The Army and Air Force say they are on track to meet their recruiting goals this year, reversing previous shortfalls using a swath of new programs and policy changes. But the Navy, while improving, expects once again to fall short. The mixed results reflect the ongoing challenges for the U.S. military as it struggles to attract recruits in a tight job market, where companies are willing to pay more and provide good benefits without the demands of service and warfighting. Even the services that are meeting their goals say they are still finding it difficult to attract the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards.

A former detainee at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison described to jurors in Virginia the abuse he suffered in more than a month of incarceration in 2003. It included beatings and being threatened with dogs. The testimony Monday from Salah Al-Ejaili marks the first time Abu Ghraib survivors have been able to bring their claims of torture to a U.S. jury. His testimony revives the 2004 photographs of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib that became a worldwide scandal. Al-Ejaili and two other Abu Ghraib detainees are suing Virginia-based military contractor CACI. They accuse the company's civilian interrogators of contributing to their abuse. The company denies wrongdoing.

The Philippine president says his administration has no plan to give the U.S. military access to more Philippine army sites. He stressed that the American military presence in several camps and bases so far was sparked by China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had allowed American forces and weapons access to four additional Philippine military bases, bringing to nine the number of sites where U.S. troops can rotate indefinitely. His decision alarmed China because two of the new sites were located just across from Taiwan and southern China. Beijing accused the Philippines of providing American forces with staging grounds, which could be used to undermine its security.

Federal authorities have indicted the owners of a Colorado funeral home on criminal charges for fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief funds from the U.S. government. The husband and wife already face state charges of corpse abuse after 190 decaying bodies were discovered in their funeral home’s storage building last year. The new charges Monday against Jon and Carie Hallford underscore their alleged lies, money laundering, forgery and manipulation over the past four years that devastated grieving family members. U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott Varholak has scheduled a Thursday hearing to decide if the couple should remain in custody. The couple's attorneys say they should not be detained pending trial but a federal prosecutor says they're a flight risk.

Israel’s military chief says Israel will respond to Iran’s weekend missile strike. But he has not elaborated on when and how. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Monday that Israel is still considering its next steps and that the Iranian strike of missiles and attack drones “will be met with a response.” Halevi spoke during a visit to the Nevatim air base, which Israel says suffered light damage in the Iranian attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been huddling with top officials to discuss a possible response. World leaders have been urging Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched the attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.