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Boeing lands Chinook without a pilot at the controls
Boeing used its A2X software to autonomously guide an Army CH-47 Chinook through its final approach and landing.
US Army turns to Ukraine-tested drones to counter Iranian UAV threat
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told lawmakers the service has purchased 13,000 low-cost interceptor drones to counter Iranian-made Shahed drones.
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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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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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Your Army
Unregulated prediction market may endanger US national security, experts and lawmakers warn
With how futures markets are structured, officials could place bets anonymously and influence combat operations to ensure they get a payout, experts say.
US Navy destroyer fires on cargo vessel attempting to sail to Iranian port
The USS Spruance "disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room," CENTCOM stated.
Opinion
How chest-thumping rhetoric erodes service member safety
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's brash rhetoric is profoundly destabilizing for actively-serving military families, this military spouse argues.
Advocates press for preventive programs, VA benefits for struggling vets
Representatives from specialty courts and veterans’ legal organizations pressed Congress Wednesday for expansion of the Veterans Treatment Courts system.
In other news
Starlink outage hit drone tests, exposing Pentagon’s growing reliance on SpaceX
Last August, a global outage across Elon Musk’s satellite network left U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessels bobbing off California, halting operations.
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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Beating UAV threats starts with time—and better radar
Leonardo DRS explains how radar range and speed are critical to countering UAV threats.
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MORE STORIES
Suicide rates among military families continue to climb
The total overall number decreased, a drop that coincides with smaller overall force numbers.
By Patricia Kime
Army officer pleads guilty to 17 charges in firearms parts smuggling case
As part of a deal, the Army lieutenant colonel pleaded guilty to 17 of 21 charges against him.
New Army assault aircraft named ‘Cheyenne II’
The Army on Wednesday announced it would name the service's new assault aircraft, the Bell MV-75, the "Cheyenne II" in honor of the Native American tribes.
By Eve Sampson
Bill from vets in Congress would keep military roles open to women
The bill, which lacks Republican sponsors, is explicitly described as a response to the Pentagon review of women in ground combat roles.
By Hope Hodge Seck
US blockade halts ship traffic to Iranian ports, CENTCOM says
No ships entered or exited Iranian ports in the first 24 hours of a U.S. blockade involving more than 10,000 troops.
By Eve Sampson
100-year-old B-17 turret gunner knighted by France
Phillip “Bruce” Cook flew 35 missions as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress, tasked with fighting for air supremacy over occupied Europe.
Pentagon’s women-in-combat review reassigned; deadline extended
A Pentagon-ordered review on the effectiveness of women in combat is now under new management, Military Times has learned.
75th Ranger Regiment soldiers win sixth straight Best Ranger Competition
Soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment won the Army's Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia.
By Eve Sampson
Marines win top sniper competition
Two Marine snipers brought home the top prize at this year’s International Sniper Competition in a rare win for the Corps.
By Eve Sampson
Vietnam veteran’s gravestone somber reminder of war’s toll
The gravestone is evidence that Vietnam veteran Eugene “Gene” Marion Simmers carried the burden of decades-long grief and trauma.
US blockade of Iran will be major military endeavor, experts say
The U.S. military has not offered basic details yet about the blockade, including how many U.S. warships will enforce it.
By Phil Stewart
US Navy to blockade Strait of Hormuz ‘effective immediately,’ Trump says
“Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” the president wrote on Sunday.
By Saad Sayeed, Asif Shahzad and Mubasher Bukhari, Reuters
US military begins clearing Strait of Hormuz, Trump says
Reports emerged Saturday about the presence of U.S. Navy ships in the strait.
By Reuters
The only Navy Seabee awarded the nation’s highest award for valor
The early, brutal battle to protect a Special Forces camp near Dong Xoai changed the course of the Vietnam War. Marvin Shields gave his all in its defense.
By Jon Guttman
Army debuts data operations center to serve as information hub
The Army Data Operations Center’s debut is part of an enormous push to further integrate data and machine learning into military operations.
By Ellen Ioanes
Pentagon, FAA sign agreement on deploying anti-drone laser system near Mexico
The agreement came after the FAA conducted testing in New Mexico on the laser system used by the Pentagon and Homeland Security Department.
By David Shepardson, Reuters