The Associated Press
Lebanon’s Hezbollah has chosen Sheikh Naim Kassem as its leader after longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a massive Israeli airstrike last month, as the militant group vowed Oct. 29 to continue “until victory is achieved.” ... Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon late Oct. 29 killed six people in the port city of Sidon and wounded dozens, while a strike in a nearby town killed eight people and wounded at least 21, the Health Ministry and state media reported.
The Hill
The U.S. has assessed a “small number” of North Korean troops are present in Russia’s Kursk border region, with fears they could soon join the fight in Ukraine, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson said Oct. 29.
Air & Space Forces Magazine
In recent years, Air Force leaders have put a renewed emphasis on electronic warfare, recognizing the importance of the nonkinetic fight. As new kinds of EW threats emerge from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and more, learn more about how USAF is keeping up with the change.
The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. is running low on some types of air-defense missiles, raising questions about the Pentagon’s readiness to respond to the continuing wars in the Middle East and Europe and a potential conflict in the Pacific.
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The New York Times
For weeks, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has pushed Western leaders to support his so-called victory plan, which he claims will end the country’s war with Russia next year. But Mr. Zelensky has received only lukewarm rhetorical support.
Breaking Defense
The U.S. military has collectively reported hundreds of drone flights over Pentagon installations on American soil in the past few years, and that’s just the ones U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) knows about.
Breaking Defense
Members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance want a Top Secret cloud environment that all five countries can operate on, though it’s just an “ambitious,” aspirational goal for now. Officials from each member nation said Oct. 28 that with such a cloud environment, the allies would be able to seamlessly share data with each other, which would turn information technology interoperability into a reality.
SpaceNews
The Defense Department is increasing its projected spending on low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet services more than tenfold, responding to surging demand from across the military, SpaceNews has learned. The military’s Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) Satellite-Based Services program, launched just last year with a $900 million ceiling, has been expanded to $13 billion by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and the Space Systems Command, a spokesperson confirmed.
DefenseScoop
The Pentagon on Oct. 29 released its implementation plan for the National Defense Industrial Strategy, which calls for boosting production of solid rocket motors as a “complement” to its Replicator unmanned systems initiative.
Defense News
The Space Force this summer kicked off a campaign to ready itself for a potential conflict by closing high-priority gaps in its command-and-control architecture—an effort to ensure that the systems and processes military leaders rely on for tactical decisions work together as designed.
Defense One
Lawmakers’ continued failure to pass a 2025 budget could hinder Pentagon efforts to beef up supply chains and bolster defense, defense officials warned Oct. 29. They spoke at the release of the Defense Department’s nearly 100-page implementation plan for its inaugural defense industry strategy.
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Stars and Stripes
Spouses of Kaiserslautern Military Community personnel who are seeking help with such tasks as job searching and resume writing now have a brand-new spot with plenty of coziness and helpful resources. The Military Family Readiness Center spouse hub, which opened Oct. 28 on the ground floor of the Ramstein Enlisted Club, is the first facility of its kind in the Air Force, 86th Airlift Wing commander Brig. Gen. Adrienne Williams said at the grand opening.
Military.com
Guardians and Airmen stationed at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado have been without an on-base dining hall facility for months after it was closed this summer due to a safety issue, according to an internal memo.
One More Thing
Military Times
The only children’s museum located on a military base is this year’s leading winner in the 2024 Fisher Service Award competition. The Children’s Museum at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, is “a bright spot of color in a sea of khaki,” said Tanya Durand, executive director of Greentrike, the parent organization in Tacoma, at the Oct. 23 award ceremony in Arlington, Va. The museum offers far more than creative play and learning for military children and their adults, she said, providing a way for children to reconnect with their parents after deployments, and a gathering space for families.
