Just like old times.
The Pentagon announced it successfully intercepted an Iranian missile attack on U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East, subsequently launching retaliatory strikes against Iran in response to the failed attack on American troops.
Dig Deeper
A resumption of U.S. combat operations against Iran under Operation Epic Fury has further drawn down already-diminished American air defense interceptor inventories, raising readiness concerns. Read more from CSIS.
Top Headlines
Senators Bernie Sanders and Chuck Grassley have reintroduced legislation that would impose financial penalties on the Pentagon for failing to pass its annual audit, targeting an agency that has not achieved a clean audit opinion since audits were mandated by Congress.
President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy discussed a potential deal to license Ukraine to produce Patriot air defense interceptors domestically, with Zelenskyy stating Trump accepted giving Ukraine production licenses, as the two leaders also discussed reviving ceasefire negotiations with Russia.
The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence, installing a permanent leader for the nation's intelligence agencies after weeks of delay. Clayton, formerly the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and ex-SEC chairman, succeeds Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned in May.
The Pentagon has initiated a formal review of U.S. force posture in Europe, following repeated calls by Trump administration officials for European allies to take on greater responsibility for NATO's conventional defense.
U.S. Central Command announced a joint U.S.-UAE task force focused on artificial intelligence, raising questions among former senior defense officials about the feasibility and risks of classified information sharing between the two countries.
The U.S. Marine Corps has accepted delivery of its final MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, closing out a production run that stretched nearly two decades after the type achieved initial operational capability in 2007. The MV-22 is the Marines' primary medium-lift assault support platform, capable of both vertical takeoff and fixed-wing cruise flight, and has seen extensive combat and humanitarian deployments across multiple theaters. Despite the end of new production, the existing fleet is expected to remain in front-line service through approximately 2055, meaning the airframe will underpin Marine assault support aviation for another three decades.
Dig Deeper
The U.S. Air Force is considering returning B-52 bombers to service after a radar upgrade program suffered a significant setback following a fatal crash in California, complicating modernization efforts for the Eisenhower-era aircraft. Read more from Breaking Defense.
The House-passed defense authorization bill includes a provision to encourage co-development and co-production between the U.S. and Israeli defense industrial bases, a measure described as controversial among lawmakers.
The Pentagon has issued a solicitation for autonomous surface vessels capable of launching attack drones, with a requirement that prototype systems be ready for testing within 120 days of contract award.
The FBI has flagged Anthropic's Mythos AI system as a potential law enforcement problem, expressing concern that adversaries could exploit the tool to uncover system vulnerabilities and enhance offensive capabilities.
MARSOC is partnering with the SOFWERX innovation hub and private industry to develop an "automated armory" system that would use computer vision and related technologies to automate the storage, tracking, and management of weapons at military armories. The initiative aims to reduce the administrative and personnel burden associated with manual armory operations — tasks that traditionally require dedicated staff to log, issue, and account for weapons and equipment.
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Feature Opinions
Aerospace Industries Association President Eric Fanning discussed the current U.S. defense budget outlook, the health of the defense industrial base, and the state of foreign military sales, including potential areas for reform in how those sales are structured and processed.
Artificial intelligence agents and automation applied to military enterprise workflows are being characterized as readiness multipliers rather than mere administrative tools, with the argument that streamlining back-office processes directly accelerates warfighting capability and operational readiness at the front line.
A GSA workforce official argues that veterans' preference and other federal hiring rules have become outdated procedural obstacles that hinder recruiting for technical roles, calling for reforms to modernize a system that hasn't been updated in decades.
In the weeds
Two Stimson Center experts argue that despite U.S. air dominance neutralizing Iranian air defenses, airpower alone cannot reopen the Strait of Hormuz because the decisive contest has shifted to undersea and subsurface threats, posing a harder challenge for U.S. military forces.
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The Department of Veterans Affairs will no longer require existing FedRAMP certification as a prerequisite for cloud contracts, according to a memo from a senior IT official, who framed the policy change as a way to reduce procurement delays while still maintaining security standards.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has unveiled its new AI Technology Evaluation, designed to provide exclusive datasets for grading AI models' performance across select capability areas, offering a standardized benchmarking resource for assessing emerging AI systems.
Seven teams are competing in DARPA's Rads to Watts program to develop miniature nuclear power cells roughly the size of a AA battery, capable of operating for years or decades without recharging, addressing persistent power challenges for small sensors and devices.
Accenture has won an $821 million contract to develop and mature the Pentagon's War Data Platform, a system designed to enhance AI-powered battlefield data integration and decision-making capabilities for the Department of Defense.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao appointed John Cremins, a former Navy SEAL and defense executive, to serve as the deputy under secretary of the Navy for intelligence and security.
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