The hour was dominated by signals regarding U.S. national security and resource depletion. The Pentagon is reportedly facing critical shortages of long-range precision missiles following intensive operations in the Iran war, which, paired with U.S. crude oil supplies hitting a 45-year low of 43 days, has intensified concerns about military and energy readiness. Separately, a bipartisan House report revealed that Chinese state-owned telecommunications carriers maintained unauthorized U.S. network infrastructure years after federal regulators revoked their authority. Beyond these security issues, analysts warn of a structural scarcity in physical precious metals as central bank demand outpaces supply. Markets remain cautious, evidenced by Western Digital’s sharp decline and volatility in Asian currencies linked to Strait of Hormuz transit concerns, while domestic headlines addressed a federal autism committee's research framework and a new inquiry into past FBI investigations.