Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter{beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story  Intel defensive briefings surgeIntelligence community officials said they have given more than three times the number of defensive briefings this year to those who may be the target of foreign influence efforts than in past election cycles. © Getty The details come as officials warn that China, Russia and Cuba are making a concerted effort to target congressional races in the U.S., using tactics similar to those seen in bids to influence the presidential election.  Intelligence agencies offer defensive briefings when it believes a foreign country has tried to interfere with a campaign or candidate — including when Iran hacked the Trump campaign over the summer.  While officials won’t disclose who the briefings were provided to, the spike shows the growth in efforts targeting the U.S. election.  “Moscow is leveraging a wide range of influence actors in an effort to influence congressional races, particularly to encourage the U.S. public to oppose pro-Ukraine policies and politicians. Russian influence actors have planned and likely created and disseminated content, particularly over social media, intended to encourage the election of congressional candidates Moscow assesses will oppose aid to Ukraine,” an official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told reporters Monday.  China has similarly been seeking to influence elections based on candidates’ positions on Taiwan, which China considers to be one of its territories.  Intelligence officials said Cuba “almost certainly has considered influence operations targeting some candidates,” adding the country will likely try to “curry favor” with various politicians.  “Havana is very focused on a handful of policy issues that it believes to be negatively impacting the regime. This includes the U.S. embargo on Cuba and other economic and travel restrictions, all of which Havana perceives as an effort to force regime change. Havana considers election influence activities as part of its standing requirements to influence those policies, and Florida is a prime target of their activities,” the official said.  Read the full report at TheHill.com.  Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future:  Battleground Senate Democrats tell Biden to act faster on IranA bipartisan group of senators, including Democrats fighting for reelection in battleground states, this week pushed President Biden to meet reporting deadlines to crack down harder on Iran. In the letter dated Tuesday, the senators said an emergency supplemental bill signed into law in April to fund Ukraine, Israel and allies in the Indo-Pacific had included several provisions designed to restrict Iran’s ability to sell …  Full Story  Milley calls Trump ‘a fascist to the core’ in new Woodward bookFormer Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair and retired Gen. Mark Milley has called former President Trump “a total fascist” and believes he is the most dangerous person to the U.S., according to excerpts from the forthcoming Bob Woodward book. “He is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person …  Full Story  Navy SEALs’ drownings in Iranian op were preventable, investigation findsAn investigation into the death of two Navy SEALS who drowned during a mission to seize Iranian missile parts bound for the Houthi rebels in Yemen found that the deaths could have been prevented. The report from an outside investigator found the deaths of Chief Special Warfare Operator Christopher J. Chambers and Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Nathan Gage of SEAL Team Three were attributable to “a lack of a failsafe …  Full Story  Austin raises concerns about UN attacks in Lebanon with Israeli defense minister Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday and discussed concerns about the safety of United Nations workers in Lebanon who say they have been targeted by Israeli troops. Austin, who spoke to Gallant for the first time since a Wednesday in-person meeting in Washington was canceled, said in the call he supported Israel’s right to defend itself but also raised concerns about …  Full Story   On Our Radar  Upcoming things we're watching on our beat:  NATO defense ministers will meet for two days at NATO headquarters in Brussels beginning on Thursday, Oct. 17.   On Tap Monday  Events in and around the defense world:  The Association of the United States Army will kick off its annual conference, with attendance by top Army and Pentagon leaders.  What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets: Smaller but more diverse group of veterans running for Congress this year (Military.com) NC National Guard helicopter blows away Hurricane Helene supplies (Military Times) Israeli and U.S. defense ministers discuss Israel’s expanding conflicts in Mideast (The New York Times)  Trending Today  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Obama sends stark warning message to Democrats Former President Obama on Thursday night did what many Democrats had been craving.  He said the quiet part out loud.  For days, Democrats … Read more Michigan newspaper issues correction after Trump claims he won man of year award A Michigan newspaper issued a correction after former President Trump cited the paper at a speech in Detroit, claiming he was Michigan’s “Man of the … Read more  Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: A path toward a nuclear off-ramp with IranNorth Korea wades into Ukraine Is the day of reckoning for the Islamic Republic of Iran finally here?  You're all caught up. See you next week!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Defense and National Security newsletter Subscribe