Here are some stories you may have missed over the past week:

• The United States military mission in Afghanistan will officially end Aug. 31. “The likelihood that there’s going to be a Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely,” President Joe Biden told reporters in defense of ending the mission.
• The Senate Armed Services Committee will mark up the National Defense Authorization Act July 19-21.
• The Army will start mandating COVID-19 vaccines this fall pending full FDA approval. (Army Times)
• A new bill from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) would reduce defense spending every time the DOD failed to produce a clean audit.
• Two dozen House progressives want to exclude any defense funds from a possible infrastructure bill, even as some lawmakers try to include money to update military industrial facilities. (Politico Morning Defense)
• A senior DOD official said there is a “troubling gap” in what the military says about its sexual harassment policies and what behaviors commanders actually tolerate. (Defense One)
• House appropriators want to provide dedicated funding to study extremism targeted at veterans, including whether they subject to “conspiracies that may have motivated participation in the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6.” (Military Times)

Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Corey Vandiver