The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces had conducted an airstrike that killed ISIS leader Abu Yusif in eastern Syria.

One other ISIS operative was also killed in the strike that occurred on Thursday, the agency said in a release on Friday morning.

"As stated before, the United States — working with allies and partners in the region — will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute," CENTCOM Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said. "ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria."

"We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria," he said.

US GROUP LOOKS FOR KIDNAPPED AMERICANS IN SYRIA AFTER FALL OF ASSAD REGIME

The agency said they carried out the targeted airstrike in the eastern province of Deir ez Zor in Syria, noting that it's part of their ongoing commitment to "disrupt and degrade efforts" by terrorists.

ISRAEL'S UN AMBASSADOR INSISTS NATION IS 'NOT GETTING INVOLVED' IN SYRIAN REGIME CHANGE

They said the area was previously controlled by the Syrian regime and Russian forces before the recent fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 

Al-Assad fled to Russia earlier this month and ended a nearly 14-year struggle to maintain power in his country.

Attacks by the Turkish military on Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have increased since the Syrian president fled to Russia on Dec. 8.

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Ryder said that in light of the instability in the region, as well as al-Assad's departure, there are 2,000 U.S. troops deployed in Syria.

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans are making an effort to ensure military members are paid during a potential partial government shutdown as Congress inches closer to the midnight deadline on Saturday morning. 

Three Senate sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is leading an attempt to "hotline" a bill to make sure all armed service branches are paid in the event of a partial government shutdown. 

A hotline is a procedure used by senators usually to pass procedural motions or relatively noncontroversial measures. The practice allows bills or motions to pass with often very little or no public debate at all. 

TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: 'READY TO STAY' THROUGH CHRISTMAS

Sullivan will take the Senate floor to make a live request for unanimous consent to consider the measure at 6 p.m. 

The bill is entitled the Pay Our Troops Act. It is cosponsored by Republican Sens. Lisa Murskowski of Alaska, Ted Budd and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Steve Daines of Montana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and JD Vance of Ohio. 

A spokesperson for Murkowski told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Senator Murkowski is adamant that our Armed Forces should not worry about their paycheck or their mission to keep Americans safe because of Congressional politics. This is non-negotiable for her."

TIM SCOTT'S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES

The effort is extending to the House side again as well, where Fox News Digital was told that Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., is pressing for a vote on the version she introduced in the House. 

"We’re obviously pushing to keep the government open, but as a backup plan, we need to be providing reassurance to our military," Kiggans said, adding she has spoken with House GOP leaders about getting a vote on her bill.

One Republican source told Fox News Digital that they expect Senate Democrats to object to the request, noting that they have done so in the past. 

'MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN' CAUCUS LAUNCHED BY SEN MARSHALL AFTER RFK JR MEETING

Republicans previously sought to pass this bill in September 2023, with Sullivan and Cruz requesting it on the floor. However, this effort was blocked by a Democrat objector. 

At the time, Sullivan said in a statement, "There is precedent--very strong precedent--on this very bill, this commonsense bill that has historically received the strong support from both sides of the aisle and in both Houses." 

"Facing an imminent government shutdown in 2013, which ended up lasting 16 days, this bill, the Pay Our Military Act, was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate and unanimously by the U.S. House and signed by the President. Congress recognized then the importance of uninterrupted military pay for our military members and their families."   

DOGE CAUCUS LEADER JONI ERNST EYES RELOCATION OUT OF DC FOR THIRD OF FEDERAL WORKERS

After two stopgap spending bills have been scrapped in the House, a partial government shutdown is looking more and more likely, leading some to prepare for the worst. 

While Republicans in the lower chamber are searching for a deal that is both approved by President-elect Donald Trump and has the votes to pass the House, Senate Democrats have reiterated that they are only willing to consider the original short-term spending bill that was released earlier in the week before billionaire Elon Musk led a public campaign against it. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 as of Thursday and continues to climb rapidly. 

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

• Putin proposed a missile "duel" between the Oreshnik and US-made air defenses.
• He said Ukraine could concentrate its anti-missile systems in one spot and try to counter the new munition.
• In response, Ukraine's Zelenskyy called him a "dumbass."

Russian leader Vladimir Putin suggested on Thursday that an experimental "duel" be held between Moscow's newly unveiled Oreshnik missile and Western-made air defenses.

Speaking at his annual press conference, Putin slammed the idea that the Oreshnik could be shot down by anti-missile defenses.

"If the experts in the West think so, well, let them come up with a proposal to us, and to the US. They can suggest a kind of technological experiment, a kind of high-tech fighting duel of the 21st century," Putin said, per a translation of the conference.

Putin said both parties could agree upon a target in Kyiv, where Ukraine could "concentrate all of their air defense and anti-missile defense."

"We will strike it with Oreshnik and we will see what's going to happen. We are willing to conduct such an experiment," he said.

He also suggested that it could benefit the US by allowing the Pentagon to glean information from the strike.

"So let's conduct this duel and look at the outcome. It's going to be interesting because it's going to be useful both to us and the American side," he added.

Russia initially fired the Oreshnik in late November, hitting the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

The new missile, which appears to have its roots in the RS-26 Rubezh intermediate-range ballistic missile, was described by Putin as flying as fast as Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound.

That velocity makes it extremely difficult for anti-missile defenses to counter. The Oreshnik is also believed to deploy a cluster payload and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Additionally, the missile's purported range allows it to hit any target in Europe. Russia has, in recent weeks, touted it as a new class of weapon in the Ukraine war.

Shortly after Putin's comment, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to X to voice his disapproval of the "duel" proposal.

"People are dying, and he thinks it's 'interesting,'" Zelenskyy wrote on X on Thursday evening. "Dumbass."

US defenses vs Russian missiles

Ukraine has placed great emphasis on its need for US-made Patriot systems to protect its skies, and Zelenskyy has said his nation needs at least 25 of them. It's unclear exactly how many Patriot batteries Ukraine fields now, but it's been confirmed to have at least four systems donated by NATO members and another five on the way.

They're expensive to use. Each Patriot missile costs up to $6 million and even then, may struggle against advanced weapons maneuvering at the speeds Putin is advertising. These munitions, often called hypersonic missiles, have been a key concern for the Pentagon.

Notably, the Kinzhal, a previously much-hyped missile, was also touted by Russia as hypersonic and "unstoppable." But it has reportedly been downed dozens of times by Patriot batteries in Ukraine.

Still, the Kinzhal appears to be less advanced in maneuverability and glide potential than the Oreshnik and China's Dongfeng hypersonic missiles.

Meanwhile, Western experts still question how many Oreshnik missiles Russia has in its inventory, and the US calls it an experimental weapon. Moscow's strike on Dnipro was largely seen as a show of force, and the Pentagon has said it may launch a similar strike on Ukraine soon.

On Monday, Putin told state media that serial production of the Oreshnik would begin soon.

FIRST ON FOX: Nearly a week after the United States Military Academy West Point admitted an error was made when an employee said Pete Hegseth's application was not accepted, and President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Defense secretary pick tells Fox News Digital he has yet to hear from the school directly. 

"I would just say I haven't heard from West Point," Hegseth said Tuesday. "Nothing."

