Top stories
Barracks improvements, installation safety top priorities for military construction budget
The $21.5 billion budget request for military barracks would address a backlog of construction and repairs, logistics leaders said.
Admirals to be scored first on Coast Guard’s first-ever PT test
For the first time in service history, the Coast Guard is set to roll out physical fitness testing requirements to the entire force.
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USS Gerald R. Ford air wing returns home after 11 months
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier broke the record for longest post-Vietnam deployment in April.
US Navy could run out of money by July, top officer warns
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told lawmakers at a budget hearing Tuesday that the Navy might have to modify training and operations.
Contractor awarded $3.5 billion to build out US Coast Guard’s Arctic Security Cutters fleet
The five cutters to be delivered by Davie Defense will represent a new class of Arctic icebreakers.
US special operations leaders frustrated by inability to modify their own equipment
The military must wait for manufacturers to fix or upgrade equipment, leaving them with outdated capabilities as technology evolves quickly, they said.
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Pentagon & Congress
Iran military threat is diminished but not eliminated, CENTCOM chief says
Adm. Brad Cooper said the U.S. had severely degraded Iran’s warfighting capacity, including the elimination of roughly 90% of its inventory of naval mines.
Energy secretary: Iran ‘frighteningly close’ to nuclear weapon despite Operation Epic Fury
“They are weeks — a small number of weeks — away to enrich that to weapons-grade uranium," Energy Secretary Chris Wright told a Senate committee.
Trump’s Golden Dome missile shield estimated to cost $1.2 trillion
A national missile defense system would cost $1.2 trillion to build and maintain over the next 20 years, a nonpartisan federal agency estimated.
Coast Guard bans kratom, similar drugs immediately
Kratom is not a federally controlled substance in the U.S. and is available legally in 44 states in vape shops, other retail stores and online.
In other news
Arcade games satirizing Iran war appear at DC War Memorial
The game, “Operation Epic Furious: Strait To Hell,” was developed in response to the administration’s use of video game footage to share successes in Iran.
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The shape of shipbuilding for the US Navy | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 5.12.26
Prominent shipbuilders lay out their ideas for meeting the U.S. Navy’s demand for faster production at Sea-Air-Space 2026. Plus, Anduril’s new subsea drone.
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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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Military Times has outlined helpful information about car insurance, renters insurance, and life insurance for troops.
2025 PCS Guide
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
Navy divers are searching for victims in Maui after deadly wildfire
The three-person mobile diving salvage unit from U.S. Pacific Fleet is also surveying for underwatr salvage operations in Lahaina Harbor.
By Diana Stancy
Update the weekend safety brief: Stay away from coyotes
Whether the altercation was incited by soldiers or the animals was not specified.
By J.D. Simkins
Senators could be forced to ram through some military nominations soon
Despite one senator's hold on 300-plus confirmations, Democratic leaders could advance some nominees individually.
New program accelerates military spouses’ job opportunities
Nearly three-fourths of spouses in the program have been hired by their employer who hosted their fellowship. More employers are needed.
By Karen Jowers
Army of one: the soldier who left Vietnam with 115 confirmed kills
Hooper was credited with 22 confirmed enemy KIA during a single day in February 1968.
By J.D. Simkins
These genetic tests are now part of Tricare’s covered benefits
These preconception and prenatal screenings can help identify people at risk for having children with certain genetic conditions.
By Karen Jowers
Even Morgan Freeman can’t make Pentagon briefings exciting
Freeman, who was the literal voice of God in “Bruce Almighty,” is also an Air Force veteran.
By Sarah Sicard