The American military has largely operated on a familiar premise: combat the enemy overseas before the fight reaches home.

But as drones, cyberattacks and long-range weapons pose growing threats to U.S. military installations and critical infrastructure, Army leaders are preparing for a future in which American forces could come under attack before they ever deploy overseas.

«If we’re going against a pacing threat, power projection will be contested,» Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s acting chief of staff, told Digital on Wednesday.

He said the military is rethinking assumptions that were held during decades of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, when American forces could largely count on secure bases and supply lines at home.

FBI WARNS BATTLEFIELD-STYLE DRONE ATTACKS COULD REACH US: ‘ONLY A MATTER OF TIME’

«During the Global War on Terror, we took a lot of things for granted, because we could,» LaNeve said during a small-group roundtable at the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference in Washington this week.

In a potential conflict with China, disrupting American military bases, transportation networks and communications could delay U.S. forces from reaching the battlefield. The Pentagon’s latest report on China’s military capabilities warns that Beijing has positioned cyber capabilities inside U.S. critical infrastructure networks that could be used to disrupt American military mobilization during a conflict.

The concerns come as the Pentagon places renewed emphasis on homeland defense and military installations as they prepare to potentially confront threats closer to home. U.S. officials have previously confirmed drone incursions over installations — including Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia and Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. Though those incidents have not been publicly attributed to China.

The warning of a future fight on American soil comes amid the How the Army Fights rollout. The new operational framework places greater emphasis on preparing American forces to deploy, communicate and sustain operations even when military bases, supply lines and communications networks are under attack.

The guidance places greater emphasis on the Army’s ability to deploy and sustain forces under threat, including when communications, supply lines and military infrastructure are disrupted.

US MILITARY BASES ARE ‘ILL-EQUIPPED’ TO STOP DRONE SWARMS, TOP COMMANDER REVEALS AFTER RUBIO’S UAP WARNING

LaNeve said the Army is using the framework to establish clearer priorities for how its formations train, fight and incorporate new technology.

«It was important to get this document out to provide a direction for our Army, a stake in the ground in where we’re moving,» LaNeve told Digital in an interview Wednesday.

The changes are being led by an Army leadership team serving in acting capacities following the departures of former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George. LaNeve remains the Senate-confirmed vice chief of staff.

LaNeve explained how the Army is preparing to keep fighting even when an adversary disrupts military communications.

«I think what you would see inside this command and control capability is the ability to operate disconnected and then reconnect when you have that capability, but to continue to be able to maneuver,» he said.

The Army is also rethinking how it protects military installations at home. LaNeve pointed to Joint Interagency Task Force 401, which is working with federal and local law enforcement to strengthen counter-drone defenses around military bases and critical infrastructure.

CARTELS USE DRONES TO SCOUT BORDER AGENTS AND MAP SMUGGLING ROUTES, EXPERT WARNS

Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle pointed to the southern border as an example of how soldiers are already confronting drone threats closer to home. He said soldiers are using the mission to test new counter-drone technology against real-world threats, gaining experience they can bring back to their units as the Army prepares for future conflicts.

The Army is also expanding its preparations for biological threats that could disrupt military operations. Officials announced this week that biological incidents will be incorporated into routine combat training as part of a broader effort to ensure soldiers can continue carrying out their missions through disease outbreaks or deliberate biological attacks.

During a separate panel Wednesday, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink warned that advances in surveillance technology could soon make it increasingly difficult for military forces to operate anywhere without being detected.

«We are rapidly heading to a point in time where, depending on what your signature is, how fast you’re moving, the enemy is going to have some sense to where you are no matter where you are on the planet,» Meink said.

He suggested that level of surveillance could emerge within five years, potentially sooner, as China and other adversaries expand their ability to track and target military assets.

Meink said the Pentagon is working to make its forces more survivable, including through autonomous systems capable of operating in dangerous environments where commanders might hesitate to send manned platforms.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking alongside Meink and the other service secretaries, criticized what he described as the Pentagon’s failure to keep pace with technological advances under the Biden administration.

«On hypersonics, they took a nap. On space, they took a nap. On weaponization of space, they took a nap. On drones, they took a nap,» Hegseth said.

LaNeve emphasized that despite the Army’s growing reliance on advanced technology, soldiers must still be able to carry out their missions when those systems are unavailable.

«Soldiers are our number one platform. It is the Army’s platform,» he told Digital.

The technology, he said, is intended to make troops more capable, but soldiers must remain grounded in the fundamental skills needed to fight without it.

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El martes, durante al menos 90 minutos, el papa León XIV estuvo inconsciente bajo anestesia general. La situación plantea una interrogante: ¿qué sucede cuando un papa está incapacitado y no puede dirigir la Iglesia católica?