When asked if he would like a direct apology from the school, the former Fox News host said, "One would think."

MIKE LEE LOOKS TO HALT WELFARE FOR ILLEGALS GOING ON UNDER BIDEN WITH KEY BUDGET PROCESS

ProPublica senior editor and reporter Jesse Eisinger explained last week on X that the outlet was informed twice by West Point that Hegseth had not even applied for admission. According to Eisinger, he was "100%" never admitted to the school, "because he never opened a file."

However, Hegseth did apply to West Point and was accepted in 1999 but never attended. 

The Defense secretary hopeful provided ProPublica with his original acceptance letter to the academy, and Eisinger said they reapproached West Point, which then admitted that an error was made. 

FARM STATE REPUBLICANS APPEAR SKEPTICAL ABOUT RFK JR AMID HIS QUEST FOR HHS CONFIRMATION

In a statement, West Point said, "A review of our records indicates Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend. An incorrect statement involving Hegseth’s admission to the U.S. Military Academy was released by an employee on Dec. 10, 2024."

"Upon further review of an archived database, employees realized this statement was in error. Hegseth was offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the Class of 2003. The academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error."

When Hegseth was made aware of the story ProPublica had been working on, he shared his acceptance letter publicly on X. "We understand that ProPublica (the Left Wing hack group) is planning to publish a knowingly false report that I was not accepted to West Point in 1999. Here’s my letter of acceptance signed by West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, US Army."

RFK JR. SAYS HE PLANS TO ALSO MEET WITH DEMS IN BID TO GET CONFIRMED AS TRUMP HHS HEAD

The "error" at West Point left a number of Republicans with questions. In a Dec. 11 letter sent to U.S. Military Academy Superintendent Lieutenant General Steven Gilland after Hegseth revealed ProPublica's story, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said, "I understand that a civilian public-affairs officer, Theresa Brinkerhoff, informed a reporter that Mr. Hegseth didn’t apply to West Point, as he has said publicly in the past. This statement is incorrect; not only did Mr. Hegseth apply, but he was also accepted to the West Point Class of 2003." 

"Worse, the statement may violate Mr. Hegseth’s rights under the Privacy Act of 1974 by revealing protected personal information. If true, it also demonstrates egregiously bad judgment to share such information about the nominee to be Secretary of Defense with a known liberal outlet like ProPublica."

ELIZABETH WARREN WANTS ANSWERS FROM TRUMP OVER ELON MUSK 'CONFLICTS OF INTEREST'

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., also demanded information on how the error occurred in his own letter last week. The senator-elect wrote to Gilland, asking for "all communication and documentation regarding how West Point OPA falsely accused Hegseth of lying about his application." 

The school employee's mistake comes as Hegseth continues his swing on Capitol Hill meeting with senators in hopes of being confirmed in 2025 as Trump's secretary of Defense. 

West Point did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

EXCLUSIVE: A top Republican senator will accuse Meta – the parent company of Facebook – of "shadow banning" and removing social media posts in a letter Tuesday demanding answers from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the top Republican on the Small Business committee, will, in part, cite a 2022 Washington Post report on social media companies’ "deamplification" of certain Facebook and Instagram content.

The report discussed Meta’s response to "problematic content," which the executive at the time called "borderline" and argued must have reduced reach due to its proclivity to go viral.

In the letter addressed to Zuckerberg’s San Mateo County, California, office, Ernst alleged such content included that of the military as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Virginia.

TOP DOGE SENATOR DEMANDS ANSWERS ON PLAN TO EXHAUST CHIPS ACT FUNDS BEFORE TRUMP ARRIVES

"Your platform, amongst others, provides an unparalleled opportunity to connect the U.S. military with younger generations. That is why I am concerned about Meta’s ongoing shadow banning and removal of the U.S. Armed Services’ posts," Ernst wrote in the letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.

"The defense of our nation is entirely dependent upon the voluntary enlistment of brave women and men willing to put their lives on the line so every American can freely speak their minds."

In remarks to Fox News Digital, Ernst said Americans’ freedoms are only possible through the all-volunteer armed services, which she previously served in.

"I am concerned Meta’s algorithms are hindering our investment in connecting with and recruiting the next generation of warfighters," she added.

"The service and sacrifice of the brave men and women in uniform should be celebrated, not restricted."

In her letter, Ernst accused Meta of sporadically adjusting its violations policies without "clear rationale" and cited reports to Congress showing an increase in content-restriction on military-related postings.

ERNST MEETS WITH HEGSETH

Embedding an image of an Instagram violation warning on one particular post, Ernst listed a handful of such reports and their loss of cyber "reach."

A six-hour suspension of a post on Feb. 29 resulted in the loss of 2,500 impressions and 500 engagements, while a similar situation on March 3 reduced a post’s reach by 5,000 impressions and 1,100 engagements.

Ten posts on the GoArmy social media account were flagged as violating guidelines over a three-day period in September, Ernst said, and the account was briefly put on "non-recommendable" status twice.

The senator said the Army’s public affairs office reported disruptions to several posts, including one featuring the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and one depicting soldiers onboard a helicopter.

HAWLEY CALLS OUT FACEBOOK CEO AFTER SENATE HEARING

In turn, Ernst asked Zuckerberg to lay out the guidelines used to mediate military-related content and how they are communicated to account holders.

She also asked for an explanation as to the apparent suppression of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier post, and actions taken thus far to prevent future shadow-bans that shouldn’t occur.

The lawmaker also demanded an estimate on the cost of the official Pentagon-sanctioned ads that were suppressed.

• Israel launched widespread strikes on Syria to wipe out the remnants of the Assad regime's military.
• The strikes targeted Syrian weapon stockpiles after a rebel offensive ousted President Bashar Assad.
• Israeli warplanes and missile ships destroyed Syrian aircraft, naval ships, and weapon depots.

The Israel Defense Forces launched widespread strikes across Syria over the past two days to wipe out what remained of the Assad regime's military arsenal.

The Israeli Air Force carried out about 480 strikes targeting most of the country's strategic weapon stockpiles left behind after rebels forced Syrian leader Bashar Assad to flee the country.

About 350 of the strikes were crewed aircraft targeting Syrian military assets, including aircraft, ammunition depots, storage facilities, and missile and radar systems. The Israeli Navy also destroyed several military vessels docked at two Syrian naval ports. The Israeli army seized strategic positions in the Golan Heights abandoned by Syrian troops.

Israeli officials said the extensive strikes on Syria were intended to prevent the Assad government's military infrastructure and weapons from being used by extremists and potential foes. Israel is exploiting the Assad regime's fall to enhance its security in the long term as it uses blistering force to cripple Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The fall of Assad

After a decadeslong dictatorship, rebel forces seized control of the Syrian capital of Damascus over the weekend, forcing Assad to relinquish power and flee the country.

"We declare Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad," Hassan Abdul-Ghani, commander of the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, wrote in a post on social media. "To the displaced people around the world, free Syria awaits you."

Former Syrian prime minister Ghazi al-Jalali remained in the country after the collapse of the Assad regime, saying the government is willing to cooperate and support "any leadership chosen by the Syrian people."

