U.S. Army Lt. Col. Glass and Sgt. Maj. Saldana both assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, 1st Armored Brigade,Combat Team, speak with Sgt. Jason Edwards,assigned to 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera) during Anakonda 2016 in Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, June 9, 2016. Pfc. Jacquelynn Gaines/Army. | Military Times >>

Today’s Top Stories 

The sharp rise in the Army’s suicide rate from 2004 through 2009 coincided with unusually heavy demands on the nation’s all-volunteer military, as hundreds of thousands of troops, most of them in the Army, deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The vast majority have since come home, but suicide rates remain stubbornly high. | USA Today >>

At 6 a.m., hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked from multiple directions, using the high ground to assault COP Keating’s low position. It was a well-planned, well-rehearsed, full-on assault meant to overrun and destroy the American’s entire position. | The Daily Beast >>

A program that houses inmates with military experience in the same section of the Garland County jail in Hot Springs is winning praise from criminal justice officials, jail officials and the veterans who are inmates. The program began about five months ago to test the idea that the chance of rehabilitation is better by housing veterans together in the same way other treatment groups are housed. | The Washington Times >>

Iraq & Afghanistan

The father of Omar Mateen, identified by police as the man behind the carnage at an Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning, is an Afghan man who holds strong political views, including support for the Afghan Taliban. In a video he posted on Saturday, he appears to be portraying himself as the president of Afghanistan. | The Washington Post >>

Iraqi troops advanced against Islamic State south of Mosul on Sunday as the U.S.-led coalition intensifies its campaign against the militants on multiple fronts across their self-proclaimed caliphate. | Reuters >>

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mijahed told Bloomberg that the group is still waiting to receive confirmation from its top officials. “If confirmed, the endorsement will deliver brightness to our spirits and strengthen our jihad against U.S. invaders.” | Fox News >>

Military Affairs

Lindsey Muller spent most of her 16-year Army career as a man named Ryan. About two years ago, the UH-64 Apache Longbow pilot changed her name, started taking female hormones and underwent what the 34-year-old describes as “female puberty.” | Marine Corps Times >>

Lt. Gen. Robert P. Otto, Air Force chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, said leadership strikes have only a short-term effect. Bombing Islamic State’s oil production sites and cash hoards have hurt the group much more. | Military.com >>

The gun safety group founded by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords has recruited an unlikely ally: a group of former high-level military officials. The political action committee Americans for Responsible Solutions, co-founded by retired Navy veteran and astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly, has formed a new group composed of military officials who will advocate for stricter gun regulations. | Military Times >>

#VETSRISING

“We’ve had several times folks say thank you for saving my life,” he said, “And I think as long as we continue to have that, we’ll continue to have LEEK and continue to help our wounded, injured veterans.” | ABC 27 >>

They served in various branches of the Armed Forces and left pieces of themselves in Afghanistan and Iraq. They had limbs blown to shreds. They had 60-, 70-, sometimes 80-percent of their bodies burned. They suffered severe head injuries, spinal injuries and psychological torture unfathomable for those who never have known the perils of combat. | CBS Houston >>

Sims said he felt betrayed and wanted to hurt someone. Williams persuaded him to come to his office. “I focused on the fact I was a veteran and that I cared about him,” Williams said. “I wanted him to know I was on his team.” | The Orange County Register >>