Retired U.S. Air Force General Glen VanHerck said at the Space & Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, that Iranian F-5 fighter jets conducted low‑altitude bombing runs on Camp Buehring in Kuwait on or around March 1, marking the first aerial attack on U.S. forces of this type in decades. He noted the attack coincided with combined U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Camp Buehring has been continuously occupied by U.S. forces since 2003. Iranian state media claimed that three refurbished F‑5s, called Kowsars, flew from Iran at altitudes under 50 feet and at high speed to evade detection, targeting Patriot missile batteries. The alleged strike caused confusion that led a Kuwaiti F/A‑18 to shoot down three U.S. F‑15E jets in a friendly‑fire incident; no fatalities were reported.

The U.S. government has not officially confirmed the Iranian attack. NBC News reported the incident in April, citing anonymous officials, and PressTV later detailed the alleged mission, saying pilots avoided Patriot defenses and used radio silence. Questions remain about the origin of the jets, the fuel required for the long flight, and the capability of the F‑5s to carry unguided bombs. The incident highlighted deficiencies in joint air‑defense coordination between the Air Force and Army, with VanHerck saying responsibility had been unclear and that the services had “accepted risk” without a clear decision on mission ownership. The Air Force is now moving to assume responsibility for defending its installations, while the Army continues to field integrated air‑ and missile‑defense systems, including Patriot and THAAD, which are reportedly low on interceptors after recent combat operations. Efforts to replenish those stocks and develop new counter‑drone and cruise‑missile capabilities are underway but are expected to take years.

The event underscores ongoing concerns about U.S. air‑defense readiness in the region and the need for clearer command and control arrangements across services, while the full scope of the Iranian F‑5 strike on Kuwait remains unverified.

South Korean police arrested two former Chinese service members on suspicion they illegally gathered military information from U.S. bases in South Korea. Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. overseas military base, is located about 40 miles south of Seoul and serves as the headquarters for U.S. Forces Korea, the United Nations Command, and several other commands. Police said suspect A, a man in his 60s, was detained on Monday after investigators alleged he installed a software-defined radio receiver, antenna and laptop at a hotel near Gunsan Airport to monitor air traffic control communications at Kunsan Air Base. He told police the activity was a personal hobby. Suspect B, a man in his 40s, was detained on Tuesday. He operated a military goods store near the base from November 2021 to May 2026 and is accused of providing money and gifts to a South Korean employee inside the installation in exchange for details about base activities, training exercises, weapons movements, and photographs of command posts and change‑of‑command ceremonies. Police said suspect C, a South Korean employee, supplied the information to suspect B, claiming it was needed for his business. Both suspects remain in custody while the investigation continues. The police releases did not indicate that any of the collected data was transmitted to the Chinese government. USFK spokesman Kim Eun‑chong declined to comment, and the Ministry of National Defense said it could not comment on the ongoing police investigation. The cases are still under investigation.

Sailors gathered for a pass‑in‑review ceremony at the Midway Ceremonial Drill Hall on April 23, 2026, during Recruit Training Command (RTC). The Navy’s 2026 commercial, part of the Forged By The Sea campaign, challenged young Americans to consider joining the service. Rear Adm. James Waters, head of Navy Recruiting Command, said the campaign’s theme was to ask, “Are you good enough to join this elite world class organization?”

The Navy met its FY 2026 recruiting target of 45,000 personnel in July, three months before the scheduled fall deadline. The goal represented a 10 percent increase over the previous year and was the largest since over two decades. Fifty‑one point five two percent of first contacts with Navy Recruiting came through marketing, Waters said. The service used artificial intelligence to analyze recruitment data and a Salesforce‑based system to manage information, including an 8 a.m. daily briefing at the Recruiting Operations Center in Millington, Tennessee, to review barriers, waivers, goal progress, and shipping status.

Recruiters now receive training that integrates classroom learning with station assignments, allowing them to resolve living‑arrangement issues before courses. Courses have become more rigorous, and additional tools such as a texting feature linked to Salesforce automatically log conversations and reduce manual work. A trifold laptop screen attachment enables recruiters to work while mobile.

These strategies also supported the delayed entry program (DEP), which grew from 25 percent of recruits at the start of FY 2026 to a projected 33 percent for FY 2027, with a goal of 50 percent the following year.

Attrition rates were 10.18 percent in FY 2026, 10.39 percent in FY 2025, 9.26 percent in FY 2024, and 9.82 percent in FY 2023, with higher rates in 2022 (14.11 percent) and 2021 (11.09 percent). First‑term contract attrition averaged 8 percent per fiscal year, with FY 2025 at 8.5 percent and FY 2024 at 7.4 percent.

Waters said the Navy is well positioned for FY 27, though the FY 2027 recruiting goal has not been publicly disclosed. The April budget projection placed the FY 2027 target at about 36,900 personnel, roughly 9,000 lower than FY 2026, reflecting a smaller planned increase in end strength, which is expected to reach 356,600 in FY 2027.

The U.S. Navy requested $1.75 billion in fiscal year 2027 discretionary procurement and research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funding for the MQ-25 Stingray carrier‑based unmanned aircraft system.

The CRS report released August 12, 2026, provides background on the program and its implications for Congress.

The MQ-25 would become the Department of Defense’s first uncrewed tanker and the Navy’s first carrier‑based unmanned aerial vehicle.

It is intended to extend the effective operating range of crewed fighters and to reduce the strain on existing aircraft used for mid‑air refueling.

Navy officials testified that the aircraft serves as a pathfinder for a future carrier air wing that could incorporate multiple unmanned systems.

The FY2027 request would fund the procurement of three aircraft and represent the second year of low‑rate initial production.

The program of record estimates a total of 76 aircraft, comprising 67 operational and nine test or developmental units.

Congress has expressed interest in the carrier‑based drone as part of its oversight of future carrier air wing structures.

Funding approval remains pending.