Creating a 'sterile defense zone'

While Israel supported ousting Assad, a staunch ally of Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the situation in Syria is still "fraught with significant dangers" from the extremists now governing the country.

In the days after the dayslong rebel offensive ousted the Syrian dictator, Israel launched hundreds of strikes targeting Syrian military assets over 48 hours to prevent them "from falling into the hands of terrorist elements." HTS publicly split with the Al Qaeda affiliate from which it formed, but US officials believe it may still have links to Al Qaeda leaders.

"We have no intention of interfering in Syria's internal affairs, but we clearly intend to do what is necessary to ensure our security," Netanyahu said.

"I authorized the air force to bomb strategic military capabilities left by the Syrian army so that they would not fall into the hands of the jihadists," he said, adding that Israel "would like to form relations with the new regime in Syria."

The IDF said the strikes were part of a larger-scale mission known as Operation Bashan Arrow, intended to create a "sterile defense zone" by neutralizing potential threats from the neighboring country.

Sinking Syrian warships

Israeli forces attacked key Syrian naval facilities in the port cities of Al-Bayda and Latakia late Tuesday, where more than a dozen Syrian naval vessels were docked.

Photos of the decimated port showed half-submerged Syrian warships. Some of the damaged vessels were Osa-class missile boats, Soviet-era vessels whose 30mm turrets and mounted missile launchers could be seen in the wreckage.

The Syrian navy, the smallest branch of the country's armed forces, operated over a dozen of the high-speed — albeit outdated — vessels developed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s.

Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz said Israeli Navy missile ships "destroyed Syria's navy overnight and with great success." It's not clear how many Syrian vessels were destroyed by Israeli warships in the overnight attack.

Satellite images of Latakia, a former stronghold of Assad, showed the charred wreckage of the naval ships. The IDF wrote in a post on X that "dozens of sea-to-sea missiles" with "significant explosive payloads" were also destroyed.

Destroying Syrian military aircraft

The IAF carried out an airstrike on the Mezzeh Air Base in Damascus, once a key stronghold of the Assad regime's air force.

At least three major Syrian army air bases were attacked by Israeli warplanes, damaging dozens of helicopters and fighter jets, The Times of Israel reported. Locals living near the bases said they heard several explosions after the Israeli strikes appeared to ignite the ammunition stored there, the Associated Press reported.

Dismantling Syrian military infrastructure

In addition to decimating Syria's aerial and naval fleet, the IDF said it carried out strikes on 130 military assets, such as firing positions, antiaircraft batteries, missile and radar systems, and weapons production sites.

Crippling Syria's chemical weapons infrastructure

Israeli forces also destroyed the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center in Damascus, a key facility thought to be testing and operating the country's covert chemical and biological weapons programs under the Assad regime.

The Barzeh facility was previously bombarded in 2018 by US, UK, and French forces in response to a poison sarin gas attack in Douma, Syria. The US found Assad's government responsible for the April 2018 chemical warfare attack that killed at least 40 people and injured over 100.

However, the head of the center's polymers department told Reuters at the time that the facility, now reduced to rubble, was used to research medicinal components that couldn't be imported, such as anti-venom and cancer treatments.

'Changing the face of the Middle East'

The fall of the Syrian regime weakens Iran's regional influence and could pose logistical and strategic challenges to Iran's regional proxies like the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

"The collapse of the Syrian regime is a direct result of the severe blows with which we have struck Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran," Netanyahu said during a Monday press conference. "The axis has not yet disappeared, but as I promised — we are changing the face of the Middle East."

Despite the widespread strikes across Syria, Israeli military officials said the country's armed forces were operating beyond the Israeli-occupied demilitarized buffer zone in Golan Heights but not toward the Syrian capital.

"IDF forces are not advancing towards Damascus. This is not something we are doing or pursuing in any way," IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said at a briefing. "We are not involved in what's happening in Syria internally, we are not a side in this conflict, and we do not have any interest other than protecting our borders and the security of our citizens."

Katz, Israel's defense minister, said the country was advancing beyond Golan Heights to impose a "security zone free of heavy strategic weapons and terrorist infrastructures" in southern Syria.

"With regard to what will be in the future, I'm not a prophet," Katz said. "It is important right now to take all necessary steps in the context of the security of Israel."

• Anduril and Archer are partnering to develop military vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
• Anduril, known for AI military tech, has secured multimillion-dollar US contracts.
• Archer has specialized in electric tiltrotor aircraft for urban use.

Tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey's Anduril is teaming up with Archer Aviation to create a new generation of vertical takeoff aircraft it hopes to sell to the US military.

A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or VTOL, can operate without a runway. VTOL aircraft include helicopters, as well as jets and tiltrotor aircraft that have the advantage of faster airspeeds. Depending on the design, these future aircraft could compete for Defense Department contracts to be logistics workhorses or multi-mission utility aircraft.

Anduril, which specializes in AI-powered vehicles for military use, has secured several multimillion-dollar contracts from the US government in recent years. Luckey founded Anduril in 2017 after previously founding virtual reality company Oculus, which he sold to Meta for $2 billion.

Archer is an aviation company that generally makes electric tiltrotor aircraft for urban use. The partnership with Aduril is the company's first project in its new defense initiative, Archer Defense.

Archer said in a news release that it will use its ability to "rapidly develop advanced VTOL aircraft using existing commercial parts" and Anduril's "deep expertise in artificial intelligence, missionization, and systems integration" to develop hybrid VTOL aircraft at a "fraction of the cost."

Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein said the aircraft it panned to develop with Anduril could be weaponized for military applications, or they could be used for surveillance, reconnaissance, and rescue missions, according to Tech Crunch.

Archer also raised $430 million of additional capital from investors, including Stellantis and United Airlines, the company said.

"The Archer team has deep expertise in the rapid design, engineering, and production of next-generation vertical-lift aircraft," Goldstein said in the release. "With Anduril by our side and this new influx of capital, we will accelerate the development and deployment of advanced aerospace technologies at scale."

The US military is a major buyer of VTOL aircraft. The Marine Corps flies Lockheed Martin's F-35B jump-jet, seen as a replacement for the AV-8B Harrier. And the US Army chose Bell's V-280 Valor tiltrotor to replace its UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters made by Sikorsky; the V-280 has almost twice the Blackhawk's speed.

Tiltrotors, like those built by Archer, are enticing to the US military because their mission sets could range from logistics runs to carrying soldiers on air assaults.

There may also be interest in a tiltrotor whose $84 million price tag and safety record compares favorably with Bell Boeing's embattled V-22 Osprey. The US military first commissioned the V-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor that can carry 24 passengers, in 2007. Several V-22 crashes since 2007 have killed over 50 people, earning the machine the nickname of "the widow-maker."

In November 2023, a V-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan, killing eight airmen. The crash resulted in the US military grounding its entire V-22 Osprey fleet.

Anduril declined to comment on its partnership with Archer.

Shae Arnoult, senior vice president of engineering at the company, said in the news release that Anduril and Archer "share a common vision for advancing capabilities that meet urgent national security needs, and we look forward to partnering with Archer to bring advanced vertical lift aircraft to our customers."

FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is apologizing after an employee mistakenly said Pete Hegseth was not accepted by the historic military college, and now a lawmaker is seeking accountability.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., accused West Point administrators of trying to "sabotage" Hegseth's nomination to be President-elect Trump's secretary of defense.

