Top 5     Percentage of veterans serving in incoming congressional class drops to 15% (Military Times) At least 57 veterans will serve in the 120th Congress, and another 20 are in races too close to call, with several veterans vying for another seat, according to an analysis by Military Times.       Fort Hood shooting victims not memorialized among Global War on Terror casualties (Military Times) Seventeen years after Army Maj. Nidal Hassan shouted “God is the greatest” in Arabic and opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, the 12 soldiers and a civilian physician’s assistant who died on Nov. 5, 2009, and the 32 injured, appear on few memorials or databases marking post-9/11 casualties, despite receiving the Purple Heart more than a decade ago.       Hegseth vows to defend Pentagon policies as Democrats flip Congress (Federal News Network) "We put America and the warfighter first, always and without apology," he said. "That fight continues in the lame duck Congress."       Army honors soldiers who faced down Fort Stewart gunman (Military Times) First, Sgt. Aaron Turner saw the hoodie. Then the boots. Then his eyes followed the arm carrying a weapon.       As the VA leans on automation, errors in veterans’ claims soar (The Beam) Randy Leger Diaz said his whole body was in pain after serving in the Marines.   Operation Timeline     The human impact of policy changes at the DOD and VA (The War Horse) An ongoing timeline of the Trump administration’s actions focusing on the military and veterans.   Congress & Politics     Trump admits Iran war hurt GOP in midterms but defends military campaign (Stars and Stripes) President Donald Trump acknowledged that the war he started with Iran contributed to Republican losses in midterm elections, but he defended his decision and ruled out any changes to his Cabinet as a result of the resounding defeat.   AIr Force     Air Force plans thousands of training flights out of small islands near Guam (Stars and Stripes) The Air Force wants to use four airfields on three Pacific islands near Guam as training grounds for dispersed warfare, proposing more than 6,000 aircraft operations a year to prepare for conflict without relying on large, vulnerable bases.   Coast Guard     5 rescued after 3 months adrift in the Pacific after unsuccessful Coast Guard search (Stars and Stripes) Five people thought lost at sea were rescued near a remote Pacific island over the weekend, more than three months after the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search around Micronesia.   National Guard     Hegseth expands National Guard presence in DC (Politico) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the National Guard to begin using boats, several dozen marked police cars, humvees and light medium tactical vehicles in the nation’s capital — an escalation of the troops' presence that could further blur the line between their military and law enforcement role.   Veterans     US ID's remains of WWII soldier from iconic 'Merrill's Marauders' (CBS News) The U.S. military said it has identified the remains of a soldier who fought with the iconic "Merrill's Marauders" unit during World War II.   Defense Industry     Israeli defense company says this trigger is programmed to shoot drones (Defense News) Thailand’s Ministry of Defence began fielding a new computerized rifle trigger designed to help soldiers shoot down small drones, according to last month’s announcement by the device’s manufacturer, Israel Weapon Industries, or IWI. Company officials consider the deployment a real-world endorsement of the Arbel Anti-Drone System as a potential solution for countering drones on the battlefield.       MBDA plans to fly ‘fat’ hypersonic interceptor demonstrator before end-2029 (Defense News) An industry consortium developing a European hypersonic interceptor plans to fly a full-systems demonstrator by the end of 2029, project leader MBDA said in a briefing at the Euronaval maritime-defense exhibition.       Vector introduces ready-to-go one-way attack drone (Military Times) Utah-based defense company Vector has unveiled the Warfighter’s Stack, an integrated one-way attack drone system that combines its Mace quadcopter, electronic arming device and a controller.       Shield AI to acquire radar maker Echodyne to bust drones (Military Times) Shield AI agreed to acquire Echodyne in a $5.3 billion transaction announced Thursday — a major financial transaction that expands the prime defense contractors’ drone-warfare capabilities.   Ukraine     Italy set to ship fresh military aid to Ukraine despite coalition split (Reuters ) Italy is finalising a new military aid package for Ukraine, its ?first this year, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said, championing continued support for Kyiv despite mounting tensions within the ruling coalition over prolonging arms deliveries.   International     Poland arrest four in probe into military supplies sent to Russia (Reuters ) Polish authorities arrested four people on charges of spying for Russian intelligence services and providing ?them with military components, the Polish Internal ?Security Agency said on Thursday.       