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Presidential Fitness Test to be required at Defense Department schools
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Presidential Fitness Test would soon be mandatory in the DoD's 161 K-12 schools.
Military moves to issue medical disqualifications earlier in the recruitment process
The military will prescreen prospective recruits for 28 medical conditions that are highly unlikely to receive enlistment waivers.
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Naples naval installation verifies presence of radon in buildings
The service is now confirming the results of a radon detection test it rejected nearly three months ago.
Lawmakers introduce bill to lower drug costs for service members, veterans
The proposal would allow Tricare beneficiaries and VA patients to pay the lowest government-negotiated price for prescription drugs.
Naval aviators will no longer command amphibious warships, CNO says
The Navy announced that it intends to make surface warfare officers the only commanding officers aboard amphibious warships starting in fiscal 2028.
US forces fire at, disable Iran-flagged tanker trying to evade blockade
While President Trump said Project Freedom was paused, the U.S. Navy blockade continues to ban vessels from entering and exiting Iranian ports.
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MilTech
Pentagon turns to AI targeting to help troops shoot drones
The technology can detect threats and distinguish them from non-threats, such as birds, faster than a human operator can.
Opinion
Why Congress must end the remarriage penalty for military survivors
A policy that causes surviving spouses to lose their benefits if they remarry suggests their sacrifice ends the moment they seek a new chapter in life.
Commissaries reverse decision to charge for single-use bags
The decision came only one month after the bag fees went into effect.
Life or death centered around a canteen for this AEF soldier
While under a hail of machine gun fire, William Sawelson crawled through the mud to deliver water to a wounded soldier.
In other news
Coast Guard to stand up special forces command
The U.S. Coast Guard is standing up a new Special Missions Command to consolidate its elite maritime response forces.
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Navy looks to expand tech, autonomy for future fleet | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 5.5.26
The commander of the Naval Research Laboratory outlines goals for the fleet at Sea-Air-Space 2026. Plus, global defense spending updates for the year.
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Defense News is covering the evolving military, strategic, and regional implications of tensions and operations involving Iran.
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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.
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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MORE STORIES
New rifle, light machine gun headed to close combat troops
The weapons are going to infantry, scouts, combat engineers and special operations.
By Todd South
‘Jack Ryan’ season 3 ushers show into its anti-hero era
Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan" season 3 is fun if not an exercise in the familiar.
By Sarah Sicard
Recon Marine vet Rudy Reyes on testing celebrities in new reality show
Rudy Reyes on what it was like ― and what he changed his mind about ― while pushing celebrities to their limits.
Justice demands correction of military records for vaccine refusers
Troops who exercised their legally protected medical rights must be made whole.
By James D. Muhammad and Thomas L. Rempfer
New in 2023: What caused the Goshawk grounding, and when will it end?
The T-45C training jet fleet was grounded in October over concerns about an engine blade issue.
North Korean leader lays out key goals to boost military power
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presented new plans to further bolster his military power next year at a meeting of the nation's political officials.
‘Special pay’ keeps Pentagon’s cyber experts from jumping ship
Services “spent at least $160 million on cyber retention bonuses annually” from fiscal 2017 to 2021, the Government Accountability Office said.
New York National Guard deploys to assist with deadly snowstorm
Hundreds of New York National Guard members are being deployed to assist in responding to a deadly winter storm.
Army veteran tasked with getting Navy shipbuilder back in shape
Army veteran Charles F. Krugh, president of Bath Iron Works, took over the Maine shipyard seven months ago.
Navy developing smart bra, undershirt for fighter pilots
In 2023, the Navy plans to make a design decision on a biosensing bra and undershirt intended to monitor the vital signs of aircrew while in flight.
By Hope Hodge Seck