“U.S. weapons makers are fighting a battle on two fronts: ensuring strong returns for investors and trying to satisfy their biggest customer—the Pentagon,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and L3Harris Technologies said they were working to step up production of missiles, rocket parts and other weapons systems, following pressure from the Trump administration to beef up U.S. arsenals.”

“At the same time, executives said, they aim to keep setting aside enough cash to reward shareholders who count on the big contractors to deliver steady payouts.”

“A U.S. intelligence official has alleged wrongdoing by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a whistleblower complaint that is so highly classified it has sparked months of wrangling over how to share it with Congress,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The filing of the complaint has prompted a continuing, behind-the-scenes struggle about how to assess and handle it, with the whistleblower’s lawyer accusing Gabbard of stonewalling the complaint. Gabbard’s office rejects that characterization, contending it is navigating a unique set of circumstances and working to resolve the issue.”

“A cloak-and-dagger mystery reminiscent of a John le Carré novel is swirling around the complaint, which is said to be locked in a safe.”

“The Trump administration’s deployment of troops to six different U.S. cities last year cost roughly $496 million through the end of December,” CBS News reports.

President Trump said the U.S. used a weapon he referred to as a “discombobulator” to capture then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro this month, but a senior US official said he’s likely conflating tools used by the US military, CNN reports.

Said Trump: “The discombobulator, I’m not allowed to talk about it.”

“The president may be conflating several capabilities into a single weapon that doesn’t exist, a senior U.S. official told CNN. US forces did use cyber tools to disable early warning and other Venezuelan defense systems during the operation, it also utilized existing acoustic systems to disorient personnel on the ground.”

“Rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War will cost between $10 million and $125 million — but could cost hundreds of millions more if lawmakers make it official,” Axios reports.

“The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first attack on a boat that the Trump administration said was smuggling drugs, killing 11 people last September… The aircraft also carried its munitions inside the fuselage, rather than visibly under its wings,” the New York Times reports.

“The nonmilitary appearance is significant, according to legal specialists, because the administration has argued its lethal boat attacks are lawful — not murders — because President Trump ‘determined’ the United States is in an armed conflict with drug cartels.”

“But the laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status to fool adversaries into dropping their guard, then attacking and killing them. That is a war crime called ‘perfidy.’”

President Trump said in an interview that aired Thursday night that the United States needed a $600 billion increase in military spending next year to address “some real threats out there,” the New York Times reports.

He did not specify the threats.

“President Donald Trump’s plans to request an increase in the US military budget is giving a fresh boost to defense stocks around the world, with those in Europe having a particularly strong start to a year that looks set to be dominated by geopolitics,” Bloomberg reports.

President Trump said he “will not permit” defense companies to issue dividends or stock buybacks until those firms address his complaints about the industry, CNBC reports.

Trump also took aim at defense contractors’ executive pay packages.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military has censured Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and began the process of reducing his rank, in response to statements made by the retired Navy captain about ignoring illegal orders.

New York Times: “A plutonium-packed generator disappeared on one of the world’s highest mountains in a hush-hush mission the U.S. still won’t talk about.”