North Korea's army of world-class hackers is secret weapon that took down Binance (Reuters ) North Korea rewards its top hackers, tasked with heists like the Binance crypto hack that netted a cool $6.3 billion, with perks such as a spacious apartment in the capital of Pyongyang and huge hard currency awards, despite gruelling hours of work.       Germany names Army Chief Freuding as next chief of defense (Reuters ) German Army Chief Christian Freuding will become the country’s chief of defense, assuming the job of Germany’s highest-ranking soldier in February 2027, the defense ministry said in a statement on Thursday.       Popular military air show permanently pulled from RAF Fairford after suspected terror threat (Military Times) Over a month after a suspected Iranian threat at RAF Fairford rattled officials, one of the world’s biggest annual air shows hosted at the United Kingdom base is permanently relocating to a different installation in the country.   Video     Pentagon treats military base freezer malfunctions as suspected cyberattack (Defense News) Did someone hack into some frozen food freezers and intentionally sabotage them? Military investigators want to know.       What could the Humvee of the future look like? (Defense News) From vehicles to wearable drone detection, new soldier systems were on display at AUSA 2026. Check out a roundup of our social coverage.       Drone mothership from Turkish company tests 16 FPY payload (Defense News) Turkish drone maker Baykar posted footage showing one of it’s large UAVs taking off with 16 FPVs ready to launch on nearby targets.       Hegseth dismisses impeachment threat in post-election remarks (Defense News) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a video message following election results calling for budget requests to be approved by Congress, and waving away talk of his potential impeachment.       How General Dynamics Is Modernizing Military Communications Security (Defense News) General Dynamics Mission Systems discusses high-speed encryption and adaptable security technology designed to protect military networks as cyber threats evolve   Commentary & Analysis     ‘Inside CENTCOM’ podcast launches amid Iran conflict (Military Times) For more than two decades, American forward operating bases across the Middle East appeared all but untouchable, bastions of U.S. military might where troops often strolled openly, sans body armor and devoid of concern about an enemy lurking beyond guarded gates.       From group homes to Navy barracks: How foster care prepared me for the military (The War Horse) I joined the Navy expecting to be rocked by the structure. Instead, it felt like home.       America’s AI ambitions depend on Taiwan (Foreign Affairs Magazine) The United States and China are locked in a global competition to determine who will dominate artificial intelligence and whether it will be democracies or autocracies that set the standards and values of the new digital age. The United States leads the world in the sophistication and power of its artificial intelligence models, and its innovation base and investment in research and development remain unparalleled.       Who repairs the internet in wartime? (War on the Rocks) In spring 2026, Britain, Norway, and the United States tracked and disrupted a covert Arctic exercise off the coast of Norway involving Russian deep-sea submersibles simulating the deployment of a weapon designed to disable the two 1,400-kilometer submarine cables linking the islands of Svalbard to mainland Norway.       The Golden Dome proposal is destabilizing and dangerous (War on the Rocks) Golden Dome is an ambitious proposal for a comprehensive, layered defense, with ground, sea, and space-based elements.       The coming battles over American foreign policy (Foreign Affairs Magazine) The Democrats’ sweeping victory in the midterm elections this week marks not only the start of a new phase for Donald Trump’s foreign policy. It also kicks off a more intensive discussion among both Democrats and Republicans about the future of American foreign policy beyond Trump.       In its race to field AI, the Pentagon’s testing can’t keep up (The Cipher Brief) CNN reported, citing four sources familiar with the episode, that the U.S. military prepared to intercept a Chinese vessel after an AI-assisted intelligence report misidentified its cargo. According to CNN, the report incorrectly concluded that the ship was carrying components of a nuclear weapons program.       Where AI is — and isn’t — accelerating military missions today (DefenseScoop) The military services, like most organizations these days, are throwing artificial intelligence at their biggest challenges to see if the technology holds any promise for enhancing mission outcomes.       The war on Iran is stripping the western Pacific of US naval forces (Defense One) Half of the U.S. Navy’s Japan-based destroyers are currently supporting the war on Iran, belying Trump-administration strategy documents that called the Pacific theater a top priority and undermining relations with Western Pacific allies.       A guide to China’s expanding fleet of military helicopters (The War Zone) China’s People’s Liberation Army operates an increasingly diverse fleet of helicopters spanning everything from basic pilot training and battlefield transport to airborne early warning, anti-submarine warfare, and dedicated attack missions.