The US Navy has disclosed a test of the High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system aboard the USS Preble, which successfully neutralized four drones at sea. Lockheed Martin, which developed the system, notes that the test shows the potential for laser weapons to serve as a cost-effective defense against drone swarms. However, the Navy acknowledges challenges such as the need for power and cooling and performance issues related to weather conditions.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called for greater competition and innovation in the space sector, emphasizing the need for American space dominance. Speaking at Blue Origin's Rocket Factory, Hegseth highlighted concerns about the US becoming overly reliant on SpaceX for national security launches. The visit is part of Hegseth's Arsenal of Freedom tour, which promotes acquisition reforms to enhance competition in defense industries. Hegseth also visited NASA facilities and the Artemis II spacecraft.

The Pentagon has formed the Science, Technology and Innovation Board by merging the Defense Innovation Board and the Defense Science Board to unify efforts that address technological and scientific challenges. The move comes as the Pentagon faces criticism for cutting funding for basic research and reducing oversight, potentially undermining future innovation and scientific progress.

President Donald Trump has signed a $1.2 trillion funding bill that ends a partial government shutdown and funds most federal agencies until September. However, the Department of Homeland Security is only funded for two weeks, setting up a confrontation over Trump's immigration agenda.

Army Reserve leaders recently participated in a staff ride at Valley Forge, drawing parallels between the hardships faced by the Continental Army and modern military challenges. The event emphasized the importance of adaptability, resilience and innovation in leadership. Brig. Gen. Reginald Kornegay highlighted the need for leaders to understand mission control and adapt to technological advancements and changing battlefield dynamics.

The US Army is conducting a comprehensive survey of its existing contracts to pinpoint where missing technical data is impeding the ability to perform maintainance and repairs on equipment. Initiated in response to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's directive, the survey collects feedback from the field to identify contracts that lack right to repair provisions. The findings will guide whether the Army needs to renegotiate agreements or qualify additional sources, and are expected to be completed within the next month.

The Army Reserve is integrating robotics into combat engineering to enhance agility and operational experimentation, as demonstrated in Exercise Northern Strike 2026. This shift aims to reduce soldier risk and improve maneuverability in contested areas, supported by recent successful trials of unmanned systems. The Army Reserve's efforts are aligned with Transformation in Contact, which focuses on rapid prototyping and testing of new technologies to inform future force design.

Artificial intelligence is streamlining processing of veterans' claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs and has helped reduce the claims backlog by more than 57%, according to a case study by Booz Allen Hamilton. The document processing system, based on Amazon's Textract, uses optical character recognition and machine learning to create a searchable repository of veterans' documents, and a search function enables service representatives to filter records and find relevant information quickly.