a gathering of 50 countries to coordinate military support for Ukraine, multiple European officials and a U.S. official said — the first time the coalition will gather without America’s secretary of defense participating.       DoD floats 2035 as goal for zero trust in weapons systems (Breaking Defense) The Department of Defense is looking to meet a soft deadline of achieving zero-trust architecture for weapons systems by 2035, the director of the Zero Trust Office within the Pentagon’s Chief Information Office said today.       Feinberg initiates Pentagon’s implementation of DOGE-influenced regulatory review (DefenseScoop) Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg issued a new memorandum directing the Pentagon’s near-term implementation of President Donald Trump’s DOGE-inspired executive order that seeks to pare back federal agency regulations.   Congress & Politics     Law firms fear Trump orders could affect security clearances of lawyers who are military reservists (The Associated Press) President Donald Trump says his executive orders targeting law firms are being issued in the name of national security, with the White House asserting that the firms don’t deserve access to sensitive U.S. government information.       4 GOP senators vote with Democrats to undo Trump tariffs on Canada (The Hill) A group of Republican senators voted along with Democrats on Wednesday for a resolution to undo President Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports, dealing an embarrassing blow to Trump.       US honours female activists while slashing funds that support their work (The Africa Report) The Donald Trump administration gathered female activists from around the world on 1 April to recognise and elevate their work despite enacting foreign aid cuts that put that work at risk.   National Security     OK to shoot down cartel drones flying over border sought by NORTHCOM boss (The War Zone) The general in charge of defending U.S. skies from drone incursions wants the authority to be able to shoot them down near the Mexican border. Current law greatly restricts U.S. military counter-drone responses, which you can read more about in our deep dive here.   Army     US Army aiming for next hypersonic missile test in December (Defense News) The U.S. Army has scheduled a test of its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, or LRHW, for December, the service’s program executive officer for missiles and space told Defense News in a recent interview.       Fort Bliss soldier arrested, accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting woman for 10 days (Stars & Stripes) A Fort Bliss soldier was arrested and charged with holding a woman hostage and sexually assaulting her at knifepoint and gunpoint every day for 10 days, according to local court records.       Army awards prototype for spectrum sensing and visualization tool (DefenseScoop) The Army awarded 3dB Labs an other transaction agreement to develop and demonstrate a prototype for the Spectrum Situational Awareness System (S2AS), according to a release.       Lithuanians gather outside US Embassy to grieve American soldiers who died in training accident (Stars & Stripes) Mourners carrying wreaths and flags filled the streets in Lithuania’s capital of Vilnius on Wednesday to memorialize four U.S. soldiers who died last week during a military training exercise.   Navy     As tariffs loom, HII’s Kastner confident in company’s American supply chain (Breaking Defense ) HII President Chris Kastner expressed confidence that the Trump administration’s tariffs on aluminum and steel will have little impact on his supply chain given the company’s reliance on buying and building domestically.       Naval Academy staff removed display on female Jewish graduates for Hegseth visit (Military.com) The U.S. Naval Academy has confirmed that officials there removed items commemorating female Jewish graduates from a historic display ahead of a visit to the school by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday.       USS Ronald Reagan goes into dry dock, expected to emerge in late 2026 (Stars & Stripes) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan has begun a maintenance stint that will keep it from deployment for 17 months, Navy officials said.   Marine Corps     Lawsuit over ‘predatory’ marine recruiter who worked in Massachusetts tossed (MassLive.com) A federal judge ruled last week that a woman who said she was physically and sexually assaulted in 2020 at the hands of a U.S. Marine Corps recruiter based in Springfield is blocked from suing the government over the incident.       Marines, sailors on West Coast expand do-it-yourself barracks repair program (Military.com) Marines and sailors on the West Coast are expanding efforts to fix chronic barracks issues such as leaky sinks, drywall holes and broken window screens as units between California and Arizona tout success from last year's Operation Clean Sweep -- an on-the-ground initiative that saw individual service members take housing repairs into their own hands.   Air Force     Slingshot adapting satellite ‘fingerprinting’ technology for military applications (SpaceNews) Slingshot Aerospace, a space data analytics company, has secured a contract from the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX program to refine a technique for “fingerprinting” satellites in orbit using photometric data and artificial intelligence.       VENOM F-16s getting closer to first flight (Air & Space Forces Magazine) A test program meant to pave the way for Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones took another step toward flight April 1 with the arrival of the last fighter jet to complete its fleet.   National Guard     Firefighters help paratrooper finish jump after missing the ground (Task & Purpose) An Indiana fire department got a call from a local National Guard base with an unusual — though not unheard of — request.   Pay & Benefits     Plan would make military enlistment, retention bonuses tax exempt (Military Times) Military enlistment and retention bonuses would be exempt from federal taxes under a proposal unveiled this week, a move that could put thousands of dollars into the wallets of eligible service members.   Your Military     Could this device help catch Osprey clutch problems before disaster? (Military Times) The Navy has awarded defense and aviation technology company Shift5 a contract to test predictive maintenance technology on the V-22 Osprey, which the company hopes might prevent gearbox catastrophes that have proven fatal in recent years.       Caine: US has lost electronic warfare skills, needs to enhance training, ranges (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Over 20 years of wars in “permissive environments,” the electronic warfare skills of the U.S. military have atrophied, requiring a new emphasis on EW training and new investment in simulation and training ranges, the prospective Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told lawmakers.       US sends F-35s to Middle East as strikes on Houthis continue (Military Times) The U.S. military has deployed more of its most advanced fighter jets to the Middle East as it continues to strike Yemen’s Houthi rebels, an Iran-backed terrorist group attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, according to multiple congressional aides.       Experts, civilian workers in the reserves and embassy staff not eligible for DOD’s deferred resignation program (Stars & Stripes) Highly qualified experts, civilian employees who are also reservists and foreign embassy staff do not qualify for the Defense Department’s deferred resignation program because they are “mission critical,” the Pentagon said.   Veterans     Budget constraints, staff shortages force VA to rely on outdated medical technologies (Stars & Stripes) Hospitals at the Department of Veterans Affairs lag behind commercial hospitals in access to life-changing medical technology because of budget constraints and staffing shortages, leaders of medical technology companies told lawmakers Tuesday.       Death of veteran found in car at California VA latest in string of suicides (Redlands Daily Facts, Calif.) A military veteran wanted by police was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a parked vehicle this week at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans' Hospital in the latest of a string of suicides connected to the VA Loma Linda Health Care System in California.       Library of Congress still collecting Vietnam vets’ memories 50 years after war ended (Stars & Stripes) Jack Danner hit the beach in a landing craft on his first day as an American soldier in Vietnam in 1965, he expected to see bullets flying.   Military Culture & History     Downed in enemy territory, this Vietnam pilot refused to be captured (Military Times) Maj. Robert Alfred Lodge was the consummate professional in U.S. Air Force circles. In his second tour of duty over Vietnam he approached the coveted status of “fighter ace.” Even though he fell short of that marker, he left behind a legacy for his branch of service.       A mass grave for fighters in a Roman Empire-era battle is revealed in Vienna (The Associated Press) As construction crews churned up dirt to renovate a Vienna soccer field last October, they happened upon an unprecedented find: A heap of intertwined skeletal remains in a mass grave dating to the 1st-century Roman Empire, likely the bodies of warriors in a battle involving Germanic tribes.       Val Kilmer, Iceman in ‘Top Gun’ and Hollywood’s most underrated leading man, dies at 65 (Military.com) Beloved actor Val Kilmer wasn't a veteran, but he was part of one of the most unintentionally successful U.S. military recruiting programs ever made: "Top Gun."       My Black roommate opened my eyes to an Air Force I didn't know existed (The War Horse) High school graduation kicked off my summer in 1970. I lived in a semirural small Midwestern town in Michigan. I couldn’t afford college; classmates were turning to factory work, which held no interest for me. The specter of the draft was always present. My uncle was in the Air Force, and he had some great stories. So, what the hell. Although I didn’t know anything about the real Air Force, I joined just before year’s end.   Cyber, Space & Unmanned     AFWERX’s new AI-powered tool will track objects in orbit, even as they maneuver (Air & Space Forces Magazine) AFWERX, the Air Force’s technology incubator, is funding the development of an AI-powered tool for identifying and tracking objects in low-Earth orbit, even as they maneuver and try to cloak themselves.   Defense Industry     New AIM-120E variant of AMRAAM air-to-air missile hinted at by USAF (The War Zone) There are signs that a new AIM-120E variant of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) may now be in development.       India puts Metrea on contract for commercial air refueling, invests in helicopters (Breaking Defense ) New Delhi has put private American firm Metrea under contract to provide air refueling for Indian Air Force training operations, as part of a military aviation modernization effort that also includes spending billions on new helicopters.       F-47 fighter program could see multiple versions built in increments (The War Zone) Boeing’s F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter may just be “Increment 1” of the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) manned combat jet initiative.       Smaller rockets to provide key artillery firepower boost sought by Army (The War Zone) A new five-inch (127mm) artillery rocket Lockheed Martin is developing for the U.S. Army primarily as a low-cost training round could evolve into an operational munition.       Submarine surveillance system that’s rapidly deployable, unpredictable unveiled by Anduril (The War Zone) Defense contractor Anduril has rolled out a new, readily deployable undersea surveillance system called Seabed Sentry, which uses networks of small and relatively low-cost modular sensor nodes.   International     World leaders react with disappointment to Trump's sweeping reciprocal tariffs (CBS News) The only two trading partners that were completely exempt from Wednesday's reciprocal tariffs were Mexico and Canada. Both those countries, however, are facing 25% tariffs under separate policies targeting aluminum and steel, which took effect in February, as well as vehicle imports, which are set to go into effect Thursday.       Asian countries riven by war and disaster face some of steepest Trump tariffs (The Guardian) Developing nations in south-east Asia, including war-torn and earthquake-hit Myanmar, and several African nations are among the trading partners facing the highest tariffs set by Donald Trump.       