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Navy did not document changes to recruitment procedures, watchdog says
The Navy reached its recruitment goal in fiscal 2024 by working through a backlog of 8,600 medical waivers, recruiting 5,845 sailors in the process.
US strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program up to 2 years, DOD says
“We’re thinking probably closer to two years — like degraded their program by two years,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Wednesday.
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Pentagon creates new military border zone in Arizona
The fourth national defense area created along the US-Mexico border will be an extension of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in the Sonora Desert.
Chinese nationals charged with spying on US Navy
The DOJ said two Chinese nationals spied on Navy sailors and bases for China's intelligence agency and attempted to recruit service members as assets.
Senate passes Trump’s major policy bill with $150 billion for the DOD
Funding included in the bill would go toward shipbuilding, the Golden Dome homeland missile defense project, munitions and other key Pentagon priorities.
Pentagon awards $5 billion contract to speed up ship manufacturing
The Navy continues to be under immense pressure to hasten the process of shipbuilding and modernize methods of repair and manufacturing.
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Military History
Veteran Kurt Russell discovers his surprising Revolutionary War ties
On July Fourth, actor Kurt Russell visited a small museum in Massachusetts dedicated to his ancestor, who was killed by British soldiers 250 years ago.
Explore the depths of Ironbottom Sound with Bob Ballard’s team, live
Audiences will be able to embark on a real-time exploration of the waters surrounding Guadalcanal and the naval battles that changed the course of history.
Navy to stop sharing satellite weather data with NOAA
While Defense Meteorological Satellite Program data will no longer be provided to NOAA, the agency has not lost all access to global weather imaging.
Why it’s hard to know the damage the US did to Iran’s nuclear program
Opinion: Analysts will need more intelligence from more sources to make a confident judgment about the effects on Fordo and Iran’s broader nuclear efforts.
In other news
House passes Trump megabill with $150 billion in military funding
The bill includes $150 billion for the Pentagon, earmarked for shipbuilding, the Golden Dome and restocking precision weapons, among other priorities.
VIDEOS
What’s in the Pentagon budget for 2026?
In a year without a large-scale DOD budget rollout, our reporters decipher what programs will receive Pentagon funding in fiscal 2026.
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SPECIAL FEATURES
Sea-Air-Space 2025 Coverage
Defense News is reporting on the top headlines and news coming out of Navy League’s annual show.
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.
‘A new challenge’: Air Force vet becomes two-time living organ donor
Air Force veteran Lindsay Gutierrez is a two-time living organ donor after giving a kidney to a fellow veteran and part of her liver to another recipient.
An ode to Dwight Schrute, The Office’s best squad leader
He'd rub people the wrong way in a real squad. But he'd also make sure you had water, ammo and a working red lens flashlight on the night of land nav.
By Clay Beyersdorfer
Why Despicable Me’s Gru is just a warrant officer with better branding
If Gru wore a uniform, it wouldn’t have stars or stripes. It would have a coffee stain and rank that no one really understands.
Why Patrick Star is the blue falcon of Bikini Bottom
Patrick Star is every lovable mess-up squadmate who cost you a weekend because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut during formation.
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MORE STORIES
Drones attack Sevastopol, crashed UAV found near Moscow
The attack was the latest in a series of attempted strikes on Sevastopol, the main naval base in Crimea that Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
Military children’s artwork on display in White House exhibit
The display of 10 mini “suitcases” designed by military and veteran children reflects their lives of frequent moves.
Explorers find WWII ship sunk with over 1,000 Allied POWs
Explorers found a sunken Japanese ship that was transporting Allied prisoners of war when it was torpedoed off the coast of the Philippines in 1942.
Ken Potts, one of last USS Arizona survivors, dies at 102
One of the last two remaining survivors of the USS Arizona battleship, which sank during the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, has died.
Why the 155mm round is so critical to the war in Ukraine
The 155mm howitzer round is one of the most requested artillery munitions of the war in Ukraine.
By Tara Copp, AP
Lawmakers war-game conflict with China, hoping to deter one
The exercise explored American diplomatic, economic and military options if the United States and China were to reach the brink of war over Taiwan.
Special forces swiftly evacuate US embassy staff from Sudan
About 100 U.S. troops in three MH-47 helicopters carried out the operation.
By Tara Copp, AP
This week in Congress: More scrutiny for troubled vets records program
Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of April 24, 2023.
The stereotypical ways zombies defeat the military in cinema
Despite the military’s epic arsenal, it never seems to be enough to stop a zombie plague.
By Sarah Sicard
Expansion of commissary doorstep delivery program on hold, for now
Prices for home delivery in the commissary pilot program have more than quadrupled as officials try to find a way to make the program work.
By Karen Jowers