{beacon} Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story  North Koreans spotted in Ukraine-Russia combat zone North Korean forces have entered the combat zone between Russian and Ukrainian forces for the first time after training at Kremlin military bases, Ukraine’s defense intelligence service said Thursday. © AP Photo/Ng Han Guan Ukrainian spies spotted the troops, who they said were trained at one of five military sites in east Russia, in Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine also said the North Korean soldiers are being trained over several weeks and that Moscow intends to use them in the war against Ukraine, according to a statement posted to social media.   The United States on Wednesday confirmed that some 3,000 North Koreans are training in Russia at military sites.   The troops were moved into the former Soviet state between early to mid-October and are now undergoing basic combat training at what they assessed to be three military sites, according to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby.   “We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability,” he said.   Kyiv, however, had much higher estimates, with the General Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine assessing the number of North Korean soldiers in Russia to be about 12,000 people, including 500 officers, three of whom are generals.   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week said Pyongyang had already sent tactical personnel and officers into Russian-occupied areas of his country.   Russian President Vladimir Putin has not confirmed or denied his country is training North Korean troops within its borders and appeared to brush aside a question about the development at the BRICS summit Thursday.   Putin said “it was not Russia’s actions that led to the escalation” in Ukraine, accusing the West of helping Kyiv fight Moscow.   He also referred to Russia’s “comprehensive strategic partnership” with North Korea, signed by the two countries in June, where both pledged “mutual assistance in case of aggression” against either country.   “We will see how this process develops,” Putin 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:   Blinken struggles to heal US-Israel rift after Hamas leader’s death Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Israel this week with little tangible progress on scaling up humanitarian deliveries to the Gaza Strip or brokering a cease-fire and hostage release deal, despite U.S. hopes that the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar last week would be a turning point toward ending the war.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown little interest in diplomacy or halting military operations, …  Full Story   Putin name-checks Trump at BRICS summit Russian President Vladimir Putin name-checked former President Trump at this week’s BRICS summit and seemingly welcomed the Republican nominee’s desire to end the Russian-Ukraine war. “What Mr. Trump said recently, what I heard, [is] he spoke about the desire to do everything to end the conflict in Ukraine,” Putin said during a Thursday news conference, according to The Associated Press.  Full Story   Trump says he has ‘4 or 5 good choices’ for potential Defense secretary Former President Trump signaled Thursday that he has a list of potential nominees to serve as Defense secretary if he wins November’s election, hinting at the future of a Cabinet position likely to come under additional scrutiny due to some of Trump’s recent comments. Trump phoned into conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt’s show, where Hewitt rattled off a list of potential nominees, including Sen. Tom Cotton …  Full Story   On Our Radar  Upcoming things we're watching on our beat:  Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back tomorrow after a whirlwind trip to the Middle East to attempt to broker an end to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon to a close.  U.S. Strategic Command will kick off its annual nuclear command and control exercise Global Thunder tomorrow.    In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Most in new survey expecting violence after Election Day More than 6 in 10 Americans are preparing for violence after the Nov. 5 election, according to a poll released Thursday that signals deep dissonance in the country amid the hotly contested White House race. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed in the Scripps News/Ipsos poll said violence after Election … Full Story   On Tap Tomorrow  Events in and around the defense world:  The Center for Strategic and International Studies will host a discussion on “Plotting a Course for the Future: The First U.S. Coast Guard Operational Posture,” with Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Adm. Peter Gautier at 9:30 a.m.    What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets: Trump says he’ll undertake the ‘largest deportation’ in U.S. history. Can he do that? (Los Angeles Times) New rules for US national security agencies balance AI’s promise with need to protect against risks (The Associated Press)   Trending Today  Two key stories on The Hill right now: CNN polling guru says battleground state sweep ‘more likely than not’ CNN polling guru Harry Enten said he believes a sweep of the main battleground states in the presidential election is “more likely than not,” even … Read more Democrats give Harris rocky reviews on CNN town hall Vice President Harris’s CNN town hall performance received tough reviews from fellow Democrats who criticized her for missing the moment to sell her … Read more   Opinions in The Hill  Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: Trump risks becoming Neville Chamberlain to Putin’s Hitler Putin suffers another massive defeat, this time in Moldova To deter a war over Taiwan, threaten Chinese interests far from it     You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! 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