Greece vows $27B on defense overhaul centered on high-tech warfare (The Associated Press) Greece will spend 25 billion euros ($27 billion) over the next decade to adapt its military to evolving high-tech warfare technologies, officials announced Wednesday.       US approves sale of F-16s to the Philippines in $5.5bn weapons package (Defense News) The U.S. State Department has approved a prospective sale of 20 F-16 aircraft to the Philippines, part of a larger package that includes hundreds of medium-range, air-to-air missiles, bombs, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition, worth $5.58 billion.       Chinese military wraps intimidation drills off Taiwan (USNI News) The People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command announced Wednesday that it wrapped up two days of drills around Taiwan, vowing to maintain combat readiness and prevent any attempts of Taiwanese independence from China.       Lebanon and Syria’s plan to formalize borders a ‘positive’ step, needs follow-through: Experts (Breaking Defense) After decades of undefined and at times contentious borders between the two countries, the Lebanese and Syrian governments have signed an agreement to demarcate where each nation’s territory ends. It’s a step that former Lebanese military officers and outside experts said could signal the beginning of a new era of cooperation, but one that will depend greatly on “political will.”       Trump’s tariffs: how might Europe respond to unleashing of trade war? (The Guardian) Bloc’s options include retaliating with tariffs on US goods and services and forming closer ties with other countries.       Israel craters runway to keep Turkey from taking over Syrian airfield (The War Zone) The Israeli Air Force carried out more strikes on Syrian air bases on Wednesday, including on an airfield in central Syria that Turkey may take over. The attacks will make it harder for Ankara to deliver troops, air defenses and other equipment and to operate the facilities in general, should it attempt to do so.       Philippine Armed Forces Chief tells troops to prepare for Taiwan invasion (USNI News) Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Gen. Romeo Brawner told troops of Northern Luzon Command to prepare for a Taiwan invasion contingency, citing the repatriation of citizens and the “inevitability” of Manila’s involvement in a cross-strait conflict.       Malaysia suspends search for long-missing flight MH370 (Al Jazeera) The latest search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been suspended as it is “not the season”, according to the country’s transport minister, more than a decade after the plane went missing.       Denmark's naval modernization plan reflects threats from Russia, US (Defense One) Denmark's Defense Ministry made waves with its March 30 announcement of an ambitious naval plan that aims to buy at least 26 new vessels and lays out short- and long-term roadmaps for the Royal Danish Navy's and the Naval Home Guard's procurement, capabilities, and strategic goals.       A leaked draft letter from Somalia to Trump offers US exclusive access to bases and ports (The Associated Press) The draft of a letter from Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to U.S. President Donald Trump offering exclusive access to air bases and seaports has reignited tensions between Somalia’s government and the breakaway region of Somaliland.       Houthi link-up with Somalia’s al-Shabab could newly imperil Middle East shipping, report says (Stars & Stripes) Africa’s most lethal terrorist organization is expected to gain strength in Somalia, raising the security threat through a Middle East choke point for commercial shipping, a new report cautions.       Netanyahu visits Hungary as Orbán vows to defy ICC arrest warrant (The Guardian) Benjamin Netanyahu has begun a four-day official visit to Hungary, marking the first time the Israeli prime minister has stepped foot on European soil since the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for him over allegations of war crimes in Gaza.       DR Congo spares three convicted US coup accomplices of capital punishment (Al Jazeera) The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi has downgraded the death sentences of three United States citizens convicted for taking part in a failed coup attempt last year, reducing their punishments to life imprisonment.       Israel vows to seize "large areas" of Gaza as renewed war with Hamas kills hundreds of Palestinians (CBS News) Israel's renewed military offensive in the Gaza Strip is "expanding to crush and clean the area" of militants and to seize "large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a written statement on Wednesday. The Israeli government has long maintained a buffer zone just inside Gaza along its security fence, which has greatly expanded since the war with Hamas was sparked by the groups Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack.   Video     Fire! Watch soldiers rattle off Howitzer rounds during artillery training (Military Times) Fire! Watch soldiers rattle off Howitzer rounds during artillery training       Trump’s pick to lead Joint Chiefs denies MAGA hat story in hearing (Military Times) Trump’s pick to lead Joint Chiefs denies MAGA hat story in hearing       Thousands of sailors get access to trendy weight-loss app in new deal (Military Times) Thousands of sailors get access to trendy weight-loss app in new deal   Commentary & Analysis     America’s arsenal is failing. We need an industrial mobilization board now. (Breaking Defense) If our country fails to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan — or worse — loses to China in a shooting war, the most likely culprit will be insufficient defense industrial capacity. American industry is operating in peacetime mode, while China’s is on a wartime footing.       We tried ‘fighting China’ with lower budgets. It didn’t go well. (Defense One) By month’s end, Congressional leaders expect the Trump administration to release a “skinny budget” containing topline spending amounts for the Defense Department. Though specifics will come later, the choices that shape this fiscal 2026 skinny budget will set policy direction for the next four years.       Peering into the future of Artificial Intelligence in the military classroom (War On The Rocks) The artificial intelligence revolution has arrived in military education, and resistance is futile. AI now stands poised to fundamentally transform how we educate military professionals — whether educators are ready or not.