Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told an audience in a previously unreported 2016 video that the US military "won't follow unlawful orders from their commander in chief," and described the refusal of illegal commands as a part of the military's ethos and standards — a message he now condemns Democrats for spreading. Read more: https://cnn.it/4apNggP | CNN

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that he had not noticed survivors in the water during U.S. military strikes that killed 11 people in the Caribbean in September. Read more: https://nyti.ms/44rdLPx | The New York Times

NATO’s Mark Rutte took a dig at Russia’s Vladimir Putin for dressing in military fatigues “like a soldier at the front” while not on the front lines. Rutte spoke at a NATO meeting on Russia-Ukraine peace talks a day after Putin said he's ready for a war with Europe if needed. | Al Jazeera English

The US has reopened a military base in Puerto Rico as it steps up threats against Venezuela. Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle has been watching military activity at the site. | Al Jazeera English

Marcos announces increase in base pay for military, uniformed personnel In a video message on December 3, 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announces that the base pay for military and uniformed personnel under the Department of National Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine Coast Guard, and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority will be increased in three tranches beginning January 1, 2026. | Rappler