Banks is now demanding information on how the error was allowed to occur.

"As you know, ProPublica reporter Jesse Eisinger had been preparing to publish a story falsely claiming that nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was lying when he said that he was admitted into West Point but decided not to attend," Banks wrote.

"To preempt the publication of a blatantly false story, Hegseth published his West Point acceptance letter, proving the veracity of his claim and leading ProPublica to kill the story. Eisinger defended his reporting, claiming that West Point OPA told him ‘twice on the record’ that Hegseth had not even applied to West Point."

AFTER SECOND MEETING WITH HEGSETH, ERNST HINTS AT WHETHER SHE WILL OR WON'T SUPPORT CONFIRMATION

"It is outrageous that West Point officials would so grossly interfere in a political process and make false claims regarding a presidential nominee," he continued.

"Even in the unlikely scenario of OPA mistakenly making false claims not once but twice, it is an unforgivable act of incompetence that OPA did not make absolutely sure their information was accurate before sharing it with a reporter."

Banks asked the school to hand Congress "all communication and documentation regarding how West Point OPA falsely accused Hegseth of lying about his application."

When reached for comment, West Point apologized for the error and said the academy's records indicate Hegseth was accepted in 1999 but did not attend.

PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE WILL BE 'STANDING RIGHT HERE IN THIS FIGHT' AFTER MEETING WITH SENATORS

"An incorrect statement involving Hegseth’s admission to the U.S. Military Academy was released by an employee on Dec. 10, 2024. Upon further review of an archived database, employees realized this statement was in error. Hegseth was offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the Class of 2003. The academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error," the West Point directorate of communications said.

Hegseth is a veteran of the Army National Guard who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It comes as he has continued meeting with senators as part of the confirmation process to join the next Trump administration.

CONSERVATIVE GROUP COMPILES LIST OF 'WOKE' SENIOR OFFICERS THEY WANT PETE HEGSETH TO FIRE

Banks, an Army veteran, has been a staunch ally of Hegseth's. His support will be critical next year, having won a landslide victory in November to be Indiana's next senator.

Eisinger, an editor at ProPublica, defended the outlet's handling of the situation in a lengthy series of posts on X.

"No, we are not publishing a story. This is how journalism is supposed to work. Hear something. Check something. Repeat steps 1 and 2 as many times as needed. The end," he said.

Banks told Fox News Digital, "Pete Hegseth will shake up the DOD and eliminate wokeness from our military and military academies. This upsets the bureaucrats at West Point, who now seem to be trying to sabotage his nomination." 

The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee suggested Congress should scrap the latest version of its annual defense policy bill over a provision that bans most transgender medical care for minors.

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., leads Democrats on the committee that's intimately involved in crafting the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) each year. Fiscal year (FY) 2025’s edition was released over the weekend.

"For the 64th consecutive year, House and Senate Armed Services Committee Democrats and Republicans worked across the aisle to craft a defense bill that invests in the greatest sources of America’s strength: service members and their families, science and technology, modernization, and a commitment to allies and partners," Smith said in a statement on Sunday night.

"However, the final text includes a provision prohibiting medical treatment for military dependents under the age of 18 who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Blanketly denying health care to people who clearly need it, just because of a biased notion against transgender people, is wrong."

DOZENS OF PROMINENT VETERANS SIGN ONTO LETTER SUPPORTING 'OUTSTANDING' HEGSETH NOMINATION AMID CONTROVERSIES

The 1,800-page, $895.2 billion legislation, which lays out U.S. national security and defense priorities for the fiscal year, is the product of bipartisan House and Senate negotiations.

It included a measure that said "medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization may not be provided to a child under the age of 18," referring to the transgender children of U.S. service members.

Smith said, "This provision injected a level of partisanship not traditionally seen in defense bills. Speaker Johnson is pandering to the most extreme elements of his party to ensure that he retains his speakership. In doing so, he has upended what had been a bipartisan process."

TRUMP FLOATS DESANTIS AS POTENTIAL DEFENSE SECRETARY REPLACEMENT IF HEGSETH FALTERS

"I urge the Speaker to abandon this current effort and let the House bring forward a bill – reflective of the traditional bipartisan process – that supports our troops and their families, invests in innovation and modernization, and doesn’t attack the transgender community," Smith finished.

When reached for comment, Johnson’s office pointed Fox News Digital to the speaker’s initial statement lauding the compromise NDAA.

"This legislation includes House-passed provisions to restore our focus on military lethality and to end the radical woke ideology being imposed on our military by permanently banning transgender medical treatment for minors and countering antisemitism," Johnson said Saturday.

GOP TENNESSEE AG REACTS TO ORAL ARGUMENTS IN SUPREME COURT TRANSGENDER RIGHTS CASE: 'FEEL REALLY GOOD'

Hesitance from defense hawks like Smith could put the passage of the entire NDAA in question. 

The legislation normally passes with wide bipartisan approval, with expected opposition from progressives and conservatives who are critical of the military industrial base and U.S. interventionism, among other issues.

Its first test will come late on Monday afternoon, when the NDAA is debated before the House Rules Committee – the last barrier before legislation can see a House-wide vote.

If it fails to pass in committee, House leaders will likely be forced to send it to the House floor under suspension of the rules. That would forgo the rules panel's approval in exchange for hiking the threshold for passage from a simple majority to two-thirds of the chamber.

• The US military struck ISIS targets in Syria on Sunday as rebel groups toppled the government.
• Longtime Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled Damascus for Moscow.
• President Joe Biden said US forces would remain in Syria to fight ISIS.

The US military said it carried out dozens of precision strikes against ISIS targets in central Syria on Sunday.

The widespread airstrikes came after a dayslong blitz by rebel forces that ultimately led to the downfall of Syria's longtime leader, Bashar Assad. Russian state news media reported Sunday that Assad had arrived in Moscow, where he was given asylum.

US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, said it struck ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps to prevent the terrorist group from rebuilding in central Syria amid the chaos.

Centcom said it used US Air Force B-52 bombers, F-15 fighter jets, and A-10 attack aircraft to strike over 75 targets, adding that battle damage assessments are underway. A senior administration official, speaking to reporters, described the operation as "significant" and said about 140 munitions were used. It is unclear what missiles or bombs may have been used.

"There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria," Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the Centcom commander, said in a statement. "All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way."

Syrian anti-government forces announced early on Sunday morning that they had taken control of Damascus. It was the culmination of 13 years of civil war, which began in 2011 after Assad's forces violently cracked down on peaceful demonstrators.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an organization that traces its origins to Al Qaeda but has since split from the group and portrayed itself as more moderate, launched the surprise offensive in late November. The rebels quickly took control of Aleppo, one of Syria's largest cities, Hama, and the strategic city of Homs before advancing into Damascus.

President Joe Biden, in a press briefing on Sunday, acknowledged that the US conducted airstrikes "targeting ISIS camps and ISIS operatives" inside Syria.

"We're clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to re-establish its capability to create a safe haven," Biden said. "We will not let that happen."

Biden said that the US would support Syria's neighbors Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Israel "should any threat arise from Syria during this transition."