La respuesta corta es: nada. La Iglesia tiene reglas para algunas situaciones, como cuando un papa muere o renuncia, o cuando no puede ejercer sus funciones con libertad (por ejemplo, cuando un papa es encarcelado, como ocurrió con el papa Pío VI a manos de Napoleón, un escenario poco probable hoy en día). Sin embargo, no tiene reglas específicas para los casos en que el papa se encuentra enfermo de gravedad o, digamos, en coma.

En caso de la hospitalización temporal del papa, la extensa estructura administrativa del Vaticano funciona por sí sola, un escenario que los observadores del Vaticano vivieron en repetidas ocasiones durante las frecuentes hospitalizaciones de san Juan Pablo II y el papa Francisco.

Desde hace décadas, el Hospital Gemelli de Roma cuenta con un conjunto de habitaciones equipado para el papa. Juan Pablo estuvo ahí con tanta frecuencia que comenzó a decirle “el tercer Vaticano”. (Actualmente esa área se está remodelando, por lo que León se está recuperando en habitaciones cercanas).

Incluso allí, el papa sigue a cargo.

“No hay un papa suplente”, dijo Alberto Melloni, un historiador de la Iglesia. Si hay que tomar decisiones o hacer nombramientos, “se le pueden llevar al papa mientras está en el hospital”.

Y basándose en lo que se ha dicho hasta el momento sobre la recuperación de León, parece ser que él estará de vuelta en el Vaticano en una semana, como el Vaticano había anticipado.

Los médicos de León dijeron el miércoles que su recuperación avanzaba según lo esperado. En un comunicado emitido por el Vaticano, sus médicos dijeron que León estaba haciendo ejercicios respiratorios, había comenzado a caminar y había desayunado y almorzado.

Matteo Bruni, el vocero del Vaticano, dijo que el pontífice estaba “de buen humor”, sin dar más detalles.

Por ahora, el funcionamiento diario del Vaticano y de la Iglesia mundial se delega en un equipo de funcionarios -encabezado por el secretario de Estado, el cardenal Piero Parolin– que garantiza que su administración funcione sin contratiempos.

La Santa Sede es el órgano central de gobierno de la Iglesia católica y comprende decenas de oficinas o departamentos que, a su vez, supervisan áreas específicas, como la evangelización, el clero, la educación o la economía. Tan solo la Secretaría de Estado del Vaticano es como una combinación de un ministerio del interior y un ministerio de asuntos exteriores que supervisa la gestión general, así como las relaciones con otros Estados y las embajadas de la Iglesia en el extranjero.

“Sabemos que las operaciones diarias continúan como de costumbre, en el sentido de que ninguna regla le impide a nadie seguir haciendo lo que hace”, dijo Giovanni Maria Vian, un experto en la Iglesia y exdirector de L’Osservatore Romano, el periódico del Vaticano. “Digamos que es una máquina que funciona de forma normal y automática, por así decirlo”.

El reverendo Filippo Di Giacomo, experto en derecho canónico y comentarista, señaló que la Iglesia ha tenido siglos para afinar su funcionamiento.

“Toda la estructura del Vaticano, y también la del clero, ha sido construida a lo largo de los siglos de tal manera que incluso cuando un gobierno eclesiástico se ve obligado a disminuir el ritmo, nunca colapsará”, dijo. “La sabiduría jurídica de la Iglesia reside en el ‘Estado profundo’ que mantiene a flote al Vaticano”, añadió. Este “no entra en crisis solo porque el papa esté enfermo”, dijo.

Esto no quiere decir que no se haya planteado la pregunta de qué hacer si un papa está incapacitado físicamente, como ocurrió durante el papado de Juan Pablo II, quien durante una década padeció la enfermedad de Parkinson y otros problemas de salud.

“Uno de los factores que sin duda influyó en la decisión de Benedicto XVI de renunciar al papado fue el hecho de que no quería que eso le pasara a él”, dijo Vian sobre la decisión que Benedicto tomó en 2013 de renunciar cuando su propia salud comenzaba a deteriorarse.

El domingo pasado, León anunció durante su oración semanal que le habían encontrado un nódulo en el pulmón y que sus médicos decidieron operarlo, lo cual hicieron dos días después. El Vaticano no ha dicho cuándo se descubrió el nódulo del pulmón del papa, solo que surgió durante un examen de rutina.

El miércoles, Bruni dijo que los resultados histológicos del tumor “tomarán tiempo”. También dijo que el papa todavía esperaba viajar a Sudamérica el próximo mes.

