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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.
Air Force MQ-9 fleet drops to 135 aircraft after Iran combat losses
The Air Force is seeking to backfill the inventory of MQ-9 Reapers and field a cheaper, more expendable replacement.
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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.
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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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Veterans
‘West-side Skid Row’: Pests, crime, litigation plague plans for VA’s Los Angeles campus
Pests and crime threaten VA's efforts to expand housing for homeless veterans at its sprawling west Los Angeles campus.
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.
In other news
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.
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
‘Deal Team Six’ enters the chat | Defense Dollars
The Pentagon looks to shake up the contracts and acquisition process and a rocket company soars on this week’s edition of Defense Dollars.
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MORE STORIES
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.
By Michael Peck
Austrian jets intercept US military planes two days in a row
The May 10 intercept reportedly took place over the Totes Gebirge mountain range in Upper Austria, over 60 kilometers from the German border.
By Linus Höller
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.
By Ellen Ioanes
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.
By J.D. Simkins
Pentagon seeks additional funding as cost of Iran war tops $29 billion
The increase from $25 billion just two weeks ago reflects “updated repair and replacement of equipment costs,” along with the “general operational costs."
By Tanya Noury
Former NFL tight end convicted for Medicare, VA fraud scheme
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for a yearslong plot that cost Medicare and VA nearly $200 million.
US, partner nations sink two decommissioned ships during Exercise Balikatan
A two-day strike saw the sinking of two vessels, utilizing land, sea and air platforms from the U.S., Philippine, Japanese and Canadian forces.
By Brooke Griswold
Poll: Americans don’t think Trump has explained Iran war goals
One in three Republicans and almost all Democrats said Trump has not “clearly explained the goals of U.S. military involvement in Iran.”
By Jason Lange, Reuters
Trump says war on Iran not ‘done’ — but concerns rise about munitions shortages
While Trump notified Congress on May 1 that Epic Fury had been terminated, he later said it was procedural and didn't mean an end to all military actions.
By Tanya Noury
Air Force experimenting with using AI for promotion boards
New uses of the Air Force's “AI Action Team” include promotion board screening and ranking.
By Hope Hodge Seck
Epic Fury has Navy rethinking carrier deployment tempo
The record-breaking deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford has reopened the debate about how the Navy should structure deployments and time at home.
By Hope Hodge Seck
Trump administration releases first tranche of ‘never-before-seen’ UFO files
“With these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?’” Trump wrote, adding, “Have Fun and Enjoy!"
By Tanya Noury
B-1 returns to flight after restoration, surviving the ‘boneyard’
The B-1B Lancer returned to service at Dyess Air Force Base following extensive maintenance efforts by the Tinker Air Force Base crew.
‘Maverick Act’ saves last 3 F-14 Tomcats from destruction
New legislation is keeping hope alive that the iconic swept-wing fighter could someday fly again.
By Hope Hodge Seck
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.
By Patricia Kime
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.
By Tanya Noury