The United States has about 900 troops in Syria carrying out missions against ISIS. Biden said on Sunday that these forces will remain in the country despite Assad's ouster.

The US routinely works with local forces in Syria and neighboring Iraq to carry out operations against ISIS, dozens of which have taken place in recent months.

FIRST ON FOX: A new 16-page House GOP memo shows Republican lawmakers are claiming victory on issues like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), border security, and green energy in Congress’ annual defense policy bill.

The 1,800-page bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), was released on Saturday evening and details how $895.2 billion allocated toward defense and national security will be spent.

"The [fiscal year 2025] NDAA builds upon the gains made in the FY24 NDAA to end the radical woke ideology being forced on our servicemen and women and restores the focus of our military on lethality," a page of the House Armed Services Committee’s memo on the bill said.

The document, obtained by Fox News Digital, touts key wins that GOP negotiators believe they scored in the bipartisan talks.

DOZENS OF PROMINENT VETERANS SIGN ONTO LETTER SUPPORTING 'OUTSTANDING' HEGSETH NOMINATION AMID CONTROVERSIES

The page pushing back on "woke ideology" said the NDAA "guts DEI bureaucracy" by extending a Pentagon hiring freeze on DEI-related roles and stopping all such recruitment until "an investigation of the Pentagon’s DEI programs" can be completed.

It also bans the Defense Department from contracting with advertising companies "that blacklist conservative news sources," according to the memo.

The memo said the NDAA also guts funding for the Biden administration’s "Countering Extremist Activity Working Group" dedicated to rooting out extremism in the military’s ranks.

The annual defense policy bill also does not authorize "any climate change programs," and prohibits the Pentagon from issuing climate impact-based guidance on weapons systems.

On border security, a cornerstone issue for Republicans, the memo touted the NDAA’s support for "deployment of National Guard troops" to support Border Patrol at the southwest border.

TRUMP FLOATS DESANTIS AS POTENTIAL DEFENSE SECRETARY REPLACEMENT IF HEGSETH FALTERS

A significant portion of the document stressed quality of life improvements for U.S. service members secured in the NDAA, a focus of much bipartisan discussion over the last year. That includes a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted troops and increasing access to child care for service members, while also providing job support to military spouses.

All the while, the memo emphasized that the $895 billion in spending the NDAA directs only represents a 1% increase over fiscal year 2024 levels.

The memo gives insight into Republican plans for national security in the new year, when the GOP will control all the major levers of power in Washington, D.C., after commanding victories in the 2024 election.

Measures highlighted by the memo on countering China and Iran are likely to get wide bipartisan support. The NDAA itself normally passes with a healthy margin of both Republicans and Democrats, save for progressives and conservatives traditionally critical of the military industrial base.

But a provision touted by Republicans in the memo – one that bans funding for transgender medical treatments for children of service members – has sparked partisan frustrations.

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, cited the measures when he told Politico that he did not know if he could support the NDAA.

GOP TENNESSEE AG REACTS TO ORAL ARGUMENTS IN SUPREME COURT TRANSGENDER RIGHTS CASE: 'FEEL REALLY GOOD'

"It’s the Republicans taking advantage of a partisan wedge issue," he told the outlet.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., praised the limitations on progressive policies in the NDAA.

"We remain determined to confront increasingly hostile threats from Communist China, Russia, and Iran, and this legislation provides our military with the tools they need to deter our enemies," Johnson said in a statement.

"This legislation includes House-passed provisions to restore our focus on military lethality and to end the radical woke ideology being imposed on our military by permanently banning transgender medical treatment for minors and countering antisemitism."

The bill is expected for a vote sometime this week.

Congressional leaders have agreed to terms for this year’s defense policy bill, with nearly $900 billion in spending, new limits on transgender-related medical care and a significant raise for young U.S. service members.

Roughly 1,800 pages detailing the new National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that outlines U.S. defense and national security priorities each fiscal year, were released Saturday evening.

The bill details policy for $895.2 billion in federal spending.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the bill "refocuses our military on its core mission of defending America and its interests around the globe by supporting law enforcement operations and the deployment of the National Guard to the southwest border, expediting innovation and reducing the acquisition timeline for new weaponry, supporting our allies and strengthening our nuclear posture and missile defense programs."

DOZENS OF PROMINENT VETERANS SIGN ONTO LETTER SUPPORTING 'OUTSTANDING' HEGSETH NOMINATION AMID CONTROVERSIES

It includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted troops, according to the Republican leader’s office.

Another provision says "medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization may not be provided to a child under the age of 18," referring to the transgender children of U.S. service members.

The measure sparked backlash from the Human Rights Council, which called it an "attack" on military families.

"This cruel and hateful bill suddenly strips away access to medical care for families that members of our armed forces are counting on, and it could force service members to choose between staying in the military or providing health care for their children," HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.

TRUMP FLOATS DESANTIS AS POTENTIAL DEFENSE SECRETARY REPLACEMENT IF HEGSETH FALTERS

The bill also includes border security elements Republicans had previously pushed for, including a bipartisan initiative to create a Northern Border Mission Center under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

According to Johnson’s office, it would also "fully support the deployment of National Guard at the southwest border to intercept illegal aliens and drugs."

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., touted the significant pay raise for junior troops. He also said the NDAA "puts our service members first by boosting compensation, improving housing, supporting the spouses of service members, increasing access to child care and ensuring access to medical care." 

Other provisions also place limits on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)-based recruitment and the teaching of critical race theory in military-run schools.

GOP TENNESSEE AG REACTS TO ORAL ARGUMENTS IN SUPREME COURT TRANSGENDER RIGHTS CASE: 'FEEL REALLY GOOD'

The House is expected to vote on the NDAA next week.

The policy bill traditionally has passed with wide bipartisan support, save for some progressives and conservatives who are normally critical of the U.S. defense industrial complex.

However, it’s not immediately clear how many Democrats will be put off enough by its anti-DEI and anti-transgender medical care provisions to vote against the must-pass legislation.

As Pete Hegseth continues to rally support for his nomination to lead the Department of Defense, a conservative research group has compiled a list of "woke" senior officers they want him to sack should he be confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) sent a letter to Hegseth with a list of 20 general officers or senior admirals whom it says are excessively focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and other similar left-wing initiatives. Eight of those 20 are women.

Those on the list in many cases seem to be targeted for public comments they made either in interviews or at events on diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity. AAF says that focusing on such policies is an impediment to national security, while some miliary leaders have expressed concern about the list.

DOZENS OF PROMINENT VETERANS SIGN ONTO LETTER SUPPORTING 'OUTSTANDING' HEGSETH NOMINATION AMID CONTROVERSIES

"The woke takeover of the military is a major threat to our national security," AAF President Thomas Jones wrote in the letter to Hegseth dated Tuesday and first published by the New York Post.

"As global tensions rise, with Iran on the march, Russia at war, and China in the midst of a massive military buildup, we cannot afford to have a military distracted and demoralized by leftist ideology," he added. "Those who were responsible for these policies being instituted in the first place must be dismissed."

The term "woke" is often used in reference to progressive, politically correct stances on race, gender ideology and other hot-button topics.

