Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter{beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story  Jury awards $42M to former Iraq prison detainees Three former detainees of Abu Ghraib sued in a civil case in Virginia accusing civilian contractors of complicity in U.S. military abuses in the early 2000s.© AP The verdict against Virginia-based CACI Premier Technology, a defense contractor, comes after years of delays and a hung jury in the first case in April. The case was originally filed in 2008.  But on Tuesday, after the start of a second trial in late October, jurors awarded $3 million to each of the three plaintiffs in compensatory damages and $11 million each in punitive damages.  Plaintiff lawyer and co-counsel Muhammad Faridi, a partner at the law firm of Patterson Belknap Webb and Tyler LLP, said the team feels "immense pride in representing our three clients who were the victims of unimaginable brutality at Abu Ghraib." "The jury’s verdict vindicates the rights of our clients and will provide some measure of justice for the horrific treatment they endured.," Faridi said in a statement to The Hill.  The plaintiffs, Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili and Asa’ad Al-Zubae, had described physical and mental abuse at the hands of interrogators and guards at Abu Ghraib.  The case at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria was focused on whether CACI civilian contractors employed by the U.S. military as interrogators in the early 2000s were also responsible for the abuse.  Abu Ghraib, which shut down in 2014, was run by the military police when the alleged abuse occurred.  The worst cases are documented between October and December 2003, just months after the U.S. invaded Iraq as part of the global war on terrorism and was hunting down suspects for information about groups like al-Qaeda.  Abu Ghraib was mired in controversy after photos leaked in 2004 of the alleged abuse. Eleven U.S. military officers were later convicted and court-martialed for their role at the prison.  At the first trial in April, Al-Zubae said attack dogs were set on him, and he was deprived of clothing, while guards also threatened him with rape.   Other allegations of abuse included beatings with broom handles and prisoners forced to pile on top of each other naked.   CACI argued there was no evidence that civilian contractors were directly involved in the abuses. They are expected to appeal the verdict.  But attorneys for the plaintiffs painted a picture of civilian interrogators softening up detainees for guards. Read more here.   Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Brad Dress — 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:  Five things to know about Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser pickPresident-elect Trump has selected Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) as his next national security advisor, picking a retired Army Green Beret with years of experience on defense and foreign policy. Waltz, who represents District 6 in Florida, has served in the House since 2019. He sits on the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees. Trump said on his social media site Truth Social that Waltz was an “expert …  Full Story  Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years for leaking classified Pentagon secretsA U.S. District Court judge sentenced a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison on Tuesday after he leaked classified information about the country’s war strategy in Ukraine on the social platform Discord, according to the Associated Press. The leak uncovered critical staging for troops in Ukraine and equipment supplied to the foreign force.  Jack Teixeira apologized for his actions and admitted guilt …  Full Story  Tuberville: US military ‘couldn’t beat anybody right now’Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said Monday that the U.S. military could not defeat any country in battle right now and called the armed services a “disaster.” “We need to build our military up,” Tuberville told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham. “Our military right now, Laura, is a disaster. Absolute disaster. We couldn’t beat anybody right now.” “We’ve got some good people in the military. But the structure …  Full Story  State Department: Israel not in violation of US law on humanitarian aid to Gaza The State Department on Tuesday said that Israel is not in violation of U.S. law related to the delivery and access of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, despite pushback from aid groups and the United Nations. The U.N. and aid groups have sounded the alarm over dire conditions for Palestinians’ access to food, medical care and shelter ...  Full Story   On Our Radar  Upcoming things we're watching on our beat:  Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with NATO and European Union leaders Nov.12-13. Blinken will then join President Biden in Peru and Brazil from Nov. 14-19 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Week and the G20 Leaders’ Summit. President-elect Trump will meet Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday. In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill:Trump’s border czar to critics: ‘Legal immigrants are perfectly safe’  Tom Homan, President-elect Trump’s pick for “border czar” in his upcoming administration, pushed back against critics of his immigration ideology. Fox Business’s Elizabeth MacDonald showed recent clips featuring MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace saying Homan has “ties to Project … Full Story   On Tap Tomorrow  Events in and around the defense world:  The Atlantic Council unpacks the G20 in a Taiwan crisis during a 9:45 a.m. ET hybrid event. The Center for Strategic and International Studies talks on civil society and environmental politics in the Middle East and North Africa at a 9 a.m. virtual event. The Hudson Institute looks at the threat to digital rights in Hong Kong during a 11 a.m. in-person event. The Wilson Center analyzes US-Africa relations for a 10 a.m. in-person event. The American Enterprise Institute assesses how to counter China's military buildup in a 2:30 p.m. online event.  What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets: The U.S. demanded that Israel surge aid to Gaza. Little has changed (The Washington Post) Ukraine in 'final stages' to set up three new JVs with European armsmakers (Reuters)  Trending Today  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Republicans win House, delivering Trump a trifecta Republicans are projected to keep control of the House of Representatives, handing the party total control of Washington with President-elect Trump … Read more Trump Cabinet picks: Here’s who’s on the list to carry out his agenda President-elect Trump is assembling his Cabinet and senior staff for his second term in the White House before taking office in January. Trump must … Read more  Opinions in The Hill Op-ed related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: Is it time for Trump to drain the swamp … in Iran?   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  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