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Selective Service System wants to wargame the draft
The government is looking to run a simulation on its new process to automatically register eligible men for the US military draft before national rollout.
In a suicide crisis, eligible veterans can go to any ER for free. Nearly 50,000 already have.
The COMPACT Act allows veterans to receive emergency suicide crisis care for free, but many eligible remain in the dark about its existence.
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Navy Reserve announces retention, recruiting bonuses up to $20,000
The Navy Reserve is offering retention and recruiting bonuses to sailors, officers and civilians, the service announced.
Navy’s ‘dinosaur’ carrier delivery plane flies into sunset
The C-2 Greyhound made its final carrier landing at the end of June, capping off its mission as the Navy’s only carrier delivery passenger plane.
House passes $1.15 trillion defense bill in near party-line vote
The U.S. House passed a $1.15 trillion defense bill Wednesday in a 216-212 vote.
US Navy moving forward on West Coast dock for aircraft carriers
The U.S. Navy is moving forward with plans to build a new dock for aircraft carriers on the West Coast.
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Pentagon & Congress
Even $500 could make a difference for military childcare workers, researchers find
Low pay is the leading reason military child care providers leave their jobs, but even a $500 bonus could help retain them, research found.
Navy announces recipients of 2026 Expeditionary Warfare Excellence Awards
The Expeditionary Warfare Excellence Awards recognize the top performing sailors and Marines from the 2025 calendar year.
25 years later, ‘Band of Brothers’ still resonates
The seminal HBO miniseries about World War II paratroopers is remembered by actors, who will participate in a symposium at the National WWII Museum.
Trump promised redemption for troops who refused COVID shots. A year later, many are still waiting.
They were kicked out of the military for refusing to get the COVID vaccine. Now reinstatement is taking longer than they ever expected.
In other news
Opinion
Widespread hormone replacement could yield long-term detriments that outweigh benefits
Widespread hormone replacement among troops could yield health and operational risks that outweigh benefits, former VA Secretary David Shulkin argues here.
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Celebrating America's 250-Year Legacy of Service, Sacrifice and Strength
For 250 years, generations of Americans have built, served and sacrificed for something greater than themselves.
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Apply for Best for Vets: Trusted Brands
Military Times is now accepting submissions from companies that offer verifiable value to the military community through programs and benefits.
Insurance Guide
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.
2025 Benefits Guide
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
Trump promised redemption for troops who refused COVID shots. A year later, many are still waiting.
They were kicked out of the military for refusing to get the COVID vaccine. Now reinstatement is taking longer than they ever expected.
By Leah Rosenbaum, The War Horse
Opinion
Widespread hormone replacement could yield long-term detriments that outweigh benefits
Widespread hormone replacement among troops could yield health and operational risks that outweigh benefits, former VA Secretary David Shulkin argues here.
By David Shulkin
Military’s largest supercomputer is now live at Navy base
Naval Support Activity Monterey, California, received a DGX GB300 computer — billed as the highest-performing AI processing system available.
By Hope Hodge Seck
House passes $1.15 trillion defense bill in near party-line vote
The U.S. House passed a $1.15 trillion defense bill Wednesday in a 216-212 vote.
US Navy moving forward on West Coast dock for aircraft carriers
The U.S. Navy is moving forward with plans to build a new dock for aircraft carriers on the West Coast.
By Michael Peck
Pentagon to roll out new test to assess troops’ cognitive performance
The Pentagon will transition from ANAM to an "improved capability" to further protect service members' brain health and test for TBIs.
Thousands of Marines, sailors back in Japan after deploying for Iran war
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is back in Okinawa after helping to enforce a Navy blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
By Riley Ceder
How a $10 billion veterans bill became a $78 billion debate
What changed between the 2023 and 2025 versions of the Richard Star Act to increase the projected cost so dramatically?
By Natalie Oliverio
4 US soldiers killed in Iran war return to American soil
Four U.S. service members returned to American soil in flag-draped caskets on Wednesday after being killed in Iranian attacks in the Middle East.
By Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters