U.S. Air National Guard Security Forces airmen post security at a designated drop zone at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Miss., during Southern Strike 17, October 26, 2016. Senior Airman Clayton Cupit/Air Force | Military Times >>

Today’s Top Stories

“Trump was the first guy to recognize the populist appeal of this problem,” said Paul J. Rieckhoff, the chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. | The New York Times >>

The study, which included interviews with 400 hiring professionals and 1,000 veterans, found that business leaders have helped make their corporate culture more welcoming to transitioning troops in recent years. They’re actively looking to hire veterans, and see them as ideal employees. | Military Times >>

Launching today, November 1, the beginning of Military Appreciation Month, the Thank A Hero program benefits Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), an organization committed to providing support and resources to the newest generation of U.S. military veterans. | Cycle World >>

Iraq and Afghanistan

The bullets zipped over the earthen barricade blocking the road to Mosul, prompting an instant response from the black-clad soldiers who had been milling around their Humvees at the edge of Bazwaya. Heavy machine-guns opened up in their turrets, and automatic fire crackled from the rooftops—another supposedly secured village had turned hot in the blink of an eye. | The Daily Beast >>

Before the current crisis, more than a million people had already been uprooted. This year, at least another million Afghans are “on the move” inside Afghanistan and across its borders, in what the United Nations warns is an alarming new wave of displaced people. | The Washington Post >>

Aid agencies said on Wednesday families who have fled Mosul and surrounding towns were starting to reach displacement camps away from the fighting, as Iraqi forces press on with an offensive to retake Islamic State’s last major stronghold in Iraq. | Reuters >>

Military Affairs

The US Army’s program to replace its aging fleet of 74-foot landing craft with a new model is officially under way. The service issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to industry on Oct. 28 for a roughly 100-foot-long craft able to land an Abrams main battle tank directly onto a beach. | Defense News >>

We’re nearly two decades away from the time that the U.S. Navy expects to put its next generation of attack subs in the water. But the service is already looking ahead and researching the technologies that will allow future subs to become mother ships to entire fleets of swimming (and flying) drones that find and sink the enemy. | Popular Mechanics >>

“We will determine if United States Marine Corps aviation squadrons have sufficient fully mission capable aircraft and proficient pilots to meet minimum standards for their mission essential tasks,” according to an Oct. 17 memo from Carol Gorman assistant inspector general for readiness and cyber operations. | Marine Corps Times >>

#VetsRising

Veterans of the U.S. military will share personal stories of service and life after the military in “The Veterans Project,” which will be presented at FilmBar in downtown Phoenix on Nov. 9. Currently in its fourth year, “The Veterans Project” is the product of an ongoing initiative at ASU to create space for veteran-civilian community dialogue. Five previous iterations have been performed in Tempe, Phoenix and Tucson since 2013. | ASU Now >>

Milani joined the Army as a 17-year-old and has since served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. She told students that Veteran’s Day is about serving your country, but the next generation was most fascinated by her uniform — asking just how many pockets there are. | CBS 2 >>

“This award is given on an annual basis to a Springfield resident who is a veteran and continuously volunteers their time to better our community and never seeks recognition,” said Charly Lawrence, deputy director of Springfield Veterans Services, which sponsors the award along with the Springfield Veterans Activities Committee, Inc. | Mass Live >>