Algunos observadores del Vaticano han señalado dos nombramientos recientes -cargos importantes durante el periodo de transición papal- como prueba de que el papa estaba dejando todo en orden antes de la cirugía.

La semana pasada, León aprobó el nombramiento del cardenal Luis Antonio Tagle, de 69 años, como nuevo decano del Colegio Cardenalicio, un cargo clave durante una transición papal.

También nombró al arzobispo Vittorio Viola como arcipreste de la Basílica Papal de San Pedro en el Vaticano y vicario general para la Ciudad del Vaticano. Aunque la mayoría de los cardenales pierden sus cargos en caso de muerte o renuncia papal, estos puestos clave se mantienen.

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Elisabetta Povoledo es una reportera del Times con sede en Roma, que cubre Italia, el Vaticano y la cultura de la región. Ha sido periodista durante 35 años.

The New York Times, data-cc, data-cc-nyt

The Clintons are back on the midterm campaign circuit — with Bill Clinton heading to Florida to stump for Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly and Hillary Clinton taking to the podcast microphone as the party makes its final push toward Election Day.

The former president is scheduled to make his first public campaign appearance of the 2026 election cycle on Oct. 20 for Jolly, a former Republican congressman turned Democrat. Hillary, meanwhile, has teamed up with journalist Kara Swisher for a new midterm-focused podcast series and has been making campaign appearances of her own.

The moves bring two of the Democratic Party’s most recognizable figures into the midterm fight as the party grapples with competing visions for its future, raising questions about how much influence the Clintons still wield as progressive candidates challenge the Democratic establishment.

BIDEN CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT FROM CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS OBAMA, HARRIS STEP UP FOR MIDTERM PUSH

While the Clintons remain prominent in Democratic politics, one party strategist says Democrats are more focused on winning elections than revisiting the party’s past.

«President Clinton remains one of the most gifted political communicators this country has ever known, particularly when it comes to connecting with working-class voters on the economic issues that matter most,» said Democratic strategist Kevin Walling. «But I don’t believe that Democrats are looking for a Clinton restoration — they’re looking for a path back to winning.»

Democratic strategist Mally Smith offered a more skeptical assessment of how much reach the Clintons have in the closing weeks of the election.

«Hillary and Bill are still relevant to some voters. However, they will mostly be useful in speaking to the Democratic base and those who are highly engaged in politics,» Mally Smith. «It is a hard media environment to breakthrough and even current elected officials, let alone former office holders, will struggle to get people’s attention.»

Clinton’s Oct. 20 appearance will take place at an interfaith event in Hollywood, Florida, alongside Jolly, who is facing Republican Rep. Byron Donalds in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Jolly is campaigning on affordability, including lowering property insurance costs through a state-backed catastrophe fund, expanding Medicaid, increasing funding for public schools and protecting abortion rights.

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday to rally support for Democratic candidates Lynne Walz and Denise Powell at a «Pumpkins, Pies, and Politics» fundraiser.

HILLARY CLINTON ISSUES ENDORSEMENT IN US MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Asked how she would address Democrats who feel their votes no longer matter, Clinton pointed to a series of national crises that have contributed to voter frustration – including her 2016 election loss.

«And you could kind of understand that, for people who feel like they’ve had a series of hard times. If you look back on the last 25 years in our country, I was a senator from New York on 9/11. That was a trauma. The terrible financial crisis of 2008 was horrific for people. We had an election in 2016 that, you know, raised a lot of questions that we’re still trying to find answers for about what, what kind of really went on, and then we had COVID,» she said during the Nebraska event.

Clinton teamed up with journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher for a six-week limited series titled «High Stakes,» which debuted Oct. 14 and will air weekly through mid-November, focusing on the 2026 midterm elections, key congressional races and issues.

The first episode, which aired Wednesday, centered on rising costs for gas, groceries and healthcare, Elon Musk’s political spending and how Democrats can make affordability a winning message, while also examining key Senate races in Michigan and Maine.

HILLARY CLINTON CONCEDES INFAMOUS 9/11 NEAR-FAINTING EPISODE IN 2016 WAS A ‘MISTAKE’ ON HER PART

«If the former president can help Democrats compete in a challenging state like Florida, and Secretary Clinton’s podcast can contribute to a substantive national conversation that motivates my party, that’s certainly a positive,» said Walling.

The Clintons’ increased visibility comes as Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates have scored primary victories against incumbent or establishment-backed Democrats in states including Colorado, New York and Michigan.

MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT IN 2026 MIDTERMS

«The challenge for Democrats is drawing on the wisdom and experience of the party’s past without overshadowing the next generation of leaders who will define its future,» he added.

Digital reached out to the Clintons and Jolly’s campaign for comment.

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