How Trump skipped the military brass in negotiations with defense companies; 12th Navy official arrested in connection with ‘Fat Leonard’ scandal; Trump and Putin are discussing military cooperation in Syria. Mattis says Russia must ‘prove itself first.’; The Pentagon said it wouldn’t use depleted uranium rounds against ISIS. Months later, it did — thousands of times.; This is the ground-launched cruise missile that Russia has reportedly just deployed; Defense Secretary Mattis issues new ultimatum to NATO allies on defense spending; Mattis attempts to reassure NATO allies as the Trump administration deals with fallout from Flynn’s ouster;   A military blog by Dan Lamothe   How Trump skipped the military brass in negotiations with defense companies Trump offers a glimpse of his dealmaking process. By Aaron Gregg  •  Read more » 12th Navy official arrested in connection with ‘Fat Leonard’ scandal He is one of 17 charged in connection with the case. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff  •  Read more »   Trump and Putin are discussing military cooperation in Syria. Mattis says Russia must ‘prove itself first.’ "We are not in a position right now to collaborate on a military level,” he said. By Dan Lamothe and Michael Birnbaum  •  Read more »   The Pentagon said it wouldn’t use depleted uranium rounds against ISIS. Months later, it did — thousands of times. The video of the strikes was posted online. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   This is the ground-launched cruise missile that Russia has reportedly just deployed The missile is probably a ground-based variant of Russia's new Kalibr cruise missile. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff  •  Read more »   Defense Secretary Mattis issues new ultimatum to NATO allies on defense spending "Americans cannot care more for your children's security than you do," he said. By Dan Lamothe and Michael Birnbaum  •  Read more »   Mattis attempts to reassure NATO allies as the Trump administration deals with fallout from Flynn’s ouster The issue is sensitive for NATO allies, who are concerned about Russian interference in elections and aggression that includes the 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. By Dan Lamothe  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   World news alerts Get immediate updates in your inbox on breaking news from around the world. Visit washingtonpost.com/newsletters for more breaking news alerts and newsletters. Sign Up »         Share Checkpoint:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Checkpoint or because it is included in your subscription. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071