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‘Scary and silencing’: Troops, families receive threats from foreign bad actors
The threats began after the U.S. strikes against Iran and have included identifying details about troops, their spouses and children.
Marine ACV crews to face ‘thinking adversaries’ in new VR simulator
A crew gunnery training prototype for the new amphibious combat vehicle will simulate an all-out fight with an unpredictable adversary.
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Read up on tips and tricks in Military Times’ 2025 Permanent Change of Station Guide.
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Learn how your military benefits — including health care, retirement pay and more — have changed in 2025.
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Health Care
DoD should review special needs health care programs to ensure they’re helping military families, watchdog says
The coverage amounts for Tricare ECHO services haven't increased since 2009.
Draft defense bill would halt cuts, closures of military health facilities
House members are seeking to stop the closure or reductions of services at U.S. military hospitals and clinics.
Creating a separate Cyber Force would require $10 billion and a minimum of 1 year, report says
Two D.C. think tanks examined a proposed implementation plan for an independent U.S. Cyber Force as some lawmakers push for its creation.
Troops attending White House UFC event must meet physical standards, pay for travel
The hundreds of active-duty service members selected for the "high visibility" event must meet military waist-to-height standards and fund their travel.
In other news
Lawmakers quarrel over effort to boost defense tech integration between US and Israel
A new measure aims to "expand and accelerate bilateral defense technology research ... and industrial cooperation" between the U.S. and Israel.
Sailor reportedly finds dead rat in finished energy drink
The sailor said medical personnel informed him, “with the chemicals that are in Monster, that it should be OK.”
That time the Air Force proposed making a ‘gay bomb’
The Air Force once explored the idea of a chemical weapon that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to one another — striking a blow to morale.
Master Chief actor condemns use of character in White House’s Iran war hype video
“I demand that the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn remove my voice immediately,” Steve Downes wrote in a post on X.
‘War Machine’ review: Finally, a training scenario with aliens
The sci-fi flick raises the premise: What if the final phase of U.S. Army Ranger selection suddenly involved fighting a giant alien robot?
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VIDEOS
Game-changing new tech emerges for troops and commands | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 6.2.26
A box that makes drinkable water out of the air and hydrofoil drone tech have emerged at defense shows. Plus, an interview with a top executive at Lockheed.
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MORE STORIES
Immigration concerns and the ‘very typical’ impact on military recruiting
Recruiters, attorneys and advocates say immigration questions continue to arise in conversations about military service.
By Natalie Oliverio
Medal of Honor recipient Bruce Crandall, whose heroism was chronicled in ‘We Were Soldiers Once,’ dies at 93
Ret. Col. Bruce Crandall received the Medal of Honor for repeatedly flying his helicopter into intense enemy fire to evacuate dozens of wounded troops.
US court blocks Pentagon from removing transgender troops, for now
The court ruled that the Trump administration could, for now, bar transgender people from enlisting, but blocked the discharge of current service members.
By Daniel Wiessner, Reuters
Trump invokes national security in push for White House ballroom ‘drone port’
The president wrote that today's highly sophisticated weaponry means "we can no longer defend Washington, D.C., with rifles and pistols, alone."
By Tanya Noury
US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes
The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics.
By Eve Sampson
Not ‘just a gun’: New SOCOM rifle allows barrel swapping and cartridge changes
At SOCOM’s request, the rifle features a swappable barrel, allowing operators to change between legacy cartridges and the newer 6.5mm Creedmoor.
US general holds rare meeting with Cuban military officials near Guantanamo Bay
The meeting is the first in recent memory by a head of U.S. Southern Command and comes amid growing concerns in Cuba of a possible U.S. military attack.
By Phil Stewart, Reuters
Pentagon failed to assess impact of cuts to civilian workforce, watchdog finds
Roughly 78,000 civilian positions were eliminated in 2025 — about 10% of a workforce that originally exceeded 793,000.
By Tanya Noury
‘Scary and silencing’: Troops, families receive threats from foreign bad actors
The threats began after the U.S. strikes against Iran and have included identifying details about troops, their spouses and children.
By Karen Jowers
1,200 active-duty troops will be invited to White House UFC event
Roughly 1,200 tickets out of a total 4,000 are reserved for active members of the U.S. military.
By Tanya Noury
US Navy to explore powering shore installations with aircraft carriers
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao revealed that Naval Station Norfolk will be “powered from an aircraft carrier" sometime this summer.
Marine ACV crews to face ‘thinking adversaries’ in new VR simulator
A crew gunnery training prototype for the new amphibious combat vehicle will simulate an all-out fight with an unpredictable adversary.
By Hope Hodge Seck
How far is there to go until the US and Iran end the war?
A tentative deal has been reached to end the war and restart transit in the Strait of Hormuz, and then negotiations on more difficult issues would begin.
By Parisa Hafezi, Angus McDowall and Michael Georgy, Reuters
My grandpa was killed in World War II. I met him through his letters home.
My grandpa never came back from World War II. I found his final resting place in France.
By Gina Wolf, The War Horse
Double amputee paratrooper to jump into Normandy for 82nd anniversary of D-Day
Fourteen years after losing both his legs to an IED, Jon Harmon will step out of a C-47 and jump into same spot the 82nd Airborne fought on D‑Day.
22nd MEU, Iwo Jima ARG head home after 10-month deployment
The Iwo Jima ARG made headlines earlier this year when it took part in the Jan. 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
By J.D. Simkins