The group posted on X that the woke leaders need to be fired on day one. "Wokeness has no place in the military," the group wrote. 

On Friday, the AAF doubled down on its position. 

"Many don't want to hear this, but it's the truth: DEI in the military is going to get people killed. STOP IT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE," AAF posted on X.

Hegseth, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has embraced Trump’s effort to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. He has long railed against the military embracing DEI policies instead of meritocracy, complaining it also diverts focus away from war preparedness. 

TRUMP FLOATS DESANTIS AS POTENTIAL DEFENSE SECRETARY REPLACEMENT IF HEGSETH FALTERS

If confirmed to the role, Hegseth would be in charge of 1.3 million active-duty service members and the nearly 1 million civilians who work for the military.

Some of those on the list include Air Force Col. Ben Jonsson, who penned an op-ed in July 2020 demanding his white colleagues "to give a damn" and "address our blind spots around race," according to the letter.

Also in the AAF crosshairs is Navy vice admiral Jeffery Hughes, who spoke at DEI summit in 2022 and underscored the importance of DEI recruiting "exceptional talent."

Air Force Maj. Gen. Elizabeth Arledge also made the list and was noted by AAF for making "woke posts" on her social media.

In one post, Arledge shared articles that featured "discussions of whiteness in org[anization] theory and the ways in which whiteness (verb) has become naturalized as the ideal in orgs."

Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield was also listed and panned for a 2015 speech where she bemoaned that lawmakers in the House of Representatives at the time were 80% males, proclaiming that "our diversity is our strength."

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team, said in a statement that "No policy should be deemed official unless it comes directly from President Trump."

A defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the list said senior leaders are hoping that once Trump is sworn in, they will be able to discuss the issue further. They are prepared to provide additional context to the incoming administration, the official told The Associated Press, which reports it is not publishing the names to protect service members’ privacy.

Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday that the list would have "considerable, wide and deep consequences." He said when military members see people singled out, they will start focusing on their own survival rather than the mission or their job.

Multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Trump is reportedly considering nominating Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as defense secretary in place of Hegseth amid allegations against him.

But Hegseth brushed off the potential replacement, telling reporters that he was prepared to fight. 

"As long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I'm going to be standing right here in this fight, fighting to bring our Pentagon back to what it needs to be," he said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

READ THE LETTER BELOW. APP USERS CLICK HERE.

• The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor began at 7:48 a.m. on December 7, 1941.
• The attack killed some 2,400 Americans and wounded many others, while sinking four battleships.
• Photographs show the immediate aftermath of the attack that drew America into World War II.

December 7, 1941, began as a perfect Sunday morning for the troops serving the US fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Under a early morning South Pacific sun, softball teams were lining up on the beach. Pitchers warmed up their arms, while batting rosters were finalized and the wives and kids came over from seaside church services.

They did not know that for hours the Japanese naval fleet and air forces had been speeding across the ocean toward America's Pacific base. There, like a string of pearls draped across the docks and waterfront, was the majority of America's naval might.

The devastating Japanese onslaught began at 7:48 a.m., eventually killing 2,402 Americans and wounding many others, sinking four battleships and damaging many more.

The US promised never to forget this day of infamy. The attack spurred America into World War II, leading ultimately to Allied victory over the Japanese in the East and Nazis and other Axis powers in the West.

Here are photographs from the attack on Pearl Harbor and its immediate aftermath.

Amanda Macias and Kamelia Angelova contributed to an earlier version of this story.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, an attack planned by Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto to demobilize the US Navy was carried out.

Around 7 a.m., an Army radar operator spotted the first wave of the Japanese planes. The officers who received these reports did not consider them significant enough to take action.

The Japanese hit most of the US ships in Oahu before 9 a.m.

The Japanese also took the opportunity to attack military airfields while bombing the fleet in Pearl Harbor. The purpose of these simultaneous attacks was to destroy American planes before they could respond.

More than 90 ships were anchored at Pearl Harbor. The primary targets were the eight battleships in Battleship Row.

The USS West Virginia, left, was one of the battleships to sink during the attack. The Japanese successfully damaged all eight.

At about 8:10 a.m., the USS Arizona exploded as a bomb ignited its forward ammunition magazine. About half of the total number of Americans killed that day were on this ship.

Here's another picture of the USS Arizona sinking.

The USS Shaw, a destroyer, also exploded during the two-hour attack by Japan.

The damaged USS Nevada tried to escape to open sea but became a target during the second wave of 170 Japanese planes, hoping to sink it and block the narrow entrance to Pearl Harbor. The ship was grounded with 60 killed on board.

A Japanese plane hit by American naval antiaircraft fire was engulfed in flames. Fewer than 30 Japanese planes were lost in the attack.

About 190 US planes were destroyed, and another 159 were damaged.

Sailors at the Naval Air Station in Kaneohe, Hawaii, attempted to salvage a burning PBY Catalina in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

People in New York's Times Square bought newspapers with headlines like this one, "Japs Attack US." The US entered World War II after the surprise attack.

Salvage work soon began on the destroyers USS Cassin and USS Downes. The Japanese failed to damage any US aircraft carriers, which weren't in the harbor.

About 10% of Japanese planes were lost on December 7, 1941.

The USS Oklahoma was considered too old to be worth repairing.

Here, a Marine holds a piece of shrapnel removed from his arm after the attack.

Sailors participated in a memorial service for the more than 2,400 Americans killed in the attack.

On April 27, 2023, Diana Kulyk's father told her he was leaving the next day to start training to fight Russia. She was filled with dread but knew she needed to act. Her hands shaking, Kulyk, a 24-year-old only child, tried to type the perfect tweet that would convince her roughly 20,000 followers to donate more than $3,000 for equipment that would help keep her father alive.

"Hello, this is the most important tweet I have ever written," she began. "I'm Diana Kulyk, daughter of Ruslan Kulyk. My father is a simple man, a baker by profession, a human being full of love and care. The person who took care of me since I came into this world. He needs help." Beneath the text were two images: a selfie of Diana and Ruslan smiling under golden-hour sunlight, and a spreadsheet of equipment she'd determined her father needed for the battlefield, including steel body armor, a tactical headset, a ballistic helmet, and a sleep mat.

Diana had already raised about $30,000 over the previous year to buy protective gear for childhood friends fighting in Ukraine. Within two hours of posting about her father, she had raised enough to buy all 21 items on the spreadsheet. The donors came from all over: Ukraine, the United States, Germany, England.

Watching the donations flood in, Diana was overwhelmed. "It was a really weird moment," she says. "You are so scared, but also you see everyone coming together to help you. It gives you hope."

Diana's efforts are part of an immense crowdfunding movement helping fuel Ukraine's fight against Russia's far larger and more advanced military. The Ukrainian government has its own crowdsourcing platforms, like United24, which has raised more than $761 million to pay for things like ambulances and demining equipment and to reconstruct destroyed buildings. Individual military units are using social media to campaign for the specific gear they need on the front lines. The 79th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade, for example, has used Instagram to gather donations for reconnaissance drones, generators, and night-vision goggles. And thousands of volunteers are raising funds to directly supply their loved ones on the battlefield with walkie-talkies, combat boots, Starlink internet satellites, medical supplies, ammunition, tanks, and phone chargers.

