The Senate has confirmed new commanders to lead troops in the Middle East and Europe, elevating Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper to helm U.S. Central Command and Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich to oversee U.S. European Command.

A Russia-appointed official in Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk region said that Moscow’s forces have overrun all of it — one of four regions Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in September 2022 despite not fully controlling a single one.

Denmark is seeking to increase the number of young people in the military by extending compulsory enlistment to women for the first time. The change comes against a backdrop of Russian aggression and growing military investment across NATO countries.

Major heat waves across Southern Europe have pushed temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit in many countries, including Italy, Spain and Greece, as local authorities issued fresh warnings against the risk of wildfires.

Two people died and at least 17 others were injured as Russian drones struck the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa.

British police have arrested four people over a break-in at RAF Brize Norton, about 65 miles from RAF Lakenheath, which hosts a large, permanent U.S. Air Force presence.

Patriot air defense crews had seconds to fire as a barrage of Iranian missiles headed toward their positions earlier this week at Al Udeid Air Base, the U.S. military installation in Qatar that serves as a command hub for all Middle East operations.

German leaders intend to ramp up defense spending and build the most powerful armed forces in Europe, but shadows of World War II leave many Germans uneasy about militarization.

At the military alliance’s summit Wednesday, members agreed to raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP. But Spain’s prime minister secured a last-minute exemption, saying that Spain will only spend up to 2.1%. Spain was NATO’s lowest spender last year.

Ukraine’s Black Sea operations against Russia are shaping U.S. Navy and NATO thinking on the future of drones, mines and missile tactics in global maritime warfare.