Top stories
Army plans summer deployments to southern border
The 1st Armored Division is set to assume command of the southern border mission.
5 US bases selected for anti-drone pilot program
Two military installations along the southern border are among the five that will receive anti-drone energy systems.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Iran Coverage
Defense News is covering the evolving military, strategic, and regional implications of tensions and operations involving Iran.
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.
EDITOR'S PICKS
Pentagon & Congress
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."
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.
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.”
In other news
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.
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?
Don't miss
VIDEOS
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.
Featured Videos
Trending Now
MORE STORIES
Makeshift tourniquets saved soldier’s life after Arkansas training accident
One soldier was seriously injured after two heavy expanded mobility tactical trucks collided during training Monday.
As the US Army adds drones to formations, here’s how one base trains its operators
Fort Stewart soldiers are figuring out how to train on unmanned systems after the base stood up the Marne Unmanned Center of Excellence.
By Eve Sampson
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
Military spouses head to the Hill, push for removal of barriers to small businesses to boost retention
Advocates aim to introduce the Military Spouse Small Business Recognition Act, arguing it could improve access to capital, national security and retention.
White House casts cartels, jihadists and left-wing extremists as ‘significant and pervasive’ threats to US
The Trump administration asserted that politically-motivated violence is driven by individuals who have "espoused extremist transgender ideologies."
By Tanya Noury
Army aviator who hid behind dating profile alias convicted of rape
Warrant Officer Dawson Van Manen was sentenced to 31 years in prison after a military jury convicted him of rape.
By Eve Sampson
A small town in Germany braces for end to decades of life with US troops
A picturesque Bavarian town has hosted U.S. forces since the end of WWII and could bear the brunt of the U.S. military's withdrawal from Germany.
By Lisi Niesner, Reuters
Lawmakers introduce bill to lower drug costs for service members, veterans
The proposal would allow Tricare beneficiaries and VA patients to pay the lowest government-negotiated price for prescription drugs.
By Tanya Noury
Commissaries reverse decision to charge for single-use bags
The decision came only one month after the bag fees went into effect.
Life or death centered around a canteen for this AEF soldier
While under a hail of machine gun fire, William Sawelson crawled through the mud to deliver water to a wounded soldier.
By Jon Guttman
Here’s what’s behind the US Army’s $2.1B R&D funding increase
Within the Army’s $253 billion budget request is a proposal to boost research and development spending by 12.9%.
By Daniel Terrill
Danger pay for US troops could double, expand to more regions
The U.S. defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 has raised the prospect of an increase in the monthly stipend paid out to troops in dangerous regions.
By Hope Hodge Seck
Refusing evacuation, this Marine packed dirt into his wound and continued to fight
The patch of contested real estate known as the Battle of Getlin’s Corner is also remembered for an officer who stood out in a field full of valor.
By Jon Guttman
Defense Department proposes splitting military health system budget
The Defense Department wants to split its funding for the military health system to protect military facilities and care.
By Patricia Kime
As US eyes smaller military footprint in Europe, new unit trains for drone warfare
The U.S. Army is standing up a new unit in Germany to train personnel on drone warfare, even as the Pentagon looks to scale down troop numbers there.
By Eve Sampson