People have crowdfunded wars throughout history. In World War II, the Supermarine Spitfire, a British fighter aircraft, was largely financed by bake sales and fundraisers at primary schools. But never have funds been raised so easily, quickly, widely, and strategically by civilians and individual troops, says Keir Giles, a defense expert at the think tank Chatham House. "That's a big advantage," he says. With the modern tools of social media, influencer marketing tactics, crowdfunding platforms, and frontline postal services, "units can campaign for precisely the equipment and weapons they need and have them delivered."

Benjamin Jensen, a war-strategy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, describes this crowdfunding as a "game changer." People around the world, he says, are directly "buying commercial off-the-shelf capability to enhance combat power on the battlefield," often acting much more nimbly than the military.

Crowdfunding is also increasingly critical. While Western nations have contributed nearly $300 billion worth of aid, Ukraine's military has repeatedly suffered from shortages of key weaponry and defense equipment. Three grueling years in, several countries and leaders are weighing whether they'll continue their support — including the United States and President-elect Donald Trump, a frequent critic of US aid to Ukraine. The Ukrainian government said last year that crowdfunding accounted for 3% of the country's total military spending. To win the war, that number may need to climb. But fundraisers are struggling with fatigue among citizen donors and are getting creative to keep up funds and morale.

Before the war, Ruslan Kulyk was a pastry chef who made wedding cakes in Spain, where the family immigrated when Diana was young. When the wedding industry slowed in the winter, he visited family in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region. On February 24, 2022, he was preparing to return to Spain when Vladimir Putin launched Russia's full-scale invasion. Landlocked and infuriated, he joined his nephew at the military registration office. Recruiters enlisted his nephew but turned Ruslan away. "I wasn't prepared and was 50 years old," he says.

He got a job at a local bakery. He trained hard, dropping more than 50 pounds in 14 months. By the time he went back to enlist, Ukraine was thought to have lost as many as 17,500 soldiers and badly needed more men on the front lines.

After training in Kyiv, Ruslan joined a "storm" brigade, an extremely dangerous type of counteroffensive unit that often operates on the edge of Russian strongholds. Diana and Ruslan talked frequently, but his work often required him to go dark for days on end. For Diana, the wait was terrifying. She scoured the news to see where "the hottest part" of the fighting was, figuring that's where her father would be. "You wake up every day thinking I'm going to have bad news today," she says.

Being able to crowdfund equipment for her father and his fellow soldiers has given Diana a semblance of control to counter the nauseating sense of helplessness. It has also helped save lives.

In the summer of 2023, Ruslan texted his daughter, "I'm going on a mission." Four days later, he called from the hospital. He had been sent to Bakhmut, where a Russian drone had exploded 18 inches from his head, giving him and three of his comrades concussions. One was so severely injured that he had to be wrapped in a tourniquet that Diana had fundraised for. (The soldier's leg was amputated, and he's now with his family.) Diana spent a week with her father as he recovered in the hospital.

When he returned to active duty, Ruslan became a drone operator. Though he was farther from the front lines, he was arguably in even more danger. Drone operators have been very effective: Citing Ukrainian military commanders, The New York Times reported last month that Ukraine's drones accounted for at least 80% of Russian front-line losses. Several Ukrainian drone operators have told Business Insider that because of this, they are disproportionately in the enemy's crosshairs. Ruslan calls drone operators Russia's "target No. 1." This October, while in the Luhansk region, Ruslan used a surveillance drone Diana had raised funds for to spot four Russian soldiers advancing toward his unit, giving Ruslan and his comrades enough time to avert an onslaught.

Diana has raised more than $100,000 for drones, jackets, boots, helmets, medical supplies, trench-digging equipment, and thermal-vision gear. She credits part of her success to "how transparent I am with my situation, with my family." Much of her support comes from partnering with NAFO, the North Atlantic Fella Organization, an online community playing on the NATO name that challenges Russian disinformation, largely through dog memes.

Some crowdfunders encourage donations by sharing stories about themselves or their friends. Some host livestreams or ask followers to celebrate their birthday by donating to a soldier's unit. Others offer services and products: You can get a message written on ammunition to be fired at Russian targets or buy artwork made of bullets, shells, and destroyed Russian equipment and uniforms.

Dimko Zhluktenko, a 26-year-old former IT manager in Kyiv, didn't join the military at the start of the war. "I chickened out in the beginning a bit," he says, and he was taking care of his sick mother. But he knew his tech skills could allow him to help Ukraine in another way. It was obvious to him that the military wasn't getting the resources needed to win the war, so he started buying protective gear for his friends.

He posted about his efforts on X, sharing stories of his childhood friends on the front lines, like Max, who destroyed a bridge to stop a key Russian advance. His followers responded. "Many people started asking, 'How can I send you money?'" he says. By April 2022, Zhluktenko had received so many of those requests that he decided to work on fundraising full time, starting a charity organization to provide "high-tech equipment" that would increase "the efficiency of our forces." He called it Dzyga's Paw, named after his dog. Donors can get merch — like stickers, tote bags, and patches — based on how much they donate. He's raised more than $2.9 million from more than 28,000 individual donations.

Giles says that because the crowdfunding effort is so complex and unregulated, there have been "persistent allegations of fraud" against several groups. To counter that, Zhluktenko has made his organization radically transparent. On Dyzga's Paw's website, among other details about its budget, the organization keeps a daily log of its expenses. In one week in November, for example, it paid two employee salaries ($1,166.89) and bought 15 Starlink satellite receiver kits ($4,884.13), an F13-Retrik uncrewed aerial vehicle ($2,780.36), and paper clips ($0.75).

Zhluktenko is also transparent about who exactly is receiving which equipment and what they're using it for. To motivate people to donate, he constantly shares stories on social media about soldiers like Nazar, who coached a youth soccer team before the war. In a post on X in October advertising a fundraiser, Zhluktenko's organization wrote, "Nazar and his unit need essential equipment—from laptops to portable power stations and signal-boosting antennas for drones to be even more effective."

Dyzga's Paw also shares videos of frontline soldiers expressing gratitude, memes of gear en route to soldiers, and, crucially, footage of the gear donors have funded in action, often captured by drones they've also donated. Zhluktenko says these videos — often of Russian tanks being blown up or Russian soldiers surrendering — are extremely effective marketing: Donors "actually get to see the impact of the equipment they have sent" and how their donations "challenge the myth of an undefeatable Russian army."

Mats Kampshoff, a 25-year-old student in Germany, has given about $600 to Dyzga's Paw and other crowdfunding projects during the war, though he has no personal connection to Ukraine beyond the stories of soldiers he's been following. "Connecting this war effort with a daily life that I can connect to really brought home the point that I don't want this war to be around," he says. Donating feels "more like a logical decision than one based on morals," he says, adding that "it's just the small part that I can do to shape the world in the way that I envision."

In surveys of Ukrainians conducted in 2022 and 2023, almost 80% of respondents said they'd donated to some form of crowdfunding campaign during the war. Most of Zhluktenko's donors are from Europe, the US, Australia, Japan — "any countries Russia would call the collective West," he says. "There are people who have donated for 50-something weeks straight."

