Alex Horton

• Politics

Sebastian Gorka ruffled feathers among even reverent Trump loyalists and other Republicans, who have described him as fringe and underqualified.

• National Security

The controversial White House move to send Kyiv land mines comes as Russia’s advances in eastern Ukraine threaten to overwhelm front-line defenses.

• National Security

The Biden administration will allow Kyiv “limited” use of the ATACMS long-range missile system to strike enemy positions in Kursk, a significant reversal of U.S. policy.

• Investigations

Pete Hegseth was barred from protecting President Biden’s inauguration in 2021 after enlisted soldiers complained that Hegseth’s chest tattoo might signify that he was a white supremacist. The D.C. National Guard’s top legal affairs officer at the time tells The Washington Post it was an “overreaction” in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

• Military

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, has called for a war on what he calls the “woke” military, including potentially firing top brass.

• National Security

U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets and Patriot air-defense systems are among the equipment in Ukraine requiring defense contractor support, the Pentagon said.

• Military

Critics fear President-elect Donald Trump intends to make good on a host of campaign pledges with enormous implications for the nonpartisan military.

• Europe

With Russian forces just over the river, Kherson has turned into a hunting ground for drones that appear to be focusing mainly on civilians.

• Europe

On the Ukrainian steppe, where it is nearly impossible to hide from drone surveillance, windbreaks are fought over by Russian and Ukrainian troops.