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The Duffel Brief · the free edition, Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Vol. 15 · No. 133 · Friday, 6 November 2026

Pete Hegseth picks wrong week to stop drinking

Pentagon staffing delays leave secretary sober for worst 48 hours of his career

Pentagon confident U.S. will be ready for 2027 war with China by 2035

Hegseth wears Eisenhower's globe as Halloween costume

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Vol. 15 · No. 133

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Vol. 15 · No. 133 · Deployed worldwide

Friday

6 November 2026

2100 Zulu

Next edition Monday

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· Page 2

General Mattis takes ALS ice bucket challenge

Filed · 1541

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis joined a growing number of Americans by taking part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on Sunday, sources confirmed.

In a video uploaded to YouTube and later posted to Facebook, the former commander of Central Command turned academic is seen sitting in a folding camp chair next to a small swimming pool. As is customary for the event — which is meant to raise money for the ALS Foundation — Mattis begins by mentioning who nominated him to take the challenge before issuing his own.

“I guess I should thank Gen. Lloyd Austin, the commander of U.S. Central Command, for issuing this challenge,” Mattis said. “I guess this is his way of getting back at me for leaving him with an AOR that looks more like the inside of a well-used porta-shitter than a regional command, but hell, he’s a big boy, he should be able to handle it."

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