Hlib Fishchenko, 25, founded a volunteer organization called Vilni, which he said gets about 80% of its donations from Ukrainians. He raises money for items like excavators that help protect soldiers building trenches; the last one Vilni bought cost about $25,000, which it raised in a month. He said Ukrainian donors understand that they could donate to rebuild a school, or they could donate to help soldiers prevent Russia from destroying schools in the first place. They see their donations as preventive, he said, while some international donors are more willing to fund projects like reconstruction and medical aid.

Receiving donations for equipment is one thing. Getting the equipment to the front lines is another.

Zhluktenko's team goes on a frontline expedition about once a month. Their motto is "Just don't be stupid." In July they were driving toward Kharkiv when they learned of an imminent Russian glide-bomb attack nearby and changed their route.

Organizations and crowdfunders, including Dyzga's Paw and Diana Kulyk, often work with Nova Post, a major Ukrainian delivery company that delivers close to the front lines. Nova Post told BI that it delivers to residents and the military and that it stops only when the military "says that it is dangerous to work and forbids us to open branches." The company said that branches have indoor and outdoor shelters designed so that employees and clients can reach them within 30 seconds and that frontline branches have reinforced doors and windows.

The company's operations have only grown: It told BI it had opened 2,242 branches and two sorting offices and installed 1,853 parcel lockers since February 2022 and that it shipped 30% more parcels in 2023 than it did in 2022.

Experts say the crowdfunding of Ukraine's fight could offer a glimpse into the future of warfare. Major Western militaries are unlikely to start relying on crowdfunding anytime soon, given their extensive resources and stringent procurement policies. But Jensen, the war-strategy expert, predicts that crowdfunding via social media will be vital in "future insurgencies against authoritarian regimes." Giles says he's already seeing "more explicit calls on soldiers to equip themselves," with soldiers in countries like Latvia and Finland, which he says "may be facing Russian aggression next," buying more military equipment themselves.

Giles says this war might be unique in that it has dragged on long enough for these campaigns to develop. But it's also dragged on long enough for some support to wane. Several fundraising groups said they'd seen donations dry up in recent months; fatigue is setting in as the war concludes its third year. In November, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Bloomberg that the donations he'd received that month through YouTube livestreams had plummeted by two-thirds compared with what he raised in March. The advisor also said he feared that Donald Trump's return to the presidency would further hinder donations. "Floating talks about Trump's promise to end the war quickly and possibly bring peace reduce willingness of people to donate," he said.

One thousand and sixteen days into the war, fighting rages throughout Ukraine's east. Russia controls nearly 20% of the country. While there are no confirmed death tolls and estimates vary wildly, many tens of thousands of soldiers are believed to have been killed on both sides.

Zhluktenko got married in July and then signed a military contract. "Ukraine needs people fighting," he says. "It's impossible to win a war for your freedom without fighting for your freedom." On October 23, his birthday, he posted on X: "My birthday wish this year is survival. I don't need any gifts this year except something that will help me be effective in my military role and to survive." While he's on duty, his wife has taken over Dyzga's Paw.

Diana Kulyk completed another campaign several months ago, raising $48,000 to buy her father's brigade two pickup trucks with night-vision cameras and all-terrain tires. But she says that regardless or whether her dad needs anything, she spends much of her mental energy trying to prepare herself for the possibility of her father's death. She's lost friends in the war. She lost her cousin — Ruslan's nephew, who went to the registration office with him. And she's watched her father lose comrades.

"There is a high chance of it eventually happening, so I have been working on that," she says. "I have a phrase I came up with to tell myself: 'Better to be a man of honor than to live scared.'"

Sinéad Baker is a News Correspondent based in Business Insider's London bureau, writing about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Retired Green Beret David Harris rates portrayals of explosions in movies and TV shows.

He looks at how RPGs are employed in "Black Hawk Down," starring Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and Eric Bana; "Tropic Thunder," starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., and Jack Black; and "White House Down," starring Jamie Foxx, Channing Tatum, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. He discusses the different ways to launch grenades in "Extraction II," starring Chris Hemsworth and Idris Elba; and "RRR," starring Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. He explains how landmines are activated in "Commando," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; "Nobody," starring Bob Odenkirk, Christopher Lloyd, and RZA; and "Da 5 Bloods," starring Chadwick Boseman, Delroy Lindo, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. He answers whether you can stop a grenade by jumping on one in "Act of Valor." He talks about the effects of stun grenades in "The Town," starring Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, and Jon Hamm. Finally, he breaks down how airstrikes work in "We Were Soldiers," starring Mel Gibson, Sam Elliot, and Greg Kinnear.

David Harris served in the US Army for 20 years, including as a Special Forces weapons sergeant. He is the CEO of Harris Strategic Solutions, which provides tactical training to military and law enforcement members.

Find out more about David Harris and Harris Strategic Solutions here:

https://www.harrisstrategicsolutionsllc.com/about

A startup with founders who previously served in the German military has created a product akin to an Amazon Firestick for legacy defense equipment, complete with a software stack. ARX Robotics claims its system can turn old equipment into AI-driven devices, such as autonomous-driving trucks.  Back in June this year ARX raised a €9 million […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

OpenAI plans to team up with Anduril, the defense startup, to supply its AI tech to systems the U.S. military uses to counter drone attacks. The Wall Street Journal reports that Anduril will incorporate OpenAI tech into software that assesses and tracks unmanned aircraft. Anduril tells the publication that OpenAI’s models could improve the accuracy […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Former national security advisor John Bolton described raising the U.S. defense budget as the top foreign affairs priority.

"The single most important priority in foreign affairs today is to increase the American defense budget. I think Congress would support a major increase if Trump proposed it. I hope that's what he does," Bolton declared in a post on X.

Bolton said last month during an appearance on CNN that he hopes Pete Hegseth, who Trump nominated to serve as Defense Secretary, secures "a massive increase in the Defense Department budget," noting that if domestic spending could be slashed so the deficit does not increase, "that would be important too." 

PENTAGON FAILS 7TH AUDIT IN A ROW, UNABLE TO FULLY ACCOUNT FOR $824B BUDGET

Bolton has asserted that the Senate should oppose Trump's pick of Kash Patel to serve as FBI director.

"John Bolton has been wrong about everything so I guess Kash must be pretty awesome," Vice President-elect J.D. Vance said in a post on X.

Bolton previously suggested that the Senate should reject Trump's nomination of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for the role of director of national intelligence, and of Matt Gaetz for attorney general.

JOHN BOLTON COMPARES KASH PATEL TO STALIN'S RIGHT-HAND MAN AFTER TRUMP'S FBI NOMINATION

After former Rep. Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration for the role last month, Bolton tweeted, "One down, more to follow."

Business magnate Elon Musk called Bolton "a staggeringly dumb warmonger" in a tweet last month. 

In a July post, Musk called Bolton "a belligerent idiot."

ELON MUSK BLASTS JOHN BOLTON AS ‘STAGGERINGLY DUMB WARMONGER’ AFTER CRITICISM OF TRUMP AG PICK MATT GAETZ

Bolton, who served as national security advisor during a portion of Trump's first term, previously served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during a portion of President George W. Bush's White House tenure.