US Sends More F-35s to CENTCOM + IDF Creates New Security Corridor in S. Gaza + Finland to Increase Defense Spending to 3% GDP by '29 + US Army Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon Test in Dec '25 + More

For review:1. US Army identifies the four Dogface Soldiers (3d Infantry Division) who perished during training exercise in Lithuania. All assigned to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, they were identified as: Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez; Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco; Pfc. Dante D. Taitano; and Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins.2.  US Sends More F-35s to CENTCOM. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dispatched the extra air wing of F-35 fighters to Jordan.3. IDF Creates New Security Corridor in S. Gaza. The route, which separates Rafah from Khan Younis to its north, will likely cut off Rafah from the rest of the Strip.4. Hamas is prepared to release all of the remaining hostages at once in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the ongoing truce talks told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.5. A top Russian official (Kirill Dmitriev) is in Washington this week for meetings with the Trump administration, as negotiations continue on a deal to end the war in Ukraine.6. US SECDEF Pete Hegseth skips the latest Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels. 7.  Finland to Increase Defense Spending to 3% GDP by '29.8. Greece will spend 25 billion euros ($27 billion) over the next decade to adapt its military to evolving high-tech warfare technologies. The plan also includes new programs such as next-generation soldier gear equipped with sensors and communication systems, and the development of dedicated satellite capabilities to ensure secure communications. 9.  US Army Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon Test in Dec '25. The Army is forecasting that the first unit to get the hypersonic capability will begin receiving the rounds at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in the May time frame.10.  The US State Department has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale of 20 F-16 fighters to the Philippines, with an estimated price tag of $5.58 billion.The approved package, which covers 16 F-16C Block 70/72 jets and four F-16B Block 70/72 fighters, comes